Cleveland’s artist community to welcome visiting international artists at gallery reception

Artists begin 3-month stay in Cleveland through Cleveland Foundation program

RELEASE DATE: 3.5.2015

CLEVELAND – Cleveland’s artist community will welcome six international artists to our city with a reception on Friday, March 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Negative Space Gallery and Studio at 3820 Superior Ave. The artists just arrived in Cleveland this week for a 3-month residency through the Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion program.

The visiting artists are from Armenia, Bulgaria, Chile and Romania and each is hosted by a local arts organization. The hosts are Cleveland Print Room, Ingenuity Cleveland, Inlet Dance Theatre, The Sculpture Center, Verb Ballets and Zygote Press.

The artists’ first week in Cleveland has included a Lolly the Trolley tour of downtown Cleveland, University Circle, and Gordon Square. The week’s orientation to Cleveland is being topped off with Friday’s reception at Negative Space Gallery.

“A main goal of the Creative Fusion program is for there to be a cultural exchange between the artists who come here from other countries and the really rich network of local artists that Cleveland has,” says Kathleen Cerveny, Creative Fusion program director at the Cleveland Foundation. “This reception is a wonderful opportunity for the local artist community to join together to meet their visiting colleagues and begin that creative exchange.”

Another objective of the Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion program is to maximize the cultural exchange between the artists and the Cleveland community. To that end, each host organization is developing a residency plan for its artist, which will include a variety of public events. During their residency, the artists will also enjoy a number of unique local experiences, including an evening of bowling.

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Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world’s first community foundation and one of the largest today, with assets of $2.1 billion and 2014 grants of $98 million. Through the generosity of donors, the foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues. The foundation tackles the community’s priority areas – economic transformation, public-school improvement, youth development, neighborhood revitalization, and arts advancement – and responds to the community’s needs.

For more information on the Cleveland Foundation, visit ClevelandFoundation.org/100Plus1 and follow us on Facebook.com/ClevelandFoundation, Twitter @CleveFoundation and Instagram @CleveFoundation.