Featured Stories
Take an in-depth look at the past and present of Old Brooklyn, the site of FreshWater's first-ever On the Ground community reporting project.
Now that Old Brooklyn has been chosen as the site for the second iteration of Cleveland Chain Reaction, who are the businesses that will set up shop on its streets? This week’s Business Pitch Showcase took Chain Reaction hopefuls one giant step closer to answering that question. With the field narrowed down from 107 initial applicants, the remaining 18 semi-finalists took center stage at COSE’s downtown headquarters to give their “Shark Tank”-style pitches for why they should be one of five businesses chosen to receive at least $100,000 of investment.
Former FreshWater editor Erin O'Brien may have put it best when she said that Rooms to Let "is not dancing on a grave. It's leaving flowers on it." Held last weekend, this thought-provoking annual event enlists local artists to transform houses slated for demolition into meaningful, active art installations. Each year, Rooms to Let takes place in Slavic Village (which Cleveland.com called "Ground Zero" for the foreclosure crisis). Take a deeper look into this evocative effort with Bob Perkoski's pictures taken on-site.
As Cleveland artist Loren Naji sees it, the art world should be an inclusive place—with his recent CAN'T Triennial event embodying that philosophy. As FreshWater caps off its Arts & Culture-themed month, we asked Naji to share his thoughts on where the art world is headed...and why he thinks stuffy museums and exhibitions will soon be the stuff of the past.
Twenty years ago, the initial North Coast Harbor project was completed—capping off the addition of a $10 million manmade inner lake, surrounding promenade, and a three-acre park. Over the past two decades, the area has seen the addition of the Steamship William G. Mather Museum, the Rock Hall, FirstEnergy Stadium, Great Lakes Science Center, and more. Now North Coast Harbor is ready to take its master plan next-level with the debut of downtown’s first true lakefront living option: Harbor Verandas.
In 2016, Collinwood-based A Jubilee Academy carried a two-star Step Up to Quality rating—not high enough to be considered high-quality by the state. Two years later, A Jubilee Academy is the only five-star SUTQ center in the Collinwood area. Students participate in cooking classes, music education, and also study Mandarin twice a week. Children have individual cubbies instead of sharing them. Preschool enrollment has doubled, and a new classroom will open in the fall. So what made the difference? An intense 90-day Accelerated Quality Improvement Model (AQIM) program.
The "Polka Dot Princess" has inspired artists from Andy Warhol to Damien Hirst, and now her "Infinity Mirrors" exhibit is set to leave its indelible mark on The Land (running at CMA through September 30). Each infinity room allows visitors just 30 seconds to take in, but Bob Perkoski's photos will let you linger a bit longer.
While many Clevelanders are familiar with the big-name construction projects intended to transform the face of the city, a series of bold concepts from dedicated Northeast Ohio visionaries are also aiming to put Cleveland on the forefront—from innovation to design to technology. Though some of these ventures are still in the hypothetical stage, all share an audacious vision of what Cleveland's future can hold. See our six picks for the big, bold ideas poised to change the Land as we know it.
In the thick of summer, school buses may be the last thing on many families’ minds, but for sustainability-minded school officials, it’s a different story. Electric school buses—battery-powered, zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)—are now operating in multiple test markets across the country, including several in cold-weather regions. And in the near future, these familiar-looking but innovative machines could be humming around the streets of Cleveland.
Certain images may come to mind when considering the art culture in different parts of the United States—the East and West Coasts, or the Desert Southwest. But what stands out about artistic culture in the Great Lakes region? That's exactly what Michelle Grabner set out to explore when she launched a yearlong tour of artists’ studios around the Great Lakes last year, investigating the heart of the Rust Belt and its influence on the art created in major cities.
Good eats, great music, and Lake Erie love were at the heart of the Cleveland Metroparks' Taste on the Lake event at Edgewater Park. Relive all the #beachvibes and food-oriented fun in our photo roundup by managing photographer Bob Perkoski.
It's Young Professionals Week here in Cleveland, and what better time than to highlight rising stars who are helping to put Cleveland on the map? Introducing FreshWater's first-ever #Fresh10, a group of talented professionals under 34 years old all making their mark on The Land—and beyond. Find out who made the list here.
Although Ohio ranks fourth in the country for reports of human trafficking cases, there are just six beds available in Cleveland for rescued victims of modern-day slavery—and all six beds are in Cleveland’s Salvation Army Zelma George Family Shelter. Starting in July, Cleveland will have a total of 18 beds for human trafficking victims—thanks to a joint effort by the Hue Jackson Foundation and the Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division.
Going to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo can often feel like visiting another world—and that feeling is now even more amplified, thanks to the recent debut of the Asian Highlands. The $5.8 million addition to the Zoo highlights species such as Amur and snow leopards, red pandas, and takin (a type of goat-antelope that is new to the Zoo).
A new generation of farmers is taking shape, both in Cleveland and around the country. According to the latest Census of Agriculture, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing for only the second time in the last century. Meet four young Clevelanders who are venturing outside the city limits to pursue new agricultural adventures: Carl Harp Nursery, Bellwether Farm, and Frayed Knot Farm.
Rain didn't stop thousands of LaureLive attendees from dancing, exploring, and enjoying great music on the grounds of Laurel School's Butler Campus this weekend. Acts included Brandi Carlile, Foster the People, Fitz & The Tantrums, and X Ambassadors. Check out our managing photographer Bob Perkoski's photos of this vibrant event.
Ask Denny Young about the biggest music festivals in Ohio, and he’ll make a case for these three: “Bunbury in Cincinnati, Rock on the Range in Columbus, and LaureLive in Cleveland.” He might be biased about that last one—he did help found it, after all. But there’s no denying the numbers: LaureLive has already hosted over 100 bands from around the world and drawn thousands of attendees. And the festival, which takes place this weekend, is only entering its third year.
Today marks Karen Gahl-Mills' last day with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, as she'll be leaving the funding agency to move to Chicago and explore teaching and consulting opportunities. Only the second executive director in CAC's history, Gahl-Mills was instrumental in passing a 2015 ballot initiative that extended the agency's tax resource though 2025. We asked Gahl-Mills to reflect on her eight years with CAC and where it's headed.
The coworking trend is nothing new in Cleveland, but since January, it's reached a fever pitch with no less than six new spots joining the scene. (That puts Cleveland on trend with the rest of the world—which has gone from 1,130 coworking spaces in 2011 to almost 14,000 in 2017.) From tech havens to women-only workspaces, Cleveland's newest crop offers something for everyone. Check out the Land's latest additions, all of which offer multi-tiered options for pricing and workspace.
Some people may instantly think of Seattle—the birthplace of Starbucks—when they discuss leaders of the national coffee scene. Others might point to trendy newcomers like Portland or major metropolitan cities like New York and San Francisco. But there’s a potent coffee scene percolating right here in Cleveland, with new java stops cropping up almost as quickly as breweries and restaurants.