REA+CH Residencies

REA+CH Resident

Blake Cook, a Cleveland, Ohio resident, was the first artist to participate in REA+CH, an artist in residence program that provides opportunities for abused, neglected, and dependent children in Mahoning County to work directly with artists both conceptually and physically. Blake received a BFA in Painting from Edinboro University and an MFA in Painting and Sculpture from Indiana University, both located in Pennsylvania. He is currently the Gallery Director at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland where he holds additional positions as Program Coordinator and Art Instructor. Blake works in various media such as painting and sculpture, and recently has been focusing on drawing, installation, and performance.

Blake’s piece, Whenever I See the Moon I’ll Think of You, was the major influencing factor during the program, as the children created moon-inspired works.  Specifically, Blake’s piece is a lament in three parts and is the artist’s response to the death of his mother.

He described their weekly visits as spontaneous and rewarding, “we would talk and/or engage in various art making activities, ranging from drawing to sculpting in plaster in preparation for the building of the final work.  The workshop was focused in such a way that the most intensive art making activities took place leading up to the closing reception for the exhibition. For the final activity, the students made portraits of someone they missed, which related to the theme of the show and resulted in very powerful works that were included as part of the exhibition.”

The two-month process of creating this installation was open to the public. Visitors to the Museum could view the various stages in progress and interact with the artist and the youths. When the piece was completed, we celebrated with a “closing reception” that was attended by over 200 people including friends and family of the youths who participated. One of the most memorable occurrences that evening was watching the youths give tours of the show to the visitors and sharing with them their experiences over the last two months.