Arts + Culture
Memories of flashing lights, digitized explosions, rock music and quarters being ritually plunked into plastic coin slots have a happy place in the minds of many folks of a certain generation. Two Clevelanders want to bring those sights and sounds back to the city this summer in the form of a pop-up arcade.
Coin-Op Cleveland is a Kickstarter project helmed by John Stanchina and Mike Scur. While arcade gaming collapsed in the 1990s with the ascension of home consoles, the duo believe putting an old-school retro arcade in a West Side neighborhood will attract people seeking to mash some buttons with a few nimble-fingered friends.
Put simply, the pair wants to create a fun, unique place to hang out away from the "barcades" that have a few arcade cabinets alongside the plentiful booze.
"The vibe is being a kid again," says Stanchina, an Ohio City resident. "It's about interacting in a different kind of space."
The $35,000 Kickstarter campaign, which ends at midnight on May 13, will fund the arcade's installation and 30-day operation in Ohio City, Tremont or Gordon Square. A large part of the cost will go toward purchase and maintenance of the arcade machines themselves.
The plan is to run the arcade for a month, but if it receives additional funding, a permanent installation is possible, says Scur of Parma Heights.
The two friends envision a community space that becomes part of the downtown Cleveland nightlife scene, just with neon lights, popcorn and rows of game cabinets instead of a bar.
"Arcades are all about the social element," says Scur. "They've always been a place to play games with people on the same wavelength."
SOURCES: John Stanchina, Mike Scur
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Coin-Op Cleveland is a Kickstarter project helmed by John Stanchina and Mike Scur. While arcade gaming collapsed in the 1990s with the ascension of home consoles, the duo believe putting an old-school retro arcade in a West Side neighborhood will attract people seeking to mash some buttons with a few nimble-fingered friends.
Put simply, the pair wants to create a fun, unique place to hang out away from the "barcades" that have a few arcade cabinets alongside the plentiful booze.
"The vibe is being a kid again," says Stanchina, an Ohio City resident. "It's about interacting in a different kind of space."
The $35,000 Kickstarter campaign, which ends at midnight on May 13, will fund the arcade's installation and 30-day operation in Ohio City, Tremont or Gordon Square. A large part of the cost will go toward purchase and maintenance of the arcade machines themselves.
The plan is to run the arcade for a month, but if it receives additional funding, a permanent installation is possible, says Scur of Parma Heights.
The two friends envision a community space that becomes part of the downtown Cleveland nightlife scene, just with neon lights, popcorn and rows of game cabinets instead of a bar.
"Arcades are all about the social element," says Scur. "They've always been a place to play games with people on the same wavelength."
SOURCES: John Stanchina, Mike Scur
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
rick steves enjoys visit to cleveland
In a Huffington Post blog post titled “Road Trip USA: Late-Night Drives Dodging Snowflakes in New England, and Cleavage in Cleveland,” Rick Steves shares of his experiences traveling on the final leg of his road trip visiting the likes of St. Louis, Vermont, New Hampshire, Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland.
“Enjoying Cleveland's impressive skyline on the taxi ride into town, I passed Progressive Field, where a banner trumpeted the good news for Indians fans: '18 days until the first game of the baseball season!'"
Steves goes on to talk about other gems of the city including the Horseshoe Casino and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
“Later, during autograph time, a woman made her plunging neckline a little deeper and asked for my John Hancock on her chest -- the highlight of my Sharpie's day.”
Stay classy Cleveland!
Read the full piece here.
“Enjoying Cleveland's impressive skyline on the taxi ride into town, I passed Progressive Field, where a banner trumpeted the good news for Indians fans: '18 days until the first game of the baseball season!'"
Steves goes on to talk about other gems of the city including the Horseshoe Casino and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
“Later, during autograph time, a woman made her plunging neckline a little deeper and asked for my John Hancock on her chest -- the highlight of my Sharpie's day.”
Stay classy Cleveland!
Read the full piece here.
gayot priases cleveland's st. patrick's day hoopla
In a Gayot post titled “The Best St. Patrick’s Day Parades of 2013,” the editorial staff names Cleveland among the best in the country.
