“It’s wonderful that
the City involves residents
so much in the process.”
Leslye Arian • Painter
One myth of the artist’s life is that it is solo and isolated – the artist as a
mercurial personality toiling away in a lonely studio. But that’s definitely not
Leslye Arian.
A painter of uncommon energy, Leslye has spent a lifetime in careers
that marry creativity and community. After her graduation from the Cleveland
Institute of Art, she worked as a designer of architectural signage, as
a developer of art programming at nursing homes, and as a nonprofit
administrator. At the same time, she and her husband Keith raised two
children, both of whom attended Shaker Schools.
Leslye painted on her own while she was employed, but a full work
schedule relegated her creative work to scattered scraps of time. After her
retirement in the early 2010s, she repaid her own patience with six dedicated
months of art. Then she asked her artist friends the big question: Am I ready for
a show? The answer was a resounding yes, and Leslye soon had her first show
at Juma Gallery.
Since then, her art has continued to take off. She’s back to her roots,
represented by Bonfoey Gallery. “I’m the happiest I’ve been in my life,” she
says. “It’s all really come full circle for me.”
Always energized and looking ahead, in 2015 Leslye went on to found
the Shaker Community Gallery, a secular nonprofit gallery housed in Christ
Episcopal Church on Warrensville Center Road in the Van Aken District. The
gallery, which hosts three shows a year, was founded to showcase artists, and
to support economic development in Shaker Heights by lending a creative
energy and inspirational destination to the Van Aken District area.
This same desire to bring people together through art led Leslye to
undertake a public art installation in conjunction with the Shaker Heights Fire
Department. The Fire Department wanted to commemorate its centennial in
2017 by installing public art in the pocket park adjoining the Chagrin Road
station. In collaboration with the City and other artists, Leslye raised $15,000 in
private donations to hire artist Augusto Bordelois to paint a mural at the park.
With this background, Leslye was a natural fit for the Public Art Task
Force. “It’s wonderful that the City involves residents so much in the
process,” she says, referring to the solicitation of resident feedback for the
Task Force’s latest project of commissioning public art for the Van Aken
District. Leslye, keenly aware that public art is legacy, says it’s a way for a
community to keep pushing towards what’s next. “Public art is not just the
here-and-now. It’s something that people will grow with.”
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