Artists, music and talks kick off Heights Arts's fall season

Girl in a White Dress Riding a Carousel. Stratford, England (1993), by Herbert Ascherman Jr. 

For more than four decades, Herbert Ascherman Jr. has been a fixture in the photographic landscape of Cleveland. While best known for his portrait studio, Ascherman has also pursued other threads throughout his career—landscapes, nudes and street photography—as well as portraiture. Opening Labor Day weekend, Herbert Ascherman Jr.: 40 Years gathers approximately 60 key works, selected by Ascherman and Heights Arts, which powerfully represent his wide-ranging career.

The exhibition features new gelatin silver and platinum prints drawn from the 120,000 black-and-white negatives in Ascherman's archive, printed in small editions on the occasion of this show.

“The essence of a retrospective is the desire of a photographer to share his most personal and intimate observations with his friends,” explained Ascherman. “The photographs in this exhibition are moments found or studied, objects of curiosity and interest, thoughts considered and shared. I have never worked with a social, political, religious or philosophical perspective or bias. I just take pictures of what appeals to me at the moment; printing them by hand and presenting them as tangible artifacts.”

The community is invited to an opening reception for Herbert Ascherman Jr.: 40 Years on Friday, Sept. 2, 6–9 p.m.  A related gallery talk on Thursday, Sept. 29, offers an opportunity to hear Ascherman speak about his life in photography, as well as hear new poetry written about the works by invited Cleveland poets.

On Saturday, Sept. 10, DadBand brings a lively repertoire of music, ranging from classical, pop, rock, jazz, folk, Latin and children’s songs, to the Heights Arts gallery in a free community concert. Members Dan Heim and James Rhodes (violas), plus Derek Snyder and Nick Diodore (cellos), are active orchestra performers and music teachers living and working in the Cleveland area. DadBand's music is often inspired in some way by the musicians' children and students, creating a unique and compelling musical experience for all ages. 

A selection of collages by Cleveland Institute of Art faculty member Sarah Kabot takes over the Spotlight gallery space this fall, with an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 16, 6–9 p.m. For the year 2015, Kabot collected all of the front-page sections of The New York Times Sunday edition. These photographically documented events were deemed significant enough to be reported in a global newspaper of record, yet less than a year later, in some cases, most have since slipped out of the headlines. In her series, NYT 2015, Kabot collages together photographs of people printed in a single edition from that year, creating delicate cut-out compositions that encourage viewers to get up close and carefully look at the remains.

For more information on Heights Arts's public programs, visit www.heightsarts.org or call 216-371-3457. The nonprofit arts organization is located at 2175 Lee Road. Public, off-street parking is available behind the building.