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KAITLYN WENTZ

TWO PHILANTHROPISTS’ IMPACT ON THE NORTHEAST OHIO REGION

A Thesis

Presented to

The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Arts

KAITLYN WENTZ

May, 2020

ARTS AND CULTURE INFLUENCERS:

TWO PHILANTHROPISTS’ IMPACT ON THE NORTHEAST OHIO REGION

Kaitlyn Wentz

Thesis

Approved: Accepted:

______Advisor School Director James Slowiak Dr. Marc Reed

______Committee Member Interim Dean of the College Arnold Tunstall Dr. Linda Subich

______Committee Member Acting Dean of the Graduate Courtney Cable School Dr. Marnie Saunders

______Date

ABSTRACT

In a time of constant threat to funding, elimination of the National

Endowment, and competition over resources, philanthropy in the arts and culture sector is indispensable to the vibrancy and economic development of a city’s core. The arts and culture sector is considered to take away from an economy’s financial resources. However, it is the exact opposite. It is a thriving sector that contributes to the economy by creating jobs, spending money at local businesses, and bringing in cultural tourists. Fred Bidwell and Rick Rogers have a long history of philanthropy in this sector, and their demonstrated support has led to efforts of revitalization, vibrancy, and dollars spent in the cities of Akron and Cleveland. This thesis explores the history, issues, and successes of the two cultural producers’ philanthropy efforts in the sector and the impact that their support has brought to the Northeast Ohio region.

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1

II. PROFILE: FRED BIDWELL ...... 9

III. FRONT AND BEYOND ...... 30

IV. PROFILE: RICK ROGERS ...... 54

V. PISH POSH AND BEYOND ...... 73

VI. CONCLUSION ...... 97

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 102

APPENDIX ...... 127

iv CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

"The arts and culture sectors aren't just nice to have but they are a smart investment to make," said Nicole Mullet, executive director of ArtsNow in Akron,

OH.

At the Arts Fund Forum event in December 2019, Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Knight

Foundation), described a crossroads decision for Miami, Florida. Before it became known for Miami Art Week, a week in early December that attracts visitors to the city for many art events including temporary art fairs such as Art

Basel Miami, UNTITLED, Context, Art Miami, Aqua Art Miami, and more, the city was regarded by developers as a tourist attraction for its beaches. The Knight

Foundation expressed interest in turning the city into a destination for art.

However, the foundation received pushback from resisting parties claiming that

Miami is a beach destination. Years later, the city’s art scene stands out as one of the defining characteristics of Miami.

When the Knight Foundation saw the possibility of investing in the arts, it took the opportunity. Alberto Ibargüen explained the Knight Foundation’s contributions to the scene:

1 Arts and culture connect people to place and to each other. A dozen years ago, we perceived a trend and openness toward the arts in Miami and decided to accelerate and leverage it. We’ve invested $165 million since then. (“Knight”)

For 12 straight years, Knight Arts Challenge, a matching grant program to help bring arts and culture to neighborhoods, has kicked off Miami Art Week in order to elevate Miami artists as the art world’s galleries and patrons arrive for the defining art event in the United States. Miami has now transformed into a year- round arts town, an economic generator, and a social connection to people and place. The foundation’s impact coupled with the influence of philanthropists such as Don and Mera Rubell and Tony Goldman have contributed to raising the arts scene in Miami even higher.

Each of these art funders contributed to the vibrant arts and culture scene of Miami, making the city evolve into more than just a beach destination. In 1993,

Don and Mera Rubell brought their private art collection to the public with the opening of a former DEA warehouse in Wynwood. The Rubells recently moved their operations to a building in the Allapattah neighborhood, marking the transformation of their collection into a museum. Besides helping to revitalize the

Wynwood neighborhood, the couple persuaded Lorenzo Rudolf, director of Art

Basel, to bring a satellite version of the internationally renowned Swiss art fair to

Miami (Markowitz). The impact of their persuasion results in thousands of visitors to South Florida. From December 5 through 8, 2019, Art Basel Miami alone brought in an attendance of 81,000 visitors (“Art Basel”).

Tony Goldman (d. 2012), a real estate developer and preservationist, revitalized Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood from a desolate area into one of the city’s most popular public art attractions, Wynwood Walls, in just ten years.

Goldman offered the walls of the neighborhood’s abandoned warehouses as blank canvases to street artists. By offering the walls to artists, Goldman essentially created an outdoor art museum that has transformed Wynwood into a thriving arts district. Every year leading up to Miami Art Week, commissioned mural artists paint the walls of Wynwood to attract visitors and tourists to the area. The neighborhood is a vital economic and tourism driver for the city of

Miami. In 2018, 2.9 million people visited Wynwood spending $526 million in the area (Rodriguez).

The funders described in the previous paragraphs demonstrate the power of the arts as an economic and revitalization tool, even for a city like Miami that has other advantages going for it. The work being done by philanthropists such as the Rubells and Tony Goldman contribute to the efforts of the Knight

Foundation. Miami does not alone depend on its beaches to attract money and people to the city. Unlike Miami, Rust Belt cities in Ohio are not known as beach destinations or for warm weather. Those aspects are advantageous perks of the

South Florida area. More likely, Rust Belt cities in Northeast Ohio are known for polluted rivers and lakefronts, due to the infamous burning of the Cuyahoga River in 1969. During those days, water pollution endured as a consequence of the industrial landscape that profited the economy. However, many of those

3 industries have since left. The departure of heavy industries and the resulting decline in population has been prevalent in Ohio Rust Belt cities like Cleveland and Akron.

Situated on the shore of Lake Erie in northeast Ohio, Cleveland was once one of the wealthiest cities in the nation, and, in the 1920s, the city was an industrial powerhouse peaking as the fifth-largest city in the country (Vora). The founding of many of the city’s anchor arts institutions like the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and

Cleveland Play House occurred during this time of economic prosperity. Though

Cleveland prospered and brought with it a highly regarded art scene, the city began to see post-World War II urbanization and manufacturing jobs move abroad (Vora). The city's population peaked at almost one million people in 1950 and has experienced a steady decline since. In 2017, the population totaled

385,525, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Unlike Cleveland, Akron did not develop along a major lake or river, rather the artificial waterway, the Ohio and Erie Canal. Similar to Cleveland, the traditional and highly pollutive industry that allowed Akron to prosper during the

19th and early 20th centuries began to decline after the mid-20th century. Still known today as the "Rubber Capital of the World," the 1950s marked the height of Akron's industrial sector in tire manufacturing. Akron-based rubber companies such as B.F. Goodrich, Firestone, and Goodyear fed the nation's automotive appetite with their tires (Harper). According to the United States Census Bureau,

4 the city’s population peaked in 1960 with a population of 290,351. However, as foreign competition began to rise, the rubber industry in Akron began to decline.

In 1964, the industry employed 37,100 people, but, by the 1990s, it had significantly declined to 5,000 (Renn). With the decline of the industry’s ability to provide jobs, Akron saw a resulting decline in population. In 2017, Akron’s population totaled 197,846, according to the United States Census Bureau.

As a result of this economic downturn, these two Rust Belt cities have experienced a declining population. The shifts in the job industry continue today, but now these industries are being replaced by others. There is a misconception that the community supports arts and culture at a loss. However, according to the study, Ohio's Creative Economy: The Economic Impact of Arts and Creative

Industries, the sector is as an economic driver, and its impact is prevalent statewide in Ohio. Bill Behrendt, former executive director of Ohio Citizens for the

Arts, said of the study:

This study shows conclusively that the arts sector impacts Ohio's economy in a big way — in both rural and metropolitan areas. We see that the arts are a powerful economic driver that provides jobs, develops the workforce, attracts talent, and contributes to the health of the state by generating revenues that support Ohio's infrastructure. (Armon)

Once booming with industrial and manufacturing jobs, Northeast Ohio cities, like

Cleveland and Akron, encompass the transformative storyline that many other

Rust Belt cities have overcome. The report examined the changing job landscape:

As technology and outsourcing continue to displace manufacturing workers, the technology, service, and creative sectors have emerged as

drivers of regional economies. The educated, highly skilled workforce propelling these emerging sectors has become an increasingly important factor in regional economic development strategies. Creativity, innovation and knowledge creation are now central to economic prosperity. (Armon)

Instead of depending on the industries that have briefly served the cities and no longer will, Cleveland and Akron are learning to utilize other resources to draw people back to live there. Art is one tool the cities are using for revitalization.

Disinvestment in many American downtowns and neighborhoods has occurred over the past several decades. Once thriving communities, they have since become devoid of opportunity and safety and are dotted with abandoned homes and storefronts. The arts used as a revitalization tool can create a more vibrant community to attract residents and visitors. A community with a vibrant arts scene retains residents and their extra spending money close to home, while also attracting out of town visitors who spend money and help local businesses thrive (Lynch 1). According to Cros and Jolliffe, the promotion of tourism is a substitute for the loss of other industries (4). Showcasing culture and art events has become increasingly crucial for destination branding and benchmarking

(Cros and Jolliffe 4).

Using the arts to transform a city was precisely the intention of Fred

Bidwell, a retired advertising CEO and long-time arts philanthropist, when he decided to orchestrate the first edition of FRONT International: Cleveland

Triennial for Contemporary Art (FRONT). The triennial art experience occurred in

2018 across the region and brought with it a surge in arts and culture activities, visitors from out of town, and a burst of economic boosts. The intention of the

6 triennial is to take place every three years; however, due to current conditions impacted by COVID-19, the next edition has been pushed back to 2022.

As the opening of the inaugural exhibition drew near, excitement buzzed, and plans for coinciding events started to pop up. According to McKercher and du Cros, bundling events is a vital strategy within cultural tourism as a way of

“combining a variety of similar themed products and experiences and promoting their collective consumption to visitors” (Cros and Jolliffe 5). Established organizations held regular programming to contribute to the large-scale event.

However, many events pioneered in synchronization with FRONT. One such project was the pop-up Pish Posh, a temporary gallery organized by Hieronymus, which featured art from the collection of Rick and Alita Rogers and Superchief

Gallery.

Rick Rogers, an Akron native, entrepreneur, passionate philanthropist, art collector, civic leader, and personal friend to Fred Bidwell, came up with the idea for the pop-up. Besides leading Pish Posh, Rogers also supported FRONT as a board member and donated as a funder to the event. Rogers wanted to contribute to the endeavor and extend the cutting-edge art experience to Akron.

Out of the 26 participating FRONT venues, the Akron Art Museum was the only site located in Akron. Rogers was aware of the lack of sites in Akron. For him, his support needed to go to Akron to bring visitors to the city and capture economic value. The idea of the pop-up also came on the heels of several successful art exhibitions that displayed objects from Rogers’ collection. These exhibitions

7 included Kent State University's Shock of the Now and Akron Art Museum's

Gross Anatomies and Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose.

Bidwell and Rogers both share a similar profile. They are art collectors, entrepreneurs, and connected to the Northeast Ohio region. Their spouses are equally involved in the community, and the two families share a vision that emphasizes the positive impact the arts can have on a city. The two entrepreneurs have thoughtfully created both long-term and temporary projects within the arts and culture sector to benefit the communities in which they are impacting. This study analyzes art supporters and cultural producers, Fred

Bidwell and Rick Rogers, in order to understand their direct impact on the arts and culture landscape in Northeast Ohio and to determine recommendations for arts programs as instigators for urban growth.

CHAPTER II

PROFILE: FRED BIDWELL

Philanthropist, art collector, and community leader, Bidwell spent a 35- year career as an advertising and marketing entrepreneur. He was born in

Boston, MA, as the second youngest of five children (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”). His mother was a homemaker, and his father worked as an executive for the W.R.

Grace conglomerate, which meant overseeing a plant in Greenville, SC, that made Cryovac plastic food wrap (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”). When the family moved to South Carolina, Bidwell’s mother bought him a gift to help him adjust to the move. That gift was a Kodak Brownie camera, sparking a lifelong passion for photography. Bidwell attended high school at Choate Rosemary Hall in

Wallingford, CT, an elite boarding school with alumni like John F. Kennedy—he did not adjust quickly to the school (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”).

During his college years, Bidwell transferred from his hometown's Boston

University to study at Oberlin College, Northeast Ohio's bastion for the liberal arts

(Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”). In the early 1970s, Bidwell thought of himself as half a hippie and wanted to nurture his passion for the visual arts started by his mother when he was a child. At Oberlin College, Bidwell studied art history — the closest

9 thing to studio art for which his parents would still chip in (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”).

Upon graduating in 1974, Bidwell aspired to be a fine arts photographer but took on commercial gigs to support himself. He started by working as an industrial photographer for Gilford Instrument Laboratories, a medical electronics firm

(Hannan).

Bidwell continued his creative passion for fine art photography while working. In 1976, he had one of his works exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of

Art's now-defunct May Show, a juried exhibition of local artists held each year from 1919 to 1993 (Hannan). However, after eight years of working as a photographer, Bidwell switched to the other side of the business to pursue a career in advertising. For his first advertising venture, he worked as the third man of a Warren, OH advertising firm (Hannan). Eventually growing tired of the commute, Bidwell took a job at Malone Advertising (Malone) in Akron, OH, as a designer in 1982. Malone would be his lucky break for many reasons. For one, it would be at Malone Advertising where he would meet his future wife, Laura Ellen

Ruth (Hannan).

Unlike Bidwell, Laura grew up in Northeast Ohio, specifically in Akron, but likewise shared his passion for the arts. Inspired by her mother, who was an artist, Laura pursued a degree in painting at The University of Akron (Hannan).

She even took on a job one summer as a portrait artist but struggled between the timing to complete each work and her desire to capture every detail (Hannan).

After graduating, Laura worked at O'Neil's department store in downtown Akron

(Hannan). She took on various roles: selling merchandise, working the night shift in central receiving, and eventually moving to the public relations department

(Hannan). After being discovered for having an art degree, Laura transferred to the advertising department (Hannan).

Laura’s father was a copywriter for Goodyear, who later moved to a position at Malone. Laura moved to Malone in 1977, where she found herself in a position as an art director in training (Hannan). At Malone, Laura put her drawing skills to use. She cut, pasted, and laid campaigns out by hand (Hannan). When the first Macintosh computer arrived at the office in 1984, Laura signed up to develop her skills in digital design, which later enabled her career as a freelance graphic designer (Hannan). At Malone, Laura could pursue her creativity while working next to her future husband. Eventually, she asked Bidwell out to lunch, which has led to a partnership of over 30 years (Hannan).

1991 was a significant year for both Bidwell and Laura as it was the year that they got married and started their art collection (Hannan). The Bidwells initiated the first substantial acquisitions for their photography collection, with a rule of thumb not to purchase anything made before their marriage to keep the collection strictly contemporary (Hannan). The Bidwells began collecting art after dinner with their friend David Cooper, who lived nearby their former Tudor style home in West Akron (Hannan). Cooper was an associate editor at the Akron

Beacon Journal and an avid collector with a home filled with street photographs and mid-century classics (Hannan). Cooper even introduced the Bidwells to their

11 first art dealer (Hannan). Having modest resources when they began collecting, the Bidwells initially concentrated on emerging and mid-career artists.

The Bidwell’s collection is specific and reflective of both individual’s passion for photography. Rather than buying "trophy" images, the Bidwells have sought out works that they respond to personally when making selections for their collection (“Interview”). Bidwell explained the cohesion of internationally renowned artists and local artists in his and Laura’s collection:

We have world-renowned names like Hiroshi Sugimoto and Kehinde Wiley, but also local artists. We just showed Amber Ford from Cleveland right next to Zanele Muholi from South Africa, who's extremely hot in the international art market. Michelangelo Lovelace painted a picture in Cleveland. A New York dealer took it to an art fair in Chicago. We bought it there, and it's coming back to Cleveland. (Segall)

Their differing tastes and preferences help keep the collection diverse and surprising: Laura’s preference is work that encompasses design, beauty, and a sense of strangeness, and Bidwell leans more towards conceptual works

("Interview"). Over time they eventually gravitated away from buying individual works to acquiring multiple images or even whole bodies of work from artists

(“Interview”).

The Bidwells have actively loaned select pieces from their collection to other museums as a way of sharing the art they collect with the public. The

Bidwells loaned 57 works from their collection to the highly regarded 2008 exhibition, A Shared Vision: The Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Photography

Collection (“A Shared Vision”). The Akron Art Museum organized the exhibition, and it was made possible by a generous gift from Bain and Inky Malone (“A

Shared Vision”). According to a joint press release from Akron Art Museum and

Cleveland Museum of Art, three shows accompanied by significant work from the

Bidwell’s collection have toured across the states: Detroit Disassembled by

Andrew Moore, Copia by Brian Ulrich, and Excerpts from Silver Meadows by

Todd Hido (“Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron”).

The Bidwells funded the 2010 exhibition and sponsored the catalog for

Detroit Disassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore, which featured definitive photographs of abandoned factories and schools in Detroit, MI (Litt, “Bidwell +”).

Organized by the Akron Art Museum, the exhibition was made possible by a significant gift from the Bidwells with additional support from the John A.

McAlonan Fund of Akron Community Foundation. The exhibition included a publication funded by the Bidwells with additional funding from the Elizabeth

Firestone Graham Foundation (“Detroit Disassembled”). In 2014, the Amarillo

Museum of Art selected highlights from the Bidwell collection for the exhibition

Achievement in Art: The Fred and Laura Bidwell Collection of Photography

(“Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron”). The Achievement in Art Exhibition and

Gala is an annual exhibition honoring notable collectors on their achievements in art collecting while presenting selections from their collection for public viewing

(“Achievement”).

Not long after their nuptials, Laura left Malone to pursue an entrepreneurial career as a freelance graphic designer for six years. She dedicated herself to local organizations like the Akron Zoo, Akron Symphony,

Akron Art Museum, Boys & Girls Club, and was the founding curator of Summit

Artspace Gallery (“Fred and Laura Bidwell”). During that time, Laura bought a digital SLR camera and found her creative outlet through photography, which has been her passion ever since. She now works on photography, video, and on- demand book projects (“Fred and Laura Bidwell”). She has exhibited her work locally with organizations such as Zygote Press, Harris-Stanton Gallery, and the

Massillon Museum.