“More than 10,000 people participate in bands, floats, drill teams, marching units and novelties in Cleveland's popular parade, which began in 1867.”
Cleveland is ranked up there with some of the nation’s greatest celebrations including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
“More than 10,000 people participate in bands, floats, drill teams, marching units and novelties in Cleveland's popular parade, which began in 1867.”
Cleveland is ranked up there with some of the nation’s greatest celebrations including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
Check out the full list here.
The Cleveland Orchestra is well known for its residencies in cities like New York, Vienna and Miami. Now the famous ensemble is bringing its talents back to where it all began.
In the first of a handful of planned residencies in Northeast Ohio, the orchestra has partnered with Gordon Square Arts District for a week of events May 11 through May 17. Visitors walking the neighborhood are bound to encounter orchestra or youth ensemble musicians performing at one happening joint or another. In addition, musicians will visit local schools for educational programs. All of the events will be free and open to the public
The orchestra has a healthy prior relationship with the West Side district, notes orchestra communications director Ana Papakhian. Ensemble musicians, for example, have played at Happy Dog, and the orchestra has plans to release a vinyl album based on the recordings there. Plans to diversify orchestra activities beyond Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center made Gordon Square an easy call for an inaugural neighborhood residency.
"The district is a natural fit," Papakhian says. "The community has always been supportive of us."
Entertainment is just one aspect of the venture, adds the orchestra official. Musicians will talk about their careers with Cleveland students, while a soccer game will pair local youth with musicians and staff. The idea is to form a bond between participating Clevelanders and performers.
"You get an enhanced concert experience when you have some connection to the people on stage," says Papakhian. "It's about seeing the musicians as real people."
SOURCE: Ana Papakhian
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
In the first of a handful of planned residencies in Northeast Ohio, the orchestra has partnered with Gordon Square Arts District for a week of events May 11 through May 17. Visitors walking the neighborhood are bound to encounter orchestra or youth ensemble musicians performing at one happening joint or another. In addition, musicians will visit local schools for educational programs. All of the events will be free and open to the public
The orchestra has a healthy prior relationship with the West Side district, notes orchestra communications director Ana Papakhian. Ensemble musicians, for example, have played at Happy Dog, and the orchestra has plans to release a vinyl album based on the recordings there. Plans to diversify orchestra activities beyond Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center made Gordon Square an easy call for an inaugural neighborhood residency.
"The district is a natural fit," Papakhian says. "The community has always been supportive of us."
Entertainment is just one aspect of the venture, adds the orchestra official. Musicians will talk about their careers with Cleveland students, while a soccer game will pair local youth with musicians and staff. The idea is to form a bond between participating Clevelanders and performers.
"You get an enhanced concert experience when you have some connection to the people on stage," says Papakhian. "It's about seeing the musicians as real people."
SOURCE: Ana Papakhian
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
PlayhouseSquare will soon add another delicious restaurant to the district, adding fuel to its quest to become a 24/7 neighborhood that encourages theater patrons to stick around long after the shows end. Entrepreneurs Jiyoung and John Sung will open Sung's House next month, adding a Korean and Japanese restaurant to the downtown scene.
"It's not traditional Korean food -- it's fusion style," says Jiyoung Sung, who moved from Michigan to be close to family. "We're also building a sushi bar."
John Sung worked as a sushi chef for 13 years before moving to Cleveland. The venue is a big leap for the couple. "We're happy and nervous at the same time. We're excited about having our own place, but it's kind of frightening, too."
The price range for lunch will be $8-10, while dinner items will be around $15, keeping the menu affordable for CSU students and downtown office workers.
"We think those who live, work and visit here will appreciate having yet another great choice of where to eat," says Cindi Szymanski of PlayhouseSquare, which owns the building. "The planned Korean and Japanese menu choices, including sushi, will bring a currently unrepresented style of cuisine to PlayhouseSquare."
Why did the couple choose PlayhouseSquare? "My uncle is a professor at CSU, and he knows the area very well," says Jiyoung Sung. "He recommended it to us."
The restaurant will be located at 1507 Euclid Avenue, in the former China Sea Express space. It is expected to open in May.
