A massive wave of art will engulf Cleveland during FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art July 16 - Oct. 2. And, as a world-class center of arts and culture, Cleveland's never been more ready.
WHAT IS IT?
Image Courtesy FRONT International. © Artist Jan van der Ploeg
This multi-venue, nearly three-month event is set to encompass the city and surrounding area with an array of museum exhibitions, artistic projects and public programming featuring contemporary artwork from over 75 local, national and international artists. FRONT will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity, as the art featured will be framed by the city of Cleveland. In fact, FRONT's theme, "Oh Gods of Dust and Rainbows," embraces art as an agent of transformation, a mode of healing and a therapeutic process. The theme comes from acclaimed poet and former Clevelander Langston Hughes' 1957 poem "Two Somehwat different Epigrams." So, you really won't find anything else like it in the country.
WHAT KIND OF ART WILL I SEE?
"Our Home." © Odili Donald Odita. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Artist Julie Mehretu will work with the Cleveland Museum of Art to integrate selections from her work with examples from the CMA permanent collection. MOCA Cleveland will host Renee Green's "Contact," weaving together Green's own works with those of several other artists. For something a little more "new media," Jacolby Satterwhite will install a virtual reality arcade at Cleveland Institute of Art and a sculptural screen outside the Cleveland Clinic that will display artistic encounters that stem from a question he posed to Fairfax neighborhood residents: "What does utopia look like to you?" These are just some of the many exhibitions of contemporary artwork on display and in performance during FRONT International. Trips to the several participating museums and other more unusual spaces will uncover paintings, photography installations, sculptures, video displays, performances and just about everything in between.
WHERE DO I SEE FRONT?
"Before Falling Asleep" by Chen Rang. © The artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne
FRONT's artists will use Northeast Ohio's arts institutions to showcase their work, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, MOCA Cleveland, Akron Art Museum, Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, Transformer Station, SPACES and Cleveland Institute of Art. On top of that, the event features artwork in some rather unexpected places like the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Public Library, Karamu House and even the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Bop Stop and Jukebox. Explore all the venues here.
WHO ARE THE ARTISTS?
"Judy's Hand Pavilion" at Toby's Plaza, Case Western Reserve University by Tony Tasset. Courtesy of Tony Tasset.
FRONT International will showcase contemporary art created by over 75 artists from around the globe - all at different stages of their careers. In addition to those mentioned above, Abigail DeVille will create a sculptural installation at The Sculpture Center based on Langston Hughes' first book of poems for young people, "The Dream Keeper and Other Poems." At Transformer Station, Sarah Oppenheimer and Tony Cokes will investigate representations of race, gender and class using text and music on video along with interactive architecture. Learn about all the artists here.
Get FRONT and center in Cleveland.
Learn more about this multi-venue, summer-long exhibition of contemporary art happening across The Land July 16 - Oct. 2, 2022 by visiting FrontArt.org.