community with kink contemporary
Art is the cornerstone of inclusive, dynamic communities. It transcends division, drives connection, and challenges the status quo.
I have always admired the talented people who are responsible for the cultivation of art galleries and exhibitions. Their vision, attention to detail, and the progressive lens through which they curate an art space are always light years ahead.
In Cleveland, KINK contemporary brings art and storytelling to the forefront through its compelling, inclusive outlook. Founders Anna Young and McKenzie Beynon compose thoughtful exhibitions highlighting the compelling stories of artists; their space hosts emerging and established artists in an inclusive environment where they hope to build sincere and authentic relationships with the artists and clients.
I caught up with them back in early spring to chat about the importance of building a community full of artists, becoming art handlers, and how art can transform a living area. I also attended a guest-curated exhibition of work from female photographers titled, Emboldened: Women Photographers of Cleveland to see firsthand what the art community looks like through KINK contemporary.
Can you each share more about your upbringing and background? How does your identity and background play into how you see the world?
McKenzie: I am an only child who grew up in Akron and have always been a self-entertainer who loved anything creative. While neither of my parents is an artist by trade, they both are artistic people.
My father was an electrician by trade who gave me a film camera at age 11 and always encouraged me to take photos, create, hike, and learn how to work with my hands. My mother (a fellow Leo) is a badass businesswoman who has more drive and determination than most and has always inspired me to do better, stand up for myself, and above all else, always be kind. My great grandfather was an inventor, and I have always felt connected to that as an entrepreneur.
I have always been someone who strives to learn, create, and be around people. I worked in the service industry a long time before I got into the arts as a career, and I still believe that serving, managing, and bartending was just as much of an education as college.
I am currently pursuing my master’s in arts administration at the University of Akron, and I hope that this degree will help me help others in the arts even more. Being around a new generation of artists on campus is inspiring and gives me a lot of energy to keep going after the last couple of years.
Anna: I grew up spending half my time in Warren, Ohio, and the other half in Cortland, Ohio. I have two older brothers and had a lot of male influence in my life. My dad, brother, and I actually trained and received our black belts together in mixed martial arts.
My mom came over from Germany in the 60s and is the strongest woman I know. Everyone in my family is tough but humble, and I love it, so I guess that’s played a huge part in how I see the world and present myself within it. I enjoy proving to myself, and others that may doubt me, that I can do difficult things with grace, and confidence.
How did you two meet one another? And how did you decide you wanted to be business partners?
We met in college while both studying photography at the University of Akron. Both of us share an immense passion for the arts. Our values, morals, and artistic mission have constantly aligned, and it made sense to turn our dreams into a reality together.
While we both have strong personalities (Leo and Gemini), we have something special together because we stand up for what we believe in and always hold each other accountable.
“By fostering an inclusive environment where we aim to build sincere and authentic relationships with our artists and patrons, we hope to inspire more spaces like ours to emerge and populate the scene.”
McKenzie, when did you realize you had an appreciation for art? What’s your favorite piece or medium?
The first time I can remember having an art appreciation was when my dad took me to the Akron Art Museum for Liza Lou’s, Bead the World exhibition in 2000. I can still remember the show, and Liza’s beadwork is probably a big reason I wanted to pursue beadwork in my photography.
If I had to pick my favorite medium of the moment, I would have to say ceramics. While ceramics is the only medium I have never had any training or experience in, it has been my current favorite medium to collect, and slowly adding pieces to my collection was a “hobby” over the pandemic.
Anna, when did you realize that you had an appreciation for art? What’s your favorite piece or medium?
My art appreciation started when I began making art. You have a different view of everything once you start creating - the time spent planning and building something for others to consume means something different when you stand in front of a piece of art that came from your vision. Creating art takes emotional energy that is hard to describe until you do it yourself.
I can’t say that I prefer one medium over another. I respect all mediums, as they all take incredible discipline to execute. I am currently working in sculpture, mold making, and casting silicone and resin, but I’m always looking to learn new processes and mediums.
How did the concept of a gallery supporting artists by artists come about?
The concept of opening a gallery run by artists for artists came about sometime in my and Anna's last year of college at the University of Akron. Photography majors (and some other art majors) were required to have a BFA exhibition off-campus to graduate. This was difficult to manage as few galleries were accepting student work to be displayed.
Because of this, it became a scramble to book an exhibition, and some students would end up having to pay hefty price tags to rent small, and not ideal spaces to show their art. This frustrated us as there were and still are so many students coming out of Akron, Kent, and Cleveland who were not given opportunities to show their work, simply based on lack of experience.
So, upon graduation in 2014, we began looking for a small space to add one more venue to the local art scene. Unfortunately, we hit a few significant roadblocks and decided to put the idea on hold.
A few years later, Anna had just moved back to Akron from Detroit after spending two years completing her MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art. After a few years working at the Akron Art Museum, I moved to Cleveland, pursued a full-time career in art handling, and frequented 78th Street Studios Third Friday events.
