CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio – In a fusion of visual art and poetry, Valley Art Center presents its prestigious Annual Juried Art Exhibition featuring the work of 58 area visual artists. On view through Dec. 13, the show opening is 6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 at 155 Bell Street.
Adding a splash of literary arts, 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1 poets from Heights Arts will respond to the art work in an event called Ekphrastacy. The current Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, Siaara Freeman along with other accomplished poets are guiding this exchange of visual and spoken word event, called Artists Talk + Poets Respond.
The program hopes to both inspire and mesmerize visitors while exploring new mediums and methods of creation. The Dec. 1 event blends together two local traditions. In its 52nd year the juried art show is one of the area’s longest running art exhibitions of local artists. Works are selected from submissions by artists in a 250-mile radius from the art center.
In a similar vein, the tradition of the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, conferred by Heights Arts is the longest running poet laureate program in the state.
Both the opening reception for the art show and the Ekphrastacy – Artists Talk + Poets Respond event are free and open to the public.
The selected works in this year’s exhibition offers a spectrum of artistic views from classical expressions in oil paintings and landscapes to avant-garde sculptures pushing the boundaries of creativity.
This year’s visual arts jurors include McKenzie Beynon, founder and co-owner of KINK Contemporary, Anastasia Pantsios, photographer and editor at CoolCleveland.com and Gina Washington, art instructor and co-founder at The Visit Arts Collective, with the goal of bringing a fresh perspective reflecting the dynamic art world.
The exhibit can be viewed during VAC’s regular hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, with extended hours through 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
For more a full list of artists, information about the exhibition, or classes and workshops offered at the community art center visit valleyartcenter.org or call 440-247-7507.
Pull back the curtains: Fairmount Center for the Arts is hosting a monthly Sunday afternoon speaker series now through April 2024 with noted local creative professionals in the visual arts, film, theater, music architecture and culinary arts. Each speaker will share behind the scenes stories and engage in dialog with participants during a one-hour talk. These programs are held free of charge.
From 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, hear Steven Litt, art and architecture critic for The Plain Dealer discuss The Public Space Revolution, The Fight to Make Cleveland a Livable City – 1978-2023. You can engage in dialogue with Litt about Cleveland’s past, present and future plans for public spaces.
Then, get ready to burst into a song and dance number 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 for Bill Rudman’s talk on Everything I Know About Life I Learned from Musicals. Rudman is founder of The Musical Theater Project. He has spent most of his life exploring this uniquely American art form. Rudman will explain how musicals are more than entertainment to him and how they can reveal another facet of life that is meaningful and moving.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Jan. 21, Barbara Tannenbaum will talk about her experiences at Cleveland Museum of Art where she is the chair of prints, drawings and photographs and a curator. Feb. 25 features Lauren Bozich, owner and designer of White Flower Cake Shoppe. Glass artist, Lauren Heroux of The Glass Asylum will talk about her craft and business March 24. Mike Wendt, production coordinator of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission is the featured speaker on April 21.
Light refreshments will be served. Advance reservations are recommended. Contact fairmountcenter.org/special-events or call 440-338-3171.
More art displayed: Visit the gallery at Federated Church through November to see works in oil paint and watercolor by local award-winning artists Margaret Heydorn and Steve Koren. Both began their art exploration late in life after having careers in other fields. They participate in S2Tudio, the artist collaborative on Bell Street. The gallery is located at 76 Bell St. in Chagrin Falls. Enter the building on the ground-level from the church’s parking lot entrance.
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