This is from the Plain Dealer Sunday magazine, November 23, 2003: Want to get naked in public without risking arrest? Photographer Spencer Tunick and the folks at Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art hope about 10,000 Northeast Ohioans will disrobe to create a "poetic human landscape." The bare-as-you-dare photo shoot will take place on either the morning of Saturday, January 24, or Sunday, January 25, in an indoor location to be determined. Tunick, known for photographing live nudes in public since 1992, will be in town for the opening of his exhibit, Spencer Tunick: Manmade and Natural, at the museum, 8501 Carnegie Avenue. The show runs from January 23 to April 25. Assistant curator Amy Gilman says she hopes all 16 museum staff members and a number of key board members will participate in the event. To sign up, go to the Web page www.mocacleveland.org/tunick/tunick.html. You will be notified of the date, time and place by e-mail a week before the event. Everyone who poses will receive a photographic print. --Kathleen Murphy Colan

I have signed up and hope to see some of you there -

I am 37, polish-irish descent, about 6'1-1/2", brown hair, average length, hazel eyes, willing to pose for a photoshoot in Cleveland-area. I live in a town of North Olmsted, Ohio, a 25-minute ride away from downtown Cleveland. I landscape, with an interest in the arts, poetry, and electronics-related topics.

Northcoast Naturists isn't connected with the Tunick event in any way other than a lot of our members will be participating. If you want to be part of the 'work of art' you will have to contact the event organizers at the web address in the first message. If you do go, lookout for us, though we will hard to recognize just a hundred naked people amongst thousands of others. For more information about joining our club, go to our contact page

It's unfortunate I cannot make to Cleveland; the Bay Area is simply too far.

If you naturalist-inclined Ohioans are ever in Santa Cruz, go to a beach simply called 2222.

Having lived in Santa Cruz for a couple of years, I can second that. There are several nude beaches north of there all with spectacular views (I'm talking about the scenery!). My wife and I had our first nudist experience at Bonny Doon beach- a fine example of a well kept 'unofficial' nudist venue.

Due to overwhelming response (2,000 people have signed up) they have postponed this event till June so it can be done outdoors.

My husband and I had the pleasure of attending the Gallery Opening On January 23rd for Spencer Tunick, in Cleveland Ohio. Better than that- Spencer asked us to pose for him at the event's after party. We, of course- accepted! It truly was an experience of a lifetime. We were so impressed by the kindness and hospitality of Spencer, his staff and all those involved in the event. To those of you considering attending in June- you won't regret it.

Well, The Spencer Tunick installation went off without a hitch. It was a cold Saturday morning, one of the coldest on record, and definitely colder than normal. (Friday was warm, Sunday was warm, Saturday - go figure - COLD!) I looked up at the browns stadium and it said 57°F at 5:30am.

We all stood on the pier, looking away from the camera, looking up toward 9th street for the first pose. Spencer was ready to snap the photo when a Garbage truck turned the corner to do the daily pickup. The truck driver was so bewildered by what he was looking at, he just sat there and stared. Spencer would not take the photo until he was out of the shot, but the truck was nearly a half mile away. We all stood, shivering in the cold, waiting for word to make it to the garbage truck to GET OUT OF THE SHOT! Finally the truck moved and Snap-Snap-Snap. We didn't think it could get any worse (than that long wait), but now Spencer told us to LAY ON THE BRICKS! Oh yes, it COULD get worse, it was just past 6am, and the bricks had taken a good chill overnight. After this shot was taken, we all RAN to get dressed again. After that was a group shot of ladies only with water in the background, then men only with the browns stadium in the background. All in all, it was a fun morning. (I'm writing this Monday morning, and I think I am catching a cold, go figure !) I certainly was a once in a lifetime experience, or was it? Rumor had it that Spencers next shoot will be in Buffalo New York, that's not TOO far from Cleveland. Maybe we can all hope for an AFTERNOON shoot while the weather is still good.

We had a good turnout of Northcoast Naturists people at the photoshoot. I don't know the exact number, because in the crown it was hard to find friends, but I suspect 20 or more. We all had a great time, and it was good to see so many people happy to be a nudist for a few minutes, and finding that it didn't hurt at all, except maybe for the frostbite. Maybe we will see some of them at club events.

I attended the photo shoot also and found it to be wonderful. I don't know what was worse, the cold bricks or the cold wet grass. I found the installation to be very rejuvenating. The sight of seeing everyone running to their place along the pier and flowing over the stone steps. I forgot what it felt like to be nude in public. It felt great!!! I hope the rumor is true about Buffalo. I will be looking forward that installation and also for the exhibit August 6 -8th.

Spencer is setting up for a Buffalo pose August 15th. Check out http://www.albrightknox.org/tunick/index.html for more details and to sign up.....

I missed out on the Tunick Cleveland installation, but I signed up for the Buffalo installation. So far, no confirming e-mail from albrightknox. Anyone having the same problem?

Also, if any Northcoast Naturists are arranging a carpool to sharing expenses. I'm interested. Let me know- I'm Larry at lltow@gbronline.com

I finally got the details and attended the Buffalo Tunick installation. Over 1800 people showed up- half the group was over 50, including myself.

I got to the Central Terminal around 11:00 and was joined by 1,800 others by noon. We were stationed outside in a parking lot. Around noon, the women were called in. Fifteen minutes later, the men undressed and went inside.

