Resilience stories of Cliff Park HS students is shown through photography on display in Springfield

“The Places We Return” captures the works of three Columbus painters who use landscape art in differing styles influenced by their pasts.

Both exhibitions had opening receptions on Nov. 8. SMoA executive director Jessimi Jones is eager for the community to explore them.

“This opening is to celebrate two exhibitions that are a prime example that art belongs to all people. Here we have different people in different arts, different times in their lives and the culmination of two years working on these,” Jones said.

‘Can’t Hold Me Down’

Three years ago, Ty Fischer helped the Springfield community still dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with his exhibition “Your Story,” that featured banners throughout downtown capturing citizens of all walks of life with and without masks describing their pandemic journeys.

The banners featured keywords from the subjects’ stories transposed onto their black and white photos. For “Can’t Hold Me Down,” Fischer stuck with his hometown to profile Cliff Park High students with words describing their personalities and thoughts.

Fischer was approached for another “Your Story” project and was eager to work with the staff and students.

“I felt there is a misunderstanding of what Cliff Park is to the community of Springfield. Not only is it a second opportunity for many students to get their high school diploma and learn a trade, but a safe haven for these students where they felt important, loved and supported by a staff that was more like family than an administration,” he said.

For this exhibition in the SMoA’s Bosca Gallery, Fischer chose a prismatic lenticular approach, which he describes as similar to hologram-style baseball cards where you have more than one image printed to the card and based on your viewing angle you see a different image.

“In the case of our exhibit there are three different black and white images that are seen based on your viewing angle,” he said.

The full project took nearly two years including finding students who were willing to open their lives up to the public and tell their stories, writing and then recording the audio versions, available on QR codes at the exhibition.

“It’s a slow process, one that can’t be rushed,” Fischer said. “We took our time to truly capture the stories and the heart of each student.”

Fischer said this was a 100 percent community-funded exhibit, which also took time to raise the money.

Several of the profiled students, their families and Cliff Park staff attended the opening and were excited for it including juniors Jae’lyn Ervin and Samiya Hammond and senior Mireya Hammett.

Ervin was happy she participated. Her story includes her struggle with Hashimoto’s disease and how the school is helping her deal with it.

“It’s really cool to see my face and my peers. It makes us feel heard, like we’re a part of the community,” she said. “This is a look into our community that says our youth has hope.”

The students used several words to describe themselves, from the positive — happy, reliable, kind — to tougher ones like fussy, impatient, depressed and overcoming — that are on one of the three images.

“Oh my goodness, it’s so cool,” Hammett said upon seeing the exhibition. “It paints our school in a better light.”

Hammond was surprised the photos were as in depth as they were.

Cliff Park staff brought all of the students the short distance to the SMoA to view the exhibition before the reception and for most it was their first time ever there. As education and involving the community in what goes on there are part of the goals of Jones and her staff, they may have repeat visitors.

Hammett and Hammond said they’d like to come there more often and to see the beautiful works as there’s something for everyone.

“I would like visitors to take away the resilience many of these students have shown in their young lives,” said Fischer. “After listening to their stories you’ll understand the barriers and situations that many of these students faced and endured from a young age and how they chose to not give up, get back up and choose betting on themselves.”

‘The Places We Return’

While the youths are reflecting on their current lives and going forward, works making up “The Places We Return” saw artists Rod Bouc, Eric Barth and Elsie Sanchez dealing with where they’ve been.

For Bouc, it’s reliving days growing up on a Nebraska farm and the sound of corn rustling being an inspiration. As a student, he was intent on focusing on landscape art and was told by a college professor there was no future in that, but he proved otherwise.

His paintings, which reflect his farm days, were created with an unusual instrument, a pigment stick, used to mark cattle.

Credit: Brett Turner

Credit: Brett Turner

“We all use different materials in self-taught ways,” said Bouc.

Barth also uses an unconventional method, using paper for his oil pastel and soft pastel works which often portray bodies of water and even a snow-covered tree, some taking as little as a day and some two weeks to two months.

“I like the minimal approach,” Barth said. “I don’t tell people what to see.”

He hinted the water can mean division, being what separates us. Growing up in the Cleveland area, the Flats neighborhood has some influence.

Sanchez’s paintings are the most unusual of the three artists, not using recognizable images but more of a personal landscape. She is a native of Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the United States as a child.

The three artists all attained degrees from Ohio State University and have known each other for years but this is the first time the trio has had an exhibition together. Bouc said it’s gratifying to have the chance at the SMoA.

MORE DETAILS

The SMoA is located at 107 Cliff Park Road and it is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays. For more information, go to www.springfieldart.net.