Arts + Culture
pnc breaks ground on new community resource center in fairfax neighborhood
A new community resource center being created by PNC Financial Services will better connect the Fairfax neighborhood's residents and small businesses to economic opportunities in Northeast Ohio. It will also celebrate the rich history and legacy of a neighborhood that was once home to Langston Hughes and houses Karamu Theatre.
PNC recently broke ground on PNC Fairfax Connection, a new facility that is being built on the site of a former dry cleaner at E. 83rd St. and Carnegie Avenue. The 6,400-square-foot facility was designed by Richard Fleischman and ESI Design. PNC officials hope to celebrate a grand opening here in the fall.
"Our CEO said, 'I want you to create something that redefines the relationship between a bank and a community,' so we did," says Paul Clark, PNC Regional Vice President. "Fairfax stood out because of the pride of the community, its proximity to University Circle and the Cleveland Clinic, and the strength of its leadership."
PNC Fairfax Connection will offer access to technology and training, resources to connect residents to jobs, and intergenerational, youth and early childhood programming. It will also help celebrate the cultural legacy of Fairfax.
As examples of possible outcomes, Clark cites a goal of increasing the number of local residents hired by major employers, helping small businesses to connect with each other and to large entities such as the Cleveland Clinic, and youth programs that help aspiring filmmakers to produce state-of-the-art movies.
The facility is being built on the site of the former Swift Dry Cleaner, and will remediate a dilapidated building and brownfield along Carnegie Ave. It is being created in partnership with the Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation. Clark says the distinctive, glassy architecture will "set a high bar."
Source: Paul Clark
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Photo: Bob Perkoski
PNC recently broke ground on PNC Fairfax Connection, a new facility that is being built on the site of a former dry cleaner at E. 83rd St. and Carnegie Avenue. The 6,400-square-foot facility was designed by Richard Fleischman and ESI Design. PNC officials hope to celebrate a grand opening here in the fall.
"Our CEO said, 'I want you to create something that redefines the relationship between a bank and a community,' so we did," says Paul Clark, PNC Regional Vice President. "Fairfax stood out because of the pride of the community, its proximity to University Circle and the Cleveland Clinic, and the strength of its leadership."
PNC Fairfax Connection will offer access to technology and training, resources to connect residents to jobs, and intergenerational, youth and early childhood programming. It will also help celebrate the cultural legacy of Fairfax.
As examples of possible outcomes, Clark cites a goal of increasing the number of local residents hired by major employers, helping small businesses to connect with each other and to large entities such as the Cleveland Clinic, and youth programs that help aspiring filmmakers to produce state-of-the-art movies.
The facility is being built on the site of the former Swift Dry Cleaner, and will remediate a dilapidated building and brownfield along Carnegie Ave. It is being created in partnership with the Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation. Clark says the distinctive, glassy architecture will "set a high bar."
Source: Paul Clark
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Photo: Bob Perkoski
This year’s film festival is up to 318 films from 60 countries, ranging from documentary to feature length drama. But there are three films that will be of particular interest to Clevelanders. All documentaries, the flicks cover post-recession life of Detroit, Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson, and what it means to be black in today’s society.
As local artists with a common love of vintage art tools, friends Jamye Jamison, Elizabeth Emery and Wendy Partridge decided there was a need for some uniquely Cleveland promotional goods. So they formed CLE Collectiv, which produces a line of handmade note cards that celebrate all things Cleveland.
The trio creates the cards at Zygote Press using handset, vintage metal and wood type printing materials on 1950s-era Vandercook proofing presses. The cards are two-color and they can print up to 350 cards in one print run. All the paper is sourced from off-cuts that would otherwise be thrown away. Cards are folded and assembled by hand.
“We kind of started it as a little bit of a hobby,” says Jamison. “Just because we felt there was a void of interesting letterpress cards about Cleveland."
Current designs include “CLE - the place to be,” “CLE - full city, half price,” “I (heart) Cleveland” and “Cleveland - gentrify this!” Due out in June are “West Side Market - makin' bacon since 1912”
and “Cleveland - it grows on you.”
“We’ve been trying to come up with funny, quirky sayings about Cleveland, whether positive or poking sly fun at the city,” says Jamison.
