This Thursday evening, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR), the Sculpture Center and Davis Sculpture Center collaborate for a campus-wide event to celebrate their new exhibitions. Both AAWR and the Sculpture Center will host opening receptions for these new shows from 5:30 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 17.
Additional events include an outdoor presentation of Angel Azul, an open house at the Davis Sculpture Gallery and a recently released film about Jason deCaires Taylor’s environmentally-conscious artwork. You may not know his name, but you’ve probably seen his work. Taylor’s life-like underwater sculptures have captivated viewers after going viral online through social media.
“The Artists Archives, the Sculpture Center and the Davis Sculpture Foundation are excited to have all three venues open for one night,” expresses AAWR Executive Director Mindy Tousley. “Both AAWR and the Sculpture Center are opening exciting new shows and the renovated Studio Gallery of founder David Davis is rarely open to the public and has been beautifully preserved. The campus itself is a treat for history buffs, as it was the site for the original stone cutters who worked for Lakeview Cemetery. The access to the Studio Gallery is through a hidden gem of a Sculpture Garden surrounded by gorgeous landscaping and the campus has plenty of onsite parking. Its location within University Circle makes it an ideal spot for an evening of art viewing followed by dining at one of the many fine restaurants within a quarter mile of the Davis Campus.”
AAWR’s gallery showcases Fragments: Works from Elaine Albers Cohen. Cohen is one of AAWR’s archived artists. This retrospective includes a variety of work in different media from throughout Cohen’s career.
“Elaine Albers Cohen is an artist who has continually experimented with processes throughout her career,” Tousley explains. “She studied ceramics under Toshiko Takaezu, learned Raku firing later on, and in mid-career, taught herself how to cast hand dyed paper into ceramic-like surfaces. Working with paper led her into collage and mixed media. The art and culture of Native American peoples has been a constant source of inspiration in her work. Examples from her entire oeuvre will be presented as part of “Fragments”, here at the archives gallery.”
Meanwhile, the Sculpture Center presents Future Revival x Chris Vorhees, a collaborative effort between Cincinnati-based artists Future Revival (Katie Parker and Guy Michael Davis) and Chris Vorhees.
Future Retrieval states of their work, “Our process addresses the conceptualization, discovery, and acquisition of form, to make content-loaded sculptures that reference design and are held together by craft. We incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to our work, striving to make influential historic objects relevant to today.”
Vorhees’s work explores the “American fascination with design trends - work and leisure are themes that are explored in artwork today. The role of the artist or craftsman or maker in relation to industrial production systems is also an ongoing theme.”
Guest curator James Barker states, “These two fall exhibitions are important for the region of NE Ohio to emphasize the current state of contemporary ceramics. The artists included in these exhibitions are on the front lines of the ever expanding field of ceramics and have been selected because of their varying contemporary approaches to this ancient medium. From revisiting the porcelain sculptures of the decorative arts though modern technology in Future Retrieval x Chris Vorhees, to giving three dimensional form to their personal narratives in Fabricated Fictions, these artists are working to continually redefine the field of ceramics, and the art world at large.”
The following day, Future Retrieval and Chris Vorhees will be speaking at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s new Peter B. Lewis Theater on Friday, September 18 from 12:15 to 1 p.m. as part of CIA’s Lunch on Fridays lecture series.
Fragments remains on view at the Artists Archives through the end of October. Future Revival x Chris Vorhees remains on view at the Sculpture Center until Oct. 23. Both organizations’ regular gallery hours are Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
(Artists Archives of the Western Reserve) 1834 E. 123rd St., 216-721-9020, artistsarchives.org
(Sculpture Center) 1834 E. 123rd St., 216-229-6527, sculpturecenter.org