While Laura devoted herself to the nonprofit sector, Bidwell ultimately turned Malone into a national leader in "shopper marketing," which is the understanding of how to target consumers based on their behavior as shoppers

(Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s). When Bidwell took controlling interest of Malone as president and CEO in 1996, that same year, the company lost its biggest client,

Goodyear, along with more than 50% of its revenue (Hannan). Instead of crumbling, Bidwell transformed Malone by cultivating relationships with brands such as Sherwin-Williams, Nestle, Kimberly Clark, John Deere, and Mazda

(Hannan). The company grew in volume by an average of 20% each year, and profit margins grew from very little to approximately 20% (Hannan).

Bidwell went on to sell the advertising agency in 2005 to J. Walter

Thompson, which by then was part of the WPP Group of Dublin, Ireland, the largest agency holding company in the world (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”). Bidwell stayed on for a while as CEO. In 2010, he combined Malone with Ogilvy Action to create JWT/OgilvyAction, a joint venture between Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter

Thompson (“Cleveland Museum”). After a very successful career in the corporate world, Bidwell eventually retired in 2012 from the company, which is now

Geometry Global. Bidwell began his second career as an arts advocate and nonprofit entrepreneur (Litt, “Fred Bidwell’s”).

Recognizing their ability to be creative in their professions, the Bidwells wanted to transfer that experience into their next project. In an interview with

Cleveland Arts Prize, Bidwell explained the influence that creativity had in his profession:

I was very fortunate to fall into one of the few professions where you can be creative and get paid to do it. My experience had a huge impact on my life, in my love of creativity and encouraging creativity through the arts, which became the mission of the Bidwell Foundation that we started in 2011 just before I left the agency.

Never having children put the Bidwells in the position to invest their wealth into the community instead of leaving it to their estate. In 2011, the Bidwells established The Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Foundation (Bidwell Foundation).

The foundation’s mission is to support artists and arts institutions by sponsoring projects, programming, and exhibitions that encourage creativity and innovation

(“About” [Transformer]). The foundation takes an interest in bringing leading contemporary artists to Northeast Ohio (“About” [Transformer]).

To build upon its mission, the Bidwell Foundation opened the Transformer

Station (TS), a contemporary art exhibition space located on the west side of

Cleveland in 2013. Located at 1460 West 29th Street in Ohio City, the small museum takes the place of the former Cleveland Railway Company (“About”

[Transformer]). Opening the museum was a way for the Bidwells to express their pride in Northeast Ohio, in addition to sharing their collection publicly (Litt, “The

Cleveland Museum). The idea for an actual space took inspiration from private museums they had visited in Europe and Miami, FL (“Interview”).

Moreover, after two decades of art collecting, the Bidwells found themselves needing a place they could display and store their collection that now numbers over a thousand primarily photo-based works (“2018 Community

Leader”). Fred Bidwell explained their collection strategy as:

Focusing on photography was a smart way to make our collection more strategic. Eventually, though, we needed more wall space to show all the pieces we had accumulated. (“Fred & Laura Bidwell”)

Laura added:

Photography is a medium that is defining our era. So, it's a really perfect time to focus on it, and it just constantly seems to lead to new ideas, approaches and really fascinating artists. (“Fred & Laura Bidwell”)

Since opening TS, the Bidwell’s collecting style has transitioned to funding or commissioning new work from artists with whom they have established relationships with for specific exhibition concepts (“Interview”). For example,

Excerpts from Silver Meadows by Todd Hido was funded by a grant that allowed the artist to complete this body of work as an exhibition and a monograph published by Nazraeli Press (“Fred and Laura Bidwell”).

The Bidwells looked for a suitable location all over Northeast Ohio, including Akron and even Youngstown, to find the right spot for their museum

(Shinn, “Art”). Most of the abandoned or underused industrial buildings they

16 looked at were too large for their needs until they found a not-for-sale building in

Ohio City, occupied as an artist’s foundry (Shinn, “Art”). Bidwell explained the reasoning to locate in Ohio City:

The critical mass of the Cleveland audience is large enough. ... The west side because we wanted to be where the energy is, particularly with all the young people and the fact that the east side already has plenty of cultural institutions. ... There’s no lacking of access and people recognizing that urban living is really an attractive alternative to suburban life. (Shinn, “Art”)

The building was ideal. The 22-foot ceilings and brickwork architecture of the

Transformer Station fit their needs regarding aesthetics, size, and location

(Hannan). The location supported the Bidwells’ belief in Cleveland as a natural hotbed for innovation and creative energy due to its high concentration of cultural institutions, passionate audiences, and low cost of living (Litt, “The Cleveland

Museum of Art”).

In 2011, the Bidwells convinced the property owners of their vision securing the decades-old power station building for $160,000, which was estimated by Cuyahoga County to be worth $1.2 million in 2015 (Hannan). The original 1924 building was around 3,000 square feet. Restoration to the building added about 3,400 feet with the parking lot and grounds reopening in February

2013 (Segall and “2018 Community Leader”). The initial cost to renovate and add onto the building in 2013 was $2.5 million (Segall). Besides gallery space, TS houses a library and office space for the Bidwell Foundation and FRONT

(“About” [Transformer]). The museum’s annual operating expenses are between

$250,000 and $350,000 (Segall). The museum operates without charging an

17 admission fee, so funding primarily comes from the Bidwell Foundation with some additional support made from donations (Segall).

The art-collecting couple did not venture into the project alone after realizing the monumental effort of operating a museum. They chose to partner with the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) to achieve the operations of the smaller scale museum in Ohio City. While the concept of a satellite museum is not unusual, especially for large-scale operating museums like the Guggenheim, the partnership may be the first and only private-public museum partnership in the country. Besides giving the museum a west side presence, the deal was a profitable proposition for CMA with a valuation between $5.5 million to $7.5 million (Litt, “The Cleveland Museum”).

The Bidwells agreed to renovate the TS building at their own expense and pay for operations and maintenance while collaboratively programming it with

CMA for 15 years (Litt, “The Cleveland Museum”). In 2027, the Bidwells will donate the structure to the museum outright (Hannan). Also included in the deal, the Bidwells pledged $1 million to the museum’s $350 million expansion and renovation plus $2 million to create an endowed curatorial chair in contemporary art (Litt, “The Cleveland Museum”). The Bidwells agreed to the partnership with

CMA as long as the museum programmed exhibitions that were more cutting- edge than what they were doing at the east-side site.

The agreement between the Bidwells and CMA allows the museum to use

TS for programming and exhibitions every six months for fifteen years, and

18 eventually acquire half of the Bidwells collection (Litt, “Bidwell +”). The other half of the year, the Bidwells curate exhibitions from their renowned collection. In an interview with Cleveland Scene, a regional arts and culture magazine, Bidwell explained the partnership:

The average museum goer at the Cleveland Museum of Art -- and let me tell you, I love the Cleveland Museum of Art. I'm not saying this critically -- but the average museum goer is 55 or older, likely to be a woman, college-educated. And that's true at museums all over the world. The Transformer Station is a lot about younger audiences who don't want to spend four hours at a museum and get a heavy educational experience. They want a 20-minute experience with a cup of coffee in their hand. And that's what we've got. (Allard)

Their choice to partner with CMA was a direct acknowledgment of their desire to strengthen the region by extending the museum's prominent west side presence and the range of art on view at TS (“Fred & Laura Bidwell”).

David Franklin, director of CMA at the time, praised the Bidwells for their vision, knowledge, and connections in contemporary art (“Fred & Laura

Bidwell”). The timing of the opening of TS increased the momentum of the surrounding arts organizations, including CMA, in their commitment to the art movement and the region’s ability to raise its standing in the contemporary art world. The opening of TS came shortly after the new $27.2 million home for the

Museum of Contemporary Art opened in the University Circle neighborhood and

Franklin's commitment to collecting contemporary art for CMA (“Fred & Laura

Bidwell”).

Besides providing access to contemporary art, TS is a catalyst in the revival of the neighborhood dubbed Hingetown, which connects three sections of

19 town: Gordon Square Arts District, the Market District, and the Warehouse

District. Before the Bidwells settled into the neighborhood, it looked very different.

Rising Star was an abandoned fire station; the Striebinger Block housed three gay bars, a head shop, and a rarely open barbecue restaurant; drugs and prostitutes were prevalent (Hannan). TS transformed the area by attracting people to the neighborhood. The museum alone draws 15,000 to 20,000 visitors a year for exhibitions and programs (Litt, “Art Collectors”). In 2015, Vanity Fair covered the transformation of the neighborhood stating that more than $70 million in new projects were planned for the roughly eight-square-block area

(Chilcote). Speaking to Cleveland Arts Prize, Laura explained that economic development was not the original intention when opening TS, but she now recognizes the impact on Ohio City (“Fred & Laura Bidwell”).

Shortly after the opening of the Transformer Station, the Bidwells received recognition for their art activism and philanthropy. In 2013, they received the

Martha Joseph Prize from the Cleveland Arts Prize, a regional award given annually to individuals or organizations that have made a considerable improvement to the vitality and stature of the arts in Northeast Ohio (Abram and

Shinn B1). In 2016, Ohio City Incorporated presented several awards for those making exceptional contributions to the neighborhood. The Bidwells received the

Presidential Award for their contribution to helping Ohio City grow as an arts community with the creation of Transformer Station.

Having admitted that they were inspired by other collections and museums to create TS, the Bidwells draw comparisons to other noteworthy collectors, who have revitalized neighborhoods using the arts. Litt of the Cleveland Plain Dealer sees similarities to the Rubells of Miami:

The project is similar to that of the collection formed by collectors Donald and Mera Rubell and displayed in a 45,000-square-foot warehouse in Miami, formerly a Drug Enforcement Agency warehouse. The Rubell family museum is now one of the city's cultural anchors, and, according to the Washington Post, it has set the Wynwood neighborhood 'ablaze with color, with murals, art galleries, cafes and top-shelf eateries luring hipsters and big spenders alike. (Litt, “Bidwell +”)

The Rubells’ museum spurred the revitalization of the Wynwood neighborhood, which has become known as Wynwood Arts District. Realizing the potential for

Miami as a destination for art, the Rubells brought Art Basel to the city (“Rubell

Family Collection”). This comparison is reminiscent of the Bidwells opening TS, the revitalization of Hingetown, and plans for future projects to come to

Cleveland.

However, the recognition the Bidwells have received also comes with disapproval. The transformation of the area has received backlash for gentrifying the neighborhood. Bidwell is fully aware of opposition towards the neighborhood's transformation:

You could park for free right at your curb. Now rents are rising, and taxes are rising. You can't just walk into a restaurant for a table on Saturday night. You may have to wait in line. But the neighborhood had its downside of crime and worn-down housing stock. Now you may have to walk a couple blocks to park, but you're safer walking than before. (Segall)

Gentrification has been a contemporary hot topic, especially for cities in the Rust

Belt. It is also a complicated one for cities like Cleveland and Akron, which have felt the prolonged hardship of deindustrialization. Many of the Rust Belt cities are facing issues with decreases in population due to people’s migration to warmer climates, more affordable areas, and better job opportunities (Sauter).

Not deterred by criticism, the Bidwells continued to build upon the success of TS when they strategically bought the three-story national historic landmark

Van Rooy Building at 2900 Detroit Avenue from developer Michael Chesler in

2015. Located a block north of TS, it was built in 1895 and housed the Van Rooy

Coffee Company from 1938 to 2003. The Bidwells purchased the 30,000-square- foot building, estimated by the county to be worth $1.3 million, to complete

Hingetown's stretch across Detroit Avenue (Hannan). Together the Bidwells renovated the top floor of the Romanesque Revival building into a loft and moved their home-base from Peninsula, OH to Cleveland. The move gave them more authenticity and demonstrated their dedication to the neighborhood since many of Cleveland’s wealthy arts patrons live in the city's well-to-do eastern suburbs, not the city itself (Litt, “Art Collectors”). It is easy to talk the talk, but the Bidwells walk the walk.

In addition to relocating their home to the neighborhood, the Bidwell’s purchase added momentum to the arts district they were helping to create. The

Bidwells made a purchase agreement with the long-standing nonprofit arts

22 organization SPACES, for it to relocate to the ground floor of their Van Rooy

Building (Usmani). Bidwell said in a press release of their new neighbor:

Laura and I are thrilled to have SPACES in the neighborhood as an artistic resource and a catalyst for growth and innovation. We believe that the arrival of SPACES to Hingetown will complete the transformation of the neighborhood into a national model for successful creative place-making. (Usmani)

SPACES, a resource and public forum for artists who explore and experiment since 1978, was looking for a new location for its gallery. The agreement with the

Bidwells included a $150,000 donation toward the cost of the facility and below- market-rate financing of the mortgage (Usmani). The new addition of SPACES to the neighborhood gave visitors another reason to stay and explore the cultural offerings of the neighborhood.

In May 2015, Bidwell made another move to better the Hingetown neighborhood by becoming co-chair of the board of trustees at the Gordon

Square Arts District (GSAD). He took on the position to connect Gordon Square's assets, such as Cleveland Public Theatre, Battery Park, and the Capitol Theatre with Hingetown (Hannan). Three organizations formed GSAD: Cleveland Public

Theatre, Near West Theatre, and the Detroit Shoreway Community Development

Organization, the owner of the Capitol Theatre with a mission to leverage vibrant arts and culture to foster economic growth and collaboration (“History”). Before

Bidwell joined as board leadership, GSAD was well on its way to transforming the neighborhood by creative placemaking.

During the economic recession in 2008/09, GSAD launched a $30 million capital campaign (Litt, “The Gordon”). The campaign has since then met its goal and paid for projects including new streetscapes, signs, and parking; renovations for Cleveland Public Theatre's complex and Capitol Theatre; and the construction of a new Near West Theatre (Litt, "The Gordon"). By investing $30 million into those projects, economic development returned to the neighborhood, which had attracted new residents, more than 75 new businesses, plus yearly art event attendance of roughly 100,000 (Litt, "The Gordon"). In 2012, Economist Anne

Markusen used Gordon Square as an example of creative placemaking for economic development in a white paper commissioned by the Mayors' Institute on City Design (Markusen).

Since Bidwell first joined as co-chair, GSAD selected its first artist-in- residence in 2017 (Suttell, “Gordon”). Artwork created during the residency exhibits at Gordon Square Art Space, a northern neighbor to the Capitol Theatre

(Suttell, “Gordon”). Bidwell said of the residency:

We're taking our neighborhood revitalization efforts to the next level by aligning economic opportunities with the arts. Our goal is for our arts and culture initiatives to benefit local artists, residents and businesses alike. (Suttell, “Gordon”)

The residency provides artists with a stipend to experiment and benefit workers and residents in the neighborhood (Suttell, “Gordon”). Since then, GSAD has supported ten quarterly Gordon Square Artists-in-Residence (“Nonprofit”).

On October 23, 2019, the GSAD board voted to cease operations of revitalizing the west side neighborhood using an arts and culture strategy. The

24 nonprofit suspended operations on December 31, 2019, with continued work by other neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations (“Nonprofit”). Bidwell explained the nonprofit’s conclusion:

The Gordon Square Arts District has been a successful collaboration for 12 years and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. There are many able organizations in the neighborhood today that will continue our mission to offer a thriving arts center and free, inclusive arts programming. (“Nonprofit”)

Initially, the organization would disband after the completion of the capital campaign in 2014. However, the GSAD board voted then to extend its work to build upon its identity as an arts resource for the neighborhood through placemaking, the installation of public art, arts programming, and workforce programs for artists ("Nonprofit"). Rather than close due to a lack of funding, the organization has determined that it has achieved its mission. Now other organizations can continue their work and programming (“Nonprofit”). The organization has ceased operations with its social media presence operated by the Special Improvement District.

GSAD's work promoted entrepreneurship and stabilized the area's population. The average home prices in the neighborhood sank to $16,000 in

1990, and the poverty rate was 40% (“Crain’s Editorial”). Today, Detroit

Shoreway has new construction that complements the preservation and renovation of historic buildings and attracts the likes of young professionals, young families, and empty nesters (“Crain’s Editorial”). Currently, GSAD is now home to five performing arts theatres, a movie theatre, a music club, and more

25 than sixty artists’ studios and galleries (“Nonprofit”). Key accomplishments of the nonprofit’s work include: installed eleven murals and two sculptures, commissioned more than one hundred local artists, offered forty-six free performances featuring local musicians and actors, and secured $750,000 in the

2018 state capital budget for enhancements to Cleveland Public Theatre, Near

West Theatre and Capitol Theatre (“Nonprofit”).

Furthering his support of Cleveland’s arts and culture scene at-large, in

2015, Bidwell served as co-chair of the Arts and Culture Action Committee

(ACAC), a volunteer-based political action group. The group, along with Arts

Cleveland, local foundations, and a broad consortium of organizations and individuals, collaboratively led the campaign to promote Issue 8, the arts and culture levy, to renew the cigarette tax (Thibodeau). The tax was first approved in

2006 for a 10-year levy of a penny-and-a-half tax on cigarettes to support arts and culture (Thibodeau). Using those funds, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), one of the largest public funders for arts and culture in the nation, makes grants to hundreds of organizations that serve millions of people each year.

The levy has become a staple source of funding for the area’s arts and culture sector. Bidwell described the support as essential for the arts, "If this had not been in place in 2008-2009, it would have been an incredible crisis, and many smaller arts organizations would have disappeared” (Litt, “Arts PAC”). He even wrote an impassioned letter to promote affirmative action for the levy in an article for Cleveland Arts Network Journal published in October just before it

26 would go to the public for a vote. In November 2015, county citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of the tax renewal, providing CAC with ten more years of investment in the local arts and cultural sector (Thibodeau). The ballot issue passed with 75% of voters approving the renewal.

