Join Grace Chin, the Director of The Sculpture Center, for a tour of Abigail DeVille’s "The Dream Keeper," and Fairfax resident and artist, Ron Shelton, who will read inspirational poems from Langston Hughes’ "The Dream Keeper and Other Poems."
"The Dream Keeper" is inspired by the titular book of poetry for young people written in 1932 by Langston Hughes, who resided in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood as a high school student. Guided by the question, “Who are the dream keepers in Cleveland?” Abigail DeVille weaves the hopes and dreams of the young poet into the historical and cultural narratives of under-recognized populations long past.
The outdoor installation at Quincy Garden in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood is significant for its location a mere three blocks from the house where Hughes spent his developmental years as a teenager, and adjacent to the country’s first inter-racial theater Karamu House, where he was an active participant. The installation consists of thirteen predominantly figurative sculptures made from domestic materials and reclaimed objects once commonly used. Many of the sculptures bear faces cast from members of the Fairfax community, who, through their lived experiences, collectively contribute to a hopeful future. The sculptures are placed in the formation of the phoenix constellation, which lives in the southern hemisphere. The mythical phoenix rises from its ashes to be born anew. But, just like dreams, the phoenix never dies.
Join Fairfax artist, Ron Shelton, for a guided tour of Abigail DeVille’s "The Dream Keeper" and readings of the inspirational poems behind the artwork in Quincy Garden.
Ron Shelton is a multi-media artist and curator/publisher at High Art Fridays based in Fairfax Cleveland, OH. He works primarily with unsustainable materials, focuses High Art Fridays on international artists who are transforming the environmental hazard into works of art, with the hope of bringing awareness to our society of the damages this medium causes.
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