SPACES  |  January 14, 2026

SPACES presents Artists-in-Residence Steve Parker, Fight Song

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pita Brooks, Executive Director

January 13, 2026 216.621.2314 ext. 202

pita@spacescle.org

WHAT: SPACES presents Artists-in-Residence Steve Parker, Fight Song

WHERE: SPACES Gallery, 2900 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113

WHEN: Member and Patron Preview, Thursday, February 12, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Public opening reception: Friday, February 13, 2026, 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Exhibition on view at SPACES: February 13 - April 18, 2026

FOOTBALL, HEALING, AND HORNS: STEVE PARKER REIMAGINES THE FIGHT SONG

Steve Parker, Sonic Meditation for Solo Performer No. 1. Photo by Paul Hester and Art League Houston.

(Cleveland, OH) — SPACES is pleased to present FIGHT SONG, a new immersive installation by Artist-in-Residence Steve Parker, on view February 13–April 18, 2026 at SPACES Gallery, 2900 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland. A Member and Patron Preview will be held Thursday, February 12, 5:30–7:30 PM, followed by a public opening reception Friday, February 13, 6:00–9:00 PM, featuring a live performance by Steve Parker at 7:00 PM.

Rooted in the shared languages of football, marching band traditions, and sonic therapy, FIGHT SONG explores themes of healing, injury, and labor through an evolving sound sculpture. Parker transforms the Gund Gallery into a participatory environment filled with salvaged marching band instruments suspended overhead. Visitors are invited to engage in an interactive meditation using an EEG brain monitor that translates brainwaves into live musical compositions, blurring the boundaries between audience, performer, and instrument.

During the exhibition, regional artists and performers will activate the installation in response to prompts developed by Parker. The resulting compositions will be incorporated into FIGHT SONG over time, allowing the work to continuously evolve. On-site activations will take place on specific Saturdays at 1:00 PM and are free with registration.

While currently based in Austin, Texas, Steve Parker has deep ties to Northeast Ohio. He is an alumnus of Oberlin College, where he studied mathematics and music—an interdisciplinary foundation that continues to shape his collaborative, systems-based artistic practice. Presenting FIGHT SONG in Cleveland, a city with a storied football legacy and vibrant music culture, brings the work into conversation with a regional history of collective ritual, resilience, and sound.

In the adjoining Oracle Gallery, Parker will present a series of video works documenting an NCAA marching band performing sonic healing meditations in public spaces—archival footage of past performances that serve as both source material and conceptual foundation for the sculptural work.

On-Site Activations (Saturdays at 1:00 PM; free with registration)

2/21/2026 RA Washington

3/7/2026 Ben Eberle (aka Ben Wretch)

3/21/2026 Marcia Custer

4/4/2026 Uno Lady

4/18/2026 Kisha Nicole Foster

For more information and to register for activations, visit spacescle.org.

About the Artist

Steve Parker is an artist and musician whose work creates sculptural ecosystems that transform spaces into large-scale collaborative performances. He is the recipient of the 2025 Creative Capital Award, the Rome Prize, Pollock-Krasner Award, Fulbright, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Parker is Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Artistic Director of the nonprofit Collide Arts. He holds degrees from Oberlin College, Rice University, and the University of Texas at Austin.

About SPACES

SPACES is the resource and public forum for artists who explore and experiment. Since 1978, SPACES has provided international, national, and local artists the freedom to create ambitious, artist-driven work that helps audiences see the world in unexpected ways. Through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs, SPACES encourages artists and audiences to use art as a tool for exploring timely social, cultural, and civic concerns.