In 2017, CAC received backlash from the public and particularly from

Bidwell. The dwindling sales of cigarettes meant that the organization had less to give, and the board approved a 20% decrease to grants. Bidwell argued that cuts should be tapered more gradually over time, noting the reality of the dwindling tax dollars (Simakis). Currently, the partners and supporters behind the 2015 renewal are looking ahead to seek additional and supplementary revenue sources to support Cuyahoga County’s arts and culture organizations. The revenues from the cigarette tax continue to decline, making it clear to the ACAC that it will need to find other sources of revenue to continue funding for

Cuyahoga’s arts and culture sector (Barnett).

The Bidwells’ philanthropy does not stop in Cleveland. Serving as board members and philanthropic supporters of numerous arts organizations across

Cleveland, Akron, and beyond, the Bidwells have shown their support for the region as a whole. Bidwell said in an interview with Cleveland Arts Prize speaking directly of Cleveland and Akron, "We're involved with and fans of both of them, and big proponents of having a more regional arts community." The

Cleveland Museum of Art and the Akron Art Museum publicized that each museum would receive half of the Bidwell’s collection, giving the museums the

27 freedom to keep, sell or refuse anything they like (“Cleveland Museum of Art and

Akron”). Bidwell currently serves on arts and culture-related boards and committees, including the boards of Curated Storefront and Cleveland Museum of Art and the visiting committee of the Allen Memorial Art Museum located in

Oberlin, Ohio (McManus).

As supporters of the Akron Art Museum since 1993, the Bidwells have both served on the museum's board and significantly contributed to the museum

(“A Shared Vision”). Bidwell is twice a past president of the board of trustees and was the co-chair of the $35 million capital campaign for the expansion and renovation of the building (Hannan). The Bidwells first significant gift was to the capital campaign, which allowed the museum to integrate approximately 21,000 square feet of the 1899 building with a new 63,300 square foot building

(McManus). Laura is a former trustee and served as chair of the accessions committee ("A Shared Vision"). The Bidwells funded The Fred and Laura Ruth

Bidwell Gallery at the Akron Art Museum, dedicating the gallery to photographic media ("A Shared Vision").

The Bidwells have similarly helped the Cleveland Museum of Art. The

Bidwells sponsored the catalog to the museum's 2011 exhibition of Brian Ulrich's photographs about shopping and consumerism entitled Is This Place Great or

What (Litt, “Bidwell +”). Bidwell has served as a trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art since 2009. From October 2013 to August 2014, he took over as interim director (“Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron”). He guided the museum through

28 the inaugural year of its completed $350 million renovations and expansion while assisting in the search for its next director.

The Bidwells philanthropy undeniably exhibits their dedication and commitment to Northeast Ohio’s arts and culture sector. However, it was inevitably the success of the Transformer Station that inspired the couple to forge ahead with an even bigger project: FRONT. Bidwell contemplated the idea of

FRONT in a Cleveland Magazine article, “The [question was], if an arts-and- culture project like Transformer Station could bring people into a neighborhood, could a bigger one bring people into the city?” (Hannan). That question soon turned into a project that would bring momentum to the city of Cleveland and the surrounding area in the summer of 2018.

29 CHAPTER III

FRONT AND BEYOND

After seeing Transformer Station's success in attracting people to

Hingetown, Fred Bidwell wondered what a broader arts concept could do for the region. His initial ideas turned into FRONT, a free, global triennial exhibition of contemporary art in Cleveland. He described its potential as “...an economic development project to bring new dollars into the city and to also rebrand the city as a cultural and intellectual hub” (Koehn). More than an economic generator,

Bidwell hoped to produce an event that would impact the local community while changing the city’s perception to the world and itself. In an interview with The

New York Times, he similarly envisioned FRONT as a local community asset, "I don't want to do an elitist international art fair that has no impact on the community. FRONT is really about redefining the city to the world and to itself"

(Suttell, "CRAIN’S"). However, an even grander goal was to build “the important contemporary art event in North America” (Suttell, "CRAIN’S").

Before production, a study advisory board researched dozens of art fairs and festivals around the world to determine the feasibility of a triennial in

Cleveland. Cleveland lawyer Helen Forbes-Fields steered the group and later became chairman of FRONT’s board of trustees (Litt, “FRONT, a citywide”). In an

article with Sotheby’s auction house, Bidwell described FRONT’s approach as unlike other commercial undertakings:

We came up with this idea of a triennial to contrast with art fairs, which are very efficient ways to see a lot of art but are commercial enterprises. This was an attempt to do something more thoughtful, and something outside of the hub cities. There is distortion in the art market created by the concentration in those places and we thought this would be a very interesting time to bring art into the heart of the country. Our idea with FRONT was to create collaborations between Cleveland’s institutions and to leverage this wealth of institutional knowledge and put the whole city on the world stage. I think it is going to change the branding of the city and bring cultural tourism to Cleveland. (Reginato)

The advisory group concluded that they did not want to follow the example of short-running, commercially driven art market fairs like Frieze New York, Expo

Chicago, or Art Basel Miami (Litt, “FRONT, a citywide”). Instead, FRONT models itself after the citywide multi-venue events, common in Europe.

One such model is Documenta; a famous contemporary art festival presented every five years in the relatively typical German city of Kassel

(“Documenta gGmbH”). In 1955, the festival originated as an attempt to bring

Germany up to speed with modern art after the cultural darkness of Nazism.

Other examples include the Venice Biennale in Italy, the Liverpool Biennial in

England, and the nomadic Manifesta. Bidwell explained how models like

Documenta endure a unique process, contrasting their commercial counterparts so widely popular today:

The European model is driven by ideas. It's linked thematically, thoughtfully curated, hopefully most of the time, and it brings people together around ideas and issues and conversations that contemporary art can create in many different ways. (Litt, “FRONT, a citywide”)

Unlike short-lived art fairs, Documenta spans both time and geography, never shying away from the political. Referring to its success, Bidwell explained, “It’s grown to the point that now every edition of Documenta brings almost a million people to Kassel. So, if Kassel can attract a million people, I’d like to see

Cleveland attract a million people” (“2018 Community”).

At the time, the research advisory board found that the United States had only one similar concept to their European counterparts: Prospect New Orleans.

The Big Easy triennial was conceived by Dan Cameron to lure visitors back to the city after Hurricane Katrina. The lack of competition makes it possible for

FRONT to become “the premier contemporary art event in North America” (“2018

Community”).

Concluding the initial research, the Bidwell Foundation founded its second project with the FRONT Exhibition Company in 2016. The foundation established the nonprofit to organize FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for

Contemporary Art. FRONT’s website states that its mission is to:

Generate new economic activity and opportunity through cultural tourism; develop an even stronger, more vibrant and sustainable creative community by bringing new recognition and opportunity to arts institutions and creative professionals; enhance the brand of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio by presenting a more nuanced and sophisticated view of its arts and cultural resources; stimulate positive change and create new opportunities in Cleveland’s communities. (“About” [Front])

The Cleveland triennial focuses on process, research, collaboration, and long- term engagement with Northeast Ohio to create and share new work that reflects contemporary social, political, cultural, ecological, and economic issues relative to mid-size cities.

In August 2016, the free triennial exhibition was announced publicly, along with its financial projections based on research from the study advisory board. At the time of its announcement, FRONT had already amassed $1.4 million in private contributions and pledges of the $4.2 million needed for the project (Litt,

"FRONT, a citywide"). Bidwell revealed that administrations of Cleveland Mayor

Frank Jackson and County Executive Armond Budish were supportive of the initiative and were considering an unspecified financial contribution (Litt,

“FRONT, a citywide”). FRONT’s financial plan showed that local, state, and federal sources only made up $500,000, less than 12% of the budget. The initial goal for economic impact was to generate $35 million in 2018 by attracting

50,000 visitors. Of those visitors, research projections expected 30% to come from out of town and spend $1,176 per visit, and local visitors would spend $500

(Litt, "FRONT, a citywide").

Before visitors flocked to the shores of Erie to pump money into the local economy, FRONT’s initial stride in economic development was ownership. Unlike outside events recruited to the city like the Republican National Convention in

2016, FRONT is a locally generated enterprise. Cleveland needs events that it creates, owns, and that can build equity over time, unlike outside events that are not sustainable. As a Cleveland manifestation, FRONT formed as an alternative to local art enthusiasts’ desires for the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) to revive its May Show (Litt, “FRONT, a citywide”). Though radically different from the May

Show, FRONT is something that Cleveland can take ownership of, and that has a more significant impact on the area than the now-defunct annual juried show.

This type of ownership provides an entry for Clevelanders to change their views of the city into more than a Rust Belt town with national sports teams.

By rebranding Cleveland, the city can transform into a must-visit global venue for contemporary art and as a hub for creative thinking in business as well as the arts. For too long, Cleveland’s identity as Rust Belt or reviving Rust Belt, imply the simplistic narratives that are stereotypical, unrepresentative, and incomplete of its history (Schneider). In 2018 before the launch of FRONT,

NCAR Arts Vibrancy Index Report included Cleveland-Elyria as part of its top twenty list for large communities (Voss). The study recognized Cleveland for its historic, nationally recognized arts and cultural community over a century old.

Even so, the city is often viewed as “flyover territory” in the international art crowd (Reginato). The sports, rock and roll, and food bandwagons overshadow the arts and culture offerings (Schneider). As essential to the city’s vibrancy as they are, these bandwagons tend to create a one-dimensional view when the region has a legacy filled with rich cultural offerings. FRONT opens up opportunities for institutions like the Cleveland Museum of Art to receive national visibility by bringing tourists, curators, critics, and gallerists to the city and welcoming them to engage with art created by a roster of regional, national and international artists.

The first edition of FRONT was organized under the broad curatorial theme An American City and structured under an expansive rubric of eleven interconnected “Cultural Exercises” to examine the ever-changing and politically urgent conditions of an American city (Dumbadze). There was an emphasis on

34 place, which was all at once Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and the Midwest, with

Cleveland serving as an example of many mid-sized cities that experience the same realities and tensions in modern-day America (Dumbadze). As the second- largest city in a state referred to as “The Heart of It All,” Cleveland embodies the duality of singular and universal (Schneider). The city offers enough resources, opportunities, and contradictions concerning economics, politics, race, and culture to be representative of other cities in the nation. Participants of FRONT explored these themes and ideas to create a different type of festival experience.

By partnering with many organizations to host exhibitions produced by FRONT, these non-conventional locations operated as conversation starters pushing difficult issues and concerns into the foreground.

The eleven cultural exercises encompassing FRONT included: Artist

Focus, Canvas City, The City as Readymade, FRONT Film Program, Curatorial

Correspondents, Digital Infinities, The Glenville Exchanges, The Great Lakes

Research, The Madison Residencies, Reading, Writing, Publishing, and

Movements. The exercises integrated museum exhibitions, commissions, site- specific interventions, public programs, residencies, publications, and research projects. Performance, theater, and film complemented the visual arts throughout the regional landscape.

Led by Bidwell as CEO and executive director, a highly skilled team of experts was sought and tasked with actualizing the 2018 edition of FRONT. The most crucial role of developing the artistic experience of the triennial is the artistic director. As artistic director, Michelle Grabner thoughtfully and thoroughly

35 organized FRONT through her curatorial lens. Grabner is an artist, writer, curator, and the Crown Family Professor of Art at the School of the Art Institute of

Chicago. She co-curated the 2014 Whitney Biennial and was the organizer of

2016’s Portland Biennial in Oregon (Urist).

Initially, Jens Hoffmann, former deputy director of the Jewish Museum in

New York, was chosen to co-curate with Grabner. The Cleveland Foundation supported their appointments with a lead gift. In advance of sexual harassment allegations against him, FRONT parted ways with Hoffmann in November 2017

(Halperin). Although Hoffmann left, his contributions to the triennial remained as some of the locations and artists presented at the first edition originated because of the former co-curator (Schneider).

Additional team members of the first edition included a group of professionals to assist with curating, exhibitions, finances, engagement, and project management. In January 2017, FRONT announced the appointment of

Jamie Hardis as the exhibition director and Lisa Kurzner as the associate curator.

Kurzner’s position was a two-year fellowship funded by The George Gund

Foundation. The triennial tapped the two local talents to meet the project's needs after a nationwide search (Suttell, “Two”). Bidwell explained the additions to leadership:

I am pleased that we were able to find strong Cleveland-based talent to fill these important management and curatorial positions. Jamie and Lisa’s experience with the Cleveland-area arts institutions who are our Presenting Partners and their understanding of the local artistic community will allow them to be immediately effective and continue our already strong momentum toward our inaugural exhibition. (“FRONT International Announces”)

Other local talent included Arlene Watson, who was named director of public programs and engagement in early August 2017 to realize education and public programs and community engagement opportunities. During its course, FRONT had seven full-time employees, and an additional 19 part-timers (Litt, “FRONT

Triennial”). There were 735 people employed across all of the sites under the umbrella of the inaugural edition (Dafoe).

A year before its opening, FRONT implemented an extensive schedule of educational and community engagement programming that attracted an estimated 10,000 attendees alone (“$31 Million”). FRONT hosted over 290 programs and events from October 2017 through September 2018, including films, lectures, conversations, performances, and tours (“$31 Million”).

Programming at the Glenville Exchanges at the PNC Glenville Arts Campus began in the fall of 2017. The site hosted numerous events, including talks with artists.

FRONT’s PNC Glenville Arts Campus was funded by PNC to repurpose two historic buildings in the Glenville neighborhood. The Madison, which was a former medical office, was named after the original designer and Ohio's first licensed black architect, Robert P. Madison ("FRONT and Center"). The Madison redeveloped as a space to house artists. The adjoining former daycare center redeveloped into the FRONT Porch, where artists could engage with the public.

In addition to the Glenville Exchanges, FRONT partnered with other organizations to realize programming. The Cleveland Foundation devoted its

Creative Fusion program to FRONT by funding residencies by six international artists in the fall of 2017 (Litt, “FRONT, a citywide”). One of their Creative Fusion artists in residence, Juan Araujo, depicted themes of architecture and modernism at the historic Weltzheimer/Johnson House in Oberlin designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

As momentum began to build for the opening of FRONT, outside organizations responded by coordinating synchronized events. Cleveland Arts

Network (CAN) is a nonprofit organization of more than 95 art galleries, schools, institutions, and individual artists. The nonprofit organized the CAN Triennial, an inaugural event organized from July 7-29 at the 78th Street Studios in

Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. Executive Director Michael Gill said of the event:

The key difference between this and FRONT is we want to add to the excitement and energy of FRONT, and simultaneously take advantage of it on behalf of artists and galleries of Northeast Ohio. (Koehn)

The goal of CAN Triennial was to highlight local artists as well as the regional arts scene while FRONT brought focus to international artists. CAN Triennial featured contemporary art from Northeast Ohio with exhibits, site-specific installations, and a small-scale art fair. Bidwell expected the pop-up events and endorsed them as strategic opportunities to capitalize on the larger scale triennial

(Litt, "CAN").

Unlike any other event in the region, FRONT launched its inaugural edition in July of 2018. The sizable exhibition blanketed the Northeast Ohio area with unique arts programming from July 14 through September 30, 2018. Described

38 by Bidwell as “an artistic scavenger hunt,” the triennial presented the work of over a hundred artists at 28 sites. The artistic director, Michelle Grabner, expressed how crucial the site partnerships were to the process:

Collaboration is critical to FRONT’s overarching program, and we have worked very closely with the curatorial partners at each institution. By facilitating connections among various distinct cultural voices and institutional frameworks, FRONT aims to inspire intersections and touchpoints to actively renew, redescribe and recontextualize contemporary aesthetic experiences. (“Announcing”)

Exhibition sites included museums, civic institutions, and alternative spaces. Due to the venues’ willingness to cooperate, FRONT's efforts were all made possible.

The overarching ambitious exhibition showcased a roster of national, international, and area-based artists at all points in their careers across

Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin.

In Cleveland, FRONT stretched from Hingetown on the west side to

Glenville in East Cleveland (Schneider). Programming was mostly available in three walkable neighborhoods: Ohio City, downtown and University

Circle/Glenville (Koehn). The more traditional settings like the CMA, Museum of

Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa), and the Cleveland Institute of Art were amongst the more established venues. CMA presented both new commissions and already created works that touched on the museum’s architecture, its community, the history, and the landscapes of Cleveland (“Announcing”).

CMA exhibited Untitled (1999), a 12-panel, 8-color woodcut by Kerry

James Marshall that depicted six black men casually socializing in a domestic interior. The museum’s glass-box gallery displayed Brazilian artist Marlon de

Azambuja’s Brutalismo-Cleveland (2018). The installation was created on-site and composed of materials gathered in and around Cleveland as an homage to the brutalist architecture found in the regional landscape (Liebert). MoCa presented the changing landscape of the Rust Belt, where artists explored themes of loss, renewal, power, and resilience. A gallery full of fractured furniture and large children’s toys rendered to look like cast concrete implied the dystopian aftermath of Josh Kline’s Civil War (2017) (Sharp).

SPACES received praise from the online art magazine, Hyperallergic, for its efforts of acknowledging the people and the artists of Cleveland. Artist Michael

Rakowitz exhibited his work A Color Removed (2015–ongoing), an installation addressing the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by Cleveland police on

November 22, 2014 (Sharp). As an interactive engagement, Rakowitz invited the public to add objects of the color orange to be featured in the installation. The artist gathered the objects by installing collection bins throughout Cleveland.

Adding to the public interaction, Rakowitz and SPACES invited Cleveland artists to display work that explored similar concepts of racial violence.

In addition to its traditional sites, FRONT exhibited at alternative spaces, including a steamship, a bank, and churches. The objective of using alternative spaces as site locations was to expose the large-scale exhibition to non-art aficionados. Bidwell explained the approach:

One of my goals was to do something for the art-loving public, but also for people who are not museum-goers or who don’t know about art. Part of how we are doing that is utilizing spaces outside the traditional museum and gallery environments. The fun of this is leading people into different, unexpected spaces. (Reginato)

These unexpected encounters included the Beaux-Arts lobby at the Federal

Reserve Bank of Cleveland, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and Toby's Plaza at

Case Western Reserve University.