While attending the event in the winter of 2018, I made my way to one of my favorite local galleries that had been showing unique and emerging artists for a long time and was run by artists. Forum Artspace was a place both Anna and I had admired while in undergrad and beyond, and that night I planned to stop by and see their current show. When I arrived, the door was locked, and I would find out weeks later they had decided to close their doors after being in business for nine years. Their mission was very similar to everything Anna and I had wanted to do in Akron years back, and the space was ideal. We jumped on the opportunity to continue Forum’s legacy while approaching it with our style and ideas and contacted 78th Street about leasing the space.
In February 2019, we opened our doors, and KINK Contemporary was born. Throughout the last three years, we have prided ourselves in providing a platform for both emerging and established artists and being there for them in a multitude of ways.
We constantly remind ourselves how lucky we are that the artists who have come through our space leave as friends. Likewise, students and young artists will always be an essential part of what we do as they are the next generation shaping the future of the arts. By fostering an inclusive environment where we aim to build sincere and authentic relationships with our artists and patrons, we hope to inspire more spaces like ours to emerge and populate the scene.
What’s the importance of building a community full of artists?
By building a community full of artists, we create a place where artists support artists and create a symbiotic relationship where everyone benefits from empowering one another.
How does someone become an art handler?
We can only speak to our own experience, but we would suggest a few things. First, practice adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying fractions; yes, math is a huge part of installing artwork properly! Second, learn how to use power tools properly and what hardware to use in different scenarios. Third, prepare for heavy lifting, being on your feet, and climbing.
This career might not be for you if you’re afraid of heights. If you can take some woodshop classes and learn how to use the equipment, having basic carpentry skills can give you a leg up on the competition.
Most importantly, be deliberate and thoughtful as the art is priceless, and it’s your job to make sure it remains safe and properly handled.
What’s the process like getting someone to show at your gallery?
We always look for innovative, daring, and unique artists to show within our space. Our lineup is booked until the end of 2022.
The majority of the time, we reach out to artists who we think are an excellent fit for KINK, or we put together exhibitions around multiple artists whose work complements each other well or has a specific conversation happening. The other half of the time, we show artists based on their direct applications to the gallery.
We ask that artists wishing to submit a portfolio or exhibition proposal email us directly and include a PDF file with images and a short description of their artist and exhibition statement. We also keep specific months open for student exhibitions.
How would you describe Kink Contemporary in five words?
Playful, authentic, professional, inclusive, bold.
Outside of art, how do you both seek inspiration?
McKenzie: Cooking, museums, the CNVP, travel, Radiolab, my friends, family, and colleagues.
Anna: I seek a lot of inspiration through music, as well as having conversations with other artists, friends, and family.
What role has social media played in growing your business?
Social Media has had an enormous impact on growing our business. As a space that has run without a website for almost three years, Instagram has provided us a platform to connect with other artists and art lovers locally and across the country.
In 2020 we closed our doors for five months, and through social media, we could still connect with our supporters and evolve into a virtual space for a time.
In the earlier pandemic, Larry Nance Jr. was photographed wearing one of your shirts. Tell me about your collaboration with him and if it brought any traffic to your company.
KINK included. So, when we heard that Larry Nance Jr. was planning on wearing small local Cleveland businesses t-shirts to the Cavs’ home games, we thought it was worth a shot to send him one of ours!
We mailed it the same day Larry made the initial announcement, and we were surprised shortly after with a Zoom call from Larry himself. He told us he would be wearing our shirt that evening, and in addition, he would be auctioning off his jersey from the game to benefit our small business.
Later we were informed that not only would we be receiving the money from the auctioned jersey but, that Larry and the Cavs would be matching the amount. While it did not necessarily bring more people into the gallery at that time, as we unfortunately were still closed to the public, it did generate more sales of our merchandise.
In addition, it gave us a financial boost when we desperately needed it. The money raised by Larry and the Cavs helped us stay open, but it helped us have extra funds to build our website and help build our business, and for that, we are forever grateful.
“Being humble and challenged creates growth and opportunities. Take the time to relax and slow down.”
How can a piece of art transform your work or living space?
A piece of art can transform any space, whether that piece of art is a million-dollar painting or a drawing from a child. If it makes you feel something, it makes any space more interesting and exciting to be in.
What transformational life lessons have you learned through owning a business?
The pandemic created significant challenges for small business owners. Creating an inclusive and positive space comes before everything else. Always stand up for what you believe in. Knowing you’re not always right and knowing when to apologize. Being humble and challenged creates growth and opportunities. Take the time to relax and slow down.
What’s next for your company in the new year?
We look forward to improving our website and bringing our exhibitions and artists to a broader community. Additionally, we could not be more excited for KINK’s exhibition lineup in 2022.
We’re also moving from our location of three years in the northeast corner of 78th Street Studios to a white-walled storefront in the Gold Building, on Waterloo Road in Collinwood.
We move in July and are so excited to join the Waterloo community. It’s an incredible opportunity for KINK to grow and collaborate in an amazing neighborhood (the new location is at 15515 Waterloo Road, Cleveland).
