studio – ARTFUL

The artists are coming… THE ARTISTS ARE COMING!!

We are so excited to announce that we have secured a space for ARTFUL.

We have leased approximately 5,300 square feet of space in the Coventry School Building, located in the heart of Cleveland Heights in Coventry Village, a well known and loved business and arts community. The Coventry School building is home to many established area non-profits, and offers a large value allowing our donation dollars to go even further. Our prime location will be an invaluable tool that will aid us in creating powerFUL relationships within the local business and non-profit community, and is a central and accessible for those living in and around the Heights.

In just under a year and a half, we hatched an idea, developed it, and are now making it a reality. We could not have made it to this exciting juncture without the continued support, enthusiasm and encouragement of our community. It has been a wonderful evolution with invaluable input from local artists, businesses, non-profits and the city of Cleveland Heights.

We now enter Phase II, thankFUL for all of the help and guidance we have received, ready and excited to move forward and create an ARTFUL space. We are thrilled to announce that John Williams of Process Creative is our architect, and he is currently applying his vast knowledge of working artist studios to our project.

Our space will house apx. 20 artist studios of various sizes and price ranges. All of which will rent for below-market prices. By giving artists affordable access to studio space and a creative environment, our community will benefit from their contributions to our local culture.

For more in-depth details on our plans, please download and read our prospectus.

Programs like ours only exist with the help and kindness of those in our community.

Without your steady, consistent donations we are nothing.

Your immediate donation will help us cover the costs of the build-out for our artists studios and our lease for the first year, as well as initial programs to support our artists and engage the community.

We have set a goal of $50,000, which will enable us to win a $25,000 challenge grant!

Founding donors will receive future benefits once our membership program has been developed and established.

In honor of your generosity, we are working with local artist, Steve Manka, to create a public sculpture that will reflect your kindness. Each donation will be represented in the final piece, and those giving at specific levels will have a say in the final design. This is our special way of saying thank you and making our community even more ARTFUL.

We are happy to be able to offer several donation options. If you would like to make a larger donation, but would like to spread your payments out over several installments, please consider choosing a monthly, quarterly, or yearly recurring donation.

If you would prefer to make a donation by check, please see instructions on our donation page.

We look forward to the continued growth of ARTFUL and will continue to work diligently and intelligently to deliver programs that our community can be proud of. Over the next several weeks we will finalize our lease application process and update you via our website and social media. If you are an artist who is interested in renting studio space, please be sure to fill out our online form so that you can receive direct emails with pertinent information.

From the bottom of hearts, the entire ARTFUL board thanks you.

Below you will find a map showing our location and some rough photos of our new space. We look forward to sharing more photos as we clean up the space and begin the process of building the studios. For more information, or to join our mailing list, please be sure to fill out our contact form.

Progress Update

Hey Everybody! Thanks for being patient with us as we navigate our way through the Non-Profit maze.

Building Search Update

Sorry to be secretive, but we have been asked by the building owner to keep the plans quiet for a bit longer as we hammer out the details and propose our plans to the city. I can tell you that it will be a fantastic first step and allow us to get started bringing affordable studio space and artist support to the community. As soon as we are allowed to announce we will be starting our first official fundraising campaign.

In the mean time….

We have been asked to be a part of LaurelLive. It is a special event filled with great musicians from all over. check it out here www.laurelive.com. Much of our board will be out of town that weekend so Shannon will need extra hands to pull this off. We are reaching out to all of you for your thoughts, ideas and assistance. The deadline is VERY tight – as the event is being held June 11 & 12. We have been given a lot of freedom, and have been told there are areas of fencing we could decorate, host live art projects, and play! If anyone has any clever ideas, would like to help or can offer any assistance, please email Shannon@artfulclevelnd.org, or comment below. This is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this event that will garner state and national attention.

Upcoming Events. Get these on your calendar ASAP

There are many sponsorship opportunities for these events so please get in touch if you are interested becoming an ARTFUL partner.

LaurelLive*
June 11th & 12th

playFUL: Kickball Tournament
September 18th

stART: Heights Music Hop
September 24th

Gods and Monsters (annual costume party)
October 29th

*This is an event we are a part of, but not directly hosting.

ARTworks – Profile on Mallorie Freeman

Mallorie Freeman was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother was a pop singer in the 1960’s, owner of a modeling agency, television producer, and a makeup artist. The prominence of femininity, creativity, and entrepreneurship greatly influenced Mallorie from a young age.

