china in Lakewood are approaching thirty years as a haven and space for Cleveland area artists and makers. We trace our beginnings back to 1994 when a couple of American Greetings artists acquired a studio space in the Lake Erie Building, a sprawling century-old factory complex in the Birdtown neighborhood of Lakewood. They were shortly followed by printmaker Phyllis Fannin, who helped work with the City of Lakewood and the building’s owners to begin repurposing portions of the site into an art destination. She still maintains her studio in the building to this day. Growing from the original three artists to at least sixty artists and makers today, our ad hoc artist group is known as the Screw Factory Artists, and boasts ceramicists, metal smiths, sculptors, jewelry and glass artists, woodworkers, painters, photographers and printmakers, as well as art instructors and many other creative entrepreneurs.
The Screw Factory Artists have collaborated to host open studio events in the building, all on a volunteer basis, beginning in 1996 with an annual December holiday show and expanding to the current spring and fall open studios which now welcome thousands of visitors.
Fall is our busiest season with three shows in the lineup. In October, the Fall Art Show includes not only the open studios of resident artists and their guest artists, but also a score of visiting artists and makers. In November, Small Business Saturday is more intimate and features resident artists’ studios for pre-holiday shopping. December brings the Holiday Market, our biggest event of the year, with more than 45 open studios plus more than fifty visiting artists who fill the two beautiful open warehouse event spaces. Detailed dates and times for each show are listed below. Admission and parking are free for all events.
SCREW FACTORY ARTISTS
13000 Athens Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio 44107screwfactoryartists.org
Facebook: Screw Factory Artists Lofts
EVENTS:
Fall Art Show & Open Studios, 6-10pm Friday, October 27 & 10am-3pm Saturday, October 28
Small Business Saturday, 10am-3pm Saturday, November 25 Holiday Market, 6-10pm Friday, December 15; 10am-6pm Saturday, December 16; 10am-3pm Sunday, December 17
