The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Presents:
Culture Fix CLE

Healing Our Community Through the Arts

An installation by Tel Aviv artists Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz in collaboration with local photographer Daniel Levin.

In Dede’s words, Culture Fix is, “An ongoing series influenced by the sad situation of local culture these days when the local culture industry suffers from the epidemic outcomes and the limitations on gatherings. In this ongoing project I wish to get to as many creators as I can and give a humble stage of my own for her/him to show on, in front of the passers-by in the public space.”

VISION:

• To provide a visual narration of the harm to arts and culture that has been damaged by the pandemic.
• To build cultural bridges between Israeli and American art.
• To connect with the community through the universal theme of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Dede’s Culture Fix is a physical manifestation of healing. By embracing local creators with his signature imagery of Band-Aids, Dede begins the process of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.

CREATORS:

Dede Bandaid & Nitzan Mintz

(Credit: Daniel Levin Photography)

Dede is an urban narrative artist. Nitzan Mintz is an artist and street poet. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, they are constantly seeking new opportunities to create innovative artworks. They each began creating artwork while in the military where they found a public audience. Dede has become synonymous with Israeli street art, having used Tel Aviv as a canvas for more than two decades. “Dede” is a pseudonym for the artist’s real name which he keeps hidden. He is responsible for the hundreds of bandaid images decorating the streets of Tel Aviv. This symbol is of particular importance to the artist:

“[The bandaid] is therapy that my body has independently invented, and it helped me through some of the hardest phases of my life. I used to spend long nights drawing bandaids all over the city and with each drawing I felt a sense of relief, as if I was telling everybody about my problems and they all listened, understood, and supported me.”

In Culture Fix CLE, Dede uses his signature bandaid imagery to communicate both the personal and societal difficulties and joys of seventeen Cleveland visual artists, musicians, performance artists, curators, and patrons.

“The whole world has been affected by the pandemic and this was the inspiration for this specific project when all the musicians and artists from different fields couldn’t perform or exhibit their works or be seen – I felt at least. Me and Nitzan, my partner … we both felt very strongly the urge to be in touch with the audience, to keep sharing our concept, ideas.”

Life-sized photographs were composed and staged by Dede and Nitzan during which they draped the exaggerated bandaid images across the artists’ bodies. Each of the artists in this Culture Fix CLE project are also identified by a reference to their artistic practice representing their role in making impactful changes in our society, demonstrating how our Cleveland artistic community is fortified and made more provocative.

Dede and Nitzan combine their creative energies as a tool for observation, directing attention to conditions that are often overlooked as we go about our daily lives. Their artwork is made up of a combination of wit, humor, and clarity, always displaying elaborate technique and intention.
Their works can be viewed at galleries, exhibition spaces, various art events and in the streets of art capitals around the world, such as London, New York, Berlin, Prague, Tel-Aviv, and of course, Cleveland, Ohio!

• For more information about Dede, visit dedebandaid.com
• For more information about Nitzan, visit nitzanmintz.com

NEIGHBORHOODS:

Culture Fix CLE installations can be found in these Cleveland neighborhoods:

• Beachwood Campus
• Cedar-Lee Business District
• Coventry Village
• Gateway District
• Hingetown/Ohio City
• Little Italy
• Playhouse Square
• Slavic Village
• University Circle
• Van Aken District
• Warehouse District
• Waterloo Arts District

ARTISTS:

Christopher Coles

Jazz Saxophone

Web: yamaha.com/artists/christophercoles.html

Dee Jay Doc

Founder and Executive Director of Refresh Collective

Tears came to my eyes as I was being photographed with large bandaids around my body. Through my work with Cleveland youth, I know the hurt and damage caused by multiple traumas. Healing is needed for our young people who experience inequities that many do not even know about. I believe in the healing power of the arts and I see it during every Refresh Collective program. Together, we can fix our culture and bring bandaids to each other through each song, painting, dance and kind act of love. Thank you, Dede!

