Q+A with Cleveland Foundation Board Member, Fred Bidwell

What first drew you to Cleveland—and what made you stay?

I came to Ohio from Boston to attend Oberlin College, where I majored in art history. After starting my career, first as a photographer and then in advertising in Akron, my focus shifted entirely to the arts upon my retirement in 2012. My wife, Laura, and I opened Transformer Station, a contemporary art space in Ohio City, in 2013. The positive changes that began to happen in Hingetown encouraged us to double down on that investment, eventually buy the Van Rooy Coffee Building, and make it our home in 2017. We love living in a vital, walkable Cleveland neighborhood.

Your path spans entrepreneurship, design, and the arts—what were a few pivotal moments that shaped your journey?

Leading a small regional advertising agency and transforming it into a national marketing firm with blue-chip clients and offices across the country was a thrilling experience. Selling the firm to the largest agency holding company in the world unlocked even faster growth and new opportunities for our staff and clients, and it gave Laura and me the opportunity and resources to pursue our interest in the arts. Shortly after I retired from the agency, the Board of the Cleveland Museum of Art asked me to serve as Interim Director. After almost a year in that position, I became determined to be an advocate for the power of Cleveland’s arts and culture to catalyzer positive change in the city.

Who or what has most influenced your approach to leadership and community impact?

After 10 years of directing the exhibitions and programming at Transformer Station and leading two editions of the FRONT International Triennial, I have learned that there is no substitute for being present in the community and engaging with folks at all levels, from the accidental visitor to the avid cultural tourist. When people sense your commitment, they are much more likely to see your vision.

What’s something people might not know about you that shapes how you show up in your work?

I was a working artist for the first seven years of my career after college. Even though I often joke that the best thing I ever did for the art world was to stop making art, that experience convinced me that creativity should pervade our lives no matter what our jobs may be.

You’ve helped shape spaces and experiences across the city. What does meaningful, community-centered impact look like in practice?

Meaningful, community-centered impact is realized through creating physical cultural anchors, like the Transformer Station, and large-scale, region-wide experiences, such as FRONT International. In practice, this also requires strong advocacy for the arts as a vital Cleveland industry.

You’ve engaged with the Foundation as a grantee, donor, and now a board member—how has your perspective evolved over time? What have you seen the Foundation do particularly well, and where is there an opportunity to grow?

I think that over time, the Foundation has become more deeply networked into the community, not just distributing funds from the top down but actively working to engaging the entire community in the work of philanthropy. The results point to a Cleveland of the future that is informed, involved and optimistic about the future.

In one sentence: What does Cleveland need most right now to reach its full potential?

Cleveland needs innovative leaders willing to risk collaborating with each other to create bold change.