Cinamin Girl A Hit At Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
The Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted, hosted, and been visited by international music superstars and other luminaries too numerous to count. Everyone from Aretha Franklin to ZZ Top, BB King to U2, Elvis to Madonna – all have had their works celebrated and interpreted at the Hall on the shores of Lake Erie just a few miles from our little suburb of Lakewood. Add to that list the name Cortney Kilbury, a Lakewood resident and artist who recently made her own contribution to those hallowed halls.
On June 3rd, the Hall hosted a Gala and Charity Auction to benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, and The Music Settlement. Cortney was one of 60 artists chosen from the state of Ohio commissioned to design their own artwork using Rock-and-Roll’s signature instrument, the electric guitar, as a “canvas.” The guitars, which had been on display at the Rock Hall for the past few months, were then auctioned off to the highest bidders with the proceeds going to the aforementioned non-profit organizations.
“I’m really a big fan of Rock-and-Roll, and very honored to be a part of this,” Kilbury said. Kilbury’s work was titled the Infusion of the Spirit of Rock. The fused glass process she used includes overlapping different colors of thin layers of glass, then melting and fusing them together in a kiln, causing the colors to blend together. She then sanded them smooth and adhered them to a Gibson Epiphone Electric guitar, which thusly became a truly unique and stunning work of art but is also still playable in it’s full capacity. “Keeping the integrity of the guitar and making it playable was important to me,” Kilbury stated.
Her hard work paid off– her’s was the only guitar to be bought by an international on-line bidder, from Spain, and it garnered a handsome $1,200. “I’m happy with the amount of money the guitars raised for the charities; most sold for $300 to $2,200,” Kilbury said. The black tie event featured not only the auction but live entertainment, hors’ d’oeuvres, and local celebrities. Kilbury was fortunate to have her parents and several other family members and friends join her for what turned out to be a splendid night.
And while the Rock Hall may be her most prestigious venue (so far!), Kilbury has had her work displayed and sold in various shows in Tremont and Lakewood. She has also painted outdoor murals as part of local park beautification projects. She has donated charitable art projects for Cleveland Scholarships, Inc., and Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, as well as doing commissioned pieces for select clients. Her talents encompass paintings, fused glass, jewelry, photography, greeting cards, and wine holders, most of which she works on at her in-home studio in her 1918 Lakewood home.
As for music, Kilbury says, “I play guitar…a little.” She admits her brother Jordan is more musically talented. Both inherited an artistic bent from their parents – both parents play guitar and sing, and their father John designs custom homes. And her favorite rock-n-rollers? “I like to rock out to Aerosmith, the Beatles, U2, Pearl Jam, Madonna, even Eric Clapton and Jack Johnson,” Kilbury said.
Kilbury has been a Cleveland area resident for a little over twelve years, and has called Lakewood home since 2003. She graduated from John Carroll University in 2001 with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Art. She also studied fused glass, the medium used on her Rock Hall guitar project, at the Cleveland Art Glass Center and at Streets of Manhattan Studio and School, which proudly donated the glass she used on her project.
Her Lakewood home has become her work space as well. Though she works full time for Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, she created Cinamin Girl Art in December 2005 and works on her creations in-home. “Cinamin Girl?”, I ask. “Cinamin is my middle name,” she says with a laugh. “My parents were hippies!” Fair enough, I say. Beats being called Moon Unit, or China, or…never mind. And to the obvious question, she replies, “I love the song; I am the Cinnamon Girl!”
The Cinamin Girl has also tried her hand at scuba diving, hang gliding, and zip lining. She has run a marathon and a triathlon, and her international travels have put a multitude of stamps on her passport and given her a wealth of experience to draw upon not only in her art but her life in general. Her website is cinamongirlart.com, which is currently being put together but like Ms. Kilbury herself, shows only a promise of great things to come.