Graphic design and illustration have expanded from the publishing and advertising industries from which they sprung.  Influenced by graffiti, new technologies in animation or gaming, illustrators now create stories about world issues, popular culture, trends in daily life. Artists take issues out of context and reexamine them in unconsidered perspectives which cleverly challenge  the viewers to assess their own part in the whole.  PUBLIC CONSCIENCE through graphics and illustration, a regional exhibition co-curated by artists Leslye Arian and Dave King, showcases the work of Laura and Gary Dumm, Derek Hess, Brian Jasinski, Nancy Schwartz Katz, Milan Kecman, Jake Kelly, George Kocar, Joe Lanzilotta, Angela Oster, Josh Usmani, Justin Wills, and Sean Higgins and Nichols Rezabeck of the Bubble Process.

King notes, “People see the work of illustrators and graphic artists in print form but they don’t see the original work.  Because of this disconnect, Illustrators and graphic designers are frequently not viewed as artists.  An opportunity to have these works in a gallery show allows the public to see them in a different light.”

The community is invited to hear PUBLIC CONSCIENCE artists discuss their work at a gallery talk at 7 pmThursday, March 30.  Invited Cleveland poets will also read new writings in response to art on view.

Opening Friday, March 17 in the spotlight gallery, Kate Snow’s Grid Series: Communities seeks to explore and celebrate not only the physical community that makes up Cleveland Heights, but also the seemingly disparate communities of fine art and digital media by providing a platform for engagement and interaction. The interactive exhibition includes a collection of framed gouache and graphite paintings on handmade paper, as well as an integrated digital piece.  A short panel discussion on April 6 with Kate Snow, Eagan Rackley, game developer, Ian Faleer, musician, and Stephanie Frankiewicz, graphic designer, will examine how the digital medium is transforming the way viewers experience art. Attendees will have the opportunity to join the discussion and interact with examples of digital art.

In April, Heights Arts presents Emergent 2017, the second iteration of its well received exhibition which celebrates the strength of the northeast Ohio region as a training ground for the great artists of tomorrow. First presented in 2015, the exhibition gathers a small number of works by each of approximately a dozen artists recommended to Heights Arts by their former teachers. Represented institutions include the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University, the University of Akron, and Baldwin Wallace University.

 

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

 

PUBLIC CONSCIENCE | March 3 – April 16

OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM, MARCH 3

GALLERY TALK 7 PM, MARCH 30

 

SPOTLIGHT: KATE SNOW | March 17 – April 30

OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM, MARCH 17

BLURRING THE LINE: DEFINING ART IN THE DIGITAL AGE  7 PM APRIL 6

 

EMERGENT 2017 |April 21 – June 4

OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM, APRIL 21

 

 

Heights Arts

2175 Lee Road

Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118

216.371.3457

heightsarts.org