Press

Plain Dealer
Friday August 17, 2007

Art Matters
“Art wall” shields public from Euclid Avenue construction
Dan Tranberg
Special to the Plain Dealer

As construction continues along Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue, one institution is taking a creative approach to dealing with the otherwise-unpleasant spaces created by temporary fencing that walls off construction sites.

University Hospitals has commissioned Cleveland artist, curator, and designer Guy-Vincent Ricketti to make a series of large-scale panels, collectively titled “Art Wall.”  These colorful installations, located at six different spots along Euclid between Adelbert Road and University Hospitals Drive, create what Ricketti calls “a street gallery feel.”

The 8-foot high panels range in length from 16 to 56 feet.  Each displays a collage of photographic images dealing with the healthcare community, including a wide variety of employees of University Hospitals (from caregivers to groundskeepers) as well as patients.

The digital pieces also contain subtle overlaid images of the spaces around University Hospitals, including architectural views.  But, at their core, the panels are ll about he people who bring life to this part of the city, Ricketti says.

The project is in some ways an extension of another public-art project, titled “Identity,” which Ricketti conceived and executed in last summer in Star Plaza in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.
In both cases, Ricketti didn’t wait around for an institution to put out a call for local artists to propose public-art projects. 

He took the initiative to come up with an idea and tracked down the people he could pitch it to.  Ricketti’s determination and perseverance paid off.  As with “Identity,” “Art Wall” is an engaging work that demonstrates how public art can address myriad problems in a positive light, prompting viewers to think about issues both within and beyond the space it occupies.

Ricketti, who also owns the gallery Elevation Art in Playhouse Square, is already planning future installations in and around University Hospitals.  In the meantime, the panels that make up “Art Wall” will be up for about a year, creating a lively interface for the public to ponder as the construction goes on and on.



PANELING: University Hospitals’ new “Art Wall” is a site-specific installation by Guy-Vincent Ricketti.  It consists of six large-scale panels, installed along Euclid Avenue between Adelbert Road and University Hospitals Drive in Cleveland.

Photo Courtesy of Elevation Art