In 2009, after 10 years of varied experience in graphic design, we decided to go out on our own and open Agnes Studio. So who is Agnes anyway? As luck would have it, Danielle and Lizzy’s mothers share the same name. When the studio needed its own, we named it after them.

Before starting Agnes Studio, Danielle Rini Uva served as Senior Designer at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and Art Director for the web publication Hotel Bruce. She received a BFA in Graphic Design from Ohio University and also worked as a graphic designer at firms in Chicago and Cleveland. Danielle has taught Graphic Design at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland State University, and has received design awards from AIGA, the American Museum Association, and Ohio University. She has served as the Graphic Design Visiting Critic at Ohio University, as a juror for CIA’s Student Independent Exhibition, and as a presenter to preschoolers, junior high classes, and college students alike. She enjoys reading, cooking, and impromptu dance parties—at the same time.

Katie Parland is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art. After receiving her BFA in Communication Design, she worked at Agnes Studio until 2013, when she became Lead Designer at Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC. Katie moved back to Cleveland in 2016 and rejoined Agnes. She was selected as one of Graphic Design USA’s Students to Watch in 2010. Her work has been highlighted by FastCo Design, Vogue, and Cool Hunting. She has won AIGA awards in the Student and Professional Design categories, and has participated in design conferences in the Southeast and Midwest US. Katie likes to run with her dog Stevie Nicks and makes a pretty good cup of coffee.

After years in Cleveland, founding partner Lizzy Lee returned to the east coast. We visit her during our annual studio retreats by the ocean.

In creating the mural “The Space Between You and It Melt,” Agnes Studio was inspired by both the architecture of the site and Jesmyn Ward's award-winning novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing. The novel’s narrative weaves between present and past, life and death, and comfort and pain. The two bridge pillars underneath the Red Line train underscore these parallels and divisions, always in conversation, but never touching. Franklin Avenue is the space between the pillars, while the arches hold secrets. The river bolsters one side, while the other slides down a hill.

We loved this challenging site for both the location and the structure itself. This abstract mural was influenced by Josef Albers’s color studies, as well as architectural typography. Our hope is that people will experience and discover it in many ways—driving or biking by, or walking through, coming from across the river or sitting on the back patio at Hoopples.

Agnes Studio is Danielle Rini Uva and Katie Parland. The mural was completed with assistance from Sam Cahill, Amber Esner, and Kim Tran.

Da’Shaunae Jackson is a photographer who resides in Cleveland, OH. She currently studies photography at Cuyahoga Community College. She was a finalist of the Photographer’s Forum 38th Annual College & High School Photography Contest. Her work was published in Breakwall Literary Journal and has been shown in group exhibitions at the Cleveland Print Room. She published her first monograph Waiting to Arrivein 2017. The book takes the viewer along her journey on Cleveland’s Regional Transit Authority and gives a very personal perspective on riding the RTA. She currently teaches youth at the Cleveland Print Room.

I have been inspired to create a series of photographs that express how African American culture have been connected to bodies of water throughout time. The rivers of this earth have seen joy and sorrow from the human experience. Whether that may be through traditional dance, ceremonial baptism, the bathing of self or washing of clothes and food etc. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes has helped me realize how diverse the human experience is and the rivers that he speaks of stands as a memory bank that hold our history. This series is a play on those many experiences in the memory of those rivers. This exhibit is part of a temporary on-board installation.

Anna Tararova is a Russian-born artist based in Cleveland. She is a printmaker, photographer, and papermaker. Anna exhibits her work internationally and has completed artist residencies at Women’s Studio Workshop, The Center for Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago, The Morgan Conservatory, and Dundee Contemporary Arts. She is the Gallery and Artist Opportunities coordinator at the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation in Cleveland.

I was attracted to the 'Stonewall Years' chapter of The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman. I would like to make a portrait of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. They were two trans women of color who took a big part in the Stonewall riots in 1969 and many other protests and rallies in 1970. They founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries organization, which provided housing and social services to homeless queer youth and sex workers. It was a groundbreaking organization, since most other queer organizations at the time excluded drag queens and trans people. Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries was also behind organizing the first gay pride parade held on the anniversary of Stonewall riots. In The Gay Revolution, Lillian Faderman writes about the exclusion of trans people and people of color from the gay rights and women's right movements of the 60's and 70's. I believe the subject of intersectionality in social justice movements is still relevant today.
This exhibit is part of a temporary on-board installation.

For Conceptual Artist/Activist Amanda King, Art is even more than a means of expression, it is the vehicle through which she accomplishes community work. Her exhibitions explore themes of race, gender, socioeconomics, trauma, family and community. Through the lens of her camera, she tells the stories of often unseen communities and the societal forces that oppress them. King’s work weaves together elements of fine art photography, portraiture, and documentary photography to simultaneously bring awareness to the interconnectedness of her subjects’ struggles and to properly represent these individuals’ inner diversity. Amanda curates socially engaged
exhibitions and installations that pay homage to the environments in which those she photographs live. King works to sincerely capture the beauty and pain of her subjects’ surroundings, while at the same time educating audiences across communities.