Source: Jiyoung Sung
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"It's not traditional Korean food -- it's fusion style," says Jiyoung Sung, who moved from Michigan to be close to family. "We're also building a sushi bar."
John Sung worked as a sushi chef for 13 years before moving to Cleveland. The venue is a big leap for the couple. "We're happy and nervous at the same time. We're excited about having our own place, but it's kind of frightening, too."
The price range for lunch will be $8-10, while dinner items will be around $15, keeping the menu affordable for CSU students and downtown office workers.
"We think those who live, work and visit here will appreciate having yet another great choice of where to eat," says Cindi Szymanski of PlayhouseSquare, which owns the building. "The planned Korean and Japanese menu choices, including sushi, will bring a currently unrepresented style of cuisine to PlayhouseSquare."
Why did the couple choose PlayhouseSquare? "My uncle is a professor at CSU, and he knows the area very well," says Jiyoung Sung. "He recommended it to us."
The restaurant will be located at 1507 Euclid Avenue, in the former China Sea Express space. It is expected to open in May.
Source: Jiyoung Sung
Writer: Lee Chilcote
local writer shares city's riches with canadians
In a Canadian Globe and Mail feature titled “Why you should be hot for Cleveland,” local writer and Fresh Water editor Douglas Trattner details the splendor that is Cleveland while tossing around fancy spellings like kilometre and neighbourhood.
“While it’s no secret that Cleveland has experienced a large population decline since its peak in 1950, when it was the seventh-largest city in the United States, things have begun to turn around in a big way,” Trattner writes. “Oft-repeated jabs about burning rivers, blundering sports teams and infinite winters are giving way to reports of bike-friendly infrastructure and a world-class dining scene. Heck, city folk here are even allowed to raise chickens and bees.”
Trattner goes on to share his picks for what to see, where to eat, where to drink, where to sleep, and where to shop for members of both sides of the border.
Check out the full “international” story here.
“While it’s no secret that Cleveland has experienced a large population decline since its peak in 1950, when it was the seventh-largest city in the United States, things have begun to turn around in a big way,” Trattner writes. “Oft-repeated jabs about burning rivers, blundering sports teams and infinite winters are giving way to reports of bike-friendly infrastructure and a world-class dining scene. Heck, city folk here are even allowed to raise chickens and bees.”
Trattner goes on to share his picks for what to see, where to eat, where to drink, where to sleep, and where to shop for members of both sides of the border.
Check out the full “international” story here.
With a record-setting recent round of grants, The Cleveland Foundation is ensuring, among other things, that a well-loved local institution will continue to make beautiful music.
Last week, the foundation's board of directors approved a best ever $26.6 million in grants for the first quarter of 2013. The funding included a $10 million grant to the Cleveland Orchestra in support of operation and programming efforts as well as the organization's larger initiative to attract a broader audience. Besides the orchestra grant, additional monies totaling nearly $10 million will bolster core neighborhood and youth initiatives.
The orchestra funding is the largest single grant given to an arts organization in the foundation’s 99-year history, notes executive vice president Bob Eckardt. A portion of the grant stands as a leadership gift to help fund the ensemble's “Sound for the Centennial" strategic campaign, culminating with a century celebration in 2018.
"The orchestra is an important part of Cleveland's brand," says Eckardt.
Another grant recipient is Neighborhood Progress, Inc., which garnered $5 million in support of its strategic plan to forge a new community development network for Cleveland’s underserved neighborhoods.
Overall, Cleveland Foundation beat its previous grant-giving record of $21.6 million set in the third quarter of 2012. The large orchestra grant helped boost this number, but the nation's slow economic recovery has also grown the foundation's capacity, says Eckardt.
The organization's VP hopes this winter's big gain is just the start of a year that at the very least matches 2012's $90 million in total grants.
"We'll be in that neighborhood again," Eckardt says.
SOURCE: Bob Eckardt
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Last week, the foundation's board of directors approved a best ever $26.6 million in grants for the first quarter of 2013. The funding included a $10 million grant to the Cleveland Orchestra in support of operation and programming efforts as well as the organization's larger initiative to attract a broader audience. Besides the orchestra grant, additional monies totaling nearly $10 million will bolster core neighborhood and youth initiatives.
