Winter Trips (2/4): Cleveland’s Hidden Art Gems

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78th Street Studios is not under the radar in Cleveland by any means. But I would like to highlight two spaces and the creative people behind them. Visit the spaces during the Third Friday event 78th Street has monthly.

Survival Kit Gallery is “an Art Gallery and Alternative Event Space for Emerging Local and National Artists, Performers, and Craftspeople.” The space is run by Brian Straw (who has deep roots in the Cleveland art & music scene) and Alex Tapié. The space is intimate and the shows, top quality.

Mona Gazala runs the two-year old organization Cleveland West Art League who also have a space at 78th St Studios. This ambitious organization offers exhibition and programming opportunities to Clevelanders and beyond (membership is open to anyone). Membership is only $25. Ohio Art League and CWAL will partner in the future on exhibitions and programming, hopefully closing the gap between the Columbus & Cleveland art worlds.

One more awesome project happening in Cleveland: The Can Journal, a compendium of 27 art organizations in Cleveland, launched by Zygote Press. Download the PDF for free.

Winter Trips (1/4): San Francisco’s Hidden Art Gems

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Audium: A “Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space”
Looking like a set from A Clockwork Orange, Audium is trapped in a different time–and I say this affectionately. Audium is an art/sound experience created by composer Stan Shaff and equipment designer Doug McEachern. It appeared in various forms until its permanent home at Bush and Franklin was established in 1975.
As an attendee you will enter room with over 100 speakers, and sit in concentric circles of chairs. The lights will dim to black and for over an hour you will experience music and sounds passing around you in all directions: percussive rhythms, Board-of-Canada-esque childrens’ voices, creepy organ music, and a host of other effects. All sounds are controlled through four channels on an analog system, and Stan Shaff to this day runs a show every Friday and Saturday night. He greets audience members after the show to answer questions. Clearly this man loves what he does and it’s hard to hold back a smile as he enthusiastically describes his baby.

Audium is not a highly edited composition piece. The space could be spruced up a bit. But as an experience, it’s a memorable one, and reminds you that sound-as-art has a short history.

Ruth Laskey, Twill Series (Jet Black), 2009; hand-dyed and handwoven linen; collection of Robert Hobbs; © Ruth Laskey; photo: DonTuttle

SFMOMA: Seca Art Award Exhibit
Clearly the SFMOMA is no hidden secret. But if you only have an hour or two there, walk past the Richard Serra drawings and Francesca Woodman photographs to see the 2010 SECA Award winners. SECA is associated with SFMOMA and has awarded Bay Area artists for the past 50 years. Ruth Laskey’s woven pieces were goose-bump inducing, Mauricio Ancalmo’s installation mesmerizing. Open until April 03, 2012.

Ohio Art League

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Three things:

1) November 18th is our annual fundraiser, One Night. It’s at the Ohioana Library in a room as big as an airplane hangar. Art for sale (including altered books), cocktails, good music, a live auction…and only $25.

2) We are in the middle of our membership drive. New members (and members lapsed 1 yr +) will receive a free badass t-shirt. Reasons to join: 1) You are an artist or student looking for access to exhibition opportunities, workshops, networking. 2) You are an art enthusiast building your collection and looking for ways to connect with local artists. 3) Because it’s fun.

3) Artist members have the opportunity to exhibit in our gallery in the South Campus Gateway. This month we are featuring artists Jeremy Stone and Scott Neal. It’s difficult to describe their work. Jeremy creates prints; Scott has made sculptures that are carved out of the wall. Both deal with the brain’s ability to process the visual by ‘filling in the blanks’ with information from the past. Go see for yourself.