Heights Arts invites community involvement

Heights Arts 2019 Holiday Store window.

It’s been almost 20 years since Heights Arts began shining a light on greater Cleveland’s local artists, musicians and poets.

Its most visible program, the Heights Arts Holiday Store, is currently in full swing at 2175 Lee Road. More than 100 artists are participating to ensure that visitors can purchase one of thousands of unique and beautiful gifts created by artists who live and work in the region, while contributing to the creative economy at the same time.

While the holiday and year-round store is highly visible and has become a favorite destination, residents and visitors may not be aware of many other opportunities Heights Arts has for residents to become engaged, whether they dabble or work professionally in the arts.

Currently, the organization is accepting submissions for its popular Members Show in March. With just a $10 entry fee, all are welcome to submit a work of art for this show, which celebrates the Heights’ creative community. The work is not curated, and all submissions are accepted until the show is complete, so participants are encouraged to submit early.

Exhibitions at Heights Arts are planned, designed and hung by a volunteer Exhibition Community Team, along with Heights Arts staff.

As the Members Show comes together, Heights Arts’ Heights Writes Community Team will be choosing the 10th Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate for a term beginning April 2020. Applications from poets who live in, or have a strong connection with, Cleveland Heights are being accepted through the end of the year. The Heights Arts Cleveland Heights poet laureateship is the longest-running poet laureate program in the state, and serves to educate and delight the local community by providing public readings and poetry programming in association with Heights Arts exhibitions and community engagement efforts.

Heights Arts continues to offer a range of opportunities for Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and other area residents to become more deeply involved with the nonprofit arts organization. Its exhibition, Heights Writes, and music community teams all enable members to provide expertise and use their connections with the arts community to create vibrant, creative and relevant programs.

Those interested in becoming more involved are invited to visit www.heightsarts.org for information about opportunities to deepen their relationship with the local arts community through these teams, as well as others, to support the arts in the Heights.

Rachel Bernstein

Rachel Bernstein is executive director of Heights Arts. A professional musician, educator and administrator, she has worked in the arts for more than 30 years, partnering with many regional arts organizations, businesses, and people who share her belief in the power of the arts.

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Volume 12, Issue 12, Posted 12:06 PM, 12.03.2019