On deck

Event details provided by the entities featured. Compiled by Becky Raspe.

Editor’s note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, museums and galleries may change how exhibitions are able to be seen and might not allow in-person visitation. Visit their websites for updated information regarding exhibition visitation prior to visiting. 


Valley Art Center

50th anniversary programming | Through May 21

Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and with it will exhibit work by its alumni and begin a community art project in May.

On view through May 12, the center is hosting an exhibition celebrating alumni who have gone on to successful artistic careers over its first half century. “Illustrious Alum” will feature the work of artists who got their start at VAC, such as Judith Brandon, a mixed-media landscape artist; H. Craig Hanna, a landscape and figurative painter; Jeremy Galante, an animation artist; Kate Kaman, a sculptor; and Judy Takacs, a figurative painter.

And for the community art installation, internationally known fiber artist Carol Hummel will wrap the trees in front of the VAC building in color. “Fantastic at Fifty – Valley Art Center’s Anniversary Community Art Project” asks volunteers to create crocheted circles to encase the trees in vibrant spring colors. The display will be installed from May 15-21, and will be accessible to the public throughout this year.

Valley Art Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The center is at 155 Bell St. For more information on upcoming programming, visit valleyartcenter.org.


Above: “Love Denied” by Dale Goode. Oil, latex and enamel on canvas, 96 x 1.5 x 62.75 inches. | Photo / Aireonna McCall

HEDGE Gallery

Dale Goode – “Paintings and Printmaking” | Through June 18

Cleveland artist Dale Goode’s work will be on display as a satellite exhibition at HEDGE Gallery at the 78th Street Studios in Cleveland’s Edgewater neighborhood. The exhibition, which features some of Goode’s more recent paintings and prints, employs both figurative and abstract works on paper, as well as some of his older, never-before-seen paintings on canvas. Goode’s work is created with layers of bold color and expressive mark making, using varieties of paint including oils, enamel, acrylic and latex combined with other found materials. He also works on large-scale sculptures that influence his painting and printmaking.

Shown in the Suite 215 Gallery, hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays, or by appointment. 

HEDGE Gallery is at 1300 W. 78th St. Visit it online at hedgeartgallery.com. For more information, contact Hilary Gent at hilary@hedgeartgallery.com or 216-650-4201.


Above: “still waters run deep / fall in your ways” (2021) by Shikeith. Site-specific installation commissioned by moCa Cleveland as part of “Imagine Otherwise.” | Photo / Field Studio.

Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland

“Imagine Otherwise” | Through June 6

As part of a three-location installation, “Imagine Otherwise” is a group exhibition on display at moCa Cleveland that expresses the boundlessness and fierceness of Black imagination and love, despite ongoing anti-Black violence and demonstrations. Using Christina Sharpe’s book “In the Wake: On Blackness and Being,” the show features work by artists Shikeith, Imani Dennison, Amber N. Ford and Antwoine Washington. The multi-media exhibition, which also has work on display at ThirdSpace Action Lab in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood and Museum of Creative Human Art in Lakewood, spotlights Black pathways to self-determination and collective liberation through various artistic media. Organized by La Tanya S. Autry, founder of the Black Literation Center and Gund curator in residence, the moCa installment features work by Shikeith. Dennison and Ford’s work can be viewed at ThirdSpace and Washington’s will be at Museum of Creative Human Art. 

moCa’s hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The museum is at 11400 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland’s Uptown District.

For more information about the show and its locations, visit mocacleveland.org/exhibitions/imagine-otherwise.


Above: “Sadie” by Karen Novak for “Furtography: Another Show for the Dogs.” | Image courtesy of Cleveland Photo Fest.

