Post by Chris Wolfe on Jul 25, 2005 16:44:45 GMT -5
A Special Note from the Editor:
Due to miscommunications and time constraints with the California Museum of Photography in San Francisco, there will not be a “Museums of North America” article this month. Instead, we will look at a Cleveland’s first all-photography gallery. Enjoy!
CHRIS WOLFE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
For as long as Cleveland has been a key part in the world’s art scene, it was not until recently that a major artistic void was filled.
It is hard to believe, but Cleveland’s first all-photography gallery opened just eight months ago. The Gallery of Photographic Arts, GOPA for short, is located in Ohio City on Church Street.
Over the past few years, galleries dedicated to just photography popped up across the country. Recently, galleries opened in San Diego, Pittsburgh and Toronto. Marina Márquez-Zenkov, owner of the GOPA, said it was finally time for Cleveland to experience photography. “Everyone can look at photography and understand it,” she said.
Marina, along with her husband Kristien, particularly likes to display works from right here in Cleveland of Cleveland. “If it doesn’t have some issues focus, if it doesn’t help teach people how to improve the world, we don’t care,” said Kristien.
The Gallery of Photographic Arts actually started about four years ago in the Márquez-Zenkovs own loft. Marina says she looked at an empty wall one day in their old loft, and decided it should be filled with art. Marina’s parents were both artists when she was a child, and she would always paint Degas-esque and Pollock-esque paintings, and sell them in her yard. “I’ve always wanted to run a gallery,” she says.
She and her husband opened their loft up to local artists to display works to the public. They would throw benefit parties, and eventually named their home the Creative Impetus Gallery. After buying their current Church Street home, they made sure to set aside enough room for a gallery.
The Creative Impetus Gallery became GOPA when the Márquez-Zenkovs noticed that out of all the different types of media their home held, photography was the one thing that stood out the most to them.
In November, the GOPA hosted “Route 42 Revisited,” a collection by several Cleveland State University students. The students traveled down US Route 42 from Cleveland to Strongsville, seeing how neighborhoods and cities have changed by the effects of urban sprawl. One photo even highlighted an East Coast Frozen Custard to look for a gray, glowing UFO. The collection did exactly what the Márquez-Zenkovs wanted it to do: highlight the culture of Cleveland by local artists.
During the winter months, the GOPA featured an exhibit entitled “Rapid Stasis.” The collection observed Cleveland’s most-distinguished form of public transportation, the RTA. The transportation medium was shown as “a way of reconnecting with the world.”
The pictures used RTA train windows as frames to capture the everyday life of people just riding the RTA. Some include a man standing alone in a window and a conductor with her head turned, but her nameplate is still visible, uniquely identifying her.
The GOPA currently has an exhibit entitled “Latin America Exposures.” The photographs depict everything from the vibrancy of the nightlife in the area, to the black-and-white images illustrating the harsh working conditions that are a reality to many in Latin America. The show runs through Saturday, 30 April.
The next show at the GOPA will be “Through Students’ Eyes.” The show will feature works from students at Cleveland’s Lincoln West High School, and one child from the neighborhood. The pictures will follow three themes: the purpose of school, what helps students succeed and what gets in the students’ ways. The show runs from 7 May until 25 June.
After the show, GOPA will be hosting an event recap of all of the exhibits that GOPA has hosted over the past year. This will run from 23 July through 27 August.
Marina & Kristien also sell their own photographs at the gallery. Most photographs cost around $100 each.
“I don’t know that any of us are interested in the art crowd. That’s not why we’re doing this. We invite people in off the street,” said Kristien.
The Gallery of Photographic Arts is located at 2512 Church Street (at W 25th Street) in Ohio City. They are open on Saturdays & Sundays only from 1-5 pm, or by appointment. Call (216) 861-3062 for more information.
E-mail this reporter at:
photoeditorcw@yahoo.com
Due to miscommunications and time constraints with the California Museum of Photography in San Francisco, there will not be a “Museums of North America” article this month. Instead, we will look at a Cleveland’s first all-photography gallery. Enjoy!
CHRIS WOLFE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
For as long as Cleveland has been a key part in the world’s art scene, it was not until recently that a major artistic void was filled.
It is hard to believe, but Cleveland’s first all-photography gallery opened just eight months ago. The Gallery of Photographic Arts, GOPA for short, is located in Ohio City on Church Street.
Over the past few years, galleries dedicated to just photography popped up across the country. Recently, galleries opened in San Diego, Pittsburgh and Toronto. Marina Márquez-Zenkov, owner of the GOPA, said it was finally time for Cleveland to experience photography. “Everyone can look at photography and understand it,” she said.
Marina, along with her husband Kristien, particularly likes to display works from right here in Cleveland of Cleveland. “If it doesn’t have some issues focus, if it doesn’t help teach people how to improve the world, we don’t care,” said Kristien.
The Gallery of Photographic Arts actually started about four years ago in the Márquez-Zenkovs own loft. Marina says she looked at an empty wall one day in their old loft, and decided it should be filled with art. Marina’s parents were both artists when she was a child, and she would always paint Degas-esque and Pollock-esque paintings, and sell them in her yard. “I’ve always wanted to run a gallery,” she says.
She and her husband opened their loft up to local artists to display works to the public. They would throw benefit parties, and eventually named their home the Creative Impetus Gallery. After buying their current Church Street home, they made sure to set aside enough room for a gallery.
The Creative Impetus Gallery became GOPA when the Márquez-Zenkovs noticed that out of all the different types of media their home held, photography was the one thing that stood out the most to them.
In November, the GOPA hosted “Route 42 Revisited,” a collection by several Cleveland State University students. The students traveled down US Route 42 from Cleveland to Strongsville, seeing how neighborhoods and cities have changed by the effects of urban sprawl. One photo even highlighted an East Coast Frozen Custard to look for a gray, glowing UFO. The collection did exactly what the Márquez-Zenkovs wanted it to do: highlight the culture of Cleveland by local artists.
During the winter months, the GOPA featured an exhibit entitled “Rapid Stasis.” The collection observed Cleveland’s most-distinguished form of public transportation, the RTA. The transportation medium was shown as “a way of reconnecting with the world.”
The pictures used RTA train windows as frames to capture the everyday life of people just riding the RTA. Some include a man standing alone in a window and a conductor with her head turned, but her nameplate is still visible, uniquely identifying her.
The GOPA currently has an exhibit entitled “Latin America Exposures.” The photographs depict everything from the vibrancy of the nightlife in the area, to the black-and-white images illustrating the harsh working conditions that are a reality to many in Latin America. The show runs through Saturday, 30 April.
The next show at the GOPA will be “Through Students’ Eyes.” The show will feature works from students at Cleveland’s Lincoln West High School, and one child from the neighborhood. The pictures will follow three themes: the purpose of school, what helps students succeed and what gets in the students’ ways. The show runs from 7 May until 25 June.
After the show, GOPA will be hosting an event recap of all of the exhibits that GOPA has hosted over the past year. This will run from 23 July through 27 August.
Marina & Kristien also sell their own photographs at the gallery. Most photographs cost around $100 each.
“I don’t know that any of us are interested in the art crowd. That’s not why we’re doing this. We invite people in off the street,” said Kristien.
The Gallery of Photographic Arts is located at 2512 Church Street (at W 25th Street) in Ohio City. They are open on Saturdays & Sundays only from 1-5 pm, or by appointment. Call (216) 861-3062 for more information.
E-mail this reporter at:
photoeditorcw@yahoo.com