Regional Triennials Face Challenges Balancing Local Representation and International Ambition

Michelle Grabner, an artist and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, reflects on her experience as inaugural artistic director of FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art, which launched in 2018. She contrasts this with her role as co-curator of the 2014 Whitney Biennial. Grabner notes that throughout the 20th century, juried regional exhibitions like the Art Institute of Chicago's 'Chicago and Vicinity' series (1897-1985) and the Cleveland Museum of Art's 'May Show' (1919-1993) were primary platforms for local artists. Contemporary triennials such as FRONT and Prospect New Orleans emerged partly due to the influence of Richard Florida's 'creative class' theory, which links cultural activity to urban economic development. These events are typically organized through partnerships with museums, universities, and civic groups, aiming to foster place-based dialogue. However, Grabner observes that regional triennials often struggle with conflicting demands: they must deliver measurable economic outcomes for funders while also addressing desires for cultural recognition from local artist communities. She argues that for such exhibitions to succeed, they must clearly reflect and elevate the self-image of local communities and their supporting institutions. Grabner acknowledges that FRONT's inaugural theme, 'An American City,' was criticized for being too abstract and not sufficiently engaging with local specifics. The triennial featured commissioned works by artists including Dawoud Bey, whose photographic series 'Night Coming Tenderly, Black' was installed in St. John's Church in Ohio City, tracing landscapes associated with the Underground Railroad. Other contributors included Yinka Shonibare, Marlon de Azambuja, and Katrín Sigurðardóttir. Despite its ambitions, FRONT held only one more edition before ending. Grabner suggests that pairing a triennial with a recurring regional exhibition, like the former May Show, might better satisfy local pride while allowing the triennial to function as a critical curatorial project rather than a cultural mirror.