The different cards feature vintage images found at Zygote, such as the Terminal Tower from around the time it was built, or a Tremont steel mill.
The cards are $5 each, three for $14 or 5 for $20. They are available at CLE Clothing Co., duoHOME, Heights Arts, Room Service, and Zygote Press. They can also be found on the CLE Collectiv Etsy page.
Source: Jamye Jamison
Writer: Karin Connelly
The trio creates the cards at Zygote Press using handset, vintage metal and wood type printing materials on 1950s-era Vandercook proofing presses. The cards are two-color and they can print up to 350 cards in one print run. All the paper is sourced from off-cuts that would otherwise be thrown away. Cards are folded and assembled by hand.
“We kind of started it as a little bit of a hobby,” says Jamison. “Just because we felt there was a void of interesting letterpress cards about Cleveland."
Current designs include “CLE - the place to be,” “CLE - full city, half price,” “I (heart) Cleveland” and “Cleveland - gentrify this!” Due out in June are “West Side Market - makin' bacon since 1912”
and “Cleveland - it grows on you.”
“We’ve been trying to come up with funny, quirky sayings about Cleveland, whether positive or poking sly fun at the city,” says Jamison.
The different cards feature vintage images found at Zygote, such as the Terminal Tower from around the time it was built, or a Tremont steel mill.
The cards are $5 each, three for $14 or 5 for $20. They are available at CLE Clothing Co., duoHOME, Heights Arts, Room Service, and Zygote Press. They can also be found on the CLE Collectiv Etsy page.
Source: Jamye Jamison
Writer: Karin Connelly
newsmax previews rock hall renovations
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is gearing up to unveil it $6.9 million renovation project writes Sandy Fitzgerald in a brief report for Newsmax. This latest renovation is the most extensive since the museum opened in 1995.
The renovations were completed just in time for the upcoming sold-out induction ceremonies that will take place on April 14.
Among the improvements made is the red carpet entrance, as well as new interactive displays, improved signage, and revamped exhibits with more of a natural flow.
“Ninety percent of the people who come to the museum love the experience,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the museum. “But what don’t they like? What have we learned over the years that we can do better? We stepped back and compiled those improvements, to make it a better experience without trying to transform it into a brand-new museum."
Read the full article here.
The renovations were completed just in time for the upcoming sold-out induction ceremonies that will take place on April 14.
Among the improvements made is the red carpet entrance, as well as new interactive displays, improved signage, and revamped exhibits with more of a natural flow.
“Ninety percent of the people who come to the museum love the experience,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the museum. “But what don’t they like? What have we learned over the years that we can do better? We stepped back and compiled those improvements, to make it a better experience without trying to transform it into a brand-new museum."
Read the full article here.
Cleveland rocks, that much we know. But for many local musicians, "rocking" isn't always enough to pay the bills. To make both music and a living, many must find -- or create -- music-related day jobs that supplement the bottom line. But the good news is two-fold: Cleveland musicians are supportive of one another, and here, a person doesn't have to work 60 hours a week just to pay the rent.
When actor Bill Morgan travels into Cleveland schools to create artistic productions that star both hearing and deaf actors, he continues to be amazed by students' reactions and the type of creativity that is often unleashed through nonverbal communication.
Morgan can hear, yet the productions that he creates through SignStage Theatre help to educate hearing individuals on the issues faced by the deaf community. They also bring hearing and deaf students together through entertainment.
"We ask kids to use their physical actions rather than just their voices, and they really start to use their imaginations more," says Morgan. "We have hearing students interacting more with deaf students, whereas normally they're not. That opens kids up to what deaf kids can do, while also empowering deaf students."
SignStage is a program of the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center (CHSC), a nonprofit originally founded in 1921 to provide lip reading classes for adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. In the past 91 years, the CHSC has grown to serve nearly 8,000 adults and children each year in 14 counties in Northeast Ohio.
Morgan is particularly excited about an upcoming residency through the Ohio Arts Council at a Cincinnati area school. There he will have a chance to create programs at an innovative school that integrates deaf and hearing children using the arts. "Such programs are becoming more acceptable," he says. "I've also found that there is now a better understanding of the needs of the deaf community."