The orchestra funding is the largest single grant given to an arts organization in the foundation’s 99-year history, notes executive vice president Bob Eckardt. A portion of the grant stands as a leadership gift to help fund the ensemble's “Sound for the Centennial" strategic campaign, culminating with a century celebration in 2018.
"The orchestra is an important part of Cleveland's brand," says Eckardt.
Another grant recipient is Neighborhood Progress, Inc., which garnered $5 million in support of its strategic plan to forge a new community development network for Cleveland’s underserved neighborhoods.
Overall, Cleveland Foundation beat its previous grant-giving record of $21.6 million set in the third quarter of 2012. The large orchestra grant helped boost this number, but the nation's slow economic recovery has also grown the foundation's capacity, says Eckardt.
The organization's VP hopes this winter's big gain is just the start of a year that at the very least matches 2012's $90 million in total grants.
"We'll be in that neighborhood again," Eckardt says.
SOURCE: Bob Eckardt
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Some creative, outside-the-box thinking by the city's leading urban design and cycling advocates has led to the creation of four additional "bike boxes," which are to be installed this spring in various Cleveland neighborhoods.
The newest wave of bike boxes are modeled after a successful pilot project at Nano Brew in Ohio City. That installation transformed a steel shipping container into a colorful curbside bike garage for two-wheeled visitors.
By offering secure, covered parking in a bike corral that also functions as dynamic, placemaking public art, the Bridge Avenue bike box does more than simply provide practical parking: It brands the city as a place that prioritizes cycling.
"It's really a center of gravity," says Greg Peckham, Managing Director of LAND Studio, the nonprofit that spearheaded the project with Bike Cleveland. "It's as much about a safe, convenient, protected place to park your bike as it is about making a statement that cycling is an important mode of transportation in the city."
Peckham says that Ohio City's bike box is very well used on days when the West Side Market is open and in the evening when riders coast in for dinner or a drink. With the street's bike racks often at capacity, the bike box was critical, he says.
The new bike boxes will be installed in time for Bike Month in May. The locations are Gordon Square (a barn-red beauty outside Happy Dog), Tremont (two "half loaves," as Peckham calls them, outside South Side and Tremont Tap House), St. Clair Superior (location TBD) and a final, undetermined community.
The bike boxes are being custom-fabricated by Rust Belt Welding, which is an entrepreneurial duo that has made creative bike parking a calling card for their work. Each of the boxes is being designed with neighborhood input -- hence Tremont's half-boxes, which amount to a shipping container split in two.
The project is being supported by Charter One Growing Communities, which has also funded retail attraction efforts in Ohio City, downtown and St. Clair Superior.
Peckham says the new designs accommodate more bikes and use lighter colors. Users can expect more innovations in the future -- LAND Studio is working to secure funding so that green roofs and solar panels can be added to the boxes.
The bike boxes are being maintained through partnerships with neighboring businesses, which agree to maintain, clean and keep secure the facilities.
Source: Greg Peckham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The newest wave of bike boxes are modeled after a successful pilot project at Nano Brew in Ohio City. That installation transformed a steel shipping container into a colorful curbside bike garage for two-wheeled visitors.
By offering secure, covered parking in a bike corral that also functions as dynamic, placemaking public art, the Bridge Avenue bike box does more than simply provide practical parking: It brands the city as a place that prioritizes cycling.
"It's really a center of gravity," says Greg Peckham, Managing Director of LAND Studio, the nonprofit that spearheaded the project with Bike Cleveland. "It's as much about a safe, convenient, protected place to park your bike as it is about making a statement that cycling is an important mode of transportation in the city."
Peckham says that Ohio City's bike box is very well used on days when the West Side Market is open and in the evening when riders coast in for dinner or a drink. With the street's bike racks often at capacity, the bike box was critical, he says.
The new bike boxes will be installed in time for Bike Month in May. The locations are Gordon Square (a barn-red beauty outside Happy Dog), Tremont (two "half loaves," as Peckham calls them, outside South Side and Tremont Tap House), St. Clair Superior (location TBD) and a final, undetermined community.
