Cleveland Rocks! Announces Official Call for Visual Artists

Press release
Source: Gibson Guitar

Cleveland Rocks!, the public art project presented by Epiphone Guitar officially announced its call for visual artists. The project which officially kicked off this month will benefit local charities and bring visual artists and celebrities together through art and music. Visual artists will be selected by a steering committee made up of a Who’s Who in Cleveland and the entertainment industry. The visual artists selected for this program will have the opportunity to decorate one of fifty Epiphone Les Paul guitars, and once completed, will have them exclusively exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The project and artists will be part of unparallel recognition and worldwide publicity.

Visual artists interested in submitting an application and artwork for Cleveland Rocks! should download the forms at http://ClevelandRocks.Epiphone.com. Visual artists may also pick up an application at the Greater Cleveland Film Commission located at 1301 E 9th Street, Suite 120 in downtown Cleveland between the hours of 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday—Friday. The deadline for completed applications is July 27, 2009 at 6:00pm EDT. Visual artists may submit more than one proposal. Information regarding applications, official rules and regulations and general information can also be obtained by calling the official Cleveland Rocks! hotline at 1-800-444-2766 ext. 2121 or by emailing clevelandrocks@epiphone.com. Once all applications are received by interested artists, the official steering committee will vote on the designs which will be part of the exciting exhibit and notify each artist. All visual artists chosen will also share in a worldwide publicity announcement. All participating visual artists will receive a gift certificate for materials to help defray the cost, inclusion in the Cleveland Rocks! catalog, invitation to the star-studded Cleveland Rocks! gala auction event and eligibility to be featured in large scale publicity campaigns.

Cleveland Rocks! is a community arts project that celebrates the unique artistic excellence and diversity of the city of Cleveland. Featuring Epiphone Les Paul guitars that are to be artistically designed by Ohio based visual artists and celebrities, this project will serve as an artistic reminder and display of Cleveland’s lush musical heritage and unwavering commitment to music that Rocks! Cleveland is the home of rock-n-roll, given the distinction of being the city which originally coined the phrase by Alan Freed. Once completed, the guitars will be exclusively exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and subsequently auctioned off to raise funds for three local non-profit organizations: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, and The Cleveland Music School Settlement.

Once visual artists for Cleveland Rocks! have been selected and the painting process has been completed, the Epiphone guitars will be exclusively exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in the fall of 2009. A gala auction event conducted by world-renowned Julien’s Auctions will be held at the conclusion of the exhibit with all proceeds benefitting the non-profits. The project is administered through the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Gibson Guitar, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life through its support of the arts, education, health & welfare and environmental causes worldwide. In the coming weeks Cleveland Rocks! will announce its official steering committee selections.

Individuals, organizations or corporations interested in sponsoring a Cleveland Rocks! guitar can contact the organizers by calling 1-800-444-2766 ext. 2121 or by emailing clevelandrocks@epiphone.com. All sponsor benefits and levels are outlined on the official website or can be customized to suit a sponsor's interests and requirements. Each guitar will be sponsored and corporate partners have the ability to help decide on the design and artistry of the sculpture. The concept will have a huge impact in the community and provide enormous publicity and promotion for the popular City of Cleveland, as well as provide another interesting opportunity to attract tourists from around the world.

For more information on Cleveland Rocks, please visit http://ClevelandRocks.Epiphone.com.

About Epiphone:
Epiphone fretted instruments, amplifiers, strings and accessories are known worldwide for offering the best combination of quality, performance and value. One of Gibson’s most formidable competitors through the first half of the 20th century, Epiphone was acquired by Gibson Guitar in 1957. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Epiphone is part of the Gibson family of brands. For more information on Epiphone go to www.epiphone.com.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

About the Greater Cleveland Film Commission:
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission works to achieve increased economic development in Northeast Ohio by using the artistic and culturally enriching activities of film and other media production to strengthen the workforce, support the media production industry and attract media production to the region. It promotes the increase of media production using effective strategies for attraction and workforce development including building an artistic infrastructure through film.

About The Cleveland Music School Settlement:
The mission of The Cleveland Music School Settlement is to enrich the lives of people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities by offering access to high quality music instruction, music therapy and early childhood education. The Music Settlement was founded in 1912 by Almeda Adams with the support of the Fortnightly Musical Club and several of Cleveland’s leading families. Programs beyond instruction in music include a nationally acclaimed Music Therapy program and one of the most popular Early Childhood Education programs in Cleveland. Altogether, The Music Settlement brings music and the arts into the lives of approximately 2,700 people on an annual basis.

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