Each in Their Own Voice: African-American Artists in Cleveland, 1970 - 2005

main gallery: january 23 to march 7
gallery talk: friday, february 13, 4:00 pm
artists' reception: friday, february 13, 5:00 pm
film: friday, february 13, following reception
panel discussion: saturday, february 21, 2:00 pm

Cleveland State University Art Gallery in partnership with the Cleveland Artists Foundation announces the upcoming exhibition Each in Their Own Voice: African-American Artists in Cleveland, 1970-2005, opening January 23, 2009 and running through March 7th, 2009. In celebration of Black History month there will be an artists' reception on February 13th from 5:00-8:00 pm, preceded by a Gallery Talk at 4:00 pm.  The exhibition features work by 24 artists working in a range of media.  Part of the exhibition will be a film by Robert Banks, Jr. screened in Lecture Room 202 above the CSU gallery in the evening following the opening reception on February 13th.  There will be an additional screening to be announced. Also accompanying the exhibition will be a panel discussion entitled "Issues in African-American Art from 1980 to the Present" featuring artists in the exhibition and other members of the art community.  The discussion will be moderated by William Busta and take place on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 pm.

The first generations of African American artists who were active in the Cleveland region were showcased in the 1993 exhibition Yet Still We Rise: African American Artists in Cleveland 1920-1970. The exhibition documented the work of 30 artists, working in a range of disciplines, including painting, photography, drawing, sculpture, prints, and stained glass. The deep emotion of the work, responding to experiences of repression, pride, hope and faith, made Yet Still We Rise a critical and popular success. The exhibition was a joint project of the Cleveland Artists Foundation and Cleveland State University and was organized with broad participation by the Cleveland community. At the inception of Yet Still We Rise, it was intended that a second exhibition would follow that would document the careers of African American artists in more recent decades: it was from this idea that Each in Their Own Voice was born.

Click here for more information about
Each in Their Own Voice: African-American Artists
in Cleveland, 1970 – 2005.

Part of preparation for the exhibition included interviews with each artist. These interviews have been utilized most immediately as the text for catalog entries, but will ultimately be catalogued online as part of Cleveland State University's Euclid Corridor Oral History Project of the History Department. The interviews sought to investigate how each individual came to aspire to be an artist; who and what helped them in their ambitions; which artists and teachers were key to the development of their artistic objectives; what obstacles hindered the growth of their careers; and whether there was a particular breakthrough or insight that led toward their mature work.

One of the lasting legacies of Yet Still We Rise was its catalog (165M pdf), which quickly went out of print and has a continuing demand in the rare book market. The catalog for Each in Their Own Voice is a major part of the project. The core of this publication is artists' own words (edited from the oral history interviews). The catalog also features extensive images of the works in the exhibition, accompanying essays, and biographical information for each artist.

Artists included in the exhibition are: Anna Arnold, Lawrence Baker, Robert Banks, Jr., Cushmere Bell, Alfred Bright, Moe Brooker, Malcolm Brown, David Buttram, Johnny Coleman, Dexter Davis, Kevin Everson, Curlee Raven Holton, Miller Horns, Mark Howard, Beni Kosh, Michaelangelo Lovelace, D. Anthony Mahone, John L. Moore, Virgie Patton-Ezelle, Angelica Pozo, Charles Sallée, Jr., Kevin Snipes, and Reverend Albert Wagner.

Each in Their Own Voice is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture as well as the Ohio Arts Council and an anonymous funder. The gallery is located at 2307 Chester Avenue in Cleveland and is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday from 12:00 – 4:00 pm.