The bike boxes are being custom-fabricated by Rust Belt Welding, which is an entrepreneurial duo that has made creative bike parking a calling card for their work. Each of the boxes is being designed with neighborhood input -- hence Tremont's half-boxes, which amount to a shipping container split in two.
The project is being supported by Charter One Growing Communities, which has also funded retail attraction efforts in Ohio City, downtown and St. Clair Superior.
Peckham says the new designs accommodate more bikes and use lighter colors. Users can expect more innovations in the future -- LAND Studio is working to secure funding so that green roofs and solar panels can be added to the boxes.
The bike boxes are being maintained through partnerships with neighboring businesses, which agree to maintain, clean and keep secure the facilities.
Source: Greg Peckham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
University Circle already holds claim as Cleveland's premier medical, cultural and educational district. But what does the future hold for the rich, square-mile enclave and the neighborhoods around it?
"Building the Circle 2035: Height, Density and Social Equity" will attempt to answer that question during a free panel discussion on April 10 in the Cleveland Museum of Art's Gartner Auditorium. The program is part of the Circle Neighbors lecture series sponsored by the art museum's Womens Council in collaboration with the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Western Reserve Historical Society.
University Circle is an ever-active neighborhood of "arts, ed and med," says Circle Neighbors co-chair Sabrina Inkley. With development on the rise, the district just four miles east of downtown Cleveland has become an anchor for a city that certainly needs one.
"As Clevelanders we have this inferiority complex," says Inkley. "University Circle is the one of the most unique one-square-mile areas in the nation."
The panel talk, moderated by Plain Dealer architecture critic Steven Litt, will peer two decades into the future to imagine what University Circle might look like, and how the district's rising wealth could benefit struggling surrounding neighborhoods. Panelists will include Chris Ronayne of UCI Inc, developer Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. and India Pierce Lee of the Cleveland Foundation.
Inkley doesn't have all the answers, but she knows University Circle is an enormous linchpin for Cleveland's economic future. New rental apartments and various institutions constructing new facilities are just two examples of the growth taking place.
"It's just very exciting," Inkley says. "There is something for everyone here."
SOURCE: Sabrina Inkley
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
"Building the Circle 2035: Height, Density and Social Equity" will attempt to answer that question during a free panel discussion on April 10 in the Cleveland Museum of Art's Gartner Auditorium. The program is part of the Circle Neighbors lecture series sponsored by the art museum's Womens Council in collaboration with the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Western Reserve Historical Society.
University Circle is an ever-active neighborhood of "arts, ed and med," says Circle Neighbors co-chair Sabrina Inkley. With development on the rise, the district just four miles east of downtown Cleveland has become an anchor for a city that certainly needs one.
"As Clevelanders we have this inferiority complex," says Inkley. "University Circle is the one of the most unique one-square-mile areas in the nation."
The panel talk, moderated by Plain Dealer architecture critic Steven Litt, will peer two decades into the future to imagine what University Circle might look like, and how the district's rising wealth could benefit struggling surrounding neighborhoods. Panelists will include Chris Ronayne of UCI Inc, developer Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. and India Pierce Lee of the Cleveland Foundation.
Inkley doesn't have all the answers, but she knows University Circle is an enormous linchpin for Cleveland's economic future. New rental apartments and various institutions constructing new facilities are just two examples of the growth taking place.
"It's just very exciting," Inkley says. "There is something for everyone here."
SOURCE: Sabrina Inkley
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
For those who don't already know, Cleveland is a place where culture, education, creativity and innovation flourishes affordably. At least, that's the message city boosters are trying to sell to mobile young professionals. According to who you ask, that strategy is either working, working slowly, or not working well at all.
"Jazz is like the kind of man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with." That might sound like a curious quote for a pastor to use in blessing a jazz bar, yet these were Mark Giuliano's words at the opening of the new Take 5 Jazz Club in downtown Cleveland. The quote comes from jazz legend Duke Ellington.
"We know how important live music is for gathering people; we're for that kind of community building," explains Giuliano, Pastor of Old Stone Church on Public Square and President of the Downtown Residents Association. "We want a place where you can have great food and a couple drinks, listen to live music, be able to visit and have a sense of community. What [the owners] have done is take an old, divey bar and brought new life to it."
