Artists Archives of the Western Reserve Celebrates Founders, and Looks Ahead
In celebration of AAWR’s creation, we end the year with the 20th Anniversary Founder’s Exhibition, a group show featuring the art of founder David E. Davis and the 8 early supporting artists: Shirley Aley Campbell, David A. Haberman, William Martin Jean, Robert Jergens, Patricia Zinsmeister Parker, Phyllis Seltzer, Phyllis Lester Sloane and Randall Tiedman. Each artist will be represented by original works epitomizing their unique creative legacy and incalculable contribution to the organization. The exhibition continues into 2017, closing on January 14.
As part of the 20th Anniversary Founder’s Exhibition, we will also be premiering our Oral Histories Project which consists of short documentaries created by Akron independent film maker Ted Sikora and noted Cleveland photographer Chuck Mintz. These 4 minutes films, artfully document the lives and careers of 11 Archived Artists (including several early supporting Members), detailing their personal aesthetic development and approach to art creation, influences of teachers and mentors, exhibition history, and relationships with other notable artists. The films will be screened on Saturday, November 19th from 1 till 3 pm. The screening is free and open to all. The Archives would like to thank the voters of Cuyahoga County for providing funding for this project through a grant from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
The Electrostatic Man: the art of Miller Horns, and A Curve of Color: Art and Fashion, Samuel Butnik and Bonnie Cashin, two exciting exhibitions, will both open in January.
The Electrostatic Man, Miller Horns’ inaugural show as an Archived Artist, opens Friday January 27, 2017 in the AAWR gallery and will be part of a Campus Wide Opening in conjunction with The Sculpture Center and Davis Studios. Horns professional career as an artist ended with his death in 2012 at the age of 63.
A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, he spent one tour of duty with the United States Navy, a year in Rome, Italy as an American Academy Fellow, one year in Peterborough New Hampshire as a MacDowell Colony Fellow, and was a guest artist at Yaddo. While he completed many public commissions as well as a play and dance produced by Weathervane Theatre, Miller is known for his innovative use of electrostatic and thermal color transfer prints of drawn and photographed imagery.
His subject matter was primarily either personal, drawn from documentation of his everyday life experiences, or revolved around series of works related in style and theme, such as emotion (e.g. grief) or historical events (contributions of African-Americans to the development of Akron and Northeast Ohio). The last sixteen years of Horn’s life were spent in raising public awareness and support for his design for The Matthews Hotel Monument in Akron Ohio. This public monument, built in the year of his death, commemorates the former African – American entertainment district of Howard Street. World famous entertainers like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzie Gillespie, Count Basie and Cab Calloway would come perform in the district and stay at the Matthews Hotel because they were not allowed to stay at hotels catering to whites. As part of this exhibition and Black History Month AAWR will present a Collecting Art Talk by David Lusenhop (date to be announced), centering on African American Artists.
A Curve of Color was curated for Gallery W, the new American Greetings Corporate Headquarters in Crocker Park, from the collections of The Western Reserve Historical Society’s History Center and The Artists Archives. It features the fashion of Bonnie Cashin and the paintings of Samuel Butnik. Butnik’s large scale, iconic paintings from the 1960s and 1970s play off Cashin’s clothing, which was designed for Coach in the same decades.
Events
20th Anniversary Founder’s Exhibition and Oral Histories Documentary Premiere November 11, 2016 – January 14, 2017
David Davis, William Martin Jean, Phyllis Seltzer, Phyllis Sloan, Robert Jergens, Pat Zinsmeister Parker, Randall Tiedman, Shirley Aley Campbell, David Haberman
Campus-Wide Opening Reception: Friday, November 11th 55:30 – 8 pm, AAWR gallery 1834 E 123rd St
Oral Histories Premiere: 1 – 3 pm Saturday, November 19
Cleveland Sight Center Holiday Card Project The original art of sight impaired individuals whose work was chosen for reproduction as Sight Center Holiday cards for the 2016-2017 season will be on display in the AAWR Entrance Gallery November 1 – 26, 2016
Get to Know the Archives! Annual Holiday party for members featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the Artists Archive. 6-7:30 pm Friday, December 9
Holiday Treats: A delicious show featuring small works by member artists all for sale for your holiday shopping! December 1 – 22. Opening Reception 6-7:30 December 9 during Annual Holiday Party,
A Curve of Color: Art and Fashion of Samuel Butnik and Bonnie Cashin: January 12, 2017 -February 23, 2017. Opening reception: January 12. At Gallery W, American Greetings headquarters, Crocker Park.
The Electrostatic Man, the art of Miller Horns: January 27 – March 18, 2017
Campus Wide Opening Reception: 5:30 – 8 pm Friday, January 27
Collecting Art Talk: Collecting African American art with David Lusenhop
February date to be announced
Annual AAWR Members Exhibition: March 30 – May 13, 2017.
Opening reception: 5:30 – 8 pm Thursday March 30, AAWR Gallery
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve
1834 E. 123rd St.
Cleveland Ohio 44106
216.721.9020
artistsarchives.org
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