It’s no secret that Cleveland is home to some of the best art districts in the country. University Circle’s art district always puts Cleveland on the map for the arts, with the Cleveland Institute of Arts Reinberger Gallery, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and much more packed into just one square mile. However, Cleveland is home to many art districts, like the Gordon Square Arts District and the Waterloo Arts District, which are not as widely known as University Circle. The Gordon Square Arts District is known for the idea of “arts for all.” You’ll find Gordon Square on Detroit and West 65th. If you’re exploring Gordon Square or looking for artistic immersion, a great place to stop is 78th Street Studios, on the corner of Detroit and West 78th.
What was formerly an automotive factory in 1905, 78th Street Studios has since been transformed into Ohio’s largest art and design complex. Every month, 78th Street Studios hosts their Third Fridays event from 5-9. During this event, the four floors of the studio are flooded with a variety of cuisine, vendors, sounds, artists, and visual exhibits. These events are a great opportunity for artists to interact with their community and get their name and brand out to the public. It is also a great opportunity for the public to immerse themselves, at no additional entrance fee, into the world of art and culture for an evening. It is a great place to try new foods, find new pieces for your home, or find gifts for loved ones.
One thing that sets 78th Street Studios apart from other studio spaces in Cleveland is the size of their galleries, how frequently they change, and the number of gallery spaces they have. As an artist, it can be difficult to get your work out to the public; having a gallery space can open many doors as an up-and-coming artist. 78th Street Studios is home to 16 gallery spaces that frequently cycle through shows.
“I mean there’s a few other places nowadays, there’s screw factory and other buildings like in Asiatown,” Cleveland artist Guice Mann said. “I feel like it’s different every month here, there’s different vendors through, there’s different gallery shows happening. This is the biggest building with the most gallery spaces.”
Coming in as a customer, 78th Street Studios Third Fridays offers a unique and immersive artist experience that you won’t find anywhere else in the Cleveland area.
“It’s a unique event because you have so many different artists and vendors under one roof,” said Lisa Focareto, a frequenter of Cleveland art events. “Other art events often are at a single location or gallery or are an “Art Walk” that spans an entire neighborhood. At 78th, you just drive up, hope for decent parking, and you can stay put for hours.”
When you think of Cleveland and its art scene, you may think of the Incredible Cleveland Museum of Art, all the murals you see surrounding Cleveland, or the graffiti that coats trains and sides of buildings. And while yes, these are staples and building blocks of the art scene in Cleveland, there are many more foundational pieces that go into making Cleveland art and artists. Cleveland is a smaller-scale midwestern city with a large impact.
“Cleveland’s art scene is as rich as it is abundant in that it is not contained in one area, but spread throughout many places in northeast Ohio,” art enthusiast Jennifer Napier said.
Because Cleveland is a smaller city the art scene in it feels more homegrown. It has taken hold in many areas around Cleveland, and art districts are popping up all over the city. Even looking past the physical art districts, there are murals all over Cleveland and the surrounding cities that encapsulate the color and life of the city.
“If you’re heading downtown, coming from east or west, Cleveland is covered in murals, and they continue to pop up all over town,” said Mann. “There’s Graffiti covering the city all over the place, which I think is awesome. And I feel like that’s something that inspired me as a kid early on, seeing some of the really cool color combinations on lettering on graffiti.”
Whether you’re an artist, an observer, a music lover, or want something to do for an evening, 78th Street Studios is a place worth visiting. Third Fridays start at 5:00 p.m. and end at 9:00 p.m., that’s plenty of time to explore the four floors of Ohio’s largest art and design complex.