SignStage helps hearing students to overcome prejudice, says Morgan, and to realize deaf people are not handicapped. Deaf people can be found in professions ranging from medicine (including doctors) to manufacturing (they're sometimes hired to work around noisy machines that hearing people can't tolerate).
Source: Bill Morgan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Morgan can hear, yet the productions that he creates through SignStage Theatre help to educate hearing individuals on the issues faced by the deaf community. They also bring hearing and deaf students together through entertainment.
"We ask kids to use their physical actions rather than just their voices, and they really start to use their imaginations more," says Morgan. "We have hearing students interacting more with deaf students, whereas normally they're not. That opens kids up to what deaf kids can do, while also empowering deaf students."
SignStage is a program of the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center (CHSC), a nonprofit originally founded in 1921 to provide lip reading classes for adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. In the past 91 years, the CHSC has grown to serve nearly 8,000 adults and children each year in 14 counties in Northeast Ohio.
Morgan is particularly excited about an upcoming residency through the Ohio Arts Council at a Cincinnati area school. There he will have a chance to create programs at an innovative school that integrates deaf and hearing children using the arts. "Such programs are becoming more acceptable," he says. "I've also found that there is now a better understanding of the needs of the deaf community."
SignStage helps hearing students to overcome prejudice, says Morgan, and to realize deaf people are not handicapped. Deaf people can be found in professions ranging from medicine (including doctors) to manufacturing (they're sometimes hired to work around noisy machines that hearing people can't tolerate).
Source: Bill Morgan
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Garfield Heights historically has been known as the "City of Homes," yet Mayor Vic Collova wants to update that quaint image. The time is right to attract new businesses and development, he says, and the city's infrastructure, proximity to highways and business-friendly approach make it competitive.
"We haven't had a lot of new businesses moving here, and we're really trying to change our mindset," he says. "What we're doing is aggressive for Garfield Heights, but not for other areas that are more business-minded."
Like many inner ring suburbs that have a flat or declining residential tax base, Garfield Heights is now trying to diversify its tax rolls by attracting new economic development. The city has cause to celebrate a major victory this month, as the rapidly growing ebook and audio book distributor Overdrive recently broke ground on a new, $10 million world headquarters. The facility will immediate employ nearly 200 people, and could eventually employ up to 300 people.
Collova says former Governor Ted Strickland's administration was instrumental in keeping Overdrive in Ohio (the current facility is located in Valley View), and a package of incentives that included a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement helped lure the firm to Garfield Heights. The Ohio Department of Development also provided a $200,000 grant to build a new road to service the facility.
In a competitive economic landscape in which cities and states are, for better or worse, bidding against one another to land new development projects, Collova says Garfield Heights "offered a package to meet Overdrive's needs." He adds that Economic Development Director Noreen Kupan "did a great job negotiating."
Yet Collova says regardless of incentives, the location near I-480 is becoming "one of the most sought after locations in the city" because it offers great highway access and more than 180,000 cars per day drive through the area.
The location once was home to Nestaway, a company that closed years ago and left behind a vacant building. When Overdrive moves into its new headquarters later this year, it will be one of the largest employers in the City of Garfield Heights.
Source: Vic Collova
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We haven't had a lot of new businesses moving here, and we're really trying to change our mindset," he says. "What we're doing is aggressive for Garfield Heights, but not for other areas that are more business-minded."
Like many inner ring suburbs that have a flat or declining residential tax base, Garfield Heights is now trying to diversify its tax rolls by attracting new economic development. The city has cause to celebrate a major victory this month, as the rapidly growing ebook and audio book distributor Overdrive recently broke ground on a new, $10 million world headquarters. The facility will immediate employ nearly 200 people, and could eventually employ up to 300 people.
Collova says former Governor Ted Strickland's administration was instrumental in keeping Overdrive in Ohio (the current facility is located in Valley View), and a package of incentives that included a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement helped lure the firm to Garfield Heights. The Ohio Department of Development also provided a $200,000 grant to build a new road to service the facility.
In a competitive economic landscape in which cities and states are, for better or worse, bidding against one another to land new development projects, Collova says Garfield Heights "offered a package to meet Overdrive's needs." He adds that Economic Development Director Noreen Kupan "did a great job negotiating."
