Photography

Andrew Borowiec captured both the grittiness and the grandeur of Cleveland’s industrial landscape in photographs that artfully illustrate the way the city’s industrial roots are intertwined with its neighborhoods, its downtown and its natural resources. Borowiec, who is a professor of art at the University of Akron, is the winner of many awards, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. His work has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. These photographs reflect the Foundation’s continuing commitment to the economic development of this region as it works to build a new future on its historic manufacturing base.

The powerful portraits created for this report by Nicholas Nixon offer an intimate glimpse inside the examining rooms and waiting rooms of the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland. Nixon, whose images are included in major museums throughout the world, has published several volumes of his work and received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.The Foundation commissioned these photographs to illustrate our ongoing commitment to meet the needs of the less advantaged in our community and to work toward sound public policies that provide adequate health care for all our citizens.

The photographs created for the 1999 annual report by Douglas Lucak offer an evocative look at Cleveland’s urban landscape. The haunting and sometimes melancholic images he has created with his simple pinhole cameras reflect both the complexity and ambiguity of the Foundation’s steady but vigorous relationship with the city’s diverse neighborhoods. The native Clevelander’s work has been widely exhibited and is included in several corporate collections.

The images from the 1997 annual report, which so beautifully captured both the mystery and the majesty of Lake Erie, were created by landscape photographer Frank Gohlke. His work is included in major public collections throughout the world, and he has received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The George Gund Foundation commissioned this portfolio to reflect its long-standing interest in the future of Lake Erie and ever-growing awareness of the many roles this Great Lake plays in the life of our community.

Gregory Conniff’s photographs of city gardens, displayed in the 1996 annual report, captured the delight of discovering the unexpected in our urban environment. An avid gardener himself, Conniff has received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The George Gund Foundation commissioned this portfolio to reflect its continuing commitment to Cleveland’s neighborhoods and its citizens who tend these wonderful gardens.

The images created for the 1995 annual report by Lee Friedlander presented a penetrating reflection on the diversity of Cleveland’s people at work. For nearly four decades, Friedlander has been one of the world’s most renowned and important artists. His work has been exhibited in major museums throughout the world and assembled into 13 critically-acclaimed books. He is the recipient of three John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowships as well as the prestigious “genius” award from the MacArthur Foundation. His striking photo essay, “People Working,” was commissioned by the George Gund Foundation to underscore its commitment to supporting the economic vitality of Northeast Ohio by addressing issues related to the quality and skills of its workforce.

Cleveland photographer Linda Butler’s images from the 1994 annual report reflected the remarkable richness of Cleveland’s arts and cultural institutions. Ms. Butler’s photographs have been exhibited in prestigious museums throughout this country as well as in Canada, Japan and Italy. She also has published two books of her work. Ms. Butler’s beautifully detailed images were commissioned by the Foundation to reflect its long-standing commitment to maintaining a lively and diverse arts community in Cleveland.

Portraits of Cleveland families were taken for the 1993 annual report by Dawoud Bey. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge and other distinguished venues. Mr. Bey’s powerful multiple images were commissioned by the Foundation to reflect its long-standing commitment to strengthening the family as a source of emotional, social and economic support.