Fri 6/19 @ 5-9PM
There are some new things at 78th Street Studios happening this Third Friday that you’ll want to check out.
New Heights, at the Derek Hess Gallery, is the first of a series of exhibitions the gallery is planning to showcase the work of early and mid-career artists. It was curated by Megan Alves, whose goal was to present the work of Black artists with ties to Cleveland who are starting to make an impact. They’re also tied together because they are all figurative artists who explore their interior and exterior worlds as people of color through imagery of the human figure. There will be at least one new piece by each artist with some presenting entirely new work.
The best known is Davon Brantley, a young but much exhibited painter who himself is a curator: a show he put together called Blooming Tides is currently on view at Waterloo Arts. He’s also become active as an organizer and advocate in the local arts scene. Cleveland’s Stina Aleah is also beginning to get known locally. As self-taught artist, their work in this show will include four new pieces from their series The Childhood I Carried, recalling quiet, joyful moment of Black childhood.
Not so well known here yet is Brooklyn-based Amani Williams, originally from Columbus, who attended the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her recent drawings look at the ups and downs of coming on age as a Black woman, and address stereotypes of Blackness in art history and popular culture.
Finally, Nate Austin, who attended the Cleveland School of the Arts, creates photorealistic images against bold backgrounds. He’ll have a brand-new painting in this show, which will be on view through July 17.
New work will also be going on view at HEDGE Gallery, featuring new work by two well-known area artists. One of them will certainly be familiar to gallery regulars: Hilary Gent is the gallery’s owner in addition to being a talented painter. And she’s paired herself with an interesting fellow artist —sculptor Edward Raffel who makes abstract works out of found objects — for the show titled Managing the Darkness. Its overall theme is light breaking through darkness.
Gent’s own work reflects her obsession with water. In layers of poured latex paint, she captures the almost endless variety of shapes, colors and tones that water creates. Lately, she’s focused on the interplay of light on water and the reflections it creates. Meanwhile, Raffel’s work has a solid feel, as he amasses mundane objects in unexpected ways. His pieces include light boxes with light passing through acrylic sheets and his non-reversing mirror dyad pieces correct image reversal. Waring: HEDGE Gallery closes at 8pm, an hour before Third Friday.
This will also be the last day to see Emergence, a two-artist show featuring painting by Tessa LeBaron and photography by Johnny Joo in the Gallery 215 on the second floor.
There’ll also be guest artisans in the events spaces, courtesy of Cleveland Bazaar; drinks on the RAMP level from BARneo; and food trucks stationed outside the side main entrance. Third Friday is free and open to all, including well-behaved kids and dogs.