Shaker Community Gallery focuses on mother artists in first exhibition
By Alyssa Schmitt
After two years in the making, the Shaker Community Gallery officially opened its doors April 22 with “Balancing Work, Family and Creativity: Mother Artists.”
President and co-founder Leslye Arian, a member of The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, wanted to recognize the revitalization of the Van Aken District and, with the help of the Rev. Peter Faass, she put her gallery in the Christ Episcopal Church.
“It started with a vision when the Van Aken District was under construction,” Arian said. “I thought the city of Shaker and residents could benefit from an art and culture place.”
Arian said each new exhibit will showcase a specific theme with the inaugural exhibition saluting the difficulty creative mothers have juggling motherhood and their creative work. It features the art of Nicole Condon-Shih, Lori Kella, Kari Russel-Pool and Nicole Schneider.
“We want to explore thoughtful and relevant themes in this gallery,” Arian said. “We don’t want to put up a show just of landscapes.”
Arian said she hopes to highlight the relationship between the arts and economic development and to support local artists.
The “Mother Artists” exhibit runs through June 3 and is open to the public on Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Private tours can be arranged by contacting Arian at 216-926-8842 or leslye.arian@gmail.com. CV
Originally published in the Cleveland Jewish News on May 3, 2017.
Lead image: Art work by Kari Russell-Pool on display at the Shaker Community Gallery. Submitted photo
