For Dan Miller, making a living as a visual artist in Cleveland meant selling his motorcycle, emptying his savings account and finding a warehouse where he could build his own walls and hang lights. The owner of the new Rotten Meat Gallery on East 40th Street between Payne and Perkins says it's all worth it to showcase the city's underrecognized art scene.

"I really wanted to do my part to encourage people to stay here and grow Cleveland as an art market," says Miller, a painter who also uses the building as his own studio. "Markets like Chicago and New York are saturated, and there's a lack of pretension here. We're an industrious city, yet we also have a strong history of culture in places like the Cleveland Museum of Art."

Rotten Meat Gallery is a launchpad for new, emerging artists as well as a place that celebrates established local talent, Miller says. The formerly industrial space is an artist's haven that boasts exposed brick walls and fourteen foot ceilings.

Although Cleveland's art scene is small and tight-knit, Miller hopes that others will follow his lead and establish DIY art spaces that help the city's art scene thrive and grow. "One of the best ways to revitalize an area is to get artists there."

Rotten Meat's next show, "Tab A, Slot B," features Rust Belt Welding artisans Grant Smrekar and Lou Erste, who will showcase their functional sculpture and furniture that is built out of reclaimed wood and steel. The opening reception takes place this Friday, May 4th from 6-10 pm at 1814 East 40th Street, Suite B.

Source: Dan Miller
Writer: Lee Chilcote