AN OPENING WORD FROM ADC FINE ART PRESIDENT & OWNER, LITSA SPANOS.
As the first few weeks of 2021 are upon us, I wanted to take a bit of time to reflect on the people and experiences that have touched me this past year. I feel so fortunate that my path has intersected with so many talented, kind and loving people both here in my hometown of Cincinnati and across the world. There are many ups and downs on any life path, but the most important thing I’ve found to help me navigate my career is a personal dedication to share the very best version of myself in every circumstance - from coaching an artist, advising a dear client, starting a non-profit or growing the business during these most difficult times.
Ultimately what matters most of all is YOU. Bringing you joy and happiness through art is what gives me the strength to persevere and do what I love.
I’m also blessed and grateful to have the most incredible team making this all happen. Take a look at all we’ve done TOGETHER in 2020!
OUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING CINCINNATI'S FIRST AND ONLY MEGA-GALLERY IN 2020
ADC EAST GRAND OPENING
We started the year off by moving into the O'Bryonville neighborhood and opening the doors to ADC East, a unique and personality filled turn of the century space with 3 gallery salons and a small artisan boutique.
Take a peek at our Grand Opening party in February 2020!
FINDING INSPIRATION IN QUARANTINE
COVID-19 hit the art industry hard - and artists had to dig deep to find inspiration. Check out the words of wisdom shared by Litsa to all artists... It's no surprise that her message was centered on positivity and remaining laser-focused on the future.
WE SHIPPED our 6th edition of BLINK!
We knew that the 2020 edition of BLINK was going to be important for our artists. With COVID impacting art fairs and exhibitions all across the globe, a resource like BLINK was one of the few ways for artists to show their work to the world and find their audience. With an ever expanding distribution list and our largest collection of artists yet, 2020 was a record year for helping artists.
In fact, BLINK 2020 was so successful, we have a surprise announcement...
BLINK WILL BE ALL NEW FOR 2021!
There will be new opportunities for artists to highlight their work, a new layout to catch the eyes of designers, and...
THERE WILL BE 2 EDITIONS:
BLINK SPRING 2021 & BLINK FALL 2021
want to be included in BLINK Spring 2021? >>ART COMES ALIVE 2020
We had to reschedule the ACA Awards & Exhibition twice due to COVID, but it didn’t stop us from selling 63 pieces and honoring artists with many awards!
Couldn't make it to the show? You can watch the event on Facebook Watch, or check out the full album.
NOTEABLE INSTALLATIONS
We had some really diverse and interesting installations this year. Although not as many corporate projects as in the past, what we did was noteworthy. Who wouldn’t want to put artwork into the former CEO’s of GE Aviation’s office or install a beautiful red outdoor sculpture in a beautiful backyard?
THE POWER OF HER
Inspired by the 2020 Power of Her book that was published through Artwave, we created our own exhibition series showcasing some of the best female artists in Cincinnati. These solo shows resulted in numerous sales and encouraged artists to just “keep creating” no matter what!!
EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
STACIE SEUBERLING
LISA SCHUSTER
FRAN CARLISLE
MARY BARR RHODES
CAROL MacCONNELL
JOLIE HARRIS
NANCI LANNI
TRISH WEEKS
PAULA WIGGINS
Every artist in the POWER OF HER series was also showcase in the 2020 BLINK Art Resource.
CINCINNATI'S FIRST, AND ONLY, MEGA-GALLERY
ONE OF OUR MOST EXCITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2020 WAS THE OPENING OF OUR SECOND LOCATION - ADC WEST.
ADC WEST GRAND OPENING
OVER 1 YEAR IN DEVELOPMENT, THE RENOVATION OF OUR NEW ADC WEST GALLERY IN THE WEST END WAS A LABOR OF LOVE, VISION AND RESILIENCE.
Since the opening in November 2020, ADC West has already showcased our BLINK 2020 artists in an opening show and exhibition, and hosted our annual Art Comes Alive Awards Show and Exhibition.
History is all around us in the 13,000sqft gallery. The home of the ADC West gallery and ADC Fine Art corporate offices is located in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati in a renovated 100 year old industrial building. And the gallery door was a priceless discovery found in the original residence of Cincinnati's first African-American Mayor – Mayor Theodore "Ted" Berry. This door was witness to history being made in our Queen city - a young, 29 year old Martin Luther King, Jr. even walked across its threshold as a guest of Mayor Berry's family.
[pictured is Judge Ted N. Berry, son of Mayor Berry, standing in front of the door salvaged from his childhood home.
The renovation of ADC West was something to behold. You can see more images of our historic front door and all of the renovations in the gallery below (the link will open a new tab in your browser).
We just love our new West End neighborhood and to say “hello” we decided to have a pop up art event for the kids. Artists paired up with kids of all ages and created fun graffiti art which we are proudly displaying at our entrance.
THE CUBE @ ADC WEST
The vision for The CUBE - a non-profit experiential art space - is one of transformation and growth. When a visitor steps into the CUBE, and is immersed in the experience, they will be transported to an entirely new place within their imagination - encouraging healing and peace.
IN NOVEMBER OF 2020 ADC LAUNCHED SMARTSPACES – A CAREFULLY CURATED AND FLEXIBLE CO-WORKING SPACE FOR PROFESSIONALS LOOKING FOR A ONE-OF-A-KIND ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS CREATIVITY.
We know that every day is different when you work independently from a traditional office. The flexibility offered at SMARTSPACES allows you to embrace the freedoms of working remotely while being focused on productivity, creativity and personal and professional growth.
SMARTSPACES offers all the amenities a professional needs within flexible working environments that include individual desks throughout the ADC West gallery, private offices, shared offices, conference rooms and large meeting spaces.
I often get this comment… “Litsa, I wish I could work in an artfilled, inspirational space like you.” Well, that’s why we just had to have a co-working space at ADC West filled with beautiful art, comfy chairs/desks, meeting rooms, high speed internet and inspiration to work smart and efficiently.
Our first guest was my dear friend and marketing expert, Jamie. She especially loved having artwork behind her during her zoom meetings. I’m so excited about SMARTSPACES!
ARE YOU READY FOR OUR NEXT BIG ANNOUNCEMENT?
COMING IN MARCH 2021: THE ALL NEW
ADCFINEART.COM
WATCH FOR OUR LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
My family has given me strength, love and support to keep me going throughout 2020. I just had to include them (and our corgi, Slippers) when I think of the highlights of 2020!
bye-byE
farewell, ciao, adios, ta-ta, sayonara and toodeloo!
We are ready for 2021!
