MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

August 2026
Contact: Arleigh Savage – programs@heightsarts.org

Heights Arts Presents Emergent and Spotlight: Olatunbosun Akinyelure, Opening the 2026-2027 Exhibition Season

Cleveland Heights, OH—

Heights Arts opens its 2026-2027 exhibition season on August 21 with the return of Emergent, a bi-annual exhibition showcasing the next generation of Northeast Ohio artists, alongside Spotlight: Olatunbosun Akinyelure, the first solo exhibition by self-taught Nigerian artist Olatunbosun Akinyelure.

Since 2015, Emergent has introduced audiences to artists inspired by the Cleveland arts community or educated at area colleges and universities, offering an early look at the creative voices emerging in the region. This year’s exhibition features artists representing Kent State University, Cuyahoga Community College, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the University of Akron, and self-taught practice.

Presents artists with a diverse range of perspectives, materials, and background Emergent artists include Romy Anderson, whose woven works embrace the structured constraints of the loom to explore relationships between color; Scout Bach, with a practice rooted in community, identity, and experimental printmaking; Ryan Cermak, using painting as a tool to invent and build new worlds; Layla Davis-Branner drawing from her upbringing in Black Baptist and Christian traditions and beliefs to examine challenging subjects in her work; Emma Gatzulis, investigating the fragile and shifting nature of memory through tactile printmaking processes; Annie O’Brien, celebrating women excelling in male dominated spaces with their pieces; self-taught artist Gabs Rataiczak relating her passions for painting, drawing, and skateboarding to create stylized acrylic paintings featuring faces and recurring subjects; and multidisciplinary artist, Jazzee Rozier who explores philosophical ideas on coping with emotions, relationships, and survival through the ‘American Dream’.

“Emergent has become one of my favorite exhibitions because every two years it introduces me to artists who are approaching their work in completely new ways. Whether they’re coming out of one of Northeast Ohio’s incredible arts programs or forging their own path as a self-taught artist, they remind me how much creativity is growing in our region. I’m excited to share that energy with our audiences and celebrate these creative voices. I hope visitors leave having discovered an artist they didn’t know before and feeling inspired about the future of art in Northeast Ohio.” says Heights Arts Exhibition Coordinator Heather Patterson.

Opening alongside Emergent is Spotlight: Olatunbosun Akinyelure. Marking the artist’s first solo exhibition, Akinyelure creates richly textured acrylic portraits using a palette knife. Thick layers of acrylic paint become an essential part of the visual experience, transforming texture into both subject and medium while inviting viewers to experience each portrait beyond the image itself.

The exhibitions are accompanied by the season’s first Ekphrastacy: Artist Talk + Poets Respond on September 24 at 7 p.m. This free community program is hosted by the Heights Poet Laureate and invites guest poets to write and perform original ekphrastic poetry in response to the exhibited art, while visual artists share about their creative process.

Emergent and Spotlight: Olatunbosun Akinyelure are on view August 21 through October 18 at Heights Arts. An Opening Reception will be held Friday, August 21 from 5 to 8 p.m., with Last Look, a closing reception, on Friday, October 16, from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission to exhibitions and related programs is free. Learn more and RSVP for events at heightsarts.org/events.

PRESS MEDIA

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Founded in 2000, Heights Arts (www.heightsarts.org) is a nonprofit, multi-disciplinary arts organization whose mission is to cultivate a strong, diverse, and collaborative arts community by inspiring people of all ages to engage in the arts; supporting the arts through education; providing exhibition and performance opportunities; and fostering public appreciation for the arts.

Heights Arts is generously supported by funding from individuals, businesses, and organizations, including: City of Cleveland Heights; City of University Heights; Cuyahoga Arts & Culture; Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation; Ohio Arts Council; The Arthur E, Elsie G, and Betty M Kranz Family Foundation; The Jean, Harry, and Brenda Fuchs Family Foundation; The Peggy and John Garson Family Foundation; The William Bingham foundation; and WWMR Foundation.