AAWR Presents Reunion, Members Exhibition, and The New Now

Reunion

In Summer 2025, the Archives partners with Mary Urbas, the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), and the Bostwick Design Center Gallery in presenting Reunion. This exhibition, originated and curated by the indomitable Mary Urbas, will open with a public reception from 5:30 to 8 pm on Friday, June 13, and continue through Saturday, August 9. Urbas has had a long and storied career connected to the regional Northeast Ohio arts scene, including a long stint as gallery director for Lakeland Community College. Now, as an independent curator, she wants to honor her mentors, and fellow CIA alumni with Reunion: “Inviting them to participate is my way of acknowledging with gratitude…their guidance and mentoring as I was developing my aesthetic and studio art practice.”

Members Exhibition

Join the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) in welcoming the return of its Annual Members Exhibition, a show which celebrates the breadth and depth of Northeast Ohio’s artistic talent.

In addition to the 104 artists archived in the museum’s permanent collection, the Artists Archives is comprised of hundreds of member artists who form the backbone of the organization. This yearly exhibition accepts one piece in any medium—including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, assemblage, digital art, fine jewelry and textiles—from each active member.

Each piece provides a glimpse into the inner life of its creator. Viewed as a collective, the works become a mosaic—a whole greater than the sum of its parts—which captures the experience of living in our region through the eyes, and hands, of over 100 artists. Visitors may nominate their favorite work for the People’s Choice Award until the end of the exhibition, when the four artists with the most votes will receive awards and cash prizes during the closing party on Saturday, September 20.

Now in its eleventh year, this will be the second year that the exhibition is held in the three new interconnected gallery spaces after a landmark expansion in 2024 as the sole occupants of the building built for the Archives and The Sculpture Center by Bernice and David Davis in 1998.

NewNow

AAWR continues its history of strong community partnerships with the opening of the 2025 NewNow Exhibition, on Thursday, August 28, in the beautiful Tri-C Gallery East on Cuyahoga Community College’s Highland Hills campus. For the seventh year, the Archives is partnering with Tri-C East to present a selection of the best of the Western Reserve’s visual art. This competitive exhibition features between seventy and eighty works, including film and video. Cash prizes totaling $1750 will be awarded during the opening reception. Drawing between 200 and 350 attendees, the opening is a not-to-be-missed event celebrating our Northeast Ohio artists, and we hope to see you there!

ARTISTS ARCHIVES OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
1834 East 123rd Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

artistsarchives.org

216.721.9020

10am-4pm Wednesday–Friday,

noon-4pm Saturday

EVENTS:

Common Currents Exhibition curated by Grace Chin & Kyle Butler, through June 21.

NewNow 2025 Call for Entry, through June21. More information on artistsarchives.org

Art Bites Program: Common Currents in the Cleveland Arts Economy, 12:30-2pm Saturday, May 17. A panel discussion focusing on the arts in a changing economy: What works and what doesn’t? at JumpStart, 1st floor Midtown Collaboration Center, 1974 East 66th & Euclid Avenue

Reunion: CIA Alumni Exhibition curated by Mary Urbas, June 13–August 9. Opening reception 5:30-8pm Friday, June 13. Satellite exhibition at Bostwick Design Partnership gallery, 1st floor, 2729 Prospect Avenue East. Call for open hours 216.721.9020

Annual Members Exhibition, July 17–September 20. Opening reception 5:50-8pm Thursday, July 17. Closing reception & awards ceremony 2-4pm Saturday, September 20

Art Bites Program: Legacy Workshop on Marketing & Publicity: Presented by Karen Eterovich, 1-2:30pm Saturday, July 26. Event Brite registration on artistsarchives.org

NewNow 2025, August 28–October 9. Opening reception & awards ceremony, 6-7:30pm Thursday, August 28. Satellite exhibition at Tri- C Gallery East, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Heights

Art Bites Program: Legacy Workshop, Sharing Your Story: Presented by Unity, 1-2pm August 30. How do you document your life and work? Who wants to read it and where do you share it and how? Event Brite registration on artistsarchives.org