The Central Terminal is in serious disrepair, but the space we worked in was clear and clean. Tunick took his time, made a number of shots, and by 3:00 PM it was over. We were naked for well over two hours.

It was a wonderful experience and I would do it again.

BUFFALO RE-CREATION

To peals of bells, peels of joy

As pink seed rushes into the old womb

Giving new life to the old woman,

A second rush

Now man-woman-manwoman Man

All in their re-birthday suits,

She feels the quickening, turning, bending, knees pressing

A thousand fetuses

Hearts beating to a Tunick pulse

Central Terminal, pregnant for her future!

Inspired by Spencer Tunick Installation in Buffalo NY, 15 Aug 04

© 2004 Roger Coss

Friday, 13 Aug, we went to the "Tunick Reveal Party" at MOCA; we were there from 6PM till about 10 PM and now have our copies of the Cleveland Installation Photo.( I was able to enlarge it on our computer and think I found Betsy and I !! ) We saw Betsy briefly in the video footage of the event. I met Spencer who gave me his card and asked me to pose as a single for him sometime if he was around in the Cleveland /Akron area again.I saw a couple of people we met again later in Buffalo. Saturday we packed and left for Buffalo at about 7:00 PM got there about 10:30 PM.

15 Aug 04 Unlike Cleveland Installation, this one was inside, at the Central Terminal. It is a very old train depot in Buffalo, NY and in very bad shape, needs lots of repair. We arrived about 11:00AM, met some friends from the last install including L. from Buffalo and the Kilt man from IL, and some new friends, G. a Buffalo woman, and a woman from Montreal neither of whom had posed before .We saw Spencer briefly. The assistants and Spencer were adamant about there being no nudity before we were told to undress, which was too bad as it was hot and several of us wanted to undress, women as well as men. One younger woman did take her top off, as did several of us men. We were separated then into men and women, the women going in to pose like the Grand Central Install, so as to contrast them later in an exhibit. About 12: 00 PM the women were told to undress in front of us, which led to a few smartass remarks but not many, and some men then clapped and cheered. According to my!

wife, they went through about 3 poses. About 30 min later we were told to undress and go in. We passed a few dressed female volunteers who didn’t want to join us, and a female security guard likewise. When we went in those of us who were with women tried to find them, but in a sea of pink it was difficult. I didn’t find my wife but found L., and G. and saw Montreal a little ways away, though never spoke to her again.. After a few poses with lots of difficulty understanding what Spencer wanted, we were again devided into groups, but according to age, unlike Cleveland. The under 30’s were asked to leave first. Then the 30 to 50 group posed and were asked to leave, and finally us 50 + folks posed. The strongest pose in that was in the high side windows which looked down from the old office stairway. About four or five floors, in a Roman arc. Posed with oldest on ground floor, next oldest on up, till full he still had leftover people. We later posed lying stretched out like t!

he 9th shoot but on the balcony over the ticket windows. It was ov

Woke at 4 AM Monday morning, showered, woke Betsy. At 5:30 went to Spencer's hotel where we met Spencer, who came down to lobby with a 20 ish girl. J (60 ish obese male) was waiting in the lobby pacing restlessly. H a late 20's or early 30's woman , arrived and Melvin arrived late as we were leaving. ( 60s , has Mowhk ,covered in tattoo's). We were to ride with Spencer in a minivan. J.and H. posed first, nude, side by side about 6 AM in a small park, in front of large grain elevators.We watched from across the street, then Betsy and I, at about 6:30 AM, back to back in 3 poses, in a parking lot on Columbia Street, with Buffalo skyline behind us.(An attendant, about 60ish, came over to see what we were doing, and was convinced it was OK by J. the ex-cop. Also the attendant thought we had a permit from the city he told me later.) Columbia is a cobblestone street, behind their stadium. Everyone in our group was watching from the curb, then Spencer ha!

d us running back to the car to go just around the corner as it turned out, he then posed D. and Melvin on a street corner about 7 AM, causing no end of traffic slowdowns. Betsy and I were told in no uncertain terms to "Stay here!" by Spencer and we were wedged at that time in the back of the minivan so we pretty much did, and he took them just out of sight, so we did not see the pose, though I did get out just in time to catch a glimpse of Melvin, and had to duck back to avoid being in the shot. We were asked if everyone was happy with their poses, which we mostly were, told we would get a copy of our own on 4 months( not all 3, damn it!) We then were taken back to Spencer’s hotel, and dropped off. Thus endeth our adventure.

We are ready to pose again for Spencer and now that we have a car again, ready to join you Northcoast folk.

hello from the UK.

I run www.thespencertunickexperience.org which I hope you'll have a look at. I've been in three of Spencer's installations including BARCELONA.

If anyone would like to write their experiences of Buffalo or indeed any other installation (or, equally, small-time solo pictures) I'd be very happy to receive and publish them.

I'm just trying to collect stuff on Buffalo right now but older material equally welcome.

thanks, and glad I found this site.

cheers

mike

We signed up for the Spencer Tunick shoot in Cleveland and they said they would let us know about the details but we never got them. I am quite upset about it even now but there's nothing I can do about it and I can't travel very far due to the fact that I cannot get any time off at work. I would have loved to participate but if the chance ever came around Cleveland again - I would not trust MOCA or Tunick.