The artwork displayed at the alternative sites worked well to fit the context of the environment. The Beaux-Arts lobby displayed Philip Vanderhyden’s

Volatility Smile 3 (2018), a 24-channel video animation piece about financial insecurity. Another alternative location included The William G. Mather, a giant iron-ore steamship launched in 1925 that exhibited an installation of film and photography by Allan Sekula about maritime life (Reginato). St. John’s Episcopal

Church in Ohio City featured photography by the 2017 MacArthur Fellow,

Dawoud Bey, of Chicago (Miller). The photographic series depicts the region in night-time landscapes to reflect the city’s history as a site of the Underground

Railroad (Miller).

Possibly the most popular site on Instagram was Case Western Reserve

University's Toby's Plaza at Uptown in University Circle. The site was home to the giant-sized human hand sculpture, Judy's Hand Pavilion, by Chicago artist

Tony Tasset (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”). The sculpture measures twenty-five feet tall and provided enough room for people to walk underneath. The sculpture was not the only public art on view.

Canvas City, a tribute to Cleveland’s past, is a reimagining of the City

Canvases initiative by the Cleveland Area Arts Council’s in 1973 (“Canvas City

Mural”). During the 70s, artists painted seven murals on the city's walls, but there

41 was no money to maintain them. Eventually, the murals were painted over after falling apart (Segall). Forty-five years later, FRONT re-created one of the original

City Canvases: a 1973 op-art mural by Julian Stanczak, one of Cleveland’s most influential artists (“Canvas City Mural”).

In addition to the recreation of Stanczak’s mural Carter Manor, two contemporary mural projects implemented by artists Kay Rosen and Odili Donald

Odita made for a total of three new large-scale public works around the city.

Rosen’s language-based mural DIVISIBILITY features individual letters in a striking yellow and black color scheme laid out on a grid. Odita’s Constellation is a colorful abstract design (“Canvas City Mural”).

In addition to the physical murals, the creation of a digital platform allowed remote viewing of the artwork. FRONT partnered with CMA's Digital Innovation and Technology Services team to develop the VR FRONT Canvas City, a virtual reality application that enables users to virtually view the murals ("Canvas City

Mural"). In the fall after its first year, the FRONT Canvas City program won as a

2018 Downtown Development Award Recipient ("FRONT International Mural").

Of the award, Bidwell expressed delight in the program's contribution to the city:

We are pleased to be contributing to the dramatic revival and reinvention of Downtown Cleveland. The Canvas City project celebrates both the legacy and the future of Cleveland as an important cultural hub and we hope it will be a destination for the region and the nation for years to come. (“FRONT International Mural”)

The mural commissions will go beyond the time frame of the 2018 edition, continuing into future presentations of FRONT. New murals by Heimo Zobernig,

Sarah Morris, and Michelle Grabner will come to fruition in the next few years

("Canvas City Mural"). Bidwell explains his long-term goal for Canvas City:

I’d like in a decade or so to have a dozen or more. We have to talk the owners into them. And our obligation is to make sure they’re maintained. We’re using contemporary technology. One of our sponsors is Sherwin- Williams. (Segall)

To assist in the realization of these uncompleted projects, FRONT released a special print portfolio of all of the original mural proposals available for purchase

(“Pre-Order”). The triennial participated in the eighth edition of the Expo Chicago art fair in 2019 from September 19 through 22 to sell the print portfolio.

About 45 minutes south of Cleveland, the Akron Art Museum served as the lone site for FRONT’s reach into Akron. Sixteen artists exhibited work, including a video installation, sculpture, photography, and mixed media objects

("FRONT International Cleveland"). The museum’s presentation examined how individuals move through the effects of consumer culture on urban life. Artworks reflected on how technology, communications, advertising, industry, and popular culture shape socio-economic and environmental conditions. Among those artists was Nicholas Buffon, who highlighted LGBTQ landmarks throughout Cleveland and Akron in a series of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Buffon’s process involved composing imagery and details from different times, sourcing his work from “a soup of online resources” (“Artist Talk”).

Approximately 40 miles southwest of Cleveland is Oberlin. The city’s exhibitions highlighted the architectural aspect of the American city, emphasizing the area’s rich architectural heritage. Oberlin hosted three site locations, all

43 operated by Oberlin College: Allen Memorial Art Museum, Richard D. Baron ‘64

Gallery, and the Weltzheimer/Johnson Usonian House. The

Weltzheimer/Johnson Usonian House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was the site of an installation of paintings placed throughout the house’s interior and exterior. Venezuelan-born artist Juan Araujo titled the installation Redwood after

Wright’s material of choice. The outside paintings played with the proportions of the façade, while the interior paintings paid homage to the home’s last owner,

Ellen Johnson, a renowned art historian and Oberlin professor.

After the first edition of FRONT, the European style American contemporary triennial spanned the distance of three cities across NE Ohio, had

28 site locations, and operated over three months. In all, FRONT exhibited 345 works with a total of 185 new works and 44 works explicitly commissioned for the triennial. FRONT enlisted 129 artists from around the world to participate in

FRONT. Of that number, 86 were American, 43 from abroad, 43 from the Great

Lakes region, 23 from Ohio, and 18 from the Cleveland area (Litt, "FRONT

Triennial"). Overall, there were 290 performances and events related to the triennial, of which 172 were organized by the triennial itself (Litt, “FRONT

Triennial”). As an event developed around the idea of providing economic impact, these numbers were only the tipping point of success.

According to a study produced by the Center for Economic Development at Cleveland State University, FRONT had an economic impact of $31.2 million

(Litt, “FRONT Triennial”). Between the triennial’s period, art exhibitions presented by numerous sites across the region—both those included in the triennial and

44 not—netted revenue of $115 million and supplied an additional $8 million in state and local taxes (Dafoe; “$31 Million”). These figures notably outweigh the cost of the more than $5 million raised to stage FRONT, which mostly came from private institutions, individual donors, and foundations. Among its donors was University

Hospitals as the lead, PNC Bank and Dealer Tire as significant supporters, and the City of Cleveland's Urban Development Action Grant program (“$31 Million”).

Taylor Dafoe of Artnet News compared FRONT’s impact to another art exhibition, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. According to a study by the Los

Angeles County Development Corporation, the exhibition had an impact of roughly $430.3 million to Southern California’s economy between September

2017 and January 2018 (Dafoe). The Getty funded project collaborated with 70 institutions in Southern California, which stretched over more than four months and across a larger geographic area compared to FRONT. Closer to home,

Bidwell compared the Cleveland triennial’s impact to the Republican National

Convention hosted by Cleveland in 2016. The convention brought in a wider audience and $188 million to the region, with $61 million translating to income for residents (Dafoe).

The triennial brought in an attendance of over 227,000 between its public exhibition dates (Segall). Over a third of those visitors came from outside of

Cleveland (Segall). The event saw evidence of bringing outsiders to the area with

34% of visitors or nearly 31,000 coming from outside the region, a number that ballooned to 54% on the opening weekend in July (Segall). Bidwell’s initial prediction of visiting out-of-towners was 25%. On average, visitors viewed the

45 exhibition 2.5 times each for a total of 90,000 unique visitors (Dafoe). Visitors from overseas came from twenty-four countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”).

Bidwell recognized attendance as an area of improvement for the next edition: he would like to increase local attendance and gain more knowledge about the demographics of visitors. Considering the triennial’s reach to different communities, he reflected:

We knocked the ball out of the park nationally and internationally but I don’t feel like we created the awareness locally. I thought all the Uber drivers are going to know about this. No. It did not nearly penetrate as deeply as I wanted with the general public. That’s a learning I want to take into the next edition. How do we improve on that? (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”)

No matter the shortage in local reach, Bidwell maintained that the first edition was a step in the right direction in changing the reputation of the city and its institutions. Based on the economic impact, the choice to host FRONT again is a justifiable one.

Like any study measuring economic impact, measurement came in the form of part data and part estimation. A detailed survey of more than 3,000 visitors served as the basis of the impact study with a margin of error as less than 2% with an overall 95% confidence rate (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”).

Researchers estimated that a nightly stay in a hotel as a flat $125 per person per night (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”). Researchers did not consider whether visitors would be sharing rooms or forgoing the hotel experience altogether by staying with friends or family located in Cleveland. Statistics came from visitor’s attendance to the exhibition’s indoor venues, excluding the parks and outdoor

46 spaces that were activated by FRONT and therefore missing out on those numbers. However, the number of visitors at the indoor venues were based on the total attendance number at each venue, even though an estimated 20% of those visitors were exclusively due to FRONT during the period they examined

(Dafoe).

In addition to the economic impact, the triennial amassed significant press coverage for Cleveland. According to standard measures used in the advertising industry, $38 million in free media and 800 million impressions were provided by national and international news coverage and art criticism coverage in print and online (Litt, “FRONT Triennial”). FRONT received mostly positive reviews from recognized publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,

The Architect’s Newspaper, Architectural Digest, and The Smithsonian. The Wall

Street Journal called it “The next Venice? Cleveland steps up…the world’s next hotbed for contemporary art” and Art in America described it as “…immensely important….”. However, not all of the press that FRONT gained was in line with the well-received reviews.

Contrary to the positive reviews, Hyperallergic correspondent Sarah Rose

Sharp critiqued FRONT for using Cleveland as a staging ground for out-of-town artists. Sharp explained that rather than addressing longstanding, often racialized, systemic inequities, there was more emphasis put on redevelopment efforts driven by the desire to generate outside interest in the exhibition instead.

Furthermore, she described the exhibition at The Cleveland Institute of Art's

Reinberger Gallery, which showcased most of the regional artists, as less

47 polished, less considered, and overcrowded (Sharp). Alex Greenberger of

ARTnews speculated the same view remarking that only a small portion of the artists were from Ohio and noting a lack of diversity among the artists shown

(“City”).

Partners of FRONT seemed to agree with the positive reviews opposed to the negative. Partners of FRONT noticed the impact that the event had on their institutions. President of Case Western Reserve University, Barbara R. Snyder explained of the university's participation:

Beyond the positive economic impact FRONT is bringing to Cleveland, it has garnered well-deserved recognition for the region’s exceptional arts and cultural resources. It was a great pleasure to serve as a participating partner in FRONT and to see how the combined contributions of its partners brought new appreciation of both the quality of our institutions and the city as a cultural and intellectual hub. (“$31 Million”)

The Cleveland Museum of Art specifically saw an increase in attendance indicating that incoming traffic from FRONT helped with their record-breaking attendance in 2018. Overall, CMA saw a 12.3% increase in attendance from the previous year, with a total of 864,754 visitors. Non-ticketed exhibitions, including the FRONT exhibition featuring work by Kerry James Marshall, were attended by more than 60,000 visitors apiece (Litt, "Kusama").

As an active partner in developing the first edition, Jill Snyder, executive director of moCa, credits its success on its inclusion of participating museums with “really strong national profiles” (“2018 Community”). Instead of fitting them into programming, FRONT involved the partnering museums in the planning and marketing processes. Snyder said of the partnership, “Knitting together all of

48 these cultural institutions and then doing these popups, these site-specific projects, laid the foundation for culture as a brand [for the area]” (“2018

Community”). Bidwell likewise credited this partnership remarking that artists such as Yinka Shonibare and Barbara Bloom agreed to participate due to the reputations of the participating institutions (“2018 Community”).

Participating site locations were not the only organizations to notice a difference. FRONT had a wider impact on the presence of Cleveland as well.

President and CEO of Destination Cleveland, David Gilbert, said of the event:

We know that when people come to Cleveland, they are impressed by the city, its institutions and attractions, and its terrific visitor amenities. We are proud to support events like FRONT that present the region at its best, and we know that many of this year’s visitors will want to come back in 2021. (“$31 Million”)

The large-scale event was able to highlight all that Cleveland already has to offer visitors and tourists. This success is in line with Bidwell’s desire to rebrand

Cleveland into a leading cultural destination while bringing attention to the leading institutions that often go unnoticed. Providing a worthwhile experience will only contribute to the future editions of FRONT.

Based on the overall positive impact of the first triennial, the second edition of FRONT is in the stage of thoughtful organization. Due to the current situation the world is facing with COVID-19, the second edition has been postponed. The triennial, originally set for 2021, will now be held in the summer of 2022 from July 16 through October 2. Bidwell explained the decision:

This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one, both for us and our partners. The postponement will allow us to present the best version

of FRONT that we can — something we hope will serve as a beacon of hope at the end of this difficult time. (“FRONT International Postponed”)

The reality is that the infectious disease that is currently spreading across the world will impact the arts ecosystem in profound and uncertain ways. Not only will COVID-19 effect FRONT, but also its presenting partners. Many of the museums and institutions that FRONT is partnering with will either cancel or postpone scheduled programming and exhibitions due to the disruption they are facing. The next edition of FRONT will embrace this uncertainty the world now faces into the opportunity of transformation.

Besides the unforeseen change in date, FRONT 2022 will approach the triennial experience with a different strategy from the 2018 edition. Bidwell recognized that some people loved the treasure hunt aspect of the first edition, but many visitors were yearning for a given path. He described the new approach, “We’ll probably have half the number of artists but show more work of each. We’ll have fewer venues” (Segall). The change provides a more cohesive and comprehensive curated experience by reducing the chance of visitors not viewing the triennial in its entirety.

Again, Bidwell will lead the triennial experience as executive director. In early 2019, FRONT announced that Prem Krishnamurthy and Tina Kukielski joined as co-artistic directors for the second edition (“Prem”). Prem is a designer, exhibition maker, writer, teacher, founding principal at Project Projects, and partner and director at Wkshps. Tina Kukielski is executive director and chief curator of Art21, a nonprofit art organization specializing in storytelling about

50 contemporary art and artists through award-winning documentary films. Tina’s curatorial experience includes positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, NY, and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA.

In November 2019, FRONT announced Meghana Karnik as the associate curator and Lo Smith as the curatorial assistant ("FRONT International

Expands"). In addition to the curatorial team, FRONT assembled an Artistic

Team, a multidisciplinary group, to guide and advise the exhibition’s process and public impact. The team will play a vital role in the exhibition development and includes Evelyn Burnett (ThirdSpace Action Lab, Cleveland), Courtenay Finn

(moCa Cleveland), Emily Liebert (Cleveland Museum of Art), Dushko Petrovich

(SAIC New Arts Journalism, Chicago), Kameelah Janan Rasheed (Artist,

Brooklyn), Tereza Ruller (The Rodina, Amsterdam), and Murtaza Vali

(Independent Curator, Brooklyn/Sharjah) (“Announcing Theme”).

In addition to the curatorial team, FRONT welcomed Sarah Spinner Liska as deputy director (“FRONT International Expands”). Sarah will work closely with

Bidwell to grow FRONT into a long-term institution. The new additions to the second edition will join FRONT’s inaugural team, including operations manager

Caitie Moore, administrative assistant Allison Smith, and production partner

LANDStudio. The expanded team will help grow FRONT’s underlying desire to produce a world-class exhibition deeply rooted in the region.

Fundraising efforts are well underway. In addition to a $50,000 operations grant awarded in March 2019, The George Gund Foundation also awarded a two-year, $150,000 grant in November 2019 to strengthen FRONT’s educational

51 and engagement programming. The support will expand a partnership with the

Cleveland Public Library and other local partners to develop programming and curricula targeting K-12, high school, and college students, as well as adults

(“FRONT International Awarded”). In September that same year, the Knight

Foundation awarded FRONT a Knight Arts Challenge matching grant for

$100,000. The award will support an exhibition at the Akron Art Museum and a commissioned public space for dance by the Stockholm-based architecture collective Studio Dansbana! (“FRONT International Receives”).

On January 15, 2020, FRONT announced that its second edition is titled Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows (“Announcing Theme”). The title and theme will remain the same, even with the recent announcement of FRONT’s postponement to 2022. William Griswold, director and president of the Cleveland

Museum of Art, explained the significance of FRONT during the epidemic:

FRONT will play an important role in the mending of our community following the COVID-19 crisis, both by bringing so many of our local institutions together to celebrate the healing power of art and by reconnecting Cleveland to the world after what we can only assume will be a prolonged isolation. (“FRONT International Postponed”)

The title, Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows, is an homage to the 1957 poem by author Langston Hughes, who spent his childhood in Cleveland and maintained a connection to the place. The poem emphasizes adversity and transformation, inspiring the curatorial approach for the 2022 edition. The approach connects

Cleveland’s transformation as an industrial titan to its reinvention as a leader in medicine and cutting-edge scientific research. The curatorial framework explores

52 healing as an ongoing cycle of repair, from crisis to recovery (“FRONT

International Postponed”).

With the first edition of FRONT concluding as a success, the second edition is inching closer to its 2022 debut. As the economic impact of 2018's triennial came close to the financial projections of the triennial at its announcement, the next edition of the triennial to surpass the $35 million forecast is not a long shot. Given the project's substantial economic impact, it is evidence enough that FRONT is worth the investment. Experiencing the first edition offers

FRONT's team to reflect and revise future editions of the triennial. In addition to economic impact, FRONT's team is taking a more thoughtful approach to the overall strategy of the triennial: a more comprehensive curated experience with local impact as a priority.

Bidwell has made strategic additions to the team as well as changes to the triennial experience to ensure FRONT’s success in the future. The addition of a deputy director creates a more sustainable future giving the project longevity.

The addition of the Artistic Team ensures the exhibition's direction and implementation as a more thoughtful curatorial approach. In addition to the

Artistic Team, there will be fewer sites with more art by fewer artists to create more of a comprehensive experience. Bidwell’s desire to involve the local community shows that he wants FRONT to be a community asset rather than another elitist project. These changes and the financial impact of 2018’s edition reflect a future edition with even more economic and social benefits.

