The COVID-19 pandemic has sent a shockwave through the region’s arts sector, closing museums, canceling concerts and delaying events. Front International Triennial, a huge regional art exhibition scheduled for next summer, announced it is postponing for an entire year due to coronavirus fallout.
FRONT was a success in the national and international art scene when it launched two years ago.
The plan for its next iteration for the summer of 2021 was to build on that acclaim, while drawing in more regional participation.
But all that’s going to have to wait for the art community to heal.
"All of our presenting partners, the museums, are recalibrating, changing their schedules, dealing with tough staffing issues, budget issues," FRONT Executive Director Fred Bidwell said.
Bidwell said 70 artists from across the globe are still planning to participate in FRONT 2022 at dozens of sites in Cleveland, Akron and Oberlin July 16 to Oct. 2, 2022.
"2022 will be a fantastic time to come together, to celebrate and remember what we’ve been through. And also consider, through the eyes of artists, how our society has changed,” he said.
The theme of the event is “Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows,” a nod to a Langston Hughes poem.
