Crossing Cultures
Heather McClellan '09

Negative Space Gallery is honored to show the works of two talented Cleveland artists, Heather McClellan and Nahid Sadrian. Both artists have been deeply influenced by their experience living in foreign lands: Heather’s cultural exposure to a variety of countries and Nahid’s immigration from her native Iran to the US. In addition, both artists employ unique techniques with varnishes to produce visually striking imagery.

The show will open on December 11th, from 6-9pm, alongside music, food, and drinks. Heather and Nahid will be present to discuss their works and experiences. You are cordially invited to attend. The works will remain on display throughout the holidays, until January 10th. Negative Space Gallery and the artists can make themselves available for press interviews before or during the show.

Heather McClellan is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art who has been responsible for several art projects in Cleveland, including leading the team which re-issued Viktor Scheckengost's iconic Jazz Bowl. She is also a seasoned globetrotter, having lived in such places as the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and Viet Nam and having travelled to many more. Her subjects tend to be women of the countries she visits, while her techniques are adapted from these same cultures. During her stay in Vietnam, Heather learned the traditional Vietnamese lacquer style of painting; it quickly became her passion. Earlier this year, Heather showed her latest collection in Viet Nam, where it was positively received by the national media and by local artists and international art appreciators alike. A short documentary on Heather's work can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4t99CthXc

Nahid Sadrian is the first artist to participate in Negative Space's groundbreaking "Art Is My Refuge" program, designed to nurture and promote minority and refugee artists in Northeast Ohio. She was born in the traditional and historical city of Yazd in Iran, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Art and Architecture and her master’s in Urban Design. She now lives in Ohio and practices art and architecture with her husband. Her works employ a technique dubbed “reverse painting,” building inverse layers of colors on glass and other surfaces. Her typical subjects of flowers, trees, and landscapes are deeply complemented by this technique.