2016 EXHIBITION SEASON OPENS WITH “REMADE IN CLEVELAND”
FOR RELEASE: January, 2016
Three regional makers bring new life and purpose to discarded, local resources
Cleveland Heights, OH: Just like our Rust Belt city that is creating vibrant communities from traditional neighborhoods mixed with edgy independent businesses and updated urban design, Heights Arts’ first exhibition of 2016, Remade in Cleveland, focuses on the repurposing of industrial and cast-off materials into imaginative, yet completely functional household objects.
Opening Friday, January 15 with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m., Remade in Cleveland brings together the works of Douglas Meyer (Rustbelt Rebirth), Kevin Busta, and the firm Rustbelt Reclamation—all Northeast Ohio artisans who use locally sourced wood and metal to create custom tables, seating, lighting, mirrors, wall features, and tabletop objects such as clocks, serving boards, wine caddies, and even “paper” planes.
Greg Donley—head of the gallery committee that organizes Heights Arts exhibitions—notes, “Resourcefulness and creativity are common threads binding these artists together: rather than starting from a blank slate, they seek out interesting materials that have already been used for some other purpose and are now ripe for a second life. The resulting furniture melds practicality and imagination in functional objects that are intended for use in day-to-day life—but are also beautiful, compelling, often intriguing forms that sometimes evoke their past lives.” Viewers may be surprised to find everything from sleek, mid-century inspired consoles which incorporate tubular steel from exercise equipment, to patina-rich tables crafted from the salvaged wood of Cleveland houses.
Remade in Cleveland will be on view at Heights Arts through Saturday, February 27, during normal gallery hours (Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10:00 a.m.-9:30p.m., and Saturday 1:30-9:30p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday).
Related Programming
Artist Talk + Ekphrastic Poetry
Thursday, February 11, 7:00 p.m., Heights Arts Gallery, Free
Hear Doug Meyer, Kevin Busta, and David Meyers of Rustbelt Reclamation share insights about the challenges and inspiration drawn from working with salvaged and repurposed materials. Noted local poets Terre Maher, Mary Quade, Barbara Sabol, Marc Zeale, and Barry Zucker will respond with original verse inspired by select objects in the exhibition
Heights Arts is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
Contact: Mary Ryan
216-371-3457