This September, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve in partnership with The Sculpture Center, is proud to present seenUNseen, an exhibition which combines work from the Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art and a curated response of Northeast Ohio artists.

The story of the Davis Collection begins in Atlanta, where Kerry worked as a postman and his wife as a television producer. Over thirty years, on a modest budget, they amassed a collection of over 300 paintings, works on paper and sculpture which includes some of the nation’s most significant emerging and established African American artists.

This vibrant body of work now covers every inch of the Davis’ suburban residence, transforming the space into an “in-home museum” that provides community access to the important—and often “unseen”—legacy of American artists of color. Their collection includes pieces by Charles White, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Richard Hunt, Romare Bearden, Sedrick Huckaby, Richard Mayhew, Sam Gilliam, and Mildred Thompson.

seenUNseen will be the first time work from the Davis Collection has been shown outside of Atlanta. The exhibition is proudly presented by the Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, and will be displayed in three galleries on the David E. Davis Arts Campus in University Circle. Thirty-one regional artists shown in conversation with the collection include Dexter Davis, Darius Steward, Thomas Hudson, Tony Williams, Michelangelo Lovelace and Amber N. Ford.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 20th, from 5:30 to 8:00pm, and will feature an appearance by Mayor Frank Jackson and a tribute to Cleveland artist Malcolm Brown. The Davis Family and the regional artists will also be in attendance and brief talks will take place midway through the reception. The show will continue until November 16.

The Archives is also pleased to announce a series of related programming. “Collecting African American Art” with Kerry Davis will be held on October 12, from 1:00 to 3:00pm. A panel discussion in collaboration with The Sculpture Center will include emerging, mid-career, and established regional African American artists. It will be held on Saturday, October 26, with time and location to be announced.

In September, AAWR is pleased to host Made In Cleveland at Tri-C’s Gallery East, Highland Heights. The exhibition is a celebration of the founders of several of Cleveland’s unique art nonprofits, including Liz Maugans, Joe Sroka and Bellamy Printz of Zygote Press; Jessica Pinsky of Praxis Fiber Workshop; Tom Balbo of Morgan Conservatory; Shari Wilkins of the Cleveland Print Room; and David E. Davis of the Artists Archives. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 12^th, from 6:00 to 8:30pm.

Beginning November 21^st, the AAWR main gallery will feature the work of Anthony Eterovich in Fulfilling the Eye, his inaugural exhibition as an Archived Artist. Eterovich was known for his technical mastery of drawing and painting, as well as for his electrifying blend of magical realism, photorealism and abstraction. Born in Tremont, Eterovich was a graduate of the Cleveland School of Art and a beloved teacher at the Cleveland Institute of Art for over forty years, as well as an instructor in the Cleveland public school system.

Eterovich’s commitment to the viewer’s experience was paramount. As he explaied, “The magic of Shakespeare with words, the thrill of Beethoven in music, is certainly a rewarding experience. But the human eye, being precious, demands another kind of fulfillment. Color, design, their intertwining connotations have indescribable powers of their own.”

Fulfilling the Eye will include works from the permanent collections of the AAWR and artNEO, as well as pieces which have recently returned from A Thrilling Act, a solo exhibition which toured several important regional museums.

An accompanying program will be held on Saturday, November 23. “Everything in Its Place: Personal Archiving” will feature Anthony Eterovich’s daughter, Karen Eterovich-Maguire, as she shares her experience cataloguing her father’s work and offers advice for creating an artist archive of one’s own.

 

SEENUNSEEN | SEPTEMBER 20–NOVEMBER 16
RECEPTION 5:30–8PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

COLLECTING ART TALKS: KERRY DAVIS & COLLECTING AFRICAN AMERICAN ART | 1–3PM OCTOBER 12

MADE IN CLEVELAND | SEPTEMBER 12–OCTOBER 17
RECEPTION 6–8:30PM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

FULFILLING THE EYE: ANTHONY ETEROVICH | NOVEMBER 21–JANUARY 18
RECEPTION 5:30–8PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES: EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE: PERSONAL ARCHIVING WITH KAREN ETEROVICH-MAGUIRE | 1–3PM NOVEMBER 23

Artists Archives of the Western Reserve

1834 East 123rd Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

artistsarchives.org

216.721.9020