Giuliano believes Take 5 will fill a gap in the Warehouse District entertainment scene by offering music that's geared towards an older, multicultural crowd.
"There are an awful lot of empty-nesters like my wife and I [downtown]," he says. "We're not really going to be doing the club scene over on W. 6th at two in the morning. This is a place where everybody feels welcome and has a place."
Take 5, which opened on March 21, offers live jazz, R&B and blues from Thursday through Sunday nights. It is located at 740 Superior Avenue, in the former House of Cues and Prime Rib Steakhouse location in the Warehouse District. The venue also offers an extensive tapas menu prepared by executive chef Jeremy Rolen.
Owners Brian Gresham and Claude Carson have renovated the once-shabby House of Cues into an upscale jazz venue that caters to a professional crowd. Gresham says he saw an opening in the scene due to all the development taking place downtown.
"With the casino, med mart and Flats being revitalized, we wanted to fill a niche," he says. "We more or less took concepts from places that were once in the area that did very well -- The Bop Stop, Wilberts and Sixth Street Down Under."
The owners renovated the interior with new lighting and other improvements. A black ceiling makes it "feel like you're in a true musical venue," Gresham says.
Take 5 welcomed trumpet player and vocalist Skip Martin for its opening weekend, and Gresham is currently working to bring Sean Jones to town, as well. The venue's performers will include a mix of regional and national acts.
Source: Mark Giuliano, Brian Gresham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We know how important live music is for gathering people; we're for that kind of community building," explains Giuliano, Pastor of Old Stone Church on Public Square and President of the Downtown Residents Association. "We want a place where you can have great food and a couple drinks, listen to live music, be able to visit and have a sense of community. What [the owners] have done is take an old, divey bar and brought new life to it."
Giuliano believes Take 5 will fill a gap in the Warehouse District entertainment scene by offering music that's geared towards an older, multicultural crowd.
"There are an awful lot of empty-nesters like my wife and I [downtown]," he says. "We're not really going to be doing the club scene over on W. 6th at two in the morning. This is a place where everybody feels welcome and has a place."
Take 5, which opened on March 21, offers live jazz, R&B and blues from Thursday through Sunday nights. It is located at 740 Superior Avenue, in the former House of Cues and Prime Rib Steakhouse location in the Warehouse District. The venue also offers an extensive tapas menu prepared by executive chef Jeremy Rolen.
Owners Brian Gresham and Claude Carson have renovated the once-shabby House of Cues into an upscale jazz venue that caters to a professional crowd. Gresham says he saw an opening in the scene due to all the development taking place downtown.
"With the casino, med mart and Flats being revitalized, we wanted to fill a niche," he says. "We more or less took concepts from places that were once in the area that did very well -- The Bop Stop, Wilberts and Sixth Street Down Under."
The owners renovated the interior with new lighting and other improvements. A black ceiling makes it "feel like you're in a true musical venue," Gresham says.
Take 5 welcomed trumpet player and vocalist Skip Martin for its opening weekend, and Gresham is currently working to bring Sean Jones to town, as well. The venue's performers will include a mix of regional and national acts.
Source: Mark Giuliano, Brian Gresham
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Since its modest beginnings 36 years ago at the Cedar Lee Theatre, the Cleveland International Film Festival has blossomed into a premiere local, regional and national event. Over the years the festival’s attendance has grown by over 600 percent to last year's record of 85,018. Here are four films with a Cleveland connection.
nytimes says all eyes on cma in the museum world
In a New York Times feature titled “Technology That Serves to Enhance, Not Distract,” Fred A. Bernstein explores the attention the Cleveland Museum of Art has been garnering for its groundbreaking Gallery One exhibit.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
“In the museum world, everyone’s watching Cleveland right now,” said Erin Coburn, a museum consultant who has worked at both the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though other museums have experimented with interactive technology, the extent of Cleveland’s program is unprecedented, she said. “They’ve put a lot out there for other museums to learn from.”
The museum also treats iPads users to more and different information by giving an interactive feel to the displays, while still keeping focus on the artwork itself. If you do not have an iPad, one can be rented from the museum for just $5 per day.