53 CHAPTER IV

PROFILE: RICK ROGERS

Rick Rogers is a philanthropist, art collector, and community leader like

Fred Bidwell. However, Rogers was born and raised in Akron, unlike Bidwell, who relocated to the area. Rogers, the eldest child, was raised in a family that has a long history of supporting the community both economically and charitably by parents who embody the idea of philanthropy. His father, Bruce “Bud” Rogers,

(d. 2018) and his mother, Suzanne “Susie” Rogers, were both committed to bettering the community through volunteerism and supporting many nonprofit organizations in the area. During their marriage of 65 years, Bud and Susie raised three sons: Rick, Bruce, and Stephen (“Bruce”).

Bud attended The University of Akron, where he was a member of the Phi

Delta Theta Social Fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1956 (“Bruce”). He served as president and chief executive officer of the B.W. Rogers Company, a family business and line distributor of fluid power products. The company was founded in 1928 by Bud’s father, Bruce W. Rogers, to serve the rubber industry primarily (Young). Bud served as a sales engineer and after promotion as a product manager ("Alumnus"). After his father abruptly passed away, Bud assumed leadership as president of the struggling company in

1973 and as chairman in 1994 (Young). Bud's abilities as a leader and visionary brought success to the company.

Besides his business sense, Bud was a committed volunteer and advocate for charities, community organizations, and academic institutions in the area. He was a supporter of his alma maters: Western Reserve Academy, where he attended preparatory school, and The University of Akron, where he attended college before embarking on a professional career at B.W. Rogers Company.

Bud served as board president of the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve, Sumner on Ridgewood, and the United Way of Summit

County. In 1999 when the local United Way was in disrepair, Bud took on the challenge of dedicating himself nearly full time to chairing the group’s annual campaign (“Bud and Susie Rogers”). His philanthropy included support to Keep

Akron Beautiful, Zips Athletics, the Phi Delta Theta Gateway Plaza, and Hower

House. Bud and Susie shared a passion for the Akron Rotary Club, contributing to the organization financially and through volunteerism.

Susie Rogers was a homemaker who supported her community through volunteerism (Wentz). She is an emeritus member of the board of governors for

Akron Golf Charities and past president of the Western Reserve

Academy/Pioneer Women. Susie served as board president for many organizations including, the Junior League of Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National

Park Association, and Akron Garden Club. She also assisted with financial campaigns for both the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve and the

United Way ("Akron Art Museum's New"). Susie was also a dedicated supporter of the Akron Art Museum (Wentz).

Recognized for their contributions to the Akron community, Bud and Susie amassed numerous awards for their generosity. The Red Cross’ Summit County

Chapter honored Bud and Susie with its H. Peter Burg Community Leadership

Award in 2007. Both received the United Way's Distinguished Service Award. In

2008, the couple received the Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award (Franchi).

Following his contributions to the University of Akron, the institution honored Bud with the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Alumni Award and the University’s

Alumni Honor Award in 1992 (“Alumnus”). The Greater Akron Chamber honored

Bud with its Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000 (Akron

Community Foundation). As an art supporter, Bud kept his office in downtown

Akron decorated with poster reproductions of Impressionist and American realist paintings collected from the museums he and Susie visited together (“Bruce”).

Rick Rogers inherited his father’s spirit for entrepreneurship, appreciation for the arts, and dedication to philanthropy. Like his father, Rogers attended

Western Reserve Academy, where he graduated in 1972. Rogers attended

Hiram College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry in

1977. In 1979, he graduated with an MBA from Ohio State University. During this time, Rogers joined Amigos de las Americas, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers to Central American countries to provide medical services and health education (Wentz). Through this program, Rogers met Alita Harrison. Over

several years, Rogers and Alita crossed paths through their mutual acquaintances and eventually started dating.

Alita grew up in Kent, OH, which is about 14 miles away from Akron. She grew up as the middle child with two other siblings, Janet and Andrew, in a vibrant environment of culture, food, inquiry, and discovery. Alita’s exposure to the arts at a young age sparked a passion that would last long after. Growing up,

Alita also had an outstanding art teacher, and every semester of high school, she took an art class. The impact of the arts was an influential part of her mother’s upbringing as well.

Alita’s mother grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with a progressive education, which made the arts an essential aspect of the curriculum (Wentz). The experience introduced her to the arts and strongly influenced her advocacy for them. Alita’s father grew up in New York City. Extremely bright, he won a four- year scholarship to a Jesuit high school in the city (Wentz). During the Korean

War, he joined the navy. Afterward, he attended college through the G.I. Bill and went on to receive a doctorate from Rutgers University (Wentz). In 1967, Alita’s father joined Kent State University as a professor of education and received the

Teacher of the Year award in 1985 (Wentz). Though they had limited means,

Alita’s parents regularly donated to their churches, Fraternal Order of Police, the

Cleveland Museum of Art, Akron Art Museum, Mothers Against Drunk Driving,

American Lung Association, and the Kent Library (Wentz). They both volunteered

with the public schools in Kent, and Alita’s mother volunteered with the American

Cancer Society and Visiting Nurses of Portage County (Wentz).

After high school, Alita attended Kent State University. There she earned a bachelor’s degree with a specialization in human resource management and a master’s degree in education technology. After graduation, she began her career as the H.R. Manager at a department store. Rogers began his career in 1980 as founder and president of Tribute, a software company based in Akron. The company formed from Rogers’ enjoyment in writing software supplemented by the ample need for new applications in the rapidly advancing computer industry during the time. The company provided integrated enterprise resource planning software to help industrial distributors such as B.W. Rogers Company. B.W.

Rogers Company owned Tribute and also developed its software (Wentz).

As Rogers and Alita began their professional careers, their personal lives became more entwined. Two years after Rogers started the software company,

Rogers and Alita married. Together in 1986, the Rogers bought a home in a

Northwest Akron neighborhood that Rogers had visited as a grade school student and dreamed of living in one day (Starr et al. 70). In that home, they raised two daughters, Sarah and Madeline. Now, empty nesters, the Rogers still live in that same house and have enjoyed a partnership that has lasted over 30 years of marriage.

In 1994, Rogers became president of B.W. Rogers Company after his father’s retirement. Rogers sold Tribute when he took over B.W. Rogers

Company. It was there at the family business that Rogers assembled and led a team of over 250 people to expand the company’s reach. Through Rogers’ leadership over twenty years, B.W. Rogers Company expanded operations from

6 offices in the state of Ohio to 21 locations in 7 states from the Northeast to the

Midwest (“Acquisition”). Alita assisted with H.R., training, and strategy at the company and served as president the last eight years the Rogers owned the business.

Recognizing the company’s valuable product and service offerings,

Kaman Distribution Group acquired B.W. Rogers Company in 2014. Kaman said the acquisition would significantly increase the company’s footprint in both fluid power and automation (Davies). After selling the company, Rogers stayed on for about a year to help with the transition (Wentz). Ever the entrepreneur, Rogers formed his next venture by starting Rogers Asset Management, a corporation dedicated to controlling a variety of investments, including the art collection management of Hieronymus and real estate development.

The home that the Rogers purchased in Akron’s northwest neighborhood was built in 1952 and sat with homes on each side of it (Starr et al. 70). In 2003, the Rogers family expanded their property with the acquisition of a cinder block house on a small lot next door. The Rogers' plan to demolish the house made room for a Japanese inspired garden filled with sculptures from their art collection. Before the house’s demolishment, the Rogers threw a wrecking ball party and invited artists to create site-specific installations within the house. The

native Akron band, The Black Keys, performed for friends and family. In 2009, the house on the east side of their home became available, which the Rogers acquired and turned into the “Art House,” a space to display their growing art collection. The Rogers have frequently opened the “Art House” to visitors, including a group of donors from the Milwaukee Museum of Arts and art students from The University of Akron.

The “Art House” is overflowing with the Rogers’ collection. It is a treat for anyone to visit the hidden Akron gem, especially by anyone who has an appreciation for “taboo” subject matter. The maximalist style of the “Art House” can be attributed to Rogers’ desire “to be surrounded by things of beauty”

(Wentz). Rogers’ passion for the arts comes from their ability to communicate skill and creativity, a quality reflected in his collection. Rogers grew up a collector, which he started by collecting coins and later antiques in high school.

Alita Rogers explained of Rogers’ collecting habits:

Rick has taken art appreciation to a whole new level. He has always been a collector – he came to the marriage with a collection. I tell people that because of Rick being a collector, I got to go into worlds where I wouldn’t have been able to go without him. (Starr et al. 70)

Alita Roger’s collecting style is more minimalist with an appreciation for the works of art nouveau, antiques (such as Wedgewood), design (such as Peter Pincus), and the refined porcelain of the Asian ceramics in their collection. She draws a more personal connection to the work of artists whom she has met and directly learned from (Wentz). The Rogers often travel nationally and internationally to places such as China, Mexico, and Spain. Throughout their travels, they are

introduced to artists and collect art through those experiences. Some of these pieces in the collection come from relatively unknown artists.

The collection’s aesthetic and name is inspired by the paintings of fifteenth-century Renaissance artist, Hieronymus Bosch. Boschian in taste, the

Hieronymus collection traverses the grotesque and the picturesque with a dash of humor. It has a robust offering of ceramics, including work by known artists such as Beth Cavener, Howard Kottler, Ron Nagle, and Judy Fox. Rogers is a supporter of emerging artists and frequently purchases the work of students or early-career artists at events he attends, such as the National Council on

Education for the Ceramic Arts. Some of those artists include Kelly McLaughlin,

Isaac Scott, and Chase Grover.

As an eclectic collector, Rogers has amassed a diverse assortment of curiosities by embracing paintings, prints, sculptures, designer toys, antiques, and other varied bits. Some of the more famous artists in his collection include

Peter Saul, John De Andrea, and Salvador Dalí. Pieces from the collection have been loaned extensively to institutions such as the Hammer Museum, American

Museum of Ceramic Art, and the Everson Museum of Art. In 2017, the Akron Art

Museum, a contemporary art museum, dedicated an entire exhibition to Rogers’ collection called Gross Anatomies. The exhibition featured works from the collection with a grotesque characteristic to instill simultaneously "both disgust and delight" ("Akron Art Museum Presents").

In late 2013, the Rogers family established the Richard and Alita Rogers

Family Foundation to foster the arts and enhance the community in Northeast

Ohio and beyond through grants to organizations (Wentz). Organizations that have received funding from the foundation include ArtsNow, Curated Storefront,

FRONT, and the Akron Art Museum. Together with their daughters, the Rogers serve as directors of the foundation to give away one-third of their wealth, primarily to the arts (“Gamechangers”; “Richard S”). Preceding the formation of the foundation, the Rogers had led an extensive history of philanthropy and arts advocacy as their way to give back to the city that allowed Rogers’ software business and his family’s generational business to flourish.

The Rogers’ philanthropy efforts include supporting the visual arts, such as the Akron Art Museum and the arts programs at Akron’s Firestone High

School (“Gamechangers”). Their civic involvement and contributions include other art disciplines such as the Akron Symphony, the Children’s Concert

Society, and dance groups in the Cleveland area. Rogers believes that the arts are “often underfunded” and are vital to a “community’s stature”

(“Gamechangers”). Other community organizations supported by the Rogers family include the Boys & Girls Club of the Western Reserve, Akron Children’s

Hospital, Akron Community Foundation, the Intermuseum Conservation

Association (ICA), Planned Parenthood, and the Summit County Tobacco

Prevention Coalition. Additionally, Rogers has served as a trustee at Akron

Children’s Hospital since 2010.

Both the Rogers have volunteered their time extensively, in addition to their financial contributions. Rogers currently serves on the boards of FRONT and Akron Children’s Hospital and has been invited to join the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Rogers has previously served on boards for organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Freeman Manufacturing, and the

ICA in Cleveland. Alita Rogers currently serves on the development committee of

Grace House, a hospice for the homeless. She also serves as a board member of Curated Storefront. In the past, Alita has volunteered for Akron Public Schools;

Planned Parenthood, where she served as a board member and president;

Friends of Firestone Arts, where she served as a board member; and as a reader for the Knights Arts Challenge. She dedicated herself to the Portage County

Tobacco Prevention Coalition to help make workplaces in Ohio smoke-free. The issue passed in 2006, successfully making all indoor workplaces smoke free

(Wentz).

Deeply committed to the Akron Art Museum, the Rogers’ affiliation to the institution started over 30 years ago. Rogers’ mother, Susie, recommended Alita volunteer at the museum and, in the mid-1980s, introduced the couple to Mitchell

Kahan, then executive director of the museum. Both the Rogers became good friends with Kahan, who also was their neighbor. The Rogers have a long history of supporting the Akron Art Museum by serving in various roles on the board of directors, by making significant financial contributions, and guiding the small museum into its role as an essential cultural destination in downtown Akron.

Their history is so deep with the organization that both their daughters’ weddings were at the Akron Art Museum (Wentz). The Rogers have supported several exhibitions directly and have loaned pieces from their collection for several of the museum’s exhibitions. They even funded Tony Feher’s site-specific installation during his exhibition in 2014 (Wentz).

The Rogers’ commitment to the Akron Art Museum began when Alita started volunteering at the Akron Art Museum. She helped with administration, fundraising, and event needs by stuffing envelopes, planning and working events, writing letters, and even pouring beers at the organization’s annual ale fundraiser (Wentz). Alita also served on the membership committee. Eventually, she joined the board of directors serving as a member from 2010-2018. Alita served on the executive committee for six of those eight years. She served on the board of directors as secretary and executive vice president and chaired the governance committee (“Akron Art Museum announces”).

Rogers served on the board of directors from 1998-2007 and was president of the museum’s board when the ground first broke in 2004 for the

John S. and James L. Knight Building. He served on the development, investment, and finance committees. Rogers served as president of the board until 2007 during the museum’s $40 million addition project, which added a new building onto the 1899 former post office that the museum occupied at the time

(“Akron Art Museum announces” and “History”). Besides serving on the board, the Rogers’ helped the museum financially when, in 2005, they gave a significant

gift for the museum’s expansion and hosted fundraising events at their home on the museum’s behalf (Wentz).

The expansion of the museum’s physical footprint with an additional building began with a multi-million-dollar challenge grant from the John S. and

James L. Knight Foundation in June 2000 (“Happy”). Seven years later, the museum had raised $44.3 million for the new building and a new operating endowment (“Happy”). The Viennese architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, designed the museum’s additional building that opened in 2007. When the museum re-opened, it had cut a significant aspect of the expansion plans, an outdoor gallery space, due to budget constraints.

After the Akron Art Museum’s 90th anniversary year, planning for the outdoor sculpture garden began to take shape when officials announced the pledge of a significant gift in 2012 (Meyer A1). The Rogers' foundation made the seven-figure lead gift for the design and construction of the long-awaited sculpture garden. At that time, executive director Dr. Mitchell Kahan, who was on the cusp of retirement after 26 years, praised the Rogers for their gift:

We are all so indebted to Rick and Alita for making it possible to undertake this next step in the museum’s growth. The new space will be an enormous contribution to Akron’s urban landscape and is something that our visitors have sorely missed since we closed the old Myers Sculpture Garden in 2004. (“Akron Art Museum announces”)

The success of the Rogers family's company located in downtown Akron for so many years made the gift possible. Rogers explained, “We are happy that this pledge will return money made in Akron to the community that helped make our

success possible” (“Museum’s”). The Rogers thoughtfully donated the lead gift in honor of Rogers’ parents, Bud and Susie Rogers, for their history as longtime community volunteers and museum supporters. In return, the museum named the garden The Bud and Susie Rogers Garden.

More than a garden, the development became an opportunity for the museum to expand out into the community to create a new civic common. New leadership came to the museum when Mark Masuoka joined as executive director and CEO in 2013. Planning for the garden was at the top of his agenda:

The Akron Art Museum will continue to take a leading role in the community as a change agent for education as well as cultural, civic and economic development. Our community and its leaders understand the potential for the arts to enliven and enrich lives, to attract and retain talent and to inspire innovation and develop new economic opportunities. (“Akron Art Museum to Create”)

The garden is part of a shift by many arts institutions toward greater civic engagement. As a civic space for the public, the museum engaged in two years of planning and gathered extensive community and museum staff input to inform the garden's design before construction began.

Ultimately, a Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm, OLIN

Partners, was chosen to design the garden based on the feedback the museum received and on concepts of creative placemaking (“Akron Art Museum to

Create”). Dominic Caruso, the former marketing manager at the Akron Art

Museum, explained the design:

It’s a space unlike any other and a work of art in and of itself, a work of art you can physically inhabit. OLIN Partners, the landscape architecture firm we worked with, designed a space that is responsive to the input we

received from the community, as well as one that is responsive to its surroundings and the architecture of the museum. It’s beautiful, but also welcoming of a diverse range of activities, from museum-programmed events, like art installations, both temporary and permanent, performances, special events, concerts, and education programs for children and families, to self-directed activities that visitors bring to the space — like picnics, story time with families, yoga, relaxation, outdoor lunch time for downtown workers, or using the garden as an urban trailhead for the Towpath. (Embrescia-Hridel)

The company’s design philosophy focuses on “social engagement, craft, detail, materiality and timelessness” with a thoughtful approach for the urban environment (“Who We Are”). The architecture firm had previously worked with other civic institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland

Public Library (Litt, “The Akron”).

In 2015, construction began on the garden project designed by the innovative architecture firm. As the garden’s design progressed, the original idea of a sculpture garden and a water feature became less feasible. Masuoka decided against installing sculptures from the museum's permanent collection as a way to preserve the flexibility of the garden for artistic programming and outdoor events (Litt, “The Akron”). The $3 million project opened in 2016 with the dedication of the Bud and Susie Rogers Garden at the Akron Art Museum on

July 16 (“Akron Art Museum’s”).

