No one can tell the story of our local artist communities better than the creators themselves. Learn more about the artists who have made greater Cleveland their home, and take your own lessons from their experiences. 
For Annee Matko, creating and playing music isn’t simply an enjoyable pastime, it’s truly a part of her identity, a means of communication, a path on which she navigates life. “Oftentimes we struggle through the same heartache and difficulties in life and hearing a song or lyrics from an artist that you relate to, can make you feel a part of something greater and give you hope and reassurance that you're not alone,” she says.
Christina Bock is a Cleveland-based personal branding photographer serving creative women entrepreneurs. Her mission is to capture the beauty and essence of her client’s brand with scroll-stopping images that they are oh so very proud to post.
Brazilian singer, songwriter and student of the Tri-C music program, Maíra Vianna graces the Cleveland community with the soft rhythms of bossa nova, samba, jazz and now blues. Maíra hails from Minas Gerais, Brazil and carries with her a rich family tradition of music. She just released her newest album “Green Blues” on YouTube. “Green Blues” is a departure from Vianna’s previous style and is “the product of a Brazilian musician trying to write a blues—the bossa nova keeps trying to sneak in,” she says. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Maíra persevered to complete and record the album with the help of Tri-C recording studios. While her vocals were recorded at Tri-C, her ensemble (which includes professors within the music program) had to record separately in their homes. “We stay strong, dreaming and producing art, with a lot of love to share, even during a pandemic.” She says.
Will “Topiltzin” Sanchez was thrilled to open The Creative Café earlier this year in addition to La Cosecha Galeria, a well-publicized art gallery. This retail location houses both the art gallery and The Headshop boutique with a worldly café environment containing a new space for local artists to occupy, welcoming musicians on every Friday with Buskers Night, performers, poets, magicians, and comics throughout their Saturdays. "We have always welcomed artists to develop, not only as a studio artist, but as artists that collaborate and co-design with community partners or residents around a collaboratively defined aspiration working together towards a collective goal that causes real, effective change in the world," Sanchez says.
Aja is an emerging Cleveland artist with much to offer in the coming year. She’s been a reluctant Clevelander all her life, but her imagination extends far beyond the city’s borders. Sometimes urban and other times out of the box, her artistry has a beat of its own. Currently, her work muses on African Magicalism and Mythology, often depicting fictionalized characters of ethnicity. Her portraits tell stories as seen through the eyes of her subjects.
Hedwiga Wood is a curious individual, so much so she ended up singing solos in choirs, walking the runway, drawing fashion illustrations, painting in acrylics, and in the past two years, modeling in 3d. In Hedwiga’s mid twenties, a goal arose in her colorful noggin. "Hey, I’d like to make a living doing what I love," she says. She describes elements of her work as girly, hippie, fantasy and glamourous and creates using the values of curiosity, creativity, beauty, fun, and peace.
Patty Flauto is an abstract painter, designer and consultant with a strong foundation in and love of color. "Color is a universal language that speaks without words and reaches beyond time and culture," she says. Learn more about Patty's vibrant creative practice.
Tom Megalis’ work covers a wide spectrum that includes; painting, sculpture, television, film, radio and performance. Read on as he shares a bit of the story behind his work.
Leigh Brooklyn is a figurative artist living and working in Cleveland. Her work largely centers on raising awareness of marginalized and underrepresented communities and people. Learn more about the story behind her militia women series, encouraging women to find their inner warrior.
A couple years ago I did a painting of a friend in a militia outfit that she created of her favorite comic book character, "Tank Girl". The piece ended up being more about gun violence in America as she held a gun with a target on her shirt, but she had a presence. She looked so strong and powerful in that painting that when it hung in a gallery a little girl came up to me and said, "I want to be like that when I grow up". In all honesty, I did too.
Cleveland Arts Community: Meet up-and-coming artist Malik D.B. - multi-media photographer and community connector. "My work is showcasing the wonders of Cleveland in a new updated way," he says. Aka TheInternetGhost, check out Malik's work on Etsy, Made Cleveland, Instagram and Patreon, and coming soon to Heights Arts.