Read the entire feature here.
national design praise continues for moca
In a SmartPlanet post titled “Perfectly detailed, perfectly gorgeous (and perfectly dull),” C.C. Sullivan explains the behind-the-scenes processes that take place when it comes to museum design and/or renovations.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
“Museums usually turn out to be just as conventional as the corporations and socialites who run them," Sullivan writes. "These one-percenters are also corporate directors, university trustees, hospital board members and generally busy-busy folk.”
While these talented people can organize a well-run competition, their results tend to disappoint as they focus more or “marketability” rather than design.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland earned praise for “doing it right.”
“It is a truly progressive cultural achievement. The design was radical enough to scare the pants off the museum’s own leadership. We applaud the choices and challenges behind this new, magnetic public place.”
Check out the full story here.
Although it wasn't obvious to Thomas Fox at the time, losing his job at Go Media several years ago may have been the best thing that ever happened to him. It led him to create Bad Racket Recording Studio with partners James Kananen and Adam Wagner.
Since launching the studio in 2010, the group has expanded its presence in the music scene. Last year, they took on additional space, bolstered sound panels to create a better recording experience, and began hosting additional live concerts.
"January was our busiest month ever -- we were booked almost every day," says Fox, who handles marketing and operations for Bad Racket. "We're building a community of people that we're working with. Our customers have come from as far away as Philly and West Virginia, but right now it's mostly Cleveland bands."
What's different about Bad Racket, which occupies a warehouse space at W. 45th and Lorain (below Go Media's offices), is that it has created a recording space that feels like a cross between a living room and a comfortable stage.
"We're not a clean, polished space, but our emphasis is on creating a space for performance," says Fox. "All you do is show up, play your songs at your best and the rest is taken care of. People prefer live recordings -- although we do both."
Bad Racket, which charges $45 per hour for studio time, also handles video production. The recording space doubles as a stage used for live concerts.
Fox and his cohorts self-financed the studio and have reinvested profits back into the space. They've built walls from rockwall insulation and acoustic panels from "rolls of bike helmet padding from Zero Waste Landfill and whatever is cheapest at JoAnn Fabric." The result? A 1,200-square-foot space with great acoustics.
It's a labor of love that's paying off. "When there's a project we really, really want to do, budget is not an issue. Everyone here just wants to make great music. Most of us have separate jobs, but if anyone asks us what we do, we'd say Bad Racket."
Fox is also a leading force behind Brite Winter Fest (he books the music), which recently attracted 20,000 people to Ohio City on a cold, snowy February evening.
Source: Thomas Fox
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Since launching the studio in 2010, the group has expanded its presence in the music scene. Last year, they took on additional space, bolstered sound panels to create a better recording experience, and began hosting additional live concerts.
"January was our busiest month ever -- we were booked almost every day," says Fox, who handles marketing and operations for Bad Racket. "We're building a community of people that we're working with. Our customers have come from as far away as Philly and West Virginia, but right now it's mostly Cleveland bands."
What's different about Bad Racket, which occupies a warehouse space at W. 45th and Lorain (below Go Media's offices), is that it has created a recording space that feels like a cross between a living room and a comfortable stage.
"We're not a clean, polished space, but our emphasis is on creating a space for performance," says Fox. "All you do is show up, play your songs at your best and the rest is taken care of. People prefer live recordings -- although we do both."
Bad Racket, which charges $45 per hour for studio time, also handles video production. The recording space doubles as a stage used for live concerts.
Fox and his cohorts self-financed the studio and have reinvested profits back into the space. They've built walls from rockwall insulation and acoustic panels from "rolls of bike helmet padding from Zero Waste Landfill and whatever is cheapest at JoAnn Fabric." The result? A 1,200-square-foot space with great acoustics.
It's a labor of love that's paying off. "When there's a project we really, really want to do, budget is not an issue. Everyone here just wants to make great music. Most of us have separate jobs, but if anyone asks us what we do, we'd say Bad Racket."
Fox is also a leading force behind Brite Winter Fest (he books the music), which recently attracted 20,000 people to Ohio City on a cold, snowy February evening.
