Even a vacant home can be turned into an artist’s canvas! This is exactly what happened in the Warszawa District in Slavic Village. Painters, architects, and neighborhood children collaborated to create for Rooms to Let Cleveland, an artwork exhibition and block party to showcase three vacant homes which happened to be owned by the Cuyahoga Land Bank.
Two of the homes will be renovated and the third is scheduled for demolition. The purpose of the event was to bring people together for a free, memorable afternoon of art and to show beauty in the blight. The artists were found near their work, speaking to the public about what inspires them.
Scott Pickering, curator of the “Boing B
oing House”, located at 6801 Forman Avenue, worked fruitfully for two weeks leading up to the exhibition. A husband and wife duo of Steven Intermill and Jillian Slane, created an upstairs room titled “Slavic Village Gnostic Temple.” The room was dark with swirling lights and music for meditation. Jeff Chiplis, another artist, created a different atmosphere in another room out of neon lights.
One home, 6626 Forman Avenue was distinguished by its artistic exterior – red shrink wrap titled “Existing to Remain”, by Maker Design Studio partners Westleigh Harper, Michael Horton and Harold DeBoe. The interior was constructed by associates from Bialosky + Partners Architects, which represented, according to Hallie Del Villan, the stages of grief as inspiration. Other artists included Allison Lukacsy and her installation, “Paper/Plastic” which featured a beach scene entirely constructed from plastic, paper bags and thousands of plastic cigar tips collected on Cleveland’s beaches which represented our society’s impact on the environment.
The last home, “Extopos: Out of Place” at 6818 Fleet Avenue. included inspirational messages on the stairs along with recycled materials woven together on the wall. Furniture dangled from the ceiling and walls in a piece by Julie Schenkelberg, an artist currently living in New York City but who calls Cleveland home. With a carpenter to help guide her materials into the perfect combination, Schenkelberg worked to unveil the beauty of each object. “I take domestic objects and dissect them to tell a story,” said Schenkelberg. You can check out all of the photos of the Rooms to Let Cleveland art installations here.