Moderator: Tizziana Baldenebro (Executive Director- SPACES)

Program Location: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa), 11400 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 4410

Event Cost: Free

To attend the program, register on Eventbrite.

This summer, the region will be awash in art as the CAN Triennial and FRONT International make their long-awaited return. Cleveland alone will feature over 40 exhibitions, with some venues, such as the Cleveland Institute of Art and The Sculpture Center, hosting both events in neighboring galleries. This shared timeline and intimate proximity begs an important question: just how do the triennials relate to each other? And what is their relationship to the broader arts ecosystem of the region?

On Saturday, July 23rd, in partnership with moCa Cleveland, the Artists Archives will present CAN x FRONT, a discussion with Front Executive Director Fred Bidwell and CAN Executive Director Michael Gill which delves into the triennials’ strategies for benefiting the creative community, explores plans for the future, and investigates potential spaces of collaboration. The program will be moderated by Tizziana Baldenebro who will bring her unique experience as Executive Director of SPACES, a long time CAN collaborator, and FRONT Board member, to the candid conversation.

The CAN Triennial was conceived as a regional response to the globally minded FRONT International, a way for visitors to the region to see the breadth and depth of local art as they perused the blue-chip, international artists of the larger event. As Michael Gill described the “CAN Triennial began in conversations with artists and exhibitors of Northeast Ohio looking for ways to capture the energy that will come to Cleveland as part of FRONT.”

While initially some saw the Triennials as competitors, both have emerged from the pandemic with a renewed sense of vigor and commitment to collaboration with the local arts community, as well as with each other. This year, FRONT announced the inaugural Art Futures Fellowships program, which supports emerging Northeast Ohio-based visual artists of color, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American Pacific Islander artists. The Fellowships evolved from a discussion between Bidwell and Front Director of Artistic and Community Initiatives Deidre McPherson. As McPherson asked, “What can we do as FRONT to support Black and Brown artists?… FRONT is a convener of these museums we have. What can we do to bring about resources—relationships with museums, press, and curators, and how do we leverage these resources?”

CAN X FRONT with Michael Gill & Fred Bidwell will be held in-person in the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland’s atrium from 1:00 – 2:30pm. To attend the free event, register on Eventbrite.