After ten years and 40 shows, this month saw the end of the Bidwell-era for the Transformer Station.
The Bidwells gifted the gallery to the Cleveland Museum of Art earlier this year. While looking with anticipation to future exhibitions from the museum, we also take a look back at the Bidwells as catalytic figures in the revival of Hingetown and champions of art on the west side.
In 2015, Cleveland Magazine captured the Bidwells’ extraordinary journey from the advertising industry to art collectors. In 2010, the couple sought a space to house their more-than-800-piece art collection. 🖼️
Back then, Hingetown looked very different. Rising Star Coffee Roasters was an abandoned fire station. The Striebinger Block housed three gay bars, a head shop and a rarely open barbecue restaurant. Drugs and prostitutes were the marquee attractions. 🏚️
But the Bidwells bought into the vision of Graham Veysey and his then-fiancée, Marika Shioiri-Clark. Where a storefront was being used for stor...
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