Mallorie attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cleveland Institute of Art. She has participated in a number of regional and national exhibitions, and residencies.

On May 21st and 22nd Mallorie will participate in Rooms To Let, which seeks to re-envision one of Cleveland’s most diverse and authentic neighborhoods, as it illuminates a passionate community in the midst of recovery. Dozens of artists and makers will create works in vacant homes– some of which are slated for demolition as well as in those that will be rehabilitated. The event is free and open to the public.

What is your favorite thing about your studio?
The lighting is probably my favorite thing about my studio. One of the walls has large north-facing windows and the light is pretty consistent throughout the day. The view of nearby rooftops and train tracks is also one of my favorite things.

Is your studio a place to relax, get down to business, find inspiration, or something else altogether?
My studio is also my home and is a combination of relaxation, getting down to business, inspiration, and many other things. For some projects I use chocolate as the medium. It is helpful to have a stove to melt the chocolate and a refrigerator to cool the molds. There are downsides to having a studio in my home. On more than one occasion, I have burnt dinner due to cooking and painting at the same time.

If you could describe your studio in ten words or less, how would you describe it?
Peaceful, city, loft, art, fortress, with kitty and passing trains.

How or why did you decide to pursue your art?
I don’t think there was ever a time I wanted to pursue something else. I decided to apply for art school after receiving a number of awards for shows and competitions in high school. I received a scholarship from the Solon FIne Arts Council and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago upon graduation.

Currently, what medium are you working in?
I am currently working on a project called “Rooms to Let”. Artists were invited to create installations inside of abandoned/foreclosed homes in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland. I am using colored chocolate and paint as the medium to transform an upstairs landing/hallway/sink/vanity. This is the second year I have participated in “Rooms to Let” and I love the challenge of creating site specific work in a unique environment. The house I am working in is set to be demolished after the event. The project is bitter-sweet and I think chocolate is a perfect medium.

What is your process?
I work in various media and approach each project in different ways. For the “Rooms to Let” installation, I started by measuring all the surfaces to be covered in chocolate. I hand-cast the chocolate pieces from molds in my studio. The cast pieces were laid out to fit the exact sizes of the surfaces and photographed for reference. The walls, floors and surfaces were painted in similar colors as the chocolate. The cast pieces were then transported and adhered to the walls and surfaces with melted chocolate using a hot plate and double boiler.

How do you find inspiration? Or what resources do you take advantage of to assist you in the creation of your art?
I find inspiration everywhere: travelling, watching movies, vintage magazines, walks in the park, candy wrappers, county fairs, conversations with friends, thrift stores, etc. For a past printing project, I found inspiration in my neighborhood while riding my bicycle. I discovered hair weaves on the side of the road, in alleys, and on sidewalks. I took them to Zygote Press, rolled ink on the hair and ran them through the press to create impressions on paper.

What is your greatest challenge when it comes to your art?
The business aspect to making art can be a challenge for me at times. Artists have to wear many hats. Not only do we create the work, we have to promote, network, and market it as well. Speaking and writing about my art in a clear and concise manner is something I continue to work on over the years.

If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would that be?
Make mistakes, challenge yourself, practice discipline, and step outside your comfort zone. I have made some of my best work when I was not really sure that I could accomplish it.

Do you feel your community is supportive of the arts and/or how can your community better support the arts?
Moving art outside of a gallery setting makes art more tangible for the community. As we were working on our pieces for “Rooms to Let”, we invited the neighbors in to the house to look around. Most might never go to a gallery, but because an art event is happening in their neighborhood, it raises curiosity. A couple of the neighbors we met were/are artists and were excited to see the houses come alive with colorful exteriors and lots of activity. The art community is relatively small in Cleveland. Events and projects that make art more accessible allow those who are outside of the art community to become more supportive.

Mallorie Freeman and her handmade chocolate art for Rooms To Let.

PHOTOS COURTESY STEPHEN CUTRI.

PROGRESS UPDATE…

Hello ARTFUL supporters!

Sorry it’s been so long since we posted a progress update, but I assure you that we have been busy behind the scenes. We have been exploring a number of options in regard to buildings, developing a series of classes, organizing our fundraising plan, among other things!

Let’s start with where we are in our search for a building to house ARTFUL. We have toured a few sites, all of which have their own pros and cons. We know that each site brings its own characteristics to our project and we will have to adapt accordingly. But each of them also fits our main objectives – a welcoming space that will allow us to rent affordable studio spaces to local artists, space in which we can host classes and events for the community at large, and all located in spaces/areas where we can take advantage of the support of area non-profits and businesses, as well as lend our support to them. We encourage you to provide us with your thoughts and feedback regarding any of these spaces.

