Heights Arts kicks off 2017 with two exhibitions and some Zeitgeist
A portrait is commonly considered to be a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders. Considering that the human face is one of the first things babies recognize, just weeks after being born, one might think that the artistic process of creating a portrait would be easy. Yet a truly engaging portrait conveys more than just a likeness, as viewers will see in the first Heights Arts exhibition of 2017.
“Likeness,” which opens Friday, Jan. 13, brings together six Northeast Ohio artists who approach the portrait from different perspectives. They are playful with both point of view and materials, expressing information with color, texture and medium. Rather than necessarily depicting the head and shoulders of the sitter as in the traditional definition of a portrait, these works reveal something of the character of the subject, sometimes in unexpected ways.
The exhibit showcases the following artists: Sarah Curry, painting; Susan Gallagher, ceramics; Bernadette Glorioso, painting on repurposed fabric; Dave King, mixed media drawing; Daniel Levin, photography; and Mary Ann Tipple, fiber arts.
Guest curator Sharon Grossman noted, “You can have a portrait without just glorifying someone’s face. All of these artists challenge the notion of portraiture by using traditional media in non-traditional interpretations.” One wall will be dedicated to self-portraits by the artists.
The community is invited to a public reception on Friday, Jan. 13, 6–9 p.m. A related gallery talk, “Ekphrastacy: Artists Talk + Poets Respond” on Thursday, Feb. 9, brings together exhibition artists with invited community poets to discuss inspiration and interpretation of the works on view. The exhibition closes Feb. 25.
On Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m., the Minneapolis-based new-music group Zeitgeist joins forces with Cleveland-based No Exit for an exchange of local sounds and talent. The second annual cross-country collaboration features Zeitgeist and No Exit performing music by Minnesota and Ohio composers. This free community concert is part of a series of music performances in the gallery, ongoing through June.
The smaller spotlight gallery space, dedicated to showing works by Heights Arts' working artist-members, opens with an exhibition of painted stencil prints by Jeanne Regan on Friday, Jan. 27, 6–9 p.m.
Using the traditional Japanese surface design technique of Katazome, Regan creates richly colored and patterned prints on botanical, celestial and meteorological themes. She is the recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council, and her work is included in permanent collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
For more information on upcoming programs and events at the nonprofit Heights Arts, visit its gallery and store at 2175 Lee Road, or go to www.heightsarts.org.
Mary Ryan
Mary Ryan is on staff at Heights Arts