Yards Project Space Reimagines the Portrait as a Living Archive, in Past Present Portraitsfrom the LAND

Past Present Portraits from the LAND reimagines the portrait as a living archive—a space where identity, place, and memory intersect. The exhibition considers how Cleveland’s artists chronicle both individual lives and collective histories, shaping a visual record of resilience, creativity, and transformation.

The featured works traverse time and medium: black-and-white film, digital photography, hand-tinted images, and experimental processes converge to create a mosaic of Cleveland’s humanity. These portraits are both intimate and civic—stories of artists, workers, dreamers, and neighbors who together embody the pulse of a city that continually reinvents itself.

Past Present Portraits from the LAND brings together a diverse group of Cleveland-based photographers and image-makers whose work captures the people who give this region its soul. Featuring artists Robert Banks, Bruce Checefsky, Hadley K. Conner, Daniel Levin, Bryon Miller, Shawn Mishak, John Skrtic, Peter Larson, Stormy Sweitzer, Anastasia Pantsios, and Gina Washington, this exhibition examines the evolving story of Cleveland through the lens of portraiture.

From the factory floor to the stage, from the neighborhoods to the lakeshore, these portraits reflect both those who were born and bred here and those who have passed through, leaving indelible marks on the city’s cultural and social landscape. Each artist brings a distinct perspective—documentary, conceptual, or deeply personal—revealing how the portrait serves not merely as representation, but as testimony.

YARDS PROJECT SPACE
AT WORTHINGTON YARDS
725 Johnson Court
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
yardsproject.com

EVENTS:

Past Present Portraits from the LAND, January 22–February 28, 2026