Having a collection of more than 20 bowling trophies might seem a little strange to some people, especially if the person who has them doesn’t bowl. Junk artist Tom Sullivan of Cuyahoga Falls has been collecting them for years and recently found a purpose for a few of them for his upcoming show Duck and Cover at Studio 2091. A work in progress since September, Duck and Cover is a combination of silver gelatin prints (photographs developed in the darkroom), store front signs, and a few ray guns. The photographs were all shot and developed by Sullivan himself. Most of the photos are humorou...
Take painting, add some illustration and a bit of graffiti with some plush on the side and you have the art of local Clevelander Jeff Hulligan. Heavily influenced by comics, horror and the unusual, Hulligan brings out some creepy characters in his various forms of art, including paintings, prints and designer plush toys. Growing up, Hulligan was always into creating and was partial to drawing. “I wasn’t any sort of prodigy in my youth,” he said. “I drew stick-figure dinosaur guys with guns. It was pretty generic stuff that any 8- or 10-year-old would draw.” Most of his senior yea...
It’s been a long nine months, but it’s all coming together. Local galley owner and artist Amy Mothersbaugh-Roos has completed her Journey to the Reef, a mural at the Akron Zoo she has spent the past months working on. Individually, Roos has put over 1,000 hours of work into this project. With no volunteers provided by the Akron Zoo, Roos set out and found her own. Those that came forward were friends from all walks of life, including several local fine artists Jeffery Fulvimari, Andy Dreamingwolf, Linda Radak, Thomas Sullivan, and Scott Alan Evans. “They’ve all painted my vision on ...
Continuing its reputation of displaying the work from artists all over the world, Studio 2091 will host Irish artist Daire Lynch this month. Lynch is originally from Dublin but is currently living in Cong, County Mayo on Ireland’s west side. He is a self-taught artist and also a sound engineer. “Music is as much a part of my life as painting, though it is painting that pays my bills. When I paint, I like to listen to film scores, classical or instrumental work, so as not to have my thoughts corrupted by the lyrics of others,” said Lynch. Lynch has been creating art as long a...
Local artists Ron Copeland and Dave Desimone have been to cities like Buffalo, NY; Pittsburgh; Youngstown; Akron; Gary, Ind.; Detroit and Flint, Mich., all of which have endured the hardships of job loss, population decline and urban decay. It’s a pattern they know well. “When I was about nine years old, I witness the collapse of the steel industry … The once prosperous steel valley region deteriorated and rusted away with it tens of thousands of good paying jobs and a way of life for so many people,” Desimone said. Growing up around boarded-up houses and buildings, he realized and ...
Though the name sounds strange, the story behind the moniker The Bubble Process should be familiar to anyone who’s gone away to college: Kent State alumni Sean Higgins and Nicholas “Rez” Rezabek both lived on Kent’s campus at Koonce Hall. Because all the essentials for survival were located there, they really didn’t have to leave for anything. They were basically living in a bubble. Now, the concept has returned in the name of a collaborative design studio run by both artists. The twist? It’s done across a distance of nearly 500 miles. After graduating from Kent, the two had ...
December 10 - Cleveland - 78th Street Studio When someone says “craft fair,” some of the first things that come to mind might be handmade mugs, appliquéd purses and bags or hand-knitted mittens. At the Bazaar Bizarre craft fair, you’ll find mugs, bags and mittens — but crafted with old records, monsters and skulls and crossbones. This is definitely not your stereotypical DIY craft fair. Bazaar Bizarre is a nationwide yet localized craft fair aiming to please the indie crowds that started in 2001 with a few friends and acquaintances of founder, Greg Der Ananian. “Dissatisfied wit...
It’s easy to recognize Brad Thorla in his capacity as the main booking agent for Annabell’s in Highland Square. On any given night you’ll see him running around the bar, laughing with bands and possibly even joining in on drums. What’s less visible is his role as creator of the successful Coreography Council, a zany multimedia zine now in it third volume, and a testament to Akron’s twin loves of rock music and gritty DIY projects. Sometimes Thorla collects media that lends itself better to print, sometimes audio. In Volume III we’re getting both. And we’re all waiting for it. ...
“Jellyfish, A Rhythm in Blue” has attracted and entertained countless spectators since its opening just three years ago. The jellyfish exhibit, located at the Akron Zoo, is the largest of its kind in the state, featuring 10 different tanks and a touch pool where guests can encounter live sea creatures firsthand. As popular as the exhibit is, the zoo has decided it’s time for a change: After the current exhibit closes on October 31, construction will begin to make way for a coral reef-themed exhibition. Local Cuyahoga Falls artist and gallery owner Amy Mothersbaugh-Roos is taking on th...
Marti Jones Dixon and Andrew Rudd take viewers on a journey through the lives on nine ordinary Canton residents in their collaborative show at Anderson Creative, Blind/Sighted: The Perceptions Project. Though it took nearly a year to complete, Dixon and Rudd only started with nine hours worth of audio from interviews with the subjects. Each subject had been asked basic questions about how they perceive themselves and how others perceive them. Dixon, a painter, was given each audio tape and asked to paint a portrait of what she thought they looked like. Based on other descriptive details...
August was bittersweet as The Pop Shop art gallery in Lakewood closed it’s final show. “Avenging Cleveland” was an open artist call for pieces themed around The Avengers. Dozens of area artists submitted their own interpretation of the many heroes associated with The Avengers over the years. The former owners of the gallery have decided to take a few years off to focus on some other things. Not wanting to lose the progress they made in the community, they contacted fellow artist and friend, Sean Burns, about taking over. Burns had organized a show for them in the previous year...