Cleveland Photo Fest

“PHOTOTHON 2021” | May 1 – June 30

After debuting in 2019, Cleveland Photo Fest is returning with PHOTOTHON 2021. The show will feature seven photography exhibitions: three drawn from international submissions, three of local talent and Cleveland Photo Fest’s own “I Identify As: Portraits in Black and White,” a Cleveland portrait project of 60 white, Black and those who identify as “other” photographing portraits of each other. The other exhibitions are “Furtography: Another Show for the Dogs,” which features photos of man’s best friend – dogs; “Deja Nude: Not Another Nude Show!” featuring nude photos; and “Dear Diary: Show Us Your Secrets,” featuring photos by women looking to visually share their favorite secret. Additionally, there will be a high school student exhibition, interpretive photography of poetry and an exchange show with photographers from Kerala, a state in southern India. The exchange will be from 6 to 9 p.m. May 26 at BAYarts, 28795 Lake Road in Bay Village.

PHOTOTHON 2021 will be housed at Bostwick Design Art Initiative, 2729 Prospect Ave. in Cleveland. Gallery hours will be noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Visit it online at clevelandphotofest.org.

To read more about Cleveland Photo Fest’s inaugural year, visit canvascle.com/developing-landscape.


Above: The 2019 Alumni Exhibition at CIA’s Reinberger Gallery. | Image courtesy of The Cleveland Institute of Art.

Cleveland Institute of Art

“2021 Alumni Exhibition” | June 4 – Aug. 13

The Cleveland Institute of Art and the CIA Alumni Council will present the 2021 Alumni Exhibition this summer in Reinberger Gallery. This juried exhibition will showcase work by CIA alums from different graduating years and artistic practices, and it will offer viewers the opportunity to learn more about the college and its influence on art in the region.

Emily Carol Burns, a multi-disciplinary artist who has curated exhibitions across the U.S. that highlight visual art from emerging artists, will serve as juror for the Alumni Exhibition. She is also the founding editor of Maake Magazine – an independent, artist-run publication – and is an assistant professor at The Pennsylvania State University.

CIA’s Reinberger Gallery is at 11610 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland. Visit
cia.edu/exhibitions for the most current visitor policy and check
cia.edu/alumniexhibition for updates regarding public programming.


Above: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Marty, with their daughter, Jane, in 1958. This photo is on view with “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. | Photo / Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage

“Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” | Through Aug. 29

A traveling museum exhibition, “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage explores the life of the late Supreme Court justice, known simply and commonly by her three initials, who passed away at age 87 due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18, 2020 after almost 30 years on the bench. The exhibition, created by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles that opened in October 2018, is based off a book focused on Ginsburg’s personal and professional life by journalist Irin Carmon and attorney Shana Knizhnik. The exhibition is broken into seven parts of RBG’s life, each named after lyrics from the late hip-hop artist the Notorious B.I.G. 

The exhibition is included in regular museum admission and is open during regular museum hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are by advanced registration only.

The Maltz Museum is at 2929 Richmond Road in Beachwood. Visit it online at maltzmuseum.org.

Instructor Bud Deihl helps an oil painting student during one of the many classes offered at Valley Art Center. Photo by Valley Art Center / Michael Steinberg

With a wide variety of art galleries and studios, Chagrin Falls offers something for almost everyone

By Alyssa Schmitt

Chagrin Falls’ scenic cascades and picturesque downtown are known to draw visitors to the village, but increasingly, so too are its art galleries and studios.

From the hands-on experiences offered at Valley Art Center and The Glass Asylum to the unique items available to view and buy at be.gallery and All Matters Gallery or the lifestyle-enhancing goods featured at SHED Boutique and Wellness, visitors can enjoy a multitude of experiences – something these businesses, which all offer something a little different, encourage so as to foster greater intrest in their community.

On top of that, all of these places are in a walkable downtown district that includes a diverse mix of retail and restaurants, making Chagrin Falls an inviting place to visit year round – including during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Affirming actions

be.gallery offers a variety of handcrafted items by American artisans meant to inspire. Photo by be.gallery

be.gallery offers a variety of handcrafted items by American artisans meant to inspire. Photo by be.gallery

Rebecca Gruss, owner of be.gallery, says her gallery is a place where inspiration and art come together through sculpture, photography, candle art, jewelry, paintings and ceramics. In fact, she includes a slip of handwritten encouragement, in the form of a positive quote, with each purchase.