We continue to have open discussions with the owners of the Medusa building. Earlier last month Shannon, Dave and our architect, John Williams, sat down with the owners to discuss the potential of a lease. We all have the love affair going on with this spot, but it is in dire need of some pretty major repairs and for it to work we will need to come to a lease agreement that makes sense in terms of length and cost. We are currently running some numbers back and forth and look forward to further exploring the possibility of this site. But we also feel we need to explore other options available within our community.

We recently found out that Grace Lutheran has sold to a commercial venture. From what we hear, this is great news but I do not know the details. So we have had to scratch that from our list of potential sites. But we are very enthusiastic about a space we toured at the old Coventry Elementary School.

Coventry School Building
This space has several advantages – affordability being a huge plus. Utilities, maintenance, internet, and taxes are included in our rent price which, so far, is unique to this space. John Williams accompanied us on our third walk-through and encouraged us to explore this possibility further. We feel the space is large enough for us to meet our objectives and could be a perfect space for us to start out in and grow over the next several years. While there is nothing set in stone, we are also aware of the CHUH school districts potential plans over the next number of years regarding their school buildings, and see that there is at least some potential for us to grow into a larger space over time. The space already includes several sinks and built in storage units (almost like dressers with wide flat drawers – perfect for art supplies), and wonderfully high ceilings. We are moving forward with discussions regarding rent/lease details and will keep you posted.

The Old Rite Aid Building
The other space that we toured was the old Rite Aid building by Zagara’s on Lee Rd. This was also a great space – very raw and utilitarian, larger than the Coventry School space, but smaller than Medusa. We truly feel that we could adapt this building to fit our needs, as well. We like the location and the ample parking – both big plusses. The con to this one is the price. No utilities, taxes or maintenance are included in the lease price. But we are keeping this on our list of potential sites.

Center-Mayfield Building
Another site that we have been encouraged to take a look at is the Center-Mayfield building (the old movie theater). We have yet to tour this site and we are aware that is currently under contract for sale. But we hope to still be able to get in to see it.

If anyone has any other leads on spaces in our area that may be worth exploring, please let us know. Another one we’d love to find out more about is 2150 Lee Rd. (the old Abrash store). If anyone knows if this space is available, please let us know. We are also wondering if the old Lemon Grass building is moving forward as a new restaurant, or what the status is with that space? We are going to have our Realtor, Judy Jeavons, look into these spaces further, but if anyone has any direct knowledge, please feel free to let us know.

OK – on to other business…

Classes!! Several members of our team are working on developing some great classes for you to take advantage of. As we move forward with this, we will provide you with more details, but the idea is to create art classes which will be hosted at local businesses and venues. Each class will later be featured in beautiful instruction book we will create and use to help raise funds for ARTFUL. We will also be featuring some videos on our website.

We are also very excited about a couple new projects we will be featuring on our blog. The first is a series we are calling “meaningFUL People”. This will be a video spotlight where the youth in our community interview their art teachers, or someone who influences their creativity. We want the world to know that our arts are important to the overall education and development of our youth, and hope that these videos will inspire and entertain you. If you have a child who would be interested in conducting an interview, or know of an art educator who deserves to be features, please let us know.

The other feature we are starting is appropriately named “ARTworks”. This is a photo feature of someone who has chosen to create art as a regular part of their lives at work in their “studio”. We hope this will help introduce our community to the wealth of talented people we are surrounded by. Again, if you are an artist/creator, or know of a deserving person who wouldn’t mind being featured in “ARTworks”, then please email us.

And lastly… March marks our 1 year anniversary since we formally organized ARTFUL, so it’s time to celebrate! We’re looking into hosting a 1 Year Anniversary Happy Hour at Colony in a couple of weeks. We’d like this to be an opportunity for you to come out and celebrate with us, but to also take some time to answer any questions you may have about or venture, or for you to share your thoughts and ideas. So we will be posting details about this as we work them out over the next few days.

As always, thanks for your continued encouragement and support!

–Brady–

Interested Artists …

If you are an artist who may be interested in renting studio space, teaching classes, or helping bring ARTFUL to fruition, PLEASE fill out our online form. By filling out this form you will be assisting us when we look to sources for funding. By showing foundations and corporations the level of interest we have from our artists, we prove that we are a viable and worthy cause. So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE fill this out and/or share with your circle of friends and family.

Fill Out This Form Today