Wed 4/4 @ 5-8PM
The biggest recurring art event in town is Third Friday at 78th Street Studios in the Gordon Square neighborhood. There, each month, thousands of visitors jostle their way through four floors of artist studios, galleries and small retail shops, down corridors lined with work created by local artists. It’s almost more of a social event than an art event, and sometimes the art can take a back seat to hanging out and people-watching.
So last December, when a small group of people who work in the building got together to brainstorm ideas for different types of events to attract people to the building, they started to talk about giving them a more intimate experience that allowed them to interact with the artists.
And so in February, Watch It Wednesday was born. It takes place the first Wednesday of each month from 5-8pm. A dozen or so artists participate (the number is growing monthly), opening their studio doors or dragging their artwork, tools and materials to the smART space on the first floor of the building and working as visitors walk around, check them out and engage them in conversation.
Artist Susie Frazier, who sells her earth-based art in her beautiful first-floor space, is producing the event with her company.
“We had been experimenting with events to attract people,” she says. “We found our building is more attractive to people in the evenings. Weekends during the day tend to be personal time, family time, especially when the weather is nice.”
“We were trying to capitalize on the fact that there are a lot of young professionals in the area who like to go out, and we creatives had this incredible experience we could share by pulling back the curtain,” she continues. “You can see the work on the wall at the art walk. Here you can see the artist working on their process. There’s laughing, mayhem. It’s fun for us. [Artist] Charmaine [Spencer] said, ‘I haven’t had this much fun since art school.’’”
There’s music, with giant speakers lent by Alternative Press Magazine, whose offices are in the building, along with food and drink. In addition, they’re bringing in artists from outside the building to join them, such as filmmaker Rob Banks who participated last month, and sculptor Brenda Stumpf who will be part of an upcoming event.
Frazier says it’s exciting to watch the distinctive working processes of the artists.
She says of painter Hillary Gent, who also owns HEDGE Gallery in the building, “No one has ever seen her work. She has her works on the ground, and she’s standing there with paint making a mess. It’s almost like action painting. The fact that she works on the floor makes it super fun.”
She points to Spencer, whose studio is on the top floor, which many Third Friday visitors never make it to, as another artist whose working method is exciting to see.
“The way she works is so incredible. She has these weaving things she’s been doing with thin reeds. She sets up her rigs and clips in her weavings that are half done. You can walk all around her. An artist who thinks three dimensionally like that is so different from a painter. She said that to bring this out in public has been so enriching. She’s up on the third floor; not everyone goes up there. It’s amazing to bring her out in full view.”
“We highlight the fact that this is an experience,” Frazier says. “It’s not so much about viewing art; it’s about immersing yourself in the art scene. We are sharing the creative process. That is the entertainment.”
So far the event has attracted from 30-60 people including groups of friends, organizations, corporate groups and area residents who walk over after happy hours. They’re working with destination Cleveland to promote Watch It Wednesday as a fun thing for out-of-town groups to see an actual, current, thriving art scene.
“It’s not a workshop but it’s an opportunity to see something up close, ask questions, see material and tools,” says Frazier. “You see little things they do, tricks of the trade. I deep down feel, and so do most of the artists working on this, that everyone is creative on this earth. They just need a little trigger. This encourages them to feel creative themselves.
Watch It Wednesdays take place every month on the first Wednesday skipping July 4. Tickets are $15 in advance online; $20 at the door, and include one free drink ticket and an artist-made souvenir. Each month’s lineup will be posted on 78th Street Studios Facebook and Instagram pages.
Cleveland, OH 44102