“The vibe of the gallery and the goal is really about inspiration through art,” she says. “It’s all about positive energy and bringing joy, happiness — and in some cases hope — to art.”

Gruss has seen Chagrin Falls become more vibrant in recent years, something she says is a result of dedicated gallery owners and nonprofit leaders working together.

“The gallery (owners) meet on a regular basis,” she says. “We go to each other’s shops, we know what each other carries. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve referred customers to one of the other galleries because they have what (customers are) looking for.”

To combat what she suggests is a market over saturated with gifts mass-produced overseas, Gruss encourages customers to buy local for the holiday season.

“I think why people would want to choose to buy artisan-made gifts is because they’re choosing something that has meaning,” she says. “Something that’s been handmade has a certain energy to it that you can’t get from a manufactured item.”

Postive vibes

 All Matters Gallery offers a variety of items – like crystals, pocket hearts, butterfly jewelry and ceremonial masks – to encourage beauty, comfort and inspiration. Photo by All Matters Gallery

All Matters Gallery offers a variety of items – like crystals, pocket hearts, butterfly jewelry and ceremonial masks – to encourage beauty, comfort and inspiration. Photo by All Matters Gallery

All Matters Gallery was the missing puzzle piece Chagrin Falls didn’t know it needed. Husband-and-wife co-owners Rainer Hildenbrand and Cynthia Gale moved the gallery to its current location six years ago, and in the process, they created an energetic space that features crystals and gemstones rarely found in other stores.

The store is sometimes mistaken as “new age,” but Hildenbrand says it’s more than that – it’s about celebrating nature.

“We fill a niche that no one else has filled,” he says. “We’re more about education than we are about selling products. We are kind of a holistic center without carrying that label. We freely provide information people ask for and need.”

Gale provides spiritual consulting based on her exposure as a child to the Native American community of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina – but with a “common-sense approach,” says Hildenbrand, adding he hosts philosophy classes and a variety of community gatherings, like a monthly drum circle.

The products on the shelves, from prayer bowls to crystals and pendulums, represent the positive vibe Hildenbrand says the store emits. Other works the gallery carries are prints, paintings, ceramics and masks from selected artists.

Any item purchased also comes with the knowledge and meaning behind the gift, Hildenbrand says.

“There is a world of difference between purchasing items online and purchasing from gallery owners,” he says. “When visiting All Matters, you get to purchase exactly the item you choose from our extensive inventory. You also get information, advice and instructions by experienced, seasoned gallery owners who have been in the business for 26 years now.”

An arts hub

From left, George Roby talks with Sally Zarney and Ellie Wren during the “It’s Elemental: Fire & Water” exhibit, which was on view in early 2017 at the Valley Art Center. Photo by Valley Art Center / Michael Steinberg

From left, George Roby talks with Sally Zarney and Ellie Wren during the “It’s Elemental: Fire & Water” exhibit, which was on view in early 2017 at the Valley Art Center. Photo by Valley Art Center / Michael Steinberg

It’s unusual to have six nonprofits in one village, yet Chagrin Falls wouldn’t be the same without them – and Valley Art Center serves as the hub.

With more and more patrons visiting the village for its many art selections, VAC executive director Mary Ann Breisch says they’re bound to get interested about the process. They may even want to dirty their hands, too.

“We’re a community center, so people come here to hang and find a sense of community and talk about the process,” she says. “We have classes for beginners all the way to masters in every medium, from painting to drawing and printmaking to jewelry, sculpture and ceramics.”

Breisch explains that VAC keeps an eye on what people are interested in, like the ancient painting techniques of encaustic, which uses a mixture of pigments and hot beeswax, preserving colors for ages.

For those wanting to start a relative or friend on their artistic journey, VAC offers classes.

“Giving the gift to make something and understand what it is to be part of the process is very inspiring,” Breisch says. “After you’ve learned how things are made, it’s really a game changer.”

Vallery Art Center is also home to a gallery, which through five exhibitions per year, showcases the work of regional artists.