If you haven’t already heard the well-deserved buzz, Made Cleveland, the online multi-vendor marketplace for Cleveland artists and makers, has officially launched! A community-driven concept developed by Cleveland entrepreneur and thoughtful soul, Ash O’Connor, and a site designed by local artist, Deanna Dionne, Made Cleveland opened its online retail doors just a few short weeks ago (yes, during a global pandemic). “We planned on launching closer to the end of the summer, in preparation for the holidays, but we saw such a need for artists to generate income with the devastation of Covid, that we majorly accelerated our timeline,” says Ash.
Cleveland, meet Megan Kuhar! Assistant professor of Music Technology at Baldwin Wallace University, Megan is not only a musician herself (a percussionist performing in The Commonwealth), but also runs a branding coach biz for musicians megan-kuhar.com, online course, Fan Finder megan-kuhar.com/fanfinder and podcast megan-kuhar.com/podcast. “I help musicians learn about branding, marketing, technology and social media and how to build their brand online,” she says.
I am a child of Slavic immigrants...born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I have recently relocated back to Cleveland to help my mother, after living in Los Angeles for 20+ years.
Moving on it's own can be difficult, and add to that the changing of one's day-to-day structure as a result...it makes for the development of some unexpected and even overwhelming challenges. And as anyone, we do the best we can with what we have.
Twice an official photographer at The White House for President Obama’s invitation to photograph the Ohio State Buckeyes 2015 and the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 National Championships, Georgio Sabino III continues to consistently create magic, not only in Cleveland and Ohio, but also all over the United States.
The scene: The artist is on a small riser. He has just delivered an insightful, well-spoken, if not slightly snarky monologue, articulating a lightweight existential crisis. He does this while gesturing in tandem with images projected on the wall behind him. He sports vibrant, sapphire blue hair, distressed Converse high tops and a DIY t-shirt that reads “I Am Stupid.” And reveals another underneath, “We Are All Stupid.”
A fresh, new face in the city, dancer, teacher and arts entrepreneur, Leanna Mullen chatted with Arts Cleveland last week to learn more about our arts community. As a super dedicated artist and teacher, she is already taking on some incredible work by championing inclusivity through dance. Leanna is thrilled to be getting started as North Pointe Ballet’s newest dancer, saying, “I’m so excited to be a part of North Pointe’s mission to bring ballet where there might otherwise be physical, economic or cultural barriers.” It’s a philosophy that mirrors her own, in which she sees ballet as an art for everyone. She wants her classes “to be a place where every student feels welcome, no matter the student’s ability level or previous ballet experience.” In addition to working with North Pointe, Leanna is also teaching classes three nights a week at the Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School, channeling her passions for both ballet and community outreach. “I think specifically in my teaching, I strive for my classes to be an encouraging environment, breaking stigma around ballet being a cold or impossibly strict art form.”
Cleveland, meet Searius Addishin. An active performance poet, planner, program coordinator and educator, Searius finds himself back in the greater Cleveland area after a number of years of creative practice in L.A. Working 2 and 3 jobs in L.A. was the norm, he says, for many creatives, which left very little time to devote to making work. Being back in Cleveland and reinvigorated to push his craft to the next level, he came to Arts Cleveland looking to get reacquainted with our rich arts community. He took off running and started making connections across the city immediately! We’re excited to see him so energized by the incredible creative people and places we have to offer here and can’t wait to watch his artistic talents flourish. Cleveland is glad to have you back, Searius!
Based in Akron and just over a year old, VIBE Collective is passionately working to activate systems-level change for artists in Northeast Ohio. The community-based collective is comprised solely of working artists and activists, all volunteering their time to the cause of elevating the value of grassroots and marginalized artists in our region. We had the opportunity to talk with Amber Cullen and Nichole Epps, learn more about VIBE’s philosophies and their dedication to artists. We’re excited to connect with our fellow arts advocate neighbors in Akron!
Curator of the weird, deviser of hybrid media and Executive Artistic Director of Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, Jeremy Paul, is successfully blurring the boundaries of Cleveland’s creative worlds. MCA has emerged as a reinvention of its former self (the nomadic, theater company, Theater Ninjas, which produced for over a decade). With the shift led by Jeremy and the MCA Cadre over the last two years, “It has really been a massive transformation,” he says. “We built off of the ways we were already changing, but the way the company was structured, who we’re working with, the productions themselves have all shifted.” One of MCA’s most popular productions, Bricolage, pairs artists of completely different disciplines to collaborate and develop a new performative work.
