Here Here Gallery Offers Students Downtown Space

by Catharine Richert

On the bustling corner of 13th Street and Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, is the site of the Here Here Gallery. Oberlin College recently acquired the gallery in which students and faculty can display their artistic works. To commemorate Oberlin’s acquisition of the gallery, a month long exhibition of faculty work will continue into June.
The story of this lucky acquisition began when art professor Johnny Coleman was looking for space for one of his installations last fall. Curator of Here Here Frank Green offered the space for both Coleman and fellow art professor Nanette Yannuzzi-Macias to display their work. When they discovered the gallery was going to close due to financial difficulty, Coleman and Yannuzzi-Macias became determined to secure the space for Oberlin. “We felt the space was too valuable to lose,” Coleman said.

(photo by College Relations)

After presenting a proposal to the College for using Here Here as a collaborative space for faculty and students of the Oberlin artistic community, they put together an initial exhibit. Featured are works by faculty members Rian Brown-Orso, Coleman, Jean Kondo, John Pearson, Sarah Schuster, Adenike Sharpley, Audrey Skuodas, Will Wilson, Paul Yanko and Yannuzzi-Macias. Additionally, composition and dance performances will contribute to the interdisciplinary spirit of the gallery. Yannuzzi-Macias’ installation piece “Red”, displayed at the gallery’s opening on May 12, featured former African American studies professor and poet Calvin Hernton reading some of his work. On Saturday, May 26, an art/dance/music piece called “The Healing Spirit of Home” by Coleman and Sharpley will be presented at 3 p.m. 
Senior Andy Styer, who was involved with setting up the inaugural show, says the gallery will be nothing but beneficial to Oberlin’s artistic community. “First, Here Here is much bigger than anything we have here. It’s 11,000 square feet,” Styer said. Additionally, because the gallery will be open to all students and faculty, art, music and dance alike, a wider range of Oberlin art community members will be able to have their work exposed to the public. “Students will also be able to build their resume by being able to say they displayed their work in a public gallery.”
Location is also a crucial benefit of the gallery. “It will give the artists more exposure to the Cleveland art scene, which is pretty well established,” Styer said.
Coleman also sees that, for students, it will provide experience in every aspect of putting on a show. “It will allow them to see the administrative artistic side within a highly visible urban setting,” said Coleman. “The specifics of installing, deinstalling, staffing and publicizing a show will give students behind the scenes experience.”
The Here Here Gallery will be the satellite art space for Oberlin until December 2003. In the meantime, Oberlin will sponsor all but one exhibit a year. The current show will be on view in the gallery until June 10.