The garden, which took the place of a sloping surface parking lot on South

High Street adjacent to the John S. Knight Center, transformed the one-acre into a collection of terraced spaces designed to accommodate community programming. The multi-use one-acre green space consists of four main areas:

The Event Space, a large concrete plaza near High Street; The Green, the grass space in the garden; the ADA-accessible ramp, referred to as the crisscross; and the Oasis, another plaza-type space close to Broadway Street ("Bud & Susie").

Except for one tree, all of the plants in the garden are native to Ohio and hardy enough to last through winter (Franchi).

The garden’s feature of two entrances, one on South High Street and one on Broadway Street, improved the block’s walkability. According to Jeff Speck's

Walkable City, walkable downtowns should have small blocks measuring 200 to

500 feet in length (Litt, “The Akron”). Before its construction, the blocks of High and Broadway were nearly 1,000 feet long, which were significantly shortened by the garden’s activation of two entrances on High and Broadway.

The same summer the garden opened, Summit Artspace, a nonprofit organization that supports the art sector in Summit County and the surrounding area, recognized the Rogers for their patronage at the Summit Live! Awards. The

Rogers were recognized for their outstanding work in the arts community by sharing the “Arts Alive: Outstanding Arts Patron Award” with Ron and Ann Allen in 2016 (Shinn, “Summit”). The honor acknowledged the Rogers' long history of involvement with the Akron Art Museum that started in 1995 (Shinn, “Summit”).

The same year the garden opened, Rogers was also awarded $100,000 for his next venture from Akron’s first Knight Arts Challenge, a program of the

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support the best ideas for engaging

Akron through the arts. Alberto Ibargüen, president of Knight Foundation, explained the motivation behind the Knight Arts Challenge:

Art can help define and lift the soul, helping to create a sense of place and binding us to each other and to our community. Here in Akron, where Knight Foundation was founded, our hope is that the arts will continue to build community, in neighborhoods all across the city.

As one of 27 grantees from a selection pool of over 500 applications, Rogers’ project, Curated Storefront, was selected. Curated Storefront proposed to activate vacant storefronts in downtown Akron with ongoing, curated exhibitions.

By bringing a sense of excitement to the street level, the goal was to attract more downtown visitors and commercialization of vacant storefronts.

Through Rogers’ leadership as the founder and executive director,

Curated Storefront successfully secured and matched funds for the Knight Arts

Challenge grant. The arts can create unique partnerships in the community that can strengthen the arts’ impact through expanded participation and involvement.

Utilizing his connections and developing new relationships, Rogers partnered with storefront owners to launch an impressive array of installations in downtown

Akron. Partners included the city of Akron, The University of Akron, and business owners throughout downtown.

Before the project began, the city had plenty of space. Vacancy in downtown Akron was approaching 20% in 2015, with downtown leaders looking for ways to fill empty offices (Harper). Jason Segedy, head of the Akron

Metropolitan Housing Area Transportation Study, explained, "In a lot of downtown you have these really long blocks with a lot of dead space. That

doesn't really contribute to the type of street life that attracts younger people.”

The transformation of the vacant storefronts has had great success in attracting new businesses to downtown. Rogers explains:

My idea is to use art in these empty storefronts to attract more commercial development downtown and bring people here to live and re-energize Akron. We’ve heard a lot of good feedback from the community. We’ve had some storefronts that have been empty for a number of years, including where Akronym Brewing is now located. That space was empty for eight years, and we programmed it for about six months before it was rented. (“ACF”)

Although some of the buildings were empty, the lit storefronts gave the impression of activity and the feeling of increased safety to Akron’s downtown area. Many of the storefronts that sat empty for years were commercialized after being highlighted through the project. The project uses the arts to capitalize on the aesthetic experience that attracts consumers and real estate investment.

Besides the economic impact, Courtney Cable, who leads the program as creative director, additionally desires a social outcome for visitors. She expressed, “We want them to be able to walk downtown and be comfortable and explore new spaces” (Atkins). With an expansive civic network as a cultural producer, Courtney joined Curated Storefront after leading milestone projects in the nonprofit art sector such as Akron Art Museum’s Inside|Out, Downtown Akron

Partnership’s High Arts Festival (formerly Akron Art Prize), and Summit

Artspace’s Artist as Entrepreneur Institute, among other efforts. Courtney manages the planning and implementation of the exhibits, artist communications, storefront logistics, educational programming, and strategic planning.

Since its inception, Curated Storefront has received praise for its contributions to downtown Akron. The Knight Foundation’s Akron program director, Kyle Kutuchief, described the significance of the project:

Things have changed downtown and this is more fuel on the fire. Adding life to those buildings gets investors to think about what could be instead of what they are – empty buildings. Beautiful, highly curated art signals that someone cares about this place. (Conn)

Other members of the community have praised the program, including influential members of the arts and culture community, such as Fred Bidwell (FRONT),

Howard Parr (Akron Civic Theatre), Charles Beneke (The University of Akron), and Christine Mayer (The GAR Foundation).

Curated Storefront has collaborated with several institutions to promote its efforts, including the Akron Art Museum, Akron-Summit County Public Library, and Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau. In the fall of 2018, Roger

Riddle, Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau’s marketing and social media manager at the time, organized the event Good Art Hunting. The event capitalized on the popularity of the mobile game Pokémon Go by creating a scavenger hunt with a map featuring ten different “PokeStops” located near publicly displayed artwork, including Curated Storefront, Art Bomb Brigade, and others.

Jennifer Homan and her six-year-old daughter, Alaina Showden, are

Akron residents who participated in the event. Homan said of the artwork element, “We come down at least once a week and see the different paintings that are on the streets anyways. Gives her a bit of culture.” This evidence

demonstrates the project's impact of bringing visitors to downtown solely to experience art. The more that there is to see and do, the more that visitors will have a reason to visit downtown, bringing with it more money and impact on the businesses downtown.

As Curated Storefront flourished, Fred Bidwell began preparations for the opening of the first edition of FRONT. As a supporter of the arts and culture sector in the greater area, Rogers joined the triennial's board of directors. In

2017, The Rogers Family Foundation donated $40,000 to the Front Exhibition

Company, "to provide support of new economic activity and opportunity through cultural tourism" ("Richard S"). The gift was restricted so that the contribution would only fund the Akron Art Museum for its FRONT activities.

Besides his board service and the family foundation’s financial contribution, Rogers started to strategically deliberate on how to generate more excitement around the event. As the inaugural event neared its opening, Rogers made his plans to make an even more significant impact in Akron and contribute to the FRONT-generated activity through Curated Storefront and Pish Posh, a pop-up gallery experience exhibiting works from his collection and artwork from

Superchief Gallery. The next chapter will describe these initiatives.

CHAPTER V

PISH POSH AND BEYOND

The year leading up to FRONT, Rogers deliberated on how to contribute to the large-scale project. With the Akron Art Museum as FRONT’s only participating site in Akron, Rogers felt it was essential that the art experience extends through the city in other ways. Cleveland often overshadows Akron, in general, and especially in its arts and culture scene. Cleveland is a much larger city that attracts more publicity and recognition than Akron. Rogers believed that offering other attractive events and happenings in Akron would provide visitors with more reasons to extend their stay in the city. With the success of Curated

Storefront already established, the team increased its efforts to offer the public other free art exhibitions to visit in downtown. Another project that Rogers contemplated during the FRONT timeline was to open a pop-up gallery as a way to display art from his collection publicly.

In 2014, Rogers established an online-only gallery, Hieronymus, made up of objects from his and Alita’s collection. Its name and aesthetic were inspired by the 16th-century Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch, whose stirring oil paintings depict fantastical scenes both shocking and enticing. The collection, primarily displayed in a residential home and storage area, was not ideal for

73 public consumption. Viewing the collection was only possible through the gallery's online web presence and its loaned exhibition appearances. The pop-up gallery model met the needs of Hieronymus by offering flexibility and minimal overhead as a less expensive way to expand the gallery’s footprint while avoiding the commitment of a long-term lease and staffing (Velimirović). The pop-up model is a strategic tool for organizations and businesses to generate excitement and capitalize on other events happening in the area.

At the same time that FRONT and its team began the early planning stages in 2016, I started working for Rogers alongside another part-time consultant cataloging his collection into a digital database with the intent to sell some of the objects. Over time, as the other consultant took on a full-time position elsewhere, my role transformed into managing the collection’s care. In addition to overseeing all online sales and shipping of objects, I lead the communications, marketing, exhibition loans, and special projects, such as the pop-up gallery. During my time with Hieronymus, I managed numerous exhibition loans with institutions such as the Akron Art Museum, Kent State University, and

The University of Akron. All of these shows were successful and well attended, especially Gross Anatomies and Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-

Fructose. The latter exhibition included 51 contemporary artists featured in the recognized art magazine Hi-Fructose.

About half a year before FRONT opened, the Rogers invited Courtney

Cable, creative director of Curated Storefront, and me to experience Miami Art

Week in Florida from December 4 through 10. In early December 2017, the

Rogers, Cable, and I attended a pop-up event, The Clubhouse, hosted by

Juxtapoz and Adidas Skateboarding. Juxtapoz is a magazine that highlights urban alternative and underground contemporary art. This pop-up included exhibitions by numerous art galleries and artist installations in an underutilized downtown Miami building with three floors. The Clubhouse event echoed the aesthetic and drew similar crowds as the Akron Art Museum’s exhibition Turn the

Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose. Both events were trendy among the younger population. Observing this similarity and the event’s parallel aesthetic to the Hieronymus collection was exciting.

At the event, Rogers met Ed Zipco and Bill Dunleavy, co-founders of

Superchief Gallery, one of the art galleries exhibiting work at The Clubhouse.

The aesthetic of their gallery and the artwork they exhibited complimented the artwork of Hieronymus. It was then that Rogers brought up the idea of a partnership with the Superchief Gallery. He planned to exhibit artwork of the artists they represented alongside art from Hieronymus during the pop-up gallery planned for the following 2018 summer during FRONT.

In the following months, Rogers’ decision to host a pop-up was up in the air. Multiple locations in downtown Akron were visited and considered as possible sites for the pop-up. The sites included a gallery space at Bounce

Innovation Hub and a couple of other vacant building spaces located along Main and Bowery Street. Ultimately, these locations were all dismissed for either being

too far away from the Akron Art Museum, FRONT’s only site in Akron, or for not having the accommodations needed to support a pop-up gallery. The decision to host a pop-up came several weeks before the opening of FRONT when Rogers secured a deal with the Superchief Gallery co-founders to move forward. At that point, the short timing left little room to form or publicize a pop-up, but in any case, organizing for the gallery went into full throttle.

After securing Superchief Gallery’s participation, Rogers decided on a location for the pop-up in a building at 105 East Market Street, Akron, Ohio

44308. Tony Troppe purchased the building during this time. Troppe is an Akron developer whose Everett Group specialized in repurposing historic buildings to attract businesses and residential tenants to downtown. At one point in its history, the property had served as a gallery and framing shop, but most recently, it served as office space. Left behind furniture and internal office walls had to be cleared out before the pop-up could move in. Other organizations and businesses in the building included Akron Pregnancy Services, located directly above the pop-up space, Old Fellows Tattoo, a few doors down, and Full Grip

Games, further down the block.

The location was ideal because it was oriented diagonally from the Akron

Art Museum, making navigation easy for FRONT visitors. Additionally, this location had a significant advantage to the others as it was positioned on a busy intersection downtown and was close in proximity to other arts organizations and cultural events. The pop-up site served as a connector between Akron Art

Museum and Summit Artspace, a nonprofit art center that hosts galleries, studio spaces, and programming for the community. Both the Akron Art Museum and

Summit Artspace are prominent art organizations in Akron. When those organizations hosted sizable events after the pop-up opened, there was an increase in the pop-up’s attendance: Akron Art Museum as a venue for FRONT and Summit Artspace as a host for Downtown Akron Partnership’s High Arts

Festival.

The pop-up began to take shape after the securement of a location and name. Cable conceived the pop-up’s name, Pish Posh, inspired by a documentary, which referenced the picture book, Pish, posh, said Hieronymus

Bosch. The book tells an imaginative tale about Hieronymus Bosch from his disgruntled housekeeper. After deciding on the name, a press release announced the partnership between Hieronymus and Superchief Gallery to produce a new pop-up gallery titled Pish Posh. The release was quickly picked up and featured on Artdaily.com, an online art magazine. Besides the press release, a postcard about the new gallery was designed and featured in

FRONT's swag bag. Donors, patrons, and enthusiasts received these bags at the opening of FRONT's three-month-long event.

As Hieronymus’ manager of special projects and now gallery manager of

Pish Posh, I worked with an independent curator who selected a broad range of art from Hieronymus. After clearing out the pop-up space, Jeffry Chiplis, a found neon and argon sign sculptor, mounted an interactive glowing neon and argon

light installation in the windows facing Market Street as a project of Curated

Storefront. The work was mostly abstract but included the phrase “Art Gallery” to promote Pish Posh as a destination for art.

During this time, Curated Storefront ramped up its efforts in downtown

Akron to offer more art exhibits for FRONT visitors and the art community at large. During the triennial’s exhibition period between July 14 and September 30,

2018, Curated Storefront had 32 exhibits active in previously vacant storefronts.

One of those exhibits included Garden City by Michael Loderstedt, which was on view at the O'Neil Building. The exhibition featured several hand-printed paper houses inspired by utopian enterprises, including the “Garden City” movement in

Europe and the U.S. (“Michael”).

During the same time as Pish Posh, Curated Storefront implemented its most substantial endeavor at a building on North Main Street. A performative electronic art piece with 1,610 programmed LED-lit cells by Pittsburgh artist, Ian

Brill, was installed in the 46 windows of the building’s façade. The installation could be seen from a half-mile away. Around the same time, artists, Drew Ippoliti and Charley O'Geen, with assistance from Julie George, Morgan Jones, Catie

Newell, and Kayla Weinman, installed Curated Storefront's first public art sculpture made of 325 recycled tires at Cascade Plaza.

The implementation of Pish Posh relied on a small team of contractors who regularly work for Rogers. The contractors orchestrated the installation and the management of Pish Posh, including art handlers, installation specialists,

curators, stylists, art managers, and artists. My role as gallery manager was to oversee Pish Posh from implementation to completion. I managed the various contract workers and ran the gallery’s day-to-day operations. Steve Levey and

Casey Vogt, longtime employees of Rogers, managed the transformation of the gutted office space into a gallery by preparing the aesthetics. They created standing walls for artwork installation, installed murals on the outside of the building, and transported artwork from Rogers’ collection to the new gallery.

Once the space was ready for artwork, Christopher Leo, a longtime curator and placement stylist, placed and installed the Hieronymus artwork. The

Superchief Gallery team arrived a few days before the opening with much more artwork than could possibly be displayed. This abundance resulted in the need for storage space. Zipco and Dunleavy managed the installation of artwork for their gallery with the assistance of Jen Alverson, who had worked as a preparator at the Akron Art Museum during that time. She was also assisting with the installation of Ian Brill's performative sculpture.

The Superchief Gallery team brought in Douglas Hoekzema, known by his artist name, Hoxxoh, to create a site-specific installation for the pop-up. Hoxxoh is a Miami-based street artist known for using geometric, logarithmic spirals to create abstract psychedelic murals. Hoxxoh was experimenting with sprinkler systems to create splashed mural installations using the lawn watering mechanism with paint. Originally the sprinkler system would cascade different colors of paint in the actual gallery space, but due to time constraints, the

installation moved to the adjacent hallway. The mural installation, Rain.Bird, utilized different layering of red, yellow, and blue paints and was viewable to everyone who entered the gallery. The color choices, commonly used as primary colors in art and design, are referred to as the RYB color model.

With the artwork installed and ready for public consumption, Pish Posh opened on July 12 in unison with FRONT’s VIP press opening. Over 100 pieces of artwork were exhibited with mostly two-dimensional art and some sculpture on display. The pop-up was not an official location of FRONT, but rather a

“synchronized project.” FRONT's printed and digital exhibition guide included

Pish Posh. The submission process to be included in the guide was open to the public with intent to promote outside art events happening in the area during the time of the triennial.

Pish Posh featured artwork from Hieronymus primarily installed on one side and Superchief Gallery on the other. However, a blending of the two gallery’s artwork on view intermixed throughout, and the pieces from both galleries played nicely together. The artwork on view was edgy and different than what was typically found in Akron or the broader region. Of the work on display,

43 pieces came from Hieronymus, which included 36 different artists. Pieces on loan from Hieronymus included painting, drawing, sculpture, and furniture. Some of the artwork included paintings by Aaron Johnson and Jose Luis Sanchez Rull, sculpture by Kristine Veith Ornstein, and furniture from Jordan Mozer.

The work of American painter Aaron Johnson was on view with the inclusion of his provocative painting, Gravedigger, which subjectively captured the erotic intensity of two bodies merging. The painting showcased Johnson’s incredible skill of the reverse-painted acrylic polymer-peel process, which involved painting details first, leaving the finished work to be seen correctly from the opposite side of the piece. The process is typically done on glass or a transparent substrate. Johnson's style is the cumulation of other cultures.

Johnson grew up surrounded by Indian art, which explains his use of a verging- on-bold color palette and his marvelously inventive patterns and flame-like gestures that recall Indian miniature paintings. Another influence was the

Mexican Day of the Dead; Johnson appropriated its skeleton figures to populate his work.

Jose Luis Sanchez Rull, another artist from Hieronymus, was born in

Mexico in 1964. Rull received a BFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

References feed his work: the British poet William Blake, the comic strips in MAD

Magazine, and the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry. Rull’s oil painting, De-Ja

Voo-Doo III, shows Waldo the weightlifter trying in vain to lift a barbell nailed to the floor while his bloodshot eyes bulge and his veins throb. Rull completed this painting as his marriage dissolved. He intended it as a contemplation on the nature of belief and the difficulty of keeping the faith.