In addition to creating art, Amanda has dedicated her career to advocating for adolescents and underrepresented communities. Amanda is Founder and Creative Director of Shooting Without Bullets, an expressive arts program that provides a framework for black and brown youth in Cleveland to develop and utilize their artistic voice to process the complex social issues affecting their lives & community.

Amanda received her B.A. in Art History from Bryn Mawr College (2011) and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law (2017), where she focused on Race and Law, Constitutional Law, Juvenile Law, and the Philosophy of Law. She has been recognized by the Case Western Reserve University School of Law for using her public platform and creative talents to advocate for juvenile justice and police accountability. She is the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for following, in character and conduct, the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; the Diane Ethics award for demonstrating exemplary understanding of the ethics and ideals of the legal profession in academic, professional and extracurricular activities; and the Dean’s Award for Community Service for her commitment to enriching the lives in the Greater Cleveland Area and serving as an example to others.

Title: “What’s Next?”
What is the next Great Migration? The elusive promised land that black Americans sought during the Great Migration, marched for during the Civil Rights Movement, and continue to protest for today doesn’t seem to exist anywhere-- not even in the arena of sports. This image pays homage to revolutionary protests by black athletes Jesse Owens, Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Colin Kaepernick.
Four boys sit on the steps of an abandoned school. In the background is the American Flag. Like Owens, one boy salutes the flag while two other boys raise their fists as did Tommie Smith and John Carlos. The fourth boy sits with his hands gently crossed, resting on his knees like Kaepernick.
The boys were born in Cleveland, the promised land fled to by Jesse Owens and his sharecropper parents during the Great Migration. Despite making the physical migration from South to North to escape lynching and other racial terrorism, black Americans are still nine times more likely to experience police brutality. Despite being the descendants of those who sought political asylum and greater opportunity in Ohio, they are not free from poverty and systemic barriers that hinder their upward mobility. Despite freedom of speech being a constitutional right, black Americans face personal and professional repercussions for speaking out against injustice.
Physical migration has not ensured safety for black Americans. Civil rights laws and constitutional protections have not ensured freedom from injustice. Even the economic success and notoriety that comes along with being a successful athlete cannot protect a black individual from racism. This image reminds us of protests of the past and asks us to imagine a better future. How do we create a Promised Land that is not just a dream of black migrants but a reality for black athletes, Clevelanders and black children like the ones depicted in this photo?
This exhibit is part of a temporary on-board installation.

Adrienne Slane is an artist who works with collage. She graduated from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2010 with a major in drawing. She currently lives in a rural town in Ohio and spends her days working in her studio, taking hikes in the forest, beachcombing, exploring abandoned places, and participating in the arts community. She creates hand-cut collages from old illustrations and antique and decorative papers. She combines images of plants, insects, animals, planets, human anatomy, and various objects whose diverse sources range from the 1500s to mid-1900s. The subject matter and composition of her work is inspired by the history of the curiosity cabinet, traditional women’s craft such as folk quilts and paper silhouettes, and Christian and Eastern iconography. Her work celebrates the beauty and interconnectivity of the universe in a time when our environment is in crisis. It draws its imagery from a wealth of illustrations that encouraged exploration, wonder, and appreciation of nature in decades past. It also honors a history of craft practiced by women who were largely denied the opportunity to seriously pursue the recognized fine arts. These women cut and gathered scraps of fabric and paper to create images that reflected their daily lives, their environment, and their folk histories. The decorative, ephemeral, and meditative qualities of old, Christian reliquaries and Eastern mandalas is also reflected in her work, where each individual element works to create a whole.

For my piece inspired by The Gay Revolution: The Story of Struggle by Lillian Faderman, and the theme of love, I have created a colorful, celebratory image using bold graphics. I have chosen to focus on the celebration of LGBT love that was/is made possible by longtime struggle to change negative societal opinions. For riders of public transportation, I think it is important to have imagery that is uplifting during their commute. Since the rainbow is one of the most iconic LGBT symbols, I have created my piece using the bold colors of the rainbow. Besides including the silhouettes of two men and two women representing gay couples and hands coming together representing support and unity, I have included hearts which symbolize love and the word “love” itself, since it is the theme. Birds and butterflies represent freedom in their ability to literally rise above. Butterflies also symbolize hope and positive transformation. The collection of flowers, stars, and various other shapes, besides adding additional beauty and interest to the piece, are meant to give the entire work the look of an exploding firework as in a significant celebration.
This exhibit is part of a temporary on-board installation.