Yet Collova says regardless of incentives, the location near I-480 is becoming "one of the most sought after locations in the city" because it offers great highway access and more than 180,000 cars per day drive through the area.
The location once was home to Nestaway, a company that closed years ago and left behind a vacant building. When Overdrive moves into its new headquarters later this year, it will be one of the largest employers in the City of Garfield Heights.
Source: Vic Collova
Writer: Lee Chilcote
local editor shares her ciff picks with the huffpo
“One of my favorite events of the year is right around the corner -- the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) from March 22 to April 1," writes Stefanie Penn Spear, editor of EcoWatch for the Huffington Post.
Spear states in her lengthy feature that while she enjoys a wide variety of offerings the festival offers, environmental documentaries are always her favorite.
EcoWatch is sponsoring a film in the festival titled Dirty Energy, “which documents the personal stories of those directly affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and their struggles to rebuild their lives amidst the economic devastation and long-term health risks afflicting the area.”
Spear goes on to detail another film titled Cape Spin, which she was given the opportunity to preview, about a political battle over the 2001 proposal for a Cape Wind’s energy project.
Read the detailed story here.
Spear states in her lengthy feature that while she enjoys a wide variety of offerings the festival offers, environmental documentaries are always her favorite.
EcoWatch is sponsoring a film in the festival titled Dirty Energy, “which documents the personal stories of those directly affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and their struggles to rebuild their lives amidst the economic devastation and long-term health risks afflicting the area.”
Spear goes on to detail another film titled Cape Spin, which she was given the opportunity to preview, about a political battle over the 2001 proposal for a Cape Wind’s energy project.
Read the detailed story here.
The Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), a civic education and engagement program, named 17 new city advocates for 2012. “It’s a chance to know the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and get the inside scoop on what’s going on downtown,” explains Laura Kushnick, DCA’s director of development and community relations.
The advocates serve a two-year term. They have access to DCA staff and community leaders to learn what it takes to facilitate civic change in the city. The advocates are encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table. Past projects have included happy hours and social events, building playgrounds and dog parks, and updating the city’s Wikipedia pages.
“There are a whole range of things people do,” says Kushnick. “We try to encourage people to be ambitious, but think about what they can do in small groups. We really view the program as an opportunity to learn what it takes to get things done.”
This is the fourth class in the program. Applicants come from all walks of life. “We cast as wide a net as we can” says Kushnick. “We put the word out through young professional groups. We try to assemble a strong group of people with a wide array of interests and professional backgrounds. Most of the advocates either work or live downtown.”
The 17 members were selected by a committee of DCA staff and board members who reviewed the written applications and interviewed a group of 30 finalists. They join 11 current advocates who are in their second year.
Source: Laura Kushnick
Writer: Karin Connelly
The advocates serve a two-year term. They have access to DCA staff and community leaders to learn what it takes to facilitate civic change in the city. The advocates are encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table. Past projects have included happy hours and social events, building playgrounds and dog parks, and updating the city’s Wikipedia pages.
“There are a whole range of things people do,” says Kushnick. “We try to encourage people to be ambitious, but think about what they can do in small groups. We really view the program as an opportunity to learn what it takes to get things done.”
This is the fourth class in the program. Applicants come from all walks of life. “We cast as wide a net as we can” says Kushnick. “We put the word out through young professional groups. We try to assemble a strong group of people with a wide array of interests and professional backgrounds. Most of the advocates either work or live downtown.”
The 17 members were selected by a committee of DCA staff and board members who reviewed the written applications and interviewed a group of 30 finalists. They join 11 current advocates who are in their second year.
Source: Laura Kushnick
Writer: Karin Connelly
In this age of speed-of-light communication, it is unheard of that a whodunit like "The Mousetrap" still can be a source of utter and total surprise. Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery play, you see, has been running non-stop in London's West End since 1952. At 60 years old, it is the longest continuously running play of all time.
The Cleveland Colectivo, a grassroots giving circle whose members provide grants to innovative, community-minded ideas, attracted 27 entrepreneurs and a crowd of nearly 100 people to its recent "Pitch for Change" event at Shaker Launchhouse.