Contact: doc@refreshcollective.org
Web: deejaydoc.com, refreshcollective.orgSocial Media: IG @deejaydoc, @refreshthecity, @refreshprintshop FB @refreshcollective YT @refreshcollectiive

Elizabeth Emery

Podcast Host & Producer, Artist

Taking part in Culture Fix reminded me how vital, fun, restorative, and energizing it is to work with and be together with other human beings. It is easy to slip into solitude but it is community that gives us life.

Contact: emeryspeaking@gmail.com
Web: elizabethemery.com, hearhersports.com
Social Media: FB @hearhersports IG @emeryspeaking TW @emeryspeaking

Amber N. Ford

Artist/Photographer

Contact: studio@ambernford.com
Web: ambernford.com
Social Media: IG @ambern.ford & @Ford.Foto

Roe Green

Honorary Producer, Cleveland Israel Arts Connection

Culture Fix CLE is a visual art installation with that perfect combination of timing and messaging. Now, more than ever, our community needs the power that all the arts provide to begin the process of healing from the pandemic and the cultural struggles we are currently facing.

Web: kent.edu/magazine/roe-green-ma-80

Josh Innerst

Actor

Bouncing back after the past few years has been a challenge as we’ve seen so many local artists have to walk away from their calling in an effort to stay afloat. Patching ourselves together isn’t easy but the process has already underway. Any opportunity to be in the room with a group of like-minded people is a gift. In a culture where intolerance and violence are continually being given a platform, celebrating the decision to heal and breathe is a worthwhile endeavor.

Contact: jinnerst@gmail.com
Web: joshinnerst.com
Social Media: IG @josh.innerst FB JoshInnerst

Kasumi

Artist

My work is about memory and the echo chambers of memory - a perpetual feedback loop of patterns that creates consciousness. I use the symbols, images, and gestures that encode meaning and form the units from which we tell our stories, and that paradoxically both limit and expand human possibility.

Web: kasumifilms.com, kasuminews.com
Social Media: IG @kasumifilms FB @kasumifilms TT @kasumifilms YT @kasumifilms

Héctor Castellanos Lara

Artistic Director of Día de Muertos Ohio, Visual Multimedia Artist

The art is the most powerful force to bring the world together no matter what color you are, we are all united in this planet we call earth. As a visual artist we are responsible to document every moment in our lives and share with the entire humanity WE R ONE.

Contact: Sheca73@yahoo.com, Info@diademuertosohio.com
Web: diademuertosohio.com

Treva Offutt

Visual and Performing Artist, Educator, and Arts Administrator

My life revolves around the power of the arts to heal, generate and sustain communities, inspire youth, and open up difficult topics for discussion and change. Art adds color, scale, texture, context, reflection, and the potential for joy. Culture Fix CLE is an example of the community artists create through collaboration. These installations are a reminder of our push forward together, dressing our wounds through self-expression while addressing our world knowing that the impact of our work can be transformative.

Contact: troffutt@gmail.com

René Schiffer

I am pictured with my beloved 5-string violoncello piccolo. Normally I am not a fan of conceptual art, because to me, if traditional art is good the concepts are already in it. In this case I could find myself in the bandages, not simply because of Covid, but also because of how certain people in leadership positions can dominate those beneath them.

Web: duchiffre.com/

David Shimotakahara

Executive Artistic Director GroundWorks DanceTheater

Dance - both in how it is made and experienced is essentially about human connection. At a time when the scale of problems we are facing on a daily basis can seem overwhelming - can make us feel small and isolated. The power to move, to touch and be touched can inspire renewed hope in our need for each other.

Contact: david@groundworksdance.org
Web: groundworksdance.org
Social Media: IG @groundworksdance FB @groundworksdancetheater TW @GroundWorksDanc

Celina Naima Speck

Professional Dancer

During this pandemic people around me and myself find comfort in movies, music, dance, and other art forms. If all people practice curiosity, the arts have the power to build bridges where there were abysses before. I love the band-aid approach of Culture Fix because in a way it is so literal, while still leaving space for interpretation.

