Fri 1/17 @ 5pm
78th Street Studios continues to attract more and more of the top local, creative talent to its galleries and studios. Recent additions have included NASA photographer Michelle Murphy’s Micro Art Space, Superelectric (a vintage pinball club) and Naji, Naji & Tekler — featuring artists Jamilla Naji, Loren Naji and Dawn Tekler. Loren has additional exhibition spaces in Ohio City and Collinwood as well.
With plans to renovate the basement into 20+ new spaces, a freshly paved parking lot (complete with a sculptural installation by local artist Dana Depew) and a new side entrance off the W. 80th St. side of the building, the future is looking very bright.
The newest addition to this eclectic collection of artist studios and galleries is E11even 2 – located in room 112 on the first floor of the building. For now, this unique gallery is tucked away at the end of the first floor’s long corridor. When the new entrance is completed, it will be one of the first spaces that visitors engage.
E11even 2 is an art gallery unlike any other in the building. It’s the brainchild of partners Christina Sadowski, Billy Nainiger and Rich Cichlar. Sadowski is a local photographer, Nainiger studied illustration and photography at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) and Cihlar was the long-time owner of the Pop Shop gallery and frame shop in Lakewood.
About 3 years ago, Cihlar stepped back from the gallery scene to spend time with his wife and newborn daughter. The Pop Shop became Breakneck Gallery and Rich began making a lot more art. He recently completed a full year of creating a unique, Pez-themed skate deck every day for over 365 days.
For the Grand Opening, the gallery is filled with the owners’ personal work. Cihlar has a whole wall of his Pez decks, Nainiger has his trademark Beatles-themed work hanging inside the gallery (along with a Sgt Peppers-themed giant garden gnome outside the door) and Sadowski has a large number of prints available as well.
“Billy and I met years ago while I worked at a frame shop and he was a customer,” explains Cihlar. “He and I became friends, and when I opened the Pop Shop, he displayed work there and we hung out a bit more. Billy and I always connected on the same level when it came to art and life. We’re both mixed media artists, pretty mellow and easy going, and enjoy talking art and life. In the last 2 years, without the Pop Shop, he and I talked more about the possibility of doing a show together, then that lead to opening our own place, and we kind of targeted 78th Street for our new location.
“I met Christina at Baldwin Wallace. I work there now, and she was a student a few years back. We had casual conversations, and went on group photo shoots where we got to know each other better. I would also say, I helped advise Christina on summer art festivals and gallery work. We too, shared a passion for art and the business of art. I later introduced her to Billy, and the three of us thought we would make a perfect triad as a gallery.
“78th Street has the vibe!,” continues Cihlar. “It’s hard to explain to someone who has never been to a Third Friday event, but that energy is the reason why we had to be there. Hundreds of thousands of Clevelanders (eastside and westside) coming together for the sake of art and a good time. That’s a gallery owner’s dream, not to mention an artist’s dream (which we all are). Our goals are really to get things moving, meet new friends, and use the time we have to add to the already cool space that is 78th Street Studios. The place was already awesome when we showed up, we just hope we can maintain and add to that awesomeness. ”
“I am really looking forward to starting this adventure with Rich and Tina,” adds Billy Nainiger. “As Rich said, we have talked about this for some time and had to jump at this opportunity at 78th Street. I like the idea of having a place to show new work on a monthly basis. It really inspires me to work harder and create more. I also like the idea of having a space to show the talents of some of the great artists that Cleveland has to offer.”
“I think we’re a very well oiled machine,” says Cihlar. “We each pick up where the other leaves off. Christina brings the feminine element to cozy up the gallery. Billy is a perfectionist for detail and cleanliness, which is super important for that first impression, and I come in with gallery experience, marketing/advertising, and an agenda. It’s really a good vibe, and I think guests will be able to see how well we work with each other.”
“Our goal is to create a fun atmosphere where people feel comfortable,” says Sadowski. “We want people to know you don’t have to be ‘rich’ to own art. We offer a wide range of art, all at different price points. If you can’t afford an original, maybe you can grab a print! If not, maybe just enjoy hanging out with some cool people.”
“My personal push for the gallery is to have ‘fun factors’; reasons why people want to come back”, adds Cihlar. “Fun factors that we have set up now include Art Grab bags – $20 gets you 10 pieces of original and signed prints. That element of surprise really gets people smiling. We have a contemporary fortune cookie machine. It’s an egg/capsule machine that has a 1 inch button and a fortune in it for 50 cents. Ideas like that are what we’re about. Do we have others? Yes…. but you’ll have to stay tuned for those. The biggest surprise we hope to unveil in a few months will be a vintage cigarette machine that dispenses original art for $5. That’s all I’m saying about that!”
It’s clear that E11even 2 is poised to quickly establish itself as one of the highlights of each and every Third Friday event. Be sure to stop by this Friday evening for the grand opening…and again soon to see what they’re up to next.
Other Third Friday highlights include Landscapes – new works by Eileen Dorsey and Hilary Gent at HEDGE Gallery, SYZYGY: The Works of Takacs, Kocar, Humez, Guyot, Hoeptner & Dolence at Cleveland West Art League (CWAL); the work of two local painters (Rachel Strongoli and Steve Ziebarth) at Naji, Naji & Tekler and much, much more! Don’t miss this month’s Third Friday!