Kristine Veith Ornstein's lifelike monochrome ceramic sculpture,

Hubranity, was on view at the intersection of the two galleries’ halves. The piece

displays an overweight man sitting on top of a toilet. Ornstein attended the

Kansas City Art Institute, where she received a BFA in 2001 with an emphasis in fiber and ceramic art. She received an MFA in 2007 from the University of

Washington. Though she works in different materials, the figure has always been an essential part of her body of work. Human gestures and emotions depicted in her work allow access to the viewer through a shared experience by all.

Jordan Mozer, an internationally celebrated and award-winning architecture and design studio founded in 1985, designed the four red velvet dining chairs exhibited at Pish Posh. Inspired by arch-backed dancers wearing leg warmers and toe shoes, the chairs were created for Iridium Jazz Club found adjacent to the ballet studios at Lincoln Center in New York City. The idea of animating architecture with dance inspired the design of the entire jazz club.

Two local artists featured at Pish Posh included painter Casey Vogt and ceramicist Eva Kwong. Vogt, an Akron artist, received a BFA in painting from The

University of Akron and an MFA from Miami University. Vogt juxtaposes the ornateness of mandala-like work and scenes of collaged cowboys with undertones of psychedelic drug references. Kwong has a long history of teaching at Kent State University. Originally from Hong Kong, China, Kwong received a

BFA in ceramics and sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design. She continued her education and received an MFA in drawing and ceramics from

Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Her longtime interest in organic forms and

nature inspires her ceramic sculptures, vessels, installations, and color palette.

Vogt and Kwong each had two pieces represented in the show.

Inside Pish Posh, Superchief Gallery presented 63 artworks by 28 different artists in its half of the gallery. Ed Zipco and Bill Dunleavy founded

Superchief Gallery in 2012 as an independent artist-run gallery with locations in

New York City, Miami, and downtown Los Angeles. The galleries exhibit contemporary art in a variety of media, including painting, illustration, comics, cartoons, and sculpture. The aesthetic is a combination of psychedelia, street art, and graffiti culture with no subject matter off-limits. The work displayed at Pish

Posh included taxidermy art by Brooke Weston, photography by Tod Seelie, and paintings by Yu Maeda.

California artist Brooke Weston’s sculptures depicted fantastical dioramas inside cavities carved out of old mounted taxidermy animal heads. By combining fantastical and sometimes macabre concepts in miniature scenes, Weston's sculptures created whimsical worlds and environments situated in unconventional objects. Her sculpture, Jack Viridian, showcased details such as a captain’s room with tiny sea specimens, nautical treasures, small passages, and a shipwreck throughout the cavity of an antelope’s head. Weston's surreally juxtaposed dioramas mix cheerful childhood ideas of amusement parks and dollhouses into a morbid setting. The majority of her work is made from repurposed taxidermy and consists mostly of recycled materials.

Tod Seelie’s photography included Fireworks Run, a digital c-print of a person running through a blaze of fireworks. The photograph exhibited in a previous show titled, Feral Future, where Seelie commented, "It’s a very particular side of America.” Seelie grew up in Cleveland, where he found freedom in its punk scene, a fundamental in the development of his worldview. Seelie attended the Pratt Institute in 1997. His group of artist friends often appear as his subject matter. Seelie has photographed everything from guerrilla theater events in an abandoned power plant to men jousting with lances on bicycles.

On the outside of the building of Pish Posh, Levey and Vogt installed murals from Superchief Gallery. During the pop-up's first couple of weeks, a large mural covered two floors of traditional brick wall space. The mural was made in collaboration by LOLO, Steiner, Sheryo, and The Yok. It received backlash from community members due to its edgy content and potential placement. The mural depicted a three-headed creature with a body featuring female autonomy. The heads were of a woman licking a mushroom, a multi-eyed abstract snake, and a fanged skull. At the pelvis, a large cat’s head gnawed on the feet of the three- headed creature.

City of Akron employees, including then deputy mayor and chief of staff,

James Hardy, and director of neighborhood assistance, John Valle, and the president of Downtown Akron Partnership, Suzie Graham, became aware of the issue. An Akron resident brought up their dislike of the piece with Valle at a monthly community ward meeting. He discussed the issue with Hardy and

Graham. The latter questioned if there were restrictions in place regarding public art. There were none at the time.

Additionally, a woman on Instagram criticized the mural for what she referred to as the demoralization of women and lack of moral consciousness.

She went further by criticizing the artwork inside the gallery online, referring to it as pornographic. The mural was taken down as initially planned due to the concerns of the outside weather conditions. Unlike murals painted directly onto the walls of a building, these murals were instead painted on thin wood panels, making them unfavorable to withstanding weather conditions such as rain.

Three murals by Lauren YS x Sheryo, Bonethrower, and Dr. Knudson replaced the two-story mural. Smaller in scale, the newly installed murals covered one story in comparison. All three were protected by clear plastic PVC sheeting to withstand weather conditions better. Overall, the murals were useful as advertising for the pop-up. People would either drive down Broadway Street, which was busy during rush hour or walk by and wander into the pop-up, wondering what was going on inside the building.

In contrast to some of the public backlash, Pish Posh received positive coverage from local newspapers and magazines. In the early days of the pop-up,

Anderson Turner, writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, reviewed the event:

Pish Posh is a pop-up gallery that highlights new trends and styles in art. It also transforms a previously unused office space and creates a vibrant “living organism” of a gallery for a specific moment in time, pointing us to future possibilities for downtown Akron: What if the city was full of restaurants, living spaces and retail? How might that actually look? While this is of course happening in pockets, this pop-up gallery helps to keep

that conversation going and will perhaps spark new ideas, energies and possibilities. (Turner)

Turner made note that the artwork on view is not typical in the community. He explained that many of the artists from Superchief do not follow the traditional or academic route of becoming an artist. Other local magazines and newspapers that featured the gallery included The Devil Strip, Cool Cleveland, and The Plain

Dealer.

Besides the local coverage, the recognized arts and culture magazine,

Juxtapoz, featured Pish Posh on its blog. Superchief’s long-standing relationship with Juxtapoz garnered the pop-up a feature through its online outlet:

For the show, Superchief Gallery LA owner Bill Dunleavy loaded up a box truck with mural panels and artwork from their 2018 Annual Mega Group Show and drove solo through the desert, mountains, and prairies to the quaint hometown of LeBron James for the exhibit. They set up shop in an abandoned storefront across from the Akron Art Museum with Hieronymus Objects, building out the space with a roster of artists that folks probably can't see too often in Ohio. They also flew out paint magician Hoxxoh from Miami to bring one of his custom paint sprinklers, which they used to blast gallons of paint on the walls in the building. (“Superchief”)

The online blog feature came out a couple of weeks before the pop-up closed.

The feature attracted a few visitors who came through the doors and had not heard of Pish Posh before. Although it was an incredible opportunity to be mentioned in a widely read art magazine, it was disappointing that it did not come out earlier. A feature of this nature published toward the beginning of the pop-up could have helped capture more of those different audiences and build upon its buzz.

Marketing for the pop-up came from press coverage, the postcard, and social media. Besides Hieronymus’ own active social media presence, local organizations such as FRONT, CAN Journal, and Canvas posted about the pop- up on their social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Hieronymus actively posted about the pop-up on Facebook through its page, Pish Posh’s event page, and on Indie-Front Triennial, a group created to support independent art events happening during FRONT. Hieronymus maintained an active

Instagram presence by frequently posting about the pop-up, which would then be engaged with by Superchief Gallery and its artists.

Superchief Gallery often shared stories to its account or liked posts from

Hieronymus’ Instagram thread to promote the pop-up. Superchief Gallery and its artists displayed at the pop-up interacted with Hieronymus’ Instagram posts by either sharing, liking, or commenting on the posts. Superchief Gallery and the artists introduced their large numbers of followers to Hieronymus through these engagements. The installation by Hoxxoh was captured on video and featured on the Instagram account of Art Handler, a publication that shows the “behind-the- scenes” of the art world. The original post on July 13, 2018 has received over

3,000 views. Hoxxoh himself posted about his installation with a video that garnered over 19,000 views. In addition to engaging people online, Pish Posh hosted events to engage and bring visitors inside the pop-up gallery.

During the three months that Pish Posh pop-up gallery was open to the public, it hosted events and tours, including larger opening and closing

receptions with live music that highlighted local musicians. Pish Posh collaborated with Curated Storefront on a couple of events, including a tour and social event. “Splish Splash! Art Walking Tour” began at Pish Posh with a guided tour, which I led, highlighting several pieces of the art on view from Hieronymus and Superchief Gallery. The tour then continued outside and throughout downtown with Courtney Cable. She led participants along several blocks to other art happenings, including Art Bomb Brigade's latest mural located on the side of Crave, Ian Brill's installations at Building #2 on Main Street and Akron-

Summit County Main Public Library's Tech Zone@Main, and the Akron Art

Library, another Knight Arts Challenge grant recipient. On a separate evening, the pop-up hosted a cocktail hour social, Private Curated Storefront Anniversary

Social. The event provided the opportunity for Curated Storefront to celebrate its accomplishments, exhibits, and to recognize the advocates and donors of the two-year project. During this event, the only works that sold during the length of the pop-up went to a couple known to be very supportive of the arts in Akron.

During the pop-up’s exhibition dates, I led tours for local universities and groups about the artwork on view at the pop-up. I worked with professors from universities such as The University of Akron, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Ohio

University to talk with students about the artwork on view and provide background history about Hieronymus. I even provided a tour for a local arts administration group that was active at the time. The FRONT team introduced the idea of a tour at the “Art House,” however, it did not happen. The tour would

have been an advantageous opportunity to drive FRONT visitors from Cleveland down to Akron and promote the pop-up and other art events around town.

Besides capturing audiences by leading tours, there was an effort by many organizations in the area to cross-promote each other’s projects. Visitors to

Pish Posh reported that they heard about the pop-up from other organizations such as Summit Artspace, Akron Art Museum, the Emily Davis Gallery, and

Curated Storefront. Additionally, many outside events contributed to the experience and attendance of Pish Posh, including Downtown Akron

Partnership's High Arts Festival at Summit Artspace and Garth Clark's lecture at

The University of Akron. The Garth Clark lecture was funded, organized, and promoted by the Rogers. When these events happened, there was an increase in attendance at the pop-up.

Pish Posh closed on Saturday, September 29, 2018. Throughout the pop- up’s three-month exhibition period, I tracked the number of visitors and how they heard about the pop-up. Overall, close to a thousand people visited the pop-up.

The attendance number excluded the passersby who experienced the murals and neon-installation from outside the building. Most of the visitors had either heard about Pish Posh through word-of-mouth, social media, or the press coverage the pop-up received. The postcard created for Pish Posh was mailed to around 1,200 people and distributed locally. The mailing list came from an accumulation of local art institutions, which created the possibility of capturing an engaged audience. From personal conversations with those who received the

postcard and attended the pop-up, visitors expressed confusion about the event and how they were targeted.

Given the number of visitors and the limited amount of paid marketing put toward attracting them, it seems likely that a pop-up of this nature could receive more visitors if implemented again with a more substantial marketing and advertising budget. A pop-up gallery of Rogers’ collection worked well with the size of the city and its arts sector infrastructure. Though some people criticized the artwork on view, many people were excited by the opportunity to experience art not typical to the area.

By privately funding the pop-up experience, Rogers curated the space to his liking, despite resistance from the community. There was no need to censor

“offensive” artwork, which opened up the project to be edgier and introduced people to expanded viewpoints. However, it would be strategic to market the pop-up separately from Curated Storefront. Throughout its life, Pish Posh was confused as a project of Curated Storefront, which was a false narrative and potentially hurtful to the nonprofit project.

There have been discussions of implementing another iteration of the pop- up, but it is unclear if it will happen again. Unlike FRONT and Curated Storefront, who rely on public dollars, Rogers solely funded the pop-up gallery project. The most significant portion of the budget went to paying contractors, like the

Superchief team, and rent. With proper timing and planning, these two high-dollar factors could be less of a burden financially.

Instead of relying on one gallery to partner with, Pish Posh could display art from several galleries and artists like The Clubhouse event. Other galleries have expressed interest in participating in Pish Posh. Additionally, Juxtapoz did not pay galleries or artists to participate in The Clubhouse event. Rather the magazine relied on its reputation and already established relationships to produce the event. Though the event happened in Miami during its busiest established art week, with time, FRONT could very well become a significant art event in the country. Given time and strengthened regional ties, Pish Posh and

FRONT could see parallels to the art events happening during Miami Art Week.

Since the pop-up has closed and moved out, no one has activated the

Troppe-owned space. Although there has been some interest, given the extended vacancy before and after Pish Posh, it would appear ideal for the space owner to share the costs of rent, advertising, and overhead with the pop-up.

Additionally, there are other vacant spaces around the city available to be activated that could work in synchronization with FRONT’s other initiative in

Akron. FRONT’s planning of a public space for dance could be reason enough to relocate to a site closer to this new project. Whether Pish Posh returns for the

2022 edition of FRONT, Hieronymus has continued operations and loaned pieces to outside organizations.

Hieronymus remains supportive of the local arts and the art scene at large. Shortly after the closing of the pop-up, the anthropomorphic sculpture

Under the Skin by Alessandro Gallo was loaned to the Everson Museum of Art in

Syracuse, NY. Closer to home, two abstract figurative digital print paintings by

Matthew Stone were loaned to the Transformer Station in Cleveland, OH, for its exhibition, I Sing the Body. Most recently, Hieronymus loaned close to 90 pieces to the exhibition Stranger Beings: Hieronymus Objects & Other Curiosities, a show I co-curated with Arnold Tunstall, director of the University Galleries at The

University of Akron. The exhibition featured ceramics, paintings, drawings, prints, and it even included decorative elements such as phallus-shaped door handles from the collection. Douglas Max Utter, an artist who featured the exhibition in

CAN Journal, described it as follows:

It is an endlessly intriguing, oddly powerful exhibit. If alien artists put on a show of art about the inhabitants of planet Earth, the result might be something like this. There are many extraordinary creatures on view, but none seem more subtly unfamiliar than many of the depictions here of humans themselves. Whether it’s the materials, the dimensions, or the viewpoint, there is a disturbing strangeness in the proportion prevalent in this large and eclectic group of art and artists at The University of Akron Myers School of Art’s flagship gallery. (Utter)

Artists from Hieronymus included David Salle, Tip Toland, Kiki Smith, Charles

Bierk, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Koak, and Christina West. The collection was complemented by work from Ohio artists such as Erin Taylor Mulligan, Katy

Richards, Frank Oriti, Mark Giangaspero, and Kelly McLaughlin.

Rogers has retained a focus on his other project, Curated Storefront, which has plans to continue activating storefronts for the next edition of FRONT and, in the meantime, has made significant advancements to develop its programming. From 2016 through 2019, Curated Storefront activated 25 buildings with 86 exhibits that would have otherwise sat empty. Altogether, 122

artists have exhibited through Curated Storefront. In total, 11 buildings were commercially developed, revitalized, or closed after activation. In early 2019,

Curated Storefront was awarded Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network Year in Review for Ian Brill’s installation, Reverie. It was the only public art project in the state of Ohio to receive an award from the Public Art Network, which is the only national program of its kind. Curated Storefront’s Avant Garden has been successful in offering affordable artist studio co-working space at Bounce

Innovation Hub, Akron’s business incubator building.

In 2019, Curated Storefront transitioned from a Knight Arts Challenge grant project into an established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Art Resources

Transformations. Doing business as Curated Storefront, the mission of the nonprofit is “to bring compelling art to diverse audiences through a dynamic program of installations, events, and exhibits that activate underutilized buildings and spaces in Akron and provides artists with opportunities to expand their practices.” Besides continuing Curated Storefront and Avant Garden, the nonprofit ventured into another program, including Outside the Box, an up-cycled shipping container to be activated as a mobile art gallery and performance space. Another project planned is Pictures at the Sunset Gap, a built wall to exhibit two-dimensional artworks located at a vacant space along Main Street between the Federal and Orangery Buildings.

Besides remaining busy as executive director of Curated Storefront,

Rogers has dedicated himself to the broader arts sector in Akron. In 2019,

ArtsNow initiated the Akron Cultural Plan, a living document intended to examine and strengthen the Akron community through the exploration of arts, humanities, culture, natural resources, and heritage. The cultural plan will act as a guide on how the city of Akron and all of its partners can sustain and support the arts and culture sector. Rogers accepted an invitation to join the plan’s 31-member steering committee as an advisor. The steering committee serves as community liaisons reporting to a core project team during the planning process to ensure that they comprehend the community feedback, and then shares the cultural planning tools within their organizations and community networks.

ArtsNow established after Akron’s arts and culture sector underwent an assessment conducted by The Osgood Group. The group studied the sector in

Summit County and published the results in 2014 (The Osgood Group). Mostly what came from the study is the establishment of ArtsNow and the knowledge that most organizations in the sector were not in good financial standing.

ArtsNow is currently conducting the Akron Cultural Plan to involve many constituents, align the sector, and hopefully implement some type of county-wide funding resources like neighboring Cuyahoga and Stark counties have in place.

Rogers is also supporting a mural project progressing at the Akron Civic

Theatre that is part of the historic institution’s broader physical transformation.

Rogers serves on the selection committee to contribute by presenting a broad selection of artists and by helping to drive three exceptional artists to complete two murals on the exterior of the building. Howard Parr, the executive director,

explained how the murals are as essential as the other renovations happening inside the building:

We’re going to put up two large scale murals, one on the outside wall facing Lock 3 of the Grand Lobby, and the other on the outside wall of the Grand Lobby facing Lock 4. We’re also going to have a very large video screen. What we’re trying to do there is make the outside of the building as much of an asset as the inside of the building. (Conn)

“Staging the Future” is an $8.5 million capital campaign to finish a restoration that ended in 2002 (Conn). The campaign will complete the original restoration of the front of the building and Grand Lobby while also adding a new box office and administrative offices and restore the entry arcade (Conn).