Hidden (glass) gem

Kedan James demonstrates how to blow glass during one of The Glass Asylum’s introduction-to-glass-blowing classes. Photo by The Glass Asylum

Kedan James demonstrates how to blow glass during one of The Glass Asylum’s introduction-to-glass-blowing classes. Photo by The Glass Asylum

Rita Antolick, manager at the Glass Asylum, says what makes her shop stand out is that visitors are welcome to wander to the back of the space to observe the process of molten glass turning into works of art – satisfying a curiosity that might arise the minute guests step through the garage door that serves as the glass-blowing studio’s front door.

The Glass Asylum, which is tucked away behind the patio of M Italian, a neighboring restaurant, also has a gallery where visitors can see the work of people who use the studio.

“(With) every piece here, you can really tell the hard work and effort that went into it,” she says. “It’s not just a manufactured piece, and I think that kind of adds a lot of special character.”

But glass isn’t the only thing visitors can purchase. They can go a step further by experiencing for themselves the delicate glass-blowing process through a range of classes the studio offers.

“I think it’s great; it’s opening somebody’s eyes creatively and teaching them a whole new art,” Antolick says. “The artists here love working with the public and teaching them a little bit about what they know.”

New to the neighborhood

Many of their vendors at SHED Boutique and Wellness specialize in fair trade products, use recycled materials or donate a percent of their proceeds to various causes.

Many of their vendors at SHED Boutique and Wellness specialize in fair trade products, use recycled materials or donate a percent of their proceeds to various causes. Photo by SHED Boutique and Wellness

Halle Bargar and Michelle Kalinyak-Adams, the minds behind SHED Boutique and Wellness, welcome their customers like guests entering their home. They’re the new kids on the block, having just opened in July. Their goal is to bring something unique and different while being a positive influence upon the world.

The boutique offers jewelry, accessories, home décor and wellness items, and many of their vendors specialize in fair trade products, use recycled materials or donate a percentage of their proceeds to various causes.

“A lot of our vendors (do) social good, so in some way when you make a purchase here at SHED, it gives back,” Kalinyak-Adams says.

During the relatively short time the boutique has been open, the duo has experienced the welcoming nature of Chagrin Falls store owners and residents alike.

“The stores that are near us have been so amazing,” Bargar says. “People will pop in and ask us how it’s going and if we need anything. The town, too, has been wonderful. We’re starting to have guests that come back over and over again. They’ve become friends, in a way.” CV

On view

First Fridays by the Falls
Many galleries and studios in Chagrin Falls keep their doors open a little later the first Friday of every month so visitors have a chance to see each storefront in a day. The next First Friday: Dec. 1. Participating galleries include All Matters Gallery, 79 N Main St.; Alpaca Fiber Studio, 151 Bell St.; be.gallery, 14 Bell St.; The Glass Asylum, 22 W. Orange St.; The h’Art of Chagrin, 100 N. Main St.; and Imagery Fine Arts, 91 N. Main St.

All Matters Gallery
Organized by co-owner Rainer Hildenbrand, the drum circle “Drumming for Wholeness” will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 27.

be.gallery

On Nov. 25, be.gallery will host “Show Your Love for Local,” which will include specials – like discounts for the first 15 “local lovers” – as well as an opportunity to add to the gallery’s gratitude painting, which will take shape throughout the holiday season. On Dec. 1, be.gallery will host Cleveland skyline and icon photographer Jack Koch from 5 to 8 p.m. during First Friday by the Falls.

SHED Boutique and Wellness

On Dec. 6, Sip & Shop will feature local artist, designer and seamstress Virginia Gonzalez.

Valley Art Center

The 46th Annual Juried Art Exhibit remains on view through Dec. 13 at 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls. In 2018, Valley Art Center begins a three-year series of exhibits exploring concepts of identity through three different themes: people, places and things. “Identity: PEOPLE” will be on view from Jan. 27 to March 7; an opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 26.


Lead image: Instructor Bud Deihl helps an oil painting student during one of the many classes offered at Valley Art Center. Photo by Valley Art Center / Michael Steinberg