Time and time again, the course of history has been changed by young people with the courage to address their community in solidarity. In 1903, children of coal miners marched from Philadelphia to New York in protest against child labor. In 1960, the young Greensboro Four staged sit-ins that roused students across the nation to join in the civil rights movement and refuse to accept segregation. In 2018, students in Florida began a mass movement against mass shootings by engaging the media with their rally cry #neveragain, marching and organizing with demands for legislative action against an epidemic of gun violence. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi expressed this truth in his statement “The power of youth is the common wealth of the entire world… No segment in society can match the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of young people.” Today, as current events stream digitally throughout the consciousness of our youth, Heights Arts offers an open platform for Cleveland Heights High School students to amplify their voices through art in its annual student show, this year What a Time to Be Alive, and the accompanying Intern Spotlight, featuring the work of senior intern Eryn Lawson and junior intern Josie Naypauer.

Lawson and Naypauer state about these exhibitions “In an age where connection is king, the miracles of modern life shape a new generation unlike any other. As the children of extremes, extravagance and excess, a unique culture rises from these conditions to shape our collective experience. From social media’s unrelenting scrutiny, unpredictable global events and insatiable boredom, the specifics of our lives create our stories. And so we must ask: what defines us? As an era; as a community; as individuals. In collaboration with Cleveland Heights High, we seek to find some answers to this question through our exhibition What a Time to Be Alive!” The exhibitions open on May 19 and will be on view through June 12.

It’s Heights Arts’ mission to inspire people of all ages to engage in the arts. Along with serving as a space for creative youths, this arts collaborative will host forty members in a non-juried exhibition that provides a variety of opportunities for artists and art audiences to discover each other. A wide variety of subject matter and statements ensures that this biennial exhibition remains engaging while showcasing the diverse talent that reflects our multifaceted local community. Visitors will be met with works that range from traditional photography and portraiture to pottery and fiber work at the Heights Arts Members Show running from June 17 to August 14.

For more information on Heights Arts community programs and events, including house concerts, gallery performances and outreach, visit heightsarts.org.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE | MAY 19–JUNE 12
SPOTLIGHT: ERYN LAWSON, JOSIE NAYPAUER | MAY 19–JUNE 12
OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM THURSDAY, MAY 19

HEIGHTS ARTS MEMBERS SHOW | JUNE 17–AUGUST 14
SPOTLIGHT: WAYNE NIEMI | JUNE 17–AUGUST 14
OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM FRIDAY, JUNE 17
EKPHRASTACY–TALK AND POETS RESPOND | 7PM THURSDAY, JULY 21

HEIGHTS ARTS
2175 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
216.371.3457
heightsarts.org