Sat 8/27 @ 11AM-3PM
When photographer Stephen Bivens passed away in 2020, both the civic and arts community lost a valuable advocate. Bivens was passionate about his artistry but he was also dedicated to capturing to community in images. And he was equally passionate about sharing what he knew, especially with young people.
Since his passing, his wife Jennifer, has established the Bivens Fellowship Residency in his honor, through the Cleveland Print Room where he taught and mentored youth. It gives two photographers the opportunity the pursue work using the Cleveland Print Room’s resources.
Camilo González Barragán and Sydney Nicole Kay were the fellowship artists for 2021. Barragán, a Colombian immigrant, says of his project VOID, “Since my migration to this country, I have been looking for balance without hiding behind my emotions. Through my art, I have begun to understand the purpose of this journey. VOID is a 35mm series that reflects, explores, and fills my emptiness on this journey.
Kay is a recent Cleveland Institute of Art graduate, who Reaching Paradise, she says, uses different formats ranging from iPhone to large-format camera, to “talk about the different struggles that people of color have gone through the generations, ranging from the boomers to generation z, to obtain a higher level of happiness and satisfaction for their children.
The results of their residency will now go on view at Cleveland Print room gallery, with an opening reception Saturday August 27. At 1:30, there’ll be artist talking with opening remarks by Jennifer Bivens. The reception is free and all are welcome.