Heights Arts presents spectrum of art and performance

"Constructing a Rainbow," by Cherie Lesnick.

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Though winter can be dreary, Heights Arts’ first exhibitions of the year aim to warm up visitors through light, color, and abstraction. The Cleveland Heights-based, multi-disciplinary arts organization debuted two new shows on Jan. 12: Prismatic and Spotlight: Amelia C. Joynes.

Prismatic features five artists, working in varying disciplines and mediums. Hope Hickman primarily works in the realm of sculpture, Marianne Hite creates fused-glass hangings, Sue Kirchner works in encaustic wax, and Cherie Lesnick and Patricia Zinsmeister Parker utilize paint and mixed media for their pieces.

“When light is emitted or reflected through glass, it lends a certain quality to the piece that nothing else can duplicate,” said Hite, who employs enameling, sandblasting, and laminating in creating her glasswork. “Moreover, the effects of heat, timing, and gravity ensure each piece its own identity. I find experimenting with such a distinct and elusive medium invigorating.”

The group exhibition runs concurrently, until March 10, with Spotlight: Amelia C. Joynes. In creating works for this solo show, Joynes combined materials such as enamel, fabric, glass, and metal to reflect and re-interpret the natural world.

“I have always been involved with creative arts and encouraged to explore new possibilities as a passage to new ways of seeing and creating,” Joynes said. “My artwork challenges me to re-envision possibilities in the way I use artistic materials within my environment.”

As a multidisciplinary nonprofit, Heights Arts also seeks to support the written word. On Feb. 15, Heights Arts will host Ekphrastacy: Artists Talk and Poets Respond, an accompanying program that celebrates the literary arts through new poems composed in response to the two shows on view. Local poets Milenko Budimir, Mimi Plevin-Foust, and Stephanie Ginese will join Heights Poet Laureate Siaara Freeman in viewing and responding to the pieces.

Also in February, Heights Arts’ musical programming includes both a Gallery Concert and an installment of Close Encounters—Mozart and Mendelssohn: String Quintets. Gallery Concerts provide paid opportunities for local musicians of diverse backgrounds and musical genres to perform in a unique, gallery setting, while Close Encounters, Heights Arts’ signature chamber music series, features members of the Cleveland Orchestra.

For a complete listing of upcoming events, visit www.heightsarts.org.