Following the spirited two-minute presentations -- which grew more creative as the night wore on -- attendees voted on their favorite projects. The winner, Have You Met Cleveland?, took home the coveted door prize -- over $400 in cash.
Each presentation was met with rousing applause from the enthusiastic crowd, and attendees spent time after the pitches networking and creating new connections.
The next step in the Colectivo's selection process is for its members to interview the top 11 vote-getters. Details will soon be announced on the Colectivo website.
Here is a sampling of the top projects of the night:
Have You Met Cleveland? is a grassroots initiative that will use the tools of appreciative inquiry to engage young people in the community.
Improv-ing Cleveland is a small concert series that would present top musical acts in vacant storefronts in Slavic Village.
The Cleveland Hostel is a soon-to-be-completed contemporary hostel on West 25th Street, just south of Lorain Avenue.
Music in the Park is a project to organize crowd-pleasing concerts in Edgewater Park this summer.
Lakewood Alive Revolving Loan Paint Program aims to create a fund to help low-income Lakewood residents repaint their homes.
Source: Cleveland Colectivo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Following the spirited two-minute presentations -- which grew more creative as the night wore on -- attendees voted on their favorite projects. The winner, Have You Met Cleveland?, took home the coveted door prize -- over $400 in cash.
Each presentation was met with rousing applause from the enthusiastic crowd, and attendees spent time after the pitches networking and creating new connections.
The next step in the Colectivo's selection process is for its members to interview the top 11 vote-getters. Details will soon be announced on the Colectivo website.
Here is a sampling of the top projects of the night:
Have You Met Cleveland? is a grassroots initiative that will use the tools of appreciative inquiry to engage young people in the community.
Improv-ing Cleveland is a small concert series that would present top musical acts in vacant storefronts in Slavic Village.
The Cleveland Hostel is a soon-to-be-completed contemporary hostel on West 25th Street, just south of Lorain Avenue.
Music in the Park is a project to organize crowd-pleasing concerts in Edgewater Park this summer.
Lakewood Alive Revolving Loan Paint Program aims to create a fund to help low-income Lakewood residents repaint their homes.
Source: Cleveland Colectivo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
an in-depth look at the 'rembrandt in america' exhibit at cma
Writing for Akron's West Side Leader, Roger Durbin, professor emeritus at The University of Akron, provides an in-depth look at the Rembrandt in America exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
"This lushly appointed exhibition, which is on display through May 28, is the first major exhibition to explore how the desire for Rembrandt van Rijn paintings by American collectors has fueled research about the artist’s work," he writes.
Billed as "the largest number of the artist’s authentic paintings assembled from American collections in a century," the exhibit contains more than 50 of Rembrandt's works assembled from private collections and American art museums.
Read the rest of the article here.
"This lushly appointed exhibition, which is on display through May 28, is the first major exhibition to explore how the desire for Rembrandt van Rijn paintings by American collectors has fueled research about the artist’s work," he writes.
Billed as "the largest number of the artist’s authentic paintings assembled from American collections in a century," the exhibit contains more than 50 of Rembrandt's works assembled from private collections and American art museums.
Read the rest of the article here.
Cleveland State University (CSU) recently relocated its Department of Theatre and Dance to the Middough Building at PlayhouseSquare, a critical step in creating a multidisciplinary Arts Campus in the heart of Cleveland's growing theater district.
"The university's master plan is to move the majority of CSU's arts programs into PlayhouseSquare," says Joe Mosbrook, Director of Strategic Communications with CSU. "Our theatre majors will take classes 20 feet from the Allen Theatre. They'll build sets in the building, and then perform in one of the top college venues in the country. We're excited to be a part of one of Cleveland's largest arts centers."
Mosbrook says CSU is the only undergraduate theatre program in the country where students have the opportunity to work alongside a professional theatre company. CSU has formed an ongoing partnership with Cleveland Play House, and its productions are being staged in the new Allen Theatre complex.
CSU now occupies approximately 160,000 square feet on the second and fifth floors of the Middough Building. The refurbished space includes art studios, rehearsal space, photography studios, costume design studios and other facilities. CSU's Fine Arts programs also are now housed in the Middough Building.
