Manzanar Relocation Camp, Monument, 1995, panoramic photo collage, 48"x 80"
I am saddened and horrified to now recognize Masumi Hayashi as the finest photographer and one of the greatest artists Northeast Ohio has ever know, as she was murdered last night in her studio. All local arts lovers and artists certainly knew Masumi and her remarkable work, and of the great value she brought to CSU as a professor there. Her loss to Northeast Ohio as an arts community cannot be overstated.
I was admiring one of her photo collages in the lobby of Thompson Hine, just two days ago, and commented to our associate Phillip Williams that I hope Masumi doesn't consider my use of photo collages an intrusion on her technique, which is completely different but could be viewed as similar. I make photo collages as a photo-journalist, while Masumi pioneered the technique as a fine artist. Now, every time I paste together my collages I'll think of Masumi in fond remembrance.
For the story of her murder, see below and visit cleveland.com here [1]. To see more of her wonderful art, visit the Cleveland State University website here [2].
Rest in peace, Masumi Hayashi - I apologize to you for the insanity that is Cleveland today.
Homicide victim was CSU professor and renowned photographer
Masumi Hayashi, 60, had won a Cleveland Arts Prize, three Ohio Arts Council awards and a Fulbright fellowship.
One of the victims of last night's double homicide at an apartment building on Cleveland's West Side was a world-renowned photographer who had taught art at Cleveland State University for 24 years.
Masumi Hayashi, 60, has won a Cleveland Arts Prize, three Ohio Arts Council awards and a Fulbright fellowship. Her work has been shown in New York, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo.
The other victim, John Jackson, 51, was also an artist. He was a sculptor who lived in the building.
The shooting deaths followed a complaint about loud music.
Police believe Hayashi called her neighbor in the apartment building in the 1400 block of West 75th Street, 29-year-old Jacob Cifelli, to complain about his loud music, said Nancy Dominik, police spokeswoman.
A short time later, another resident came home to find a gun in the hallway and that Jackson had been shot.
The resident went to the third floor to call police but before getting to the phone found Hayashi. She and Jackson were both dead when police arrived, Dominik said.
Cifelli, who was on probation for an unrelated weapons offense, was arrested shortly after police arrived. He is suspected in the killings, police said.
According to police reports, he was also arrested on Nov. 29 after police found him carrying a sword with a 30-inch blade.
Asked why he was carrying the weapon, Cifelli said he thought it was cool, according to the report.
Cifelli pleaded no contest on Feb. 22 in Cleveland Municipal Court to failure to secure a dangerous ordinance. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $750 plus court costs for the first-degree misdemeanor. But the jail time was suspended and he was put on six months probation, said Ronald Tabor, director of the court's criminal division.
Although $600 of his fine had been suspended, too, he failed to pay the remainder by the deadline of Aug. 15, Tabor said.
A warrant was issued for his arrest Thursday, hours before the shooting, Tabor said.
The year before the weapons charge, Cifelli, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, was a victim of a robbery.
He told police on April 18, 2004, that he called a number he found in Scene magazine for a private "show" with a woman named Amy, according to police reports.
She invited him to the 7400 block of Clement. As he was leaving this place, he was approached by two men impersonating Cleveland police officers. They told him they were seizing his 1991 light blue Chevy S10 truck, according to police reports.
It was not immediately clear Friday if the truck was recovered or if the suspects were caught.
The two deaths bring the total number of murders since July 1 to eight in the First District on Cleveland's West Side. They are the third and fourth murders since Monday.
Police said that last night's deaths are not related to the previous murders. But the area has a history of street level crime and drug dealing, said Lt. Douglas Dvorak, acting commander of the First District.
For more information on crime statistics in the First District and throughout Cleveland go to: http://www.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/interactive/crime/ [3]
By Gabriel Baird, %20gbaird [at] plaind [dot] com
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