Remade in Cleveland
January 15 – February 27, 2016
Just like our Rust Belt city that is creating vibrant communities from traditional neighborhoods mixed with edgy independent businesses and updated urban design, the first Heights Arts exhibition of 2016, Remade in Cleveland, focuses on the repurposing of industrial and cast-off materials into imaginative yet functional household objects.
Opening Friday, Jan. 15 with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m., Remade in Cleveland brings together the works of DougMeyer (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—noted, “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 hard use in daily 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, to wall art made from 150-year-old carved mahogany foundry molds.
“Remade in Cleveland” is on view through Feb. 27. Ekphrastacy, an accompanying artist talk and poetry reading in response to exhibition works, is slated for Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.
Read Fresh Water Cleveland’s preview of the exhibition