Archive for the 'Installation' Category

Art Matters :: Tom Farinacci, General Manager Glidden House

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Hotel rooms usually suffer from Invisible Art Syndrome.

Generic sailboats against pastel sunsets, carriages bumping along antiqued avenues and mauve abstracts from the ’80s: they’re all typically chosen to be restful, inoffensive and to pick up the bedspread colors.
It’s all different at Glidden House, the boutique hotel in University Circle. Every year, general manager Tom Farinacci budgets about $10,000 to buy paintings, drawings and photographs done by artists living and working in Northeast Ohio. Working with Christy Gray at Red Dot Project, the nonprofit artist registry, Farinacci is building a collection to enliven the hotel’s public spaces and guest rooms.

The art, says Farinacci, “makes us special. We strive to be a special hotel — very boutique in feel, a very high level of service.”

Putting up “real art,” as he calls it, makes a difference.

The practiced evolved after Glidden House, a 1910 house that was home for a member of the Glidden Paint family, switched from a doilies-and-lace Victorian bed and breakfast into a chic, contemporary hotel in the late 1980s. Owner Joe Shafran and Farinacci bought some high-ticket original paintings for the lobby. Those works weren’t by local artists, but the energy they brought to the hotel was clear.

The challenge was how to keep that energy going. The answer: Look for high-quality, original work by Cleveland artists. The side benefits: the purchases would be more affordable than the prints by contemporary masters Motherwell and Rauschenberg, and they’d also support local artists.

These days, Glidden House guests are treated to a brilliant red, almost-abstracted landscape by Lee Heinen and a series of black and white monoprints by Damon Reaves. Artist prints by Karen Beckwith and work by Gray (a fiber artist in her own right) decorate some of the guest rooms.

And there’s more to come. Farinacci will start the process of scouring the Red Dot files for the next batch of guest rooms on the list for art. Farinacci has elected to leave rooms empty rather than to temporarily fill them with mass-produced work purchased out of decorating catalogues.

So how does the selection process work?

Intuitively. Gray visits Glidden House to see the spaces up for an art overhaul. She pre-selects a number of works for Farinacci to choose from based on what she thinks might work well.

“We do a good job together of picking out art that fits the space,” Farinacci says.

He tends to steer clear of work that’s too moody or “controversial,” but he doesn’t simply go for images that read in an instant. The Lee Heinen piece he loves, for instance, bears contemplation for how it walks the line between representational and abstract.

Guests notice this even if they don’t know why.

“We’ll see guests standing in front of a piece for minutes and then moving onto the next one,” Farinacci says. “It’s kind of a gallery feel.”

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To learn more about RED DOT Project, join us July 24 and 25 at the Phoneix Coffee on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. We are part of the Scion xCHANGE event happening this weekend. We want to hear why Art Matters to you!
Visit our Cause page on Facebook.

RED DOT Project Artist Members Exhibition

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

RED DOT Project invites you to an exhibition of Artist Member artwork

at University Hospitals Humphrey Atrium Gallery

March 12 – April 1, 2009

Join Us

Artist reception: Thursday, March 12, 5 – 8 pm

Gallery Talk: Collecting Art by Artists of Northeast Ohio, Friday, March 27, noon – 1 pm

 Marti Higgins, River Road

 

With sponsorship from

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University Hospitals Humphrey Atrium Gallery is located at 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland Ohio.  The Humphrey Atrium Gallery is a connector between Lerner or Bolwell and Lakeside or the Atrium by Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.  Visitor parking can be found at the Cornell/Mayfield Visitor Parking Garage, Adelbert Visitor Parking Garage, or valet parking at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.  An interactive map can be found at http://www.uhhospitals.org/tabid/1463/Default.aspx.

Artwork: Marti Higgins, River Road

Mark Howard :: Plain Dealer

Monday, December 1st, 2008

RED DOT Project artist member, Mark Howard, was profiled by Michael Heaton in Sunday, November 30th Plain Dealer.  The article refers to the many public art projects that Mark has completed including the recent installation of trash barrels and tree grates for the Euclid Corridor project.

