Cleveland’s FRONT International Triennial has just announced that its second iteration, scheduled to take place July 17-October 2, 2021, has been postponed a year, due to the difficulty of pulling an event together with so many arts partners and institutions impacted by COVID-19. The new dates are July 16-October 2.
“The arts ecosystem has been and will continue to be, profoundly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis,” says their press release. “From revenue and fundraising constraints brought on by the epidemic and practical considerations like the need to reschedule programming and exhibitions, it has become clear that FRONT, its Presenting Partners, and the public are best served by a postponement, and emphasis, in the meantime, on healing and recovery… The repercussions of this unprecedented crisis will extend well into next year as they work through cascading issues of delayed exhibitions and programming, budgetary concerns, and more.”
FRONT founder/executive director/CEO Fred Bidwell said in the release, “This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one, both for us and our partners. The postponement will allow us to present the best version of FRONT that we can something we hope will serve as a beacon of hope at the end of this difficult time.”
This edition, titled “Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows,” was scheduled to partner with an array of northeast Ohio institutions including the Akron Art Museum, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Public Library, moCa Cleveland, Space, and Transformer Station, all of which are currently closed.
Co-artistic directors Prem Krishnamurthy and Tina Kukielski will move ahead with preparations and planning, including monthly Whisper Sessions, a virtual platform that encourages conversation, deep listening and collaboration to fuel the upcoming triennial. It will be interesting to see how the pandemic impacts the work produced for the 2022 event.