Two exhibitions at Heights Arts this spring and summer express the vitality of the region as a training ground for visual artists, with one show celebrating new talents and the other bringing back artists who previously exhibited at Heights Arts.

With its first Emergent show in 2015, Heights Arts inaugurated the idea of presenting a recurring exhibition to identify emerging talents in the region and present a group exhibition that would reflect the quality of the studio art programs in the area’s colleges and universities. The process was to first ask professors to suggest standout artists who graduated in the past few years. The Heights Arts gallery committee (a volunteer group of a half-dozen working artists and arts professionals) reviewed portfolios to develop a short list using a compiled rating system and a certain amount of arguing. The committee then asked the selected artists to include the best examples of their latest work. Though it could be somewhat risky to build an exhibition based on works-in-process, the adventurous approach makes for a show that is lively and exciting and smells like fresh paint.

This time around, that process yielded more than 60 suggestions from professors, of whom the following artists are included in Emergent 2017: Meghan Calvert, Amber Ford, Jessica Howard, Erin Jesson, Jacob Koestler, Samantha Konet, Nathan Prebonick, Rachel Shelton, Maia Stern, Grace Summanen, and Nikki Woods.

On the heels of that exhibition—part two of what might be thought of as a “before and after” pairing—is Encore: A Heights Arts Invitational. For this show, the gallery committee went back through the history of the Heights Arts gallery, including the early years during which William Busta was gallery director, and asked a small selection of artists whose work had made a particular impression at the time to come back and participate in an invitational exhibition featuring current work. Intentionally covering a range of media, that exhibition includes Christi Birchfield (drawing/printmaking), Grace Chin (jewelry/metals), Dexter Davis (collage, multi-media), Yumiko Goto (ceramics), Doug Meyer (furniture), Mark Slankard (photography), and Douglas Max Utter (painting).

Heights Arts is both grateful for the opportunity to work with such exciting talents, and proud to be able to present their work to the public. For more information on community programs and events, including house concerts, gallery performances and outreach, visit heightsarts.org.

 

EMERGENT 2017 | April 21–June 4

SPOTLIGHT: CHRISTINE MAUERSBERGER AQUASCAPES | May 5 – June 18

ENCORE: A HEIGHTS ARTS INVITATIONAL | June 9 – July 23

OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 PM, JUNE 9

GALLERY TALK 7 PM, JULY 6

 

 

Heights Arts

2175 Lee Road

Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118

216.371.3457

heightsarts.org

 

 

Images:
White Wig (Entering the Green Room), Douglas Max Utter, from Encore exhibition

In the Spotlight gallery: Christine Mauersberger, Aquascapes