Next Home worked with RED DOT Project for the artwork for the public areas.  They engaged with Mark to create a welcoming entrance piece that communicates their mission.  Mark created a paper cut-out that was digitized and lasercut into 4′ x 8′ metal sheet.  The metal was powder coated and installed on the curved wall at the Next Home entrance.  The artwork is beautiful and engaging, and Next Home has another way that they can communicate their mission. Next Home installation, Mark Howard

Waterstreet commission :: Beth Kappa

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

RED DOT Project artist, Beth Kappa, recently completed a commission for a hip couple living downtown Cleveland.  Nate and Niki came to RED DOT Project looking for artwork for condo.  Loving Beth’s style, but wanting something a little different, Nate and Niki chose to commission a piece of artwork. 

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Detail of Untitled

Beth loved the process of working with a set of parameters, in this case color, size, and indication of imagery, while still staying true to her vision and style.  Nate and Niki have a showpiece for the living space and a story about working with a regional artist to create a piece of their own.

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All in all a beautiful piece of artwork for a great space.  Thanks Nate and Niki!

The Gathering Place :: Melissa Daubert

Friday, May 30th, 2008

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Regina Brett, Plain Dealer columnist, wrote a beautiful piece on Wednesday, May 28 about The Gathering Place.  The Gathering Place is a caring community for those touched by cancer.  You can read the full column here.

Regina Brett described the space and the gardens at the Beachwood facility.  RED DOT Project artist, Melissa Daubert, created The Listening Man sculpture, shown above and described here:

The sculpture called The Listening Man is a favorite. Children whisper their fears in his ear, then open the door to his heart to see it sparkle.

Melissa describes herself as an experience artist.  Her work is meant to be interactive and engaging, sometimes serving as an educational tool or pure whimsy.  You can read more about this piece on Melissa’s website, http://www.melissadaubert.com/

the QuARTer on WCPN

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Mindy Tousley from City Artists at Work, Alenko Banco from Convivium 33 and Liz Maugans from Zygote Press did an great job Thursday, May 15 on Around Noon on WCPN.  You can listen here: http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/an/12008/.   Thanks for including RED DOT Project in the conversation. 

 The banners are up in the QuARTer and they look great!

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Art Quarter banners

Monday, May 5th, 2008

The Art Quarter banners are printed and ready for installation.  Look for the banners on Superior Avenue, East 18th Street - East 30th Streeet, East 30th Street, and East 40th Street.  The banners rotate artwork from RED DOT Project, City Artists at Work and Zygote Press with Art Quarter banners.

RED DOT Project artist member, Beth Kappa’s artwork from, Too Involved to Paint My Dress 2, is the RED DOT Project banner. finalred-dot-banner1.jpg

Process :: Rene Culler

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Here are a few shots of the piece that Rene Culler is working on for GCP Shared Services more commonly known as Positively Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Partnership and COSE.   This is a piece that has been commissioned for their reception area.  The work is comprised of lots (LOTS!) of flat round glass pieces that will be mounted from a the wall with a backing of wire mesh.

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Rene has developed a technique to handpaint the glass that gives a range of color and pattern.  I am looking forward to the installation at the end of the month.  Look for more pics then.

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Brian Benchek :: Site Specific

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Brian Benchek is a self taught glass artist that makes incredible chandeliers, wall sculpture, and glass objects.  But, working on commission, with a specific client for a specific place, is one of things he loves about making art.  Click on the image below to catch the video, shown on HGTV, of the installation that he completed for Willoughby homeowners, Melissa and Tom Loiczly.

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 Learn more about Brian’s art and how to commission a piece for your space at RED DOT Project.

Glidden House

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Glidden House is a beautiful boutique hotel tucked into University Circle.  Their location and size make them unique, but really what sets them apart is their art collection.  Glidden House has made a committment to buying Cleveland regional artists.  RED DOT Project is working with them as they slowly work on renovations and improvements to provide the regional artwork that helps set a tone and gives the space the look and feel that is uniquely Cleveland.

They have recently worked on the Palette Lounge.  The space is intimate and comfortable.  New work by RED DOT Project artists, Ruth Bercaw, Lee Heinen, William Peck, Damon Reaves, and Brock Winans fill the immediate area.

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Damon Reaves  ::  Recent Shadows

Check out their Palette Lounge after work, they have signature cocktails, an incredible wine list, and tapas by Sergios.  AND great art by regional artists.