The Dance of Art
Meghann Snow gets personal at Legation GalleryPainter and performance artist Meghann Snow returns to her hometown this Friday for the launch of her new exhibit at Legation. The show, titled Time to Get Personal, features Snow's unique action paintings: large-scale abstractions that she creates by dancing her way across canvasses covered in anything from charcoal to house paint. Sound intriguing? At the opening, you can watch while Snow, who earned her MFA in 2008 from New York's Parsons The New School for Design, demonstrates her craft. Legation owner Hilary Aurand has hosted Snow on two previous occasions. "Meghann creates an atmosphere that is similar to watching a figure skater dancing across the ice. Yet the objective is to design a physical work of art through her body movements and gestures. It's pretty amazing." The opening runs from 5 to 11 p.m., with Snow's performance slated for 8 p.m.; the exhibit continues through February 11. Legation is at 1300 D West 78th St. For hours and information, call 216-650-4201. — Elaine T. Cicora
Akron Art Museum: Who Shot Rock & Roll: Now in its final days, the Brooklyn Museum of Art's groundbreaking show is a dizzying tour of the images that helped shape how we hear the music. Its 174 photos capture everyone from Chuck Berry to Amy Winehouse — artists whose self-presentation is as iconic as their sound. As part of the send off, Kiss tribute band Mr. Speed performs Thursday at 6:30 in the lobby. Through January 23 at 1 South High St. in Akron. Museum admission is $7; go to akronartmuseum.org for more information.
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve: Art Along the Way: Suzan Kraus is a multi-media collage artist. Mark Krieger creates colorful abstract paintings and drawings. Together in this dynamic exhibition, the two artists offer a memorable glimpse into Ohio's contemporary visual-arts scene. Through February 25 at 1834 East 123rd Street. For more information, go to artistsarchives.org or call 216-721-9020.
B-Side Liquor Lounge: Ten Imaginary Movies: For the past year, artist Jake Kelly has worked on a series of full-size movie posters designed for ten movies that exist only in his imagination. He has also created fictional casts, crews, and production companies, along with imaginary synopses and production histories for each movie. To further expand the illusion of reality, he called up his fellow artist John G. to create a huge array of ephemera and memorabilia, including VHS boxes, action figures, and production stills — all on display in this imaginative exhibit. Through January 30 at 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd. For more information, go to bsideliquorlounge.com.
Cleveland Institute of Art: Reinberger Galleries: Scholastic Art Competition + Exhibition: See more than 500 award-winning works from area middle- and high-school students in this prestigious exhibition of youthful talent. Many of the young artists have taken home scholarships and cash prizes. But winners of the Portfolio and Gold Key awards will go on this spring to compete in the nationals in N.Y.C., where icons like Andy Warhol first gained notice. Through February 5 at 11141 East Blvd. in University Circle. For more information go to cia.edu.
Cleveland Museum of Art: Objects Being Taught They Are Nothing But Tools: South Korean artist Kim Beom endows his creations — sculpture, drawings, painting, videos, and mixed media projects — with absurd traits and abilities. Through March 6 at 11150 East Blvd. in University Circle; call 216-421-7340 or visit clevelandart.org.
Cleveland State Art Gallery: Life Imitates Artifice: Most times, art imitates life. But in this exhibit of contemporary photography by six nationally known artists, art is making an imaginative statement all its own, illuminating and amplifying our ability to see beyond what's real. Opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. on January 21, with a 6 p.m. talk by photographers Kerry Skarbakka and Brandon Juhasz. Through March 12 at 307 Chester Ave. For more info, call 216-687-2103 or go to csuohio.edu/artgallery.
Harris Stanton Gallery: P.J. Rogers: 30 Years Retrospective: Self-taught artist P.J. Rogers has mastered a variety of techniques in her career, starting with the laborious process of aquatint printmaking all the way through her current involvement in hyper-realistic, digitally enhanced monoprints of natural subjects. Learn more about Rogers and her work during the free opening reception on January 21. Through February 19 at 2301 West Market St. in Akron; call 330-867-7600 or go to harrissstantongallery.com.
Heights Art Gallery: A Few Hundred Posters: You know those great rock-show posters and fliers you've seen around town for the past 15 years? Chances are that John G. or Jake Kelly was behind them. The two artists have created more than 1,800 such posters, most of which are now on display, along with a mammoth installation elucidating their mutual creative processes. This show marks the first time the two artists have been shown together and the first chance for fans of their work — or of Cleveland's rock history, for that matter — to see their pieces all in one place. Through February 26 at 2173 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights. For more information, call 216-371-3457.
Negative Space Gallery & Studio: Works of Gadi Zamir: Israeli artist Gadi Zamir paints, stains, and burns his haunting visions into scraps of wood, allowing the grain and texture to dictate the ultimate composition. More than 150 of his pieces are now on view at 3820 Superior Ave. For more information, call 216-470-6092 or go to thinknegativespace.com.
Sculpture Center: Jenniffer Omaitz: Shadow Structures: Trained as a painter, Jenniffer Omaitz' large installations incorporate found objects, home building materials, and architectural models, and suggest the tension between physical landscape and the landscape of the psyche. Also: Joshua Parker: Humans are the only species on the planet that create trash, one good turn deserves another and the worst part about dying is that you can only do it once — but don't worry, the water's still fine here. By abandoning the limits of rational and logical methods, Parker seeks to create new, fresh works of art. Through February 26 at 1834 East 123rd St.; go to sculpturecenter.org for more information.
SPACES: Chris Kulcsar, lead singer for This Moment in Black History, invites visitors into a collaborative soundscape for his SPACELab project. Stepping off from his own inclinations toward processed, layered sounds, he invites the public to add their sound play to a continuously running cassette loop. Also: SPACES' World Artist Program features the work of South African artist Nandipha Mntambo. Both shows through January 21 at 2220 Superior Viaduct. Call 216-621-2314 or go to spacesgallery.org.
Wall Eye Gallery: Spacelift: Ever notice how memories take on a glossy patina, making them into something more than mere recountings? That's the phenomenon that Spacelift hopes to explore. "It's an exhibition addressing the notion that some memories get better with time — it's the lifting up of the spaces in our minds," explains guest curator Kristin Bly. Built around the works of 18 artists, the exhibit moves from deeply personal autobiographies to riffs on the bombardment of popular culture, creating a colorful tapestry of past events, "all remastered and gussied up for an even richer stream of narratives." Through February 5 at 5304 Detroit Ave. in the Gordon Square Arts District. Go to walleyegallery.com or call 216-640-7769.
William Busta Gallery: Dexter Davis: Monsters and Ghosts: In this exhibit, part of his War series, Cleveland artist Dexter Davis has created a collection of portraits that let us peer through faces into the souls. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Davis adopts a psychological perspective in exploring social and political issues. The result is a series of striking, sometimes disturbingly disjointed works: collage-like assemblies, created from newspaper fragments, puzzle pieces, pennies, and seemingly effortless pencil strokes. Through February 5 at 2731 Prospect Ave. Call 216-298-9071 or learn more at williambustagallery.com.
Zygote Press: Intersections: The third in a series of collaborations between Zygote Press and Cleveland's literary center The Lit, this exhibit highlights the associative power of word and image through poetry, artwork, and learned commentary from a team of local aficionados. Opening reception 6 to 9 p.m. on January 21. Through February 26 at 1410 East 30th Street. Go to zygotepress.com or call 216-621-2900 for more information.
