ACTIVISM, ACCESSIBILITY Artists Archives exhibit explores chronic illness, disability and inclusion from the perspectives of artists By Amanda Koehn
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ndrew Reach was a successful architect for 20 years, channeling his creativity into designs in cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. Between 2003 and 2005, the Miami Beach, Fla. native’s longtime challenges with his spine began to exacerbate, requiring surgery and extensive treatments for what was then diagnosed as a progressive spinal disease. After treatments and recoveries, his pain remained debilitating. “I just kind of had to come to terms with that (and) that I wasn’t going to be able to return to work, at least for the near future,” he says of ending his architecture career, which often required him to travel and work long days. “I ... felt like a fish out of water. I didn’t have my architecture profession. I didn’t know what to do the rest of my life,” he says. His husband, Bruce Baumwoll, suggested he design graphics for cards to sell on his eBay business. Reach learned a little Photoshop and started creating. He found a new, unexpected outlet for his creativity – making abstract artwork in digital media. “The artwork just started coming out of me … I don’t really understand how it happened,” Reach says. Within a year, he had his first solo show, which was reviewed by a prominent Miami art critic. And when he and Baumwoll moved to Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood in 2007, he kept creating often bright, sometimes kaleidescope, angular pieces. Abstractly, his work reflects on experiences with chronic illness and physical pain. “I get to show it to the public, I get to express it, and I get to bring some joy and beauty into the world,” he says. “But I think first and foremost, it’s kind of like breathing as a necessity – art for me has become my savior in a way. It
14 | Canvas | Fall 2022
“The Fire Next Time” (2018) by Kristi Copez. Relief print, 24 x 18 inches. Courtesy of Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. really has helped me get through what I have to deal with on a daily basis.” Reach is one of nine artists in the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve’s new exhibition “W/O Limits: Art, Chronic Illness, & Disability,” opening at the Cleveland gallery Sept. 22. On view through Nov. 12, it displays the work of regional artists who all have something
in common – living with chronic illness and/or disabilities, and often reflecting on those experiences in their work. Curated by Megan Alves and Mindy Tousley of AAWR, the exhibition highlights skilled local artists while also drawing attention to parts of life people often struggle with privately. The artists featured are Sarah Brown, Kristi Copez,
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