Source: Thomas Fox
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The librarians at Cleveland Public Library (CPL) love books. No surprises there. Still, there's nothing wrong with spreading love of the printed word, and that's exactly what CPL is trying to do with its new outreach program, Read in the CLE.
The program, which launched last month on CPL's website, features a well-known Clevelander who is sharing the book that he or she is currently reading. A selection of CPL librarians also impart whatever page-turner has them staying up past bedtime, with the goal of giving visitors ideas on a new book to read.
"The focus is to pull people in so they can talk about reading together," says Amy Pawlowski, CPL's web applications manager.
As CPL does not have the user base of other local library systems, Read in the CLE was created to enhance interaction and keep the city's public library top mind. Visitors to the site can leave comments discussing their favorite books with either that month's featured reader or CPL's literate librarians.
"These aren't book reviews," Pawlowski says. "It's very loose and free-flowing. More along the lines of 'This is what I'm reading, do I like it?'"
CPL's first featured reader was columnist Connie Schultz. This month's guest is blogger and restaurant-owner Amelia Sawyer. The program will have a rotating series of notable Cleveland readers on hand for the rest of the year.
"We have some great readers downtown, but people always don't have time to get to the library," says Pawlowski. "This (program) is just a way for them to get more involved when they have the time."
SOURCE: Amy Pawlowski
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The program, which launched last month on CPL's website, features a well-known Clevelander who is sharing the book that he or she is currently reading. A selection of CPL librarians also impart whatever page-turner has them staying up past bedtime, with the goal of giving visitors ideas on a new book to read.
"The focus is to pull people in so they can talk about reading together," says Amy Pawlowski, CPL's web applications manager.
As CPL does not have the user base of other local library systems, Read in the CLE was created to enhance interaction and keep the city's public library top mind. Visitors to the site can leave comments discussing their favorite books with either that month's featured reader or CPL's literate librarians.
"These aren't book reviews," Pawlowski says. "It's very loose and free-flowing. More along the lines of 'This is what I'm reading, do I like it?'"
CPL's first featured reader was columnist Connie Schultz. This month's guest is blogger and restaurant-owner Amelia Sawyer. The program will have a rotating series of notable Cleveland readers on hand for the rest of the year.
"We have some great readers downtown, but people always don't have time to get to the library," says Pawlowski. "This (program) is just a way for them to get more involved when they have the time."
SOURCE: Amy Pawlowski
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
fast co. praises cle art museum's gallery one
In a Fast Company story titled “5 Lessons IN UI Design From A Breakthrough Museum,” Cliff Kuang proclaims the Cleveland Museum of Art as a case study for blending physical and virtual worlds thanks to Gallery One.
The museum's goal was to utilize technology in a way where it was interactive and fun, but still let the artwork shine and remain the focal point.
"We didn’t want to create a tech ghetto," says David Franklin, the museum’s director. Adds Local Projects founder Jake Barton, "We wanted to make the tech predicated on the art itself."
From getting people to wiggle and smile, to shaping the content to the medium, to looking through the tech, not at it, Gallery One and the CMA had a challenge on their hands, and met it head on.
Enjoy the full feature here.
The museum's goal was to utilize technology in a way where it was interactive and fun, but still let the artwork shine and remain the focal point.
"We didn’t want to create a tech ghetto," says David Franklin, the museum’s director. Adds Local Projects founder Jake Barton, "We wanted to make the tech predicated on the art itself."
From getting people to wiggle and smile, to shaping the content to the medium, to looking through the tech, not at it, Gallery One and the CMA had a challenge on their hands, and met it head on.
Enjoy the full feature here.
As TEDxCLE blazes into its fourth year beneath the banner "Bonfire//Ignite," Clevelanders once again have responded with unfettered enthusiasm. This year's event, which will be held Thursday, March 21 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, sold all 700 tickets in 24 minutes. Here's a preview of the action.
In its heyday, downtown's Short Vincent was an entertainment mecca, with big-name spots like the Roxy, known as one of the most successful vaudeville and burlesque theaters in the Midwest. On February 23, Roxy Remembered took over the Beachland, staging a burlesque show in honor of the old club. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski had a front row seat to the action.