Contact: dwcelina18@gmail.com
Web: https://dancingwheels.org/portfolio-items/celina-speck/, dancingwheels.org
Social Media: IG @celinanaima

Loung Ung

Author, Activist, Entrepreneur

Culture Fix Art brings our vision out of the surroundings to a place of curiosity, beauty, and joy. This broadens hearts and minds, a necessary first step to bringing people together

Web: LoungUng.com
Social Media: IG @loungung.author FB @LoungUngAuthor YT @LoungUngAuthor

Amitai Vardi

Associate Professor of Clarinet

I have always believed that in order to have a thriving society it must be lead and influenced by artists and their art.

Contact: amitai100@yahoo.com
Web: amitaivardi.com

Mary Verdi-Fletcher

President/Founding Artistic Director Dancing Wheels Company & School

The arts are at the helm of bringing our world together. Through the arts, we can learn, better understand and immerse ourselves in other cultures. We can heal in times of devastation and expresses ourselves many times without saying a word as in the Culture Fix project which speaks to humanity and our quest to unite.

Contact: VFletcher1@aol.com, Mary@dancingwheels.org
Web: dancingwheels.org

Jackie Warren

Jazz Pianist

Web: jackiewarrenmusic.com/

Antwoine Washington

Visual Artist

I personally think the Culture Fix CLE was a great way to use art as a healing mechanism and a creative tool to spark the idea of change.

Contact: antwoinewashingtonart@gmail.com
Web: antwoinewashington.com, creativehumanart.com
Social Media: IG @antwoinewashington

MEDIA:

Israel-Based Dede Bandaid Brings Life-Size Prints of Notable Local Artists to Walls All Across ClevelandScene, 06-24-22https://www.clevescene.com/arts/israel-based-dede-bandaid-brings-life-size-prints-of-notable-local-artists-to-walls-all-across-cleveland

Israeli Artist Brings Healing Urban Art Creations to ClevelandCJN Canvas, 06-09-22
https://www.jewishcleveland.org/news/blog/israeli_artist_brings_healing_urban_art_creations_to_cleveland/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Culture Fix CLE would not be possible without the incredible help from:

Leadership Team
Sara Hurand, Chair, Culture Fix CLE
Roe Green, Co-Chair, Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
Erica Hartman-Horvitz, Co-Chair, Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
Daniel Levin, Photography
Matt Garson, Site Selection
Susan Wasserman, Documentarian
Josh Werling, Director, Cleveland Institute of Art Digital Output Center
Hedy Milgrom, Senior Development Officer
Debbie Yasinow, Director, Cleveland Israel Arts Connection

Artist Selection & Coordination
Fred Bidwell
Lisa Kurzner
Leora Lanzola
Nathan Motta
Terri Pontremoli
Beth Rutkowski
Noha Ryder
Tony Sias
Mary Verdi-Fletcher

Documentary
Susan Wasserman, Producer
Eric Bishop

FRONT
Fred Bidwell
Sarah Liska
Allison Smith

Hospitality
Sara Hurand & Elie Weiss
Cindy Attias
Matt Garson & Case Bochenek
Roe Green
Erica Hartman-Horvitz & Richard Horvitz
Daniel Levin
Hedy & Michael Milgrom

Image Fabrication & Installation
Leslye Arian
Dan Austrian
Valerie Boyko
Hannah Gregory
Karen Levinsky
Audrey Ray
Jessica Robins
Maddie Schwartz
Zelda Thayer-Hansen
Tully Worren

Photography
Daniel Levin
Hannah Gregory, assistant
Beth Segal Photography, location

Site Selection & Approvals
Matt Garson, Chair
Rachel Bernstein
Amy Callahan
Michael Deemer
Tyler Grasse
Donna Grigonas
Laurie Hughes
Silvia Iorio
Mallory Kent
Sue Koletsky
Chelsey Kovar
Nathan Lull
Tarra Petras
Matt Provolt
Cory Riordan
Kelley Robinson
Kim Scott
Krystal Sierra
Adam Stalder
Tom Starinsky

Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Sean Benjamin
Tracy Bergen
Rob Berick
Doug Fox
Rebecca Golsky
Rachel Lappen
Sylvia Owen
Israel Wiener
Inju Heo
Ariella Clements

PARTNERS & PRESENTERS:

Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
jewishcleveland.org/israelarts

The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection, a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland partners with the finest local arts organizations and institutions to bring innovative Israeli arts and culture to Cleveland. We celebrate experiences that deepen our Jewish identity and share the beauty of Israel with everyone, through dance, film, music, literature, theater, and the visual arts.

Jewish Federation of Cleveland
jewishcleveland.org

For more than 115 years, the Federation has created the critical scale necessary to drive meaningful social change and provide relief in times of crisis in ways no one person or organization could do alone. As Jewish Cleveland’s hub for innovative solutions and collaborative services, the Federation is able to change and improve lives in Cleveland, Israel, and around the world.

FRONT International 2022
frontart.org

Launched in 2018, FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art is a free, public contemporary art exhibition comprised of artist commissions, performances, films, and public programs that takes place across Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin every three years.

Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows, the second iteration of FRONT International, will run from July 16 through October 2, 2022. Building on the success of the first edition, FRONT 2022 will further the Triennial’s commitment to stimulating new and sustained cultural conversations within the region.

SPONSORS & PATRONS

The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection is a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, connecting our community with the most dynamic 21st century cultural experiences that Israel has to offer. Working in partnership with Northeast Ohio's leading arts organizations, we strive to identify, enhance, promote, and create unique and engaging Israeli cultural opportunities.

Daniel N. Zelman, Board Chair
Erika B. Rudin-Luria, President

Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Advisory Group
Roe Green and Erica Hartman-Horvitz, Co-Chairs

The Jewish Federation’s 2022-23 Cleveland Israel Arts Connection is brought to you by these generous individuals, corporations, and foundations:

Roe Green, Honorary Producer

Platinum Sponsors
The Leonard Krieger Fund of the Cleveland Foundation
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation

Gold Sponsor
Consulate General of Israel, New York

Star Patrons
Roe Green Foundation
Harley & Rochelle Gross
Richard Horvitz & Erica Hartman-Horvitz
Robert & Susan Immerman
Karen & Alan M. Krause

Platinum Patrons
Stanley I. and Honnie R. Busch Memorial Endowment
The John and Peggy Garson Family Foundation
Drs. Jane Glaubinger & Eric Baer
David & Francine Horvitz
Steve & Penni Weinberg

Gold Patrons
Richard Bogomolny & Patricia Kozerefski
Reneé Chelm
Matthew Garson & Case Bochenek
Sara Hurand & Elie Weiss

Silver Patrons
Zeda W. Blau
Rebecca & Irad Carmi
Marc Freimuth
Barbara Galvin
Florence Goodman
Lilli Harris
Amy & Steve Hoffman
Jewish Arts Endowment Fund
Roseanne Kadis
Rachel & Justin Lappen
Cookie & Herb Marcus
Hedy & Michael Milgrom
Ashley Hartman Robinson
Barbara Robinson
Sharon & Bruce Rosenbaum
Linda M. Sandhaus, M.D.
Charna E. Sherman
Michael & Anita Siegal Family Foundation
Robert & Eileen Sill Family Foundation
Marjorie Simon
Margaret Singerman
Richard & Beverley Uria
Barbara Wain
Herb & Jody Wainer
Susan Wasserman
Judith Weiss
Trudy & Steve Wiesenberger

Friends
The Edna & Yair Akrish Family
Leslye Arian
Ziona & Dan Austrian
Deena & Richard Epstein
Margie Moskovitz
Debra S. Yasinow