Clayton Bailey’s World of Wonders: Curated Storefront christens new lobby of Akron’s Landmark Building with the strange magic of a singular artist
Robots! Horn dogs! Jaw harps! Mutant heads! Bigfoot’s skeleton! Come one, come all...
Join Curated Storefront on Thursday, May 27, at the Bowery Project’s crown jewel, the Landmark Building, as we peer into the wild, warped mind of renowned ceramist and prankster Clayton Bailey.
“This exhibit is the largest collection of Bailey’s artwork anywhere in the world,” said Curated Storefront founder Rick Rogers. “We’re pleased to make it free to the public to help celebrate the continued revitalization of downtown Akron.”
Since 2016, Rogers’ organization has played a key role in this effort by transforming vacant, uninteresting storefronts into vibrant art displays – creating safe, engaging and creative spaces for downtown visitors. “This exhibit brings everyone inside for a change, where art lovers can enjoy a more immersive experience in the wonderful world of Clayton Bailey.”
The event will include performances by local favorite Theron Brown (who played jazz pianist Herbie Hancock in the movie Miles Ahead, starring Don Cheadle) and several guest musicians, who might even play Bailey’s own “jaw harps.” Refreshments will be available for purchase at the event, which will take place from 5 to 10 p.m.
Based in California, Bailey gained a worldwide following in the late-Sixties and Seventies through his playful, eccentric creations — including gender- and animal- specific robots, troll-like ceramic heads and sci-fi-inspired oddities that became hallmarks of the era’s Funk Art and Nut Art movements. Media coverage of Bailey often focused on his alter-ego, Dr. George Gladstone, a parody of the classic “mad scientist” obsessed with strange phenomena such as space-age robots, UFOs and Bigfoot.
After Bailey passed away in June 2020, Curated Storefront acquired virtually all of the artist’s collection from his estate. Over 100 wild, surprising and incredible pieces from the singular mind of Bailey will be on display at the Landmark Building. In an imagined universe populated by robots and Dr. Gladstone, Clayton Bailey managed to walk a line between ingenious fabrication and outsider art that is incredibly playful. This exhibition is fun for kids and adults who dare to enter his strange and surreal universe.
Following the opening on May 27, Clayton Bailey’s World of Wonders will remain free and open to the public (regular hours will be posted soon at curatedstorefront.org).
More information and tickets for the May 27th opening are available here.
For more on Clayton Bailey:
• www.kqed.org/arts/13882068/clayton-bailey
• www.claytonbailey.com
• www.aaa.si.edu/collections/items/detail/unnatural-enquirer-6240
• www.conversations.org/story.php?sid=328
• https://classic.esquire.com/article/1974/8/1/their-arts-belong-to-dada
About Curated Storefront:
Over the past four years, Curated Storefront has presented engaging artwork in multiple unused spaces; commissioned and employed artists; offered educational outreach programs to further engage the public; and stimulated commercial development. More information about Curated Storefront and its other exhibits on display throughout Akron can be found at curatedstorefront.org.