In September, CSU plans to open an art gallery in the Cowell and Hubbard building on Euclid Avenue. The gallery will showcase student work, traveling shows, and work by alumni and faculty. The location was chosen to capitalize on PlayhouseSquare's foot traffic while adding to the revitalization of the area.
Over the long term, CSU also plans to move its digital and broadcast media programs, including its student radio station, into the Ideastream building. "There's a symbiotic relationship that occurs when students and professors work together with professionals in their field," says Mosbrook.
Source: Joe Mosbrook
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The university's master plan is to move the majority of CSU's arts programs into PlayhouseSquare," says Joe Mosbrook, Director of Strategic Communications with CSU. "Our theatre majors will take classes 20 feet from the Allen Theatre. They'll build sets in the building, and then perform in one of the top college venues in the country. We're excited to be a part of one of Cleveland's largest arts centers."
Mosbrook says CSU is the only undergraduate theatre program in the country where students have the opportunity to work alongside a professional theatre company. CSU has formed an ongoing partnership with Cleveland Play House, and its productions are being staged in the new Allen Theatre complex.
CSU now occupies approximately 160,000 square feet on the second and fifth floors of the Middough Building. The refurbished space includes art studios, rehearsal space, photography studios, costume design studios and other facilities. CSU's Fine Arts programs also are now housed in the Middough Building.
In September, CSU plans to open an art gallery in the Cowell and Hubbard building on Euclid Avenue. The gallery will showcase student work, traveling shows, and work by alumni and faculty. The location was chosen to capitalize on PlayhouseSquare's foot traffic while adding to the revitalization of the area.
Over the long term, CSU also plans to move its digital and broadcast media programs, including its student radio station, into the Ideastream building. "There's a symbiotic relationship that occurs when students and professors work together with professionals in their field," says Mosbrook.
Source: Joe Mosbrook
Writer: Lee Chilcote
As more people and businesses settle in downtown Cleveland, the need is greater than ever for safe, beautiful and active public spaces. Who, then, will steward the dialogue around the importance of good design to the quality of life and economic competitiveness of our region? LAND studio will. The recent union of Cleveland Public Art and ParkWorks has given rise to LAND, an organization focused on (L)andscape, (A)rt, (N)eighborhoods, and (D)evelopment.
new moca home makes news out west
As plans fall in to place for the fall opening of Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) in its new home, word continues to spread. In this Sacramento Bee piece, the Cleveland museum and its opening exhibition, "Inside Out and from the Ground Up," are discussed.
"MOCA's new building is designed to serve as a catalyst for creativity and growth in a cosmopolitan Cleveland neighborhood, which is home to one of the country's largest concentrations of cultural, educational and medical institutions," the reporter states.
Designed by Iranian-born Farshid Moussavi, the 34,000-square-foot museum is 44 percent larger than their original home on Carnegie. The four-story hexagonal building rises 60 feet and is wrapped in black stainless steel, which will reflect its surroundings.
As for the opening exhibit, the article states, "Organized by David Norr, Chief Curator at MOCA Cleveland, Inside Out and from the Ground Up will feature sculpture, painting, installations, photography, and video."
Read the rest here.
"MOCA's new building is designed to serve as a catalyst for creativity and growth in a cosmopolitan Cleveland neighborhood, which is home to one of the country's largest concentrations of cultural, educational and medical institutions," the reporter states.
Designed by Iranian-born Farshid Moussavi, the 34,000-square-foot museum is 44 percent larger than their original home on Carnegie. The four-story hexagonal building rises 60 feet and is wrapped in black stainless steel, which will reflect its surroundings.
As for the opening exhibit, the article states, "Organized by David Norr, Chief Curator at MOCA Cleveland, Inside Out and from the Ground Up will feature sculpture, painting, installations, photography, and video."
Read the rest here.
Cuyahoga County Public Library has launched a series of programs to serve Northeast Ohio's literary community, including workshops on fiction writing and classes aimed at teenage authors. The programs fill a vacuum created last year by the demise of The Lit, a nonprofit that was dedicated to Cleveland's literary community for more than 30 years.
"This is something that we've wanted to do for some time." says Robert Rua, Assistant Marketing Director with the Cuyahoga County Public Library. "One of our priorities is to help people reