The Cleveland Arts Prize has celebrated the best of Northeast Ohio's artistry in the fields of music, visual art, design, literature, architecture, philanthropy and more since 1960.
Executive Director Alenka Banco announced the 2018 winners today, and it's a diverse list of regional artists, advocates, leaders and patrons.
Emerging Artist Awards
Darius Steward, visual arts
"His work is really his voice. He uses what he knows and he loves and creates [watercolor paintings] from that, his family, his children, his friends, his environment. It becomes a broader voice about who he is as a person," Banco said.
Mark Reigelman, design
"Mark is a New York-based artist [and Cleveland native] who went to school at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Aside from his education you can see his imprint on the city [of Cleveland] everywhere: the Playhouse Square planters, the Rock Boxes for the Rock Hall, the Cleveland Public Library's 'Reading Nest' piece. So he's had a great impact in the public landscape," she said.
Mid-Career Awards
John "Derf" Backderf, visual arts
"He is one of the artists that really has that crossover power, because in addition to his comics he actually is a graphic novelist. [He's] got books and movies now. His bio would almost reflect a lifetime achievement [award] but because of his age we really felt like there was more to come," she said.
John Williams, design
"We in the arts community we all know him because he's been so involved in different boards, but he's done a lot of art related projects. The Transformer Station is his project in addition to SPACES recently he completed that in Hingetown. A lot of the general public would know him for the Ameritust Rotunda at Heinen's," she said.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Rita Dove, literature
"She is native to Akron, and that is definitely within our guidelines. So while she's not living here, she is definitely from our region and reflects the arts and culture as she was brought up in the region," Banco said.
Special Prizes:
Barbara Robinson Prize
William Griswold, director Cleveland Museum of Art
Griswold is the first winner of this award, named for long-time Cleveland arts leader Barbara Robinson. "We're really proud of this award [for arts advocacy], especially in today's climate of cutbacks in the arts," said Banco. "He came to [Cleveland] in 2014, and in a very short time he's had great impact specifically with his proactive approach to returning undocumented antiquities to their rightful origin."
Robert Bergman Prize
Louise and Thomas (deceased) Boddie, Boddie Records
"They were one of the first African-American recording companies in the country, the first obviously in Cleveland. They were really special because they were the only African-American company that was manufacturing their records," she said
Martha Joseph Prize
Suzanne DeGaetano, Mac's Backs Books
"Her [nomination] letters that came through for her really focused not on the bookstore but what she does for the literary community, especially young, emerging artists. Her mission is really focused on information, assistance, and poetry readings," she said.
2018 Special Honoree
"We always try to honor a past winner. Robert won in 2000. He won a special citation for the work he was doing in the African-American community. He was really driven and focused on making sure that talent didn't get overlooked," she said
New Fellowship Opportunities
Also new this year are the Verge Fellowship awards, given to five up-and-coming artists who are on the verge of making a name for themselves.
“Naming an award is like naming a child,” said Banco. “What does it mean? The Verge Fellowship is geared towards [new artists] that really have that spark and show promise that, with just a little bit of help, they can take it to the next level.”
The Verge fellowships come at a time when a there's been a heated discussion over equity and inclusion in arts funding. Banco said it’s a coincidence that the entire first class of Verge winners is African American: Amanda King, Stephanie Fields, Kayla Thomas, Stephen Bivens and Damien McClendon.
Verge fellows receive $2,000 each. The five discipline winners get $10,000 each. The special prizes are not monetary awards.
All of the winners will be honored at the 58 th annual Cleveland Arts Prize ceremony at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Sunday, October 22.