In addition to offering his guidance, Rogers is in the process of raising funds to implement a new design for a garden park at Lock 3 by OLIN, the landscape architecture firm that designed the Akron Art Museum’s garden.

Situated next to the Akron Civic Theatre, Lock 3 is an outdoor park that took the place of dilapidated buildings downtown to host concerts, festivals, recreation, and community events. The proposed redevelopment of Lock 3 into a garden will propel the current inertia of promoting downtown Akron as a place to live, work, and play.

Rogers is not only committed to the art projects he has made possible but also to the endeavors of other organizations in Akron, helping to create a more significant impact on the area. Many of the visitors I interacted with while managing Pish Posh expressed excitement that there was something else to do in downtown. Akron has struggled with generating excitement downtown and

keeping the momentum of engaging visitors. In recent years, this issue has been exasperated due to the construction as part of the city’s Main Street Corridor

Project. Many businesses suffer from the lack of visitors avoiding downtown because of the construction. Also, Downtown Akron Partnership has discontinued the High Arts Festival, meaning that there is a loss of another major art event to attract visitors to downtown.

Nonetheless, since then, ArtsNow and Akron Soul Train have both relocated to downtown on Main Street. Akron Soul Train provides artist residencies for the creation of new work and additional community outreach.

Their gallery downtown displays the finished work of the residencies. The relocation of these organizations demonstrates the effort to transform downtown

Akron into a destination for the arts, which Akron has struggled to maintain.

However, the relocation of these organizations to downtown makes a good point for Rogers to continue to add to the art scene with the continuation of Curated

Storefront and another edition of Pish Posh. Another synchronized pop-up during

FRONT is a strategic way to generate excitement in downtown and add to the developing art scene when it is needed most.

CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSION

In a time when the arts receive funding from donors such as the Sackler family, who made their fortune from the opioid OxyContin, or the Marciano

Brothers, who shut down their private collection turned museum before employees could unionize, it is comforting that there are funders who genuinely want to make a difference to better the community. The Bidwells and the Rogers embody stewardship and arts philanthropy with a commitment to improving

Northeast Ohio through the arts. Their commitment comes in the form of temporary and long-term projects that provide economic opportunities and the creation of more vibrant communities. Long before they began their second careers as art entrepreneurs, Bidwell and Rogers developed a friendship deepened by art.

The Rogers and Bidwell’s friendship first began with Rogers and Laura, when they met each other in grade school. The friendship between the Rogers and Fred evolved through the arts and the Akron Art Museum (Wentz). The

Rogers and Bidwell’s friendship has grown through their dedication to the Akron

Art Museum, having spent years of working together on the board and various projects to better the institution. They share a history of memorable art trips to

Europe organized by the museum and other art groups (Wentz). They even experienced Art Basel Miami together for the first time in 2010, an event that both

Rogers and Bidwell continue to attend (Wentz).

Above all, the two families share a justified belief that the arts can have a positive impact on Northeast Ohio. The Rogers and Bidwells work diligently to make that impact happen. Both families have an attachment to the arts from an early age, though their motivation for arts philanthropy varies. A creative career impacted both of the Bidwells, which led to a desire to provide a similar opportunity to others. The Rogers feel a natural desire to support the Akron community, given that it was the very same community that supported the success and prosperity of the B.W. Rogers Company. All of these influences have led to their current ambitions of supporting the region through the arts.

Besides leading their respective projects, Rogers and Bidwell support each other’s initiatives. Rogers serves on the board of directors for FRONT, and the Rogers plan to contribute to the upcoming edition (Wentz). Similarly, Bidwell serves on the board of Curated Storefront and has offered assistance in marketing. The Bidwell Foundation has contributed to the project-turned-nonprofit through financial donations and plans to continue in the future. Rogers and

Bidwell’s friendship is a great asset to better connecting the region as a whole.

Often looked at as distinct cities, Cleveland and Akron need to promote themselves as an integrated region. Rogers and Bidwell’s projects work to do just

that. By working in synchronization, Rogers and Bidwell are able to cross- promote efforts and leverage Northeast Ohio.

Besides supporting each other’s projects, Rogers and Bidwell generously fund their efforts. Instead of spending their money on other pleasures, they invest their money into the community. With the possibility that their projects could have no impact, this investment is a risk though it has turned out to be a worthwhile one. Their philanthropy demonstrates how a select few people can considerably influence a modest-sized region. Bidwell and Rogers are fortunate to experience arts and culture through their extensive travels and by attending events. These experiences in addition to their educational background, give Bidwell and Rogers leverage. They can think differently about what is happening outside of the region and how that can translate to Northeast Ohio. Instead of producing elitist projects, both philanthropists bring new concepts from outside of the region while simultaneously elevating the local arts community.

As demonstrated in the previous chapters, Bidwell and Rogers have used the arts as a tool to transform Cleveland, Akron, and the region. Both philanthropists are changing the narratives of these communities that once thrived on the industrial boom. Bidwell and Rogers are impacting the two cities, economically and socially, by rebranding them as arts and culture destinations and revitalizing neighborhoods by creating vibrant communities that attract businesses and provide jobs. While FRONT’s economic study demonstrates the

hard evidence of economic impact, both Bidwell and Rogers’ projects have a transformational impact.

Organizations are often asked to provide evidence of their impact, especially for development and grant writing purposes. However, it is often a struggle for organizations to collect and then interpret data. Additionally, there are organizations whose data will pale in comparison to large productions such as FRONT. That does not mean that their efforts are any less important or impactful. Many visitors to Pish Posh expressed delight in having another place to visit while in downtown, therefore, extending their stay in the area. However, utilizing that information as evidence about why this work is important is hard to convey. This study demonstrates the need for the arts and culture sector to be equipped with resources that enable them to tell their story even with anecdotal information or small-numbered data.

In addition to the arts and culture being better equipped to tell their stories, this study demonstrates that philanthropists can be active donors in the community while also participating as producers of projects that contribute to the sector. By creating independent projects, philanthropists can be additive to the arts and culture sector instead of taking away resources from other organizations or duplicating efforts. There is a need for arts and culture philanthropy to be strategic, empathetic, and additive to the community instead of passive giving, where donors give to institutions without questioning its ethics or responsibility to the community.

100

Bidwell and Rogers’ work shows that philanthropy in the arts can be ethical, empathetic, and strategic. Bidwell and Rogers come from corporate careers, and the strategic thinking associated with corporations has carried on into their philanthropic giving. Rather than creating vanity projects, both philanthropists are looking at the economic impact that their projects produce and how they can transform Cleveland and Akron through the arts. Their underlying reasons to give result in a desire to give people the same opportunity they had and give back to the communities that impacted their lives. This coupling of strategic and empathetic philanthropy can enhance a city’s vibrancy.

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Utter, Douglas Max. “Parts Unknown: Stranger Beings at Emily Davis Gallery.” Collective Arts Network - CAN Journal, 18 Nov. 2019, canjournal.org/2019/11/parts-unknown-stranger-beings-at-emily-davis- gallery/?fbclid=IwAR0uP7tFCOMP11wm1aRQs0Zf9UOdAjESpuRuOMZ6 ePExvexkid09P8K9qTQ.

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APPENDIX

THESIS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR RICK AND ALITA ROGERS

Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

Instructions Please respond in red. These questions are to fill in the blanks and clarify research I have already conducted. The questions have sub-questions to guide what kind of information I am looking for. Please only provide answers you feel comfortable being published.

Both 1) How did the two of you meet? Rick joined an organization called Amigos de las Americas, a Peace Core like organization, that sent volunteers to Central American countries to administer medical services and teach about health. While in the program he met a mutual friend. Through this acquaintance, Alita and Rick’s paths crossed often over the course of 7 years and then they started dating, eventually marrying 2 years later. 2) Besides your gift of the Bud and Susie Rogers Garden, what other ways did you support the Akron Art Museum? Alita started volunteering at the museum 30 years ago, doing anything from stuffing envelopes, to planning/working events, to serving on the Membership Committee, to writing letters, to pouring beer. She then became a Board Member in 2010-2018. Rick was on the Board from 1998-2007, acting as President of the Board from 2005-2007 while the museum undertook it’s $40million addition project. We gave a significant gift to the construction in 2005 and hosted fundraising events at our home. Over the years we’ve hosted staff and museum members in our home to thank them and/or ask for funds many times. We co-hosted Mitchell’s retirement party with Fred and Laura at their home. Both of our daughters were married at the museum. Sarah’s first volunteer job ws at the museum which then turned into her first paid job. a) Were there any other projects that you helped make happen like an exhibition or an exhibition catalogue? We’ve supported several shows directly and paid for Tony Feher’s sight specific installation during his show in 2013(?). We’ve loaned pieces for a couple of shows, including all of the pieces for the show Gross Anatomies. b) When did you first get involved with the museum and in what capacity? See above. Additionally, Rick’s mom suggested Alita volunteer at the museum and she introduced Rick and Alita to Mitchell Kahan the Executive Director in the mid 1980’s. We became good friends with Mitchell who happened to be our neighbor.

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

3) How do you support FRONT? We gave a significant financial gift to Front in 2018. Rick serves on the Front Board. Additionally, we created a pop-up gallery, Pish Posh, to coincide with Front. a) How did your support for the 2018 edition help Akron? We gave a “restricted” gift to Front, stating that our contribution was to be used at the Akron Art Museum for their Front activities. b) Have you/will you support the 2021 edition? Yes, will make another large gift for it this year. 4) What awards/recognition have you received for your philanthropy? (Summit Artspace) We shared the Arts Alive: Outstanding Arts Patron Award with Ron and Ann Allen in 2016. 5) How would you describe your current ventures, Woodside Management, Rogers Asset Management, and the Richard and Alita Rogers Family Foundation, and what are your goals for each? Rogers Asset Management is a corporation dedicated to controlling a variety of investments including the Hieronymus art collection. The Richard and Alita Rogers Family Foundation was established in 2013 to foster the arts and enhance community in Northeast Ohio and beyond through grants to organizations. 6) Besides Maddy’s art handling experience and own budding art collection, is she involved in the arts? No 7) Why are you passionate about supporting Akron? The Akron community supported the success and prosperity of the The B W Rogers Co. We feel it’s only appropriate to give back. Plus, our parents both gave (time and money) to their communities so it seems natural to do so. 8) When and how did you meet the Bidwells? Laura and Rick knew each other in grade school. The friendship with Fred evolved through the arts and the Akron Art Museum. a) How has their friendship impacted you? We’ve had a ton of fun with them! We share a strong emotion for the wellbeing of the Akron Art Museum after years of working together on the Board and specific projects to better the institution. We attended Art Basel together the first time any of us went in 2010. We have been on extremely memorable art trips to Europe with them on tours organized by the Akron Art Museum and other art groups. We feel lucky to have friends who believe, like we do, that the arts can have a huge, positive impact on NE Ohio and who work diligently to make that happen. They have supported our shared passion for collecting.

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

Alita 1) What was your childhood like? I’m really lucky; I had an amazing childhood with great parents who not only provided a stable environment, but also one rich in culture (art and music), delicious food, inquiry and discovery. a) Where did you grow up? Kent, OH b) What was your family’s structure growing up? Intact parents who are now married 65 years. i) How many siblings do you have and what are their names? 2 siblings, Janet & Andrew ii) Were you the youngest, middle, or oldest child? I am the middle child of three. c) What were your parents like? My mom is first generation American, her parents immigrated from Italy with only middle school educations. They worked hard to make their 5 kids American so they didn’t teach them Italian and embraced public education. The schools in New Rochelle, NY were on the cutting edge of Progressive Education and so theatre, art, music, literature and sports (for girls too!) were a big part of the curriculum. This was very influential on mom and she became interested in and a proponent of such things. She could be described as: independent, resourceful, frugal, loving, an amazing cook/baker, early feminist, liberal, veracious reader, highly organized and great with kids. My Dad comes from Irish/Greek heritage and grew up in New York City. He was extremely bright and won a four year scholarship to a Jesuit High School in the city. He joined the Navy during the Korean War and went to college on the GI Bill afterwards. He received his doctorate from Rutgars Univ in New Jersey and became a professor of education at Kent State Univ in 1967. He was an amazing teacher and received the Teacher of the Year award in 1985. He could be described as: an intellectual, a veracious reader, funny, loving, articulate, a total spaz (!), a serious Catholic, philosophical, a lover of early jazz and all things Italian (guess that’s where my Mom comes in). I was very close to my parents and Rick’s too. i) What were their occupations? Professor, stay at home mom ii) Were they passionate about the arts and how so? I wouldn’t say there passionate in the fashion Rick and I are, but they were passionate that we (their kids), open our eyes and ears to the arts. They “dragged” us to museums, music and theater

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

quite regularly. The pushed reading with passion, however. Rick’s mom got me involved in the Akron Art Museum. iii) Were they philanthropically involved in the community? My mom volunteered a great deal of time to the public schools, the American Cancer Society, and Visiting Nurses. They had limited means so their financial giving was consistant, but not large. 2) What inspired your passion for the arts? My parents exposing me to it and I took art classes every semester in high school. I had an outstanding art teacher. 3) What influence have you had on the art collection? Definitely not as much as Rick. a) Are there pieces in the collection that you connect with specifically? (i.e. Wedgewood, art nouveau, Stankard paper weights, Victoria Reynolds) Clearly you know what I like, Kat! I’ve noticed that the pieces I like the most tend to be the ones that I’ve meet the artist. The work takes on much more meaning once the creator explains it to me. I also love the skull candle sticks/mirror in metal and paper. I really like our pieces that refer to industrial things like Louis Lozowick’s lithographs and posters like the General Dynamics and the Exactitude Train. I seem to prefer ceramic work done by Asian artists; the refined quality and use of porcelain. I love Peter Pincus too. I really like Peter Sarkisian’s Recoil video. b) What is your collecting style? I don’t know that I have a style of collecting. I would say that I ponder choices longer than Rick does. He seems to know immediately if he likes something or not. I tend to mull things over more. Plus, I’m more of a minimalist. Recipes and clothing are the two things I collect with more zeal. I might be characterized as collecting people (family/friends) more than items. I nurture those more than objects. 4) What is your educational and professional background? I have a Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resource Mgt) & a Master of Education (Education Technology). I worked as an HR Manager at a Department Store, helped with HR, training and strategy at BW Rogers Company. I was President of BW Rogers Company the last 8 years we owned the business. I worked for the Portage County Tobacco Prevention Coalition helping to make Ohio smoke free. a) Where did you attend school? Kent State University b) What degrees did you earn? BBA & M.Ed

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

c) What is your background in Human Resources? I worked as a generalist; hiring, firing, benefits administration, scheduling, training. d) What is your role at Woodside Management and Rogers Asset Management? Half owner, advisor (?!) 5) What is your current and past volunteer experience? I am currently on the Development Committee of Grace House, a hospice for the homeless. In the past I volunteered for Tobacco Prevention, Planned Parenthood (past Board Member/President), Friends of Firestone Arts (past Board Member), Knights Arts Challenge (reader), Akron Public Schools. I was a Toastmaster for 3 years. a) In what capacity did you serve the Akron Art Museum’s board of directors? When were you president? I served as a board member from 2010-2018. I was never Board President, but I chaired the Governance Committee and was Secretary and Executive VP. I was on the Executive Committee for 6 of the 8 years. b) What was your smoke free initiative? The Summit & Portage County Tobacco Prevention Coalitions worked diligently (collecting signatures, distributing yard signs, attending County Council meetings, presenting facts at organized groups like Rotary/PTA’s etc.) for 3 years to get an issue on the ballot to prevent smoking in all workplaces. The issue passed in 2006 making all indoor workplaces smoke free. c) What other organizations have you served on the board for? Planned Parenthood & Friends of Firestone Arts (gave grants to art students) Currently, I’m on the board of Curated Store Fronts. 6) Do you have any passion projects or relevant hobbies? I love reading, traveling, swimming, visiting museums/galleries, meditation, eating (cooking is just the means to getting there-thus the recipes), entertaining & spending time with friends, family and Rick. We’ve also taken up Tai Chi recently.

Rick 1) What was your childhood like? a) Were you the youngest, middle, or oldest child? Oldest

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

b) What was your mother’s occupation? Volunteer, Socialite, Partyer, Homemaker c) Were your parents passionate about the arts and how so? My Mother Susie was a big supporter of the AAM. 2) What inspired your passion for the arts? Always better to be surrounded by things of beauty. This instinct drew me to the arts. I Also appreciate the creativity and skill the arts communicate to others. 3) What inspired your passion for collecting art? See art lecture notes. a) What is your collecting style? I would probably be considered an aesthetic or intellectual collector with a moderately limited budget. 4) Why did you establish the software company, Tribute, and what has become of it? I enjoyed writing software and there was tremendous need for new applications driven by the rapidly advancing computer industry in the 1970s and 80s. Ultimately the software dramatically redefined the way business was conducted. Tribute still exists under new leadership in Hudson Ohio. 5) Did you stay on as a consultant when you sold B.W. Rogers to Kaman? For about a year. 5) What is your current and past volunteer experience? a) In what capacities did you serve the Akron Art Museum’s board of directors besides your role as president during the museum’s expansion? I served on the development, investment and finance committees. b) What other boards have you served on or are you active on currently? (NCECA) I am on the Front board, the Akron Children’s Hospital board and have been invited to join the NCECA board. Past trusteeships include: Boys and Girls Clubs, Freeman Manufacturing, and the ICA in Cleveland. c) What is your role for the Akron Civic Theatre murals? I was a member of the selection committee and brought a broad set of artists to the selection process and helped drive the naming of three world class artists to complete the project. d) What is your involvement with the Lock 3 OLIN design? We collaborated with the Knight foundation to engage Olin for the Design of a garden park at lock3. I am committed to driving the project to completion and helping with funding

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Thesis interview questions for Rick and Alita Rogers

i) What is the significance of the project? It will substantially reestablish the downtown as a place to live, thrive and do commerce in the City. Hopefully attracting a new set of residents and reenergizing the Cities core.

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