Deep in the heart of Cleveland’s conformist suburbia called Parma lies a geodesic dome on a wooded lot built in the 1960’s by some hippies. Their daughter, who now resides in the dome, invited her friends to take over her living room to exhibit their artwork and hold an opening reception filled with a potluck dinner and an evening of live music. We Don’t Need No Stinking Gallery! presented a low key and informal display of approximately eighteen artists. With few labels, and odd groupings, it was difficult to tell if all the listed artists were present, but that was not a deterrent from enjoying the work. After all, this exhibit was more about being outside of the gallery system, enjoying the company of friends, meeting new people, and having a good time while being surrounded by the creativity hanging on the walls.
Unfortunately there was not much worth discussing further beyond the observation of the common illustrative mainstream embrace of low brow art. This does not mean that there were not stand out artists. Perhaps the most interesting for this particular venue were the drawings of houses by Amber Esner.
The grouping titled Home is Where You are the Happiest consisted of ten works on paper depicting dwellings that can be found in the area and representing locally common architectural styles. Esner, who is currently studying at the Cleveland Institute of Art, makes use of flat planes and slightly off perspective. While her work tends towards commercial illustration, the thought of exhibiting drawings of homes in a home provides a witty commentary on the dual meaning of art.
Amber Esner: 2406 Turrington Ave
From the gallery to the collector’s home, art often changes from making social commentary to being decorative. Here, the work is already in the home but displayed exhibition style in an alternative gallery setting. The decorative aspects of the work however do not overshadow the cheerful feeling that is brought on by the color pallet and loose drawing style. This gives the work a familiarity and nostalgic quality that fit quite nicely with the title of the series. If there were one thing that would enhance the work further in this presentation, it would be matting and framing.
Perceptual Context 