The Cleveland Museum of Art and FRONT International Present "New Work: Amanda D. King, Charmaine Spencer, Erykah Townsend, Antwoine Washington" at Transformer Station
CLEVELAND, OH – July 22, 2025 – The Cleveland Museum of Art and FRONT International are proud to announce "New Work: Amanda D. King, Charmaine Spencer, Erykah Townsend, Antwoine Washington," the highly anticipated capstone exhibition of the FRONT 2022 Art Futures Fellows. The exhibition will be on view at The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Transformer Station from October 2 through December 27, 2025.
"New Work" showcases the innovative artistic journeys and significant achievements of these four remarkable Cleveland-based artists, marking the culmination of their participation in the prestigious FRONT Art Futures Fellowship program. Established to cultivate the next generation of artistic talent in Northeast Ohio, the FRONT Art Futures Fellowship was a cornerstone initiative of the 2022 edition of FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art. The fellowship program was conceived to extend the triennial's mission of fostering contemporary art by providing emerging and mid-career artists with essential resources for growth. Its primary purpose is to offer unparalleled opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and creative exploration, thereby nurturing local artistic voices and helping them engage with contemporary themes and innovative artistic practices. Elements of the fellowship included $25,000 stipends for each artist, professional, travel, and production support. Although the planned 2025 Triennial exhibition was canceled, the FRONT Board of Directors committed to complete all elements of the FRONT Art Futures Fellowship including this capstone exhibition. This program underscores FRONT International's commitment to civic transformation through art, ensuring a lasting impact on the region's cultural landscape.
“We are thrilled to present 'New Work,' an exhibition that truly highlights the talent and dedication of our 2022 Art Futures Fellows,” said Fred Bidwell, Executive Director of FRONT International. “I am grateful to the FRONT Board of Directors and to The George Gund Foundation and The Cleveland Foundation for providing us with the encouragement and financial support to complete this transformational fellowship as we had originally conceived it. This capstone presentation not only celebrates their individual growth as artists but also underscores the impact of providing the depth of support for artistic voices in our community that has the potential to change careers. We are grateful to Transformer Station and the Cleveland Museum of Art for hosting this important exhibition.”
“We’re proud to partner once again with FRONT International to showcase the vision of these remarkable artists,” said William M. Griswold, the CMA’s Sarah S. and Alexander M. Cutler Director and President. “This exhibition is a unique opportunity to celebrate Cleveland’s artistic talent, engage our community, and forge a deeper connection between the CMA and artists working today.”
The FRONT Art Futures Fellowship provides emerging and mid-career artists with unparalleled opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and creative exploration. The works presented in "New Work" reflect the fellows' deep engagement with contemporary themes, personal histories, and innovative artistic practices developed during their fellowship tenure.
Exhibition Details:
What: "New Work: Amanda D. King, Charmaine Spencer, Erykah Townsend, Antwoine Washington"
When: October 2 – December 27, 2025
Hours: 3 PM - 6 PM Thursday through Saturday
Where: Transformer Station, 1460 W 29th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Admission: Free
About the Artists:
Amanda D. King is a creative director, strategist, and visual artist who bridges art and civic life, notably as co-founder of Shooting Without Bullets and co-leader of offset at the Museum of Creative Human Art. Her work, exhibited across Northeast Ohio and recognized nationally, includes a national billboard campaign with For Freedoms and photography in the Akron Art Museum collection. King's research and practice have been presented at Harvard University and project-manages PRISM: Seeing Beyond Mass Incarceration at the Cleveland Public Library. With a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and an A.B. in Art History from Bryn Mawr College, King's work spans design, movement, and communal life, emphasizing art and community as essential to civic engagement, with collaborations including Nike and Ghetto Gastro.
Charmaine Spencer, a 2005 graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, has garnered significant acclaim, including the William McVey Award for Excellence in Sculpture. Her work, exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Akron Art Museum and Transformer Station, was recently acquired by CWRU and the Hilton Collection in Downtown Cleveland. Notably, the Art Institute of Chicago commissioned her for its major international exhibit, "Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica," which will travel globally. Spencer's art explores African American culture and its evolution, examining how fragments of African heritage are valued in contemporary society. Her creative process reconstructs the relationship between past and present, often juxtaposing organic and synthetic materials. She frequently uses natural and second-hand materials, such as wood, clay, rope, and cardboard, to symbolize how identity can be "stripped, cut or broken, then rewoven, bound, molded or slotted back together" to redefine self-worth and social place. Born in 1970 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Spencer lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio.
Erykah Townsend, also known as E.T., is a conceptual artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Townsend's art boldly confronts and questions the role of pop culture in our lives. She uses pop culture as a medium itself —exploring the spaces it occupies in our lives and inquiring how real the imaginary is. Through reflective and humorous narratives, Townsend employs characters, cultural icons, and objects as allegories for her criticism. Additionally, her work incorporates elements from their original sources, providing the audience with a fresh and sentimental experience. Townsend's art is firmly grounded in the concept of extremism. She boldly explores a range of subjects within Western culture, pop culture, and human relationships, delivering sharp social commentary on the significant challenges that emerge when things are taken too far. Townsend received her BFA in painting from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2020. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions, including her first solo museum show, "Happy" Holidays, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland.
Antwoine Washington: Antwoine Washington was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and received his BA in Studio Art from Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge. LA. Antwoine's early inspiration was drawing characters from Saturday morning cartoons and later, the art and legacy of the Harlem Renaissance artists such as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jacob Lawrence. After college, he moved to Cleveland, OH with his Carlise, and began working for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier. Determined to work full-time as an artist, he quit his job at the postal service. Washington suffered a stroke in November 2018. His artistic practice played a crucial role in his recovery. Since surviving the stroke, his work has been exhibited and commissioned widely in Cleveland. Antwoine founded a non-profit organization called the Museum of Creative Human Art, a platform for him to share his talent with the community and teach. He currently works and lives in Cleveland, OH, with his wife Carlise and their children, Grayson and Luca.
About FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art:
FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art is an acclaimed triennial exhibition that launched in 2018. It showcased art from around the world in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, fostering a deeper appreciation for contemporary art and its ability to engage with pressing global issues. Founded on the belief that art can be a powerful catalyst for civic transformation and cultural exchange, FRONT was established to bring world-class contemporary art to the region, creating a platform for dialogue and engagement with art in unexpected spaces and institutions across Northeast Ohio. FRONT presented two highly acclaimed editions in 2018 and 2022. In early 2024, the Board of Directors of FRONT decided to cancel its planned 2025 triennial exhibition due to a decline in philanthropic support and shifting social priorities following the global pandemic.
About Transformer Station:
Transformer Station is a contemporary art museum located in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. Founded by the Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Foundation in 2013 as a space for challenging and innovative exhibitions of contemporary art, Transformer Station was gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2023.
Media Contact:
Fred Bidwell
Executive Director
Fred.Bidwell@FRONTArt.org
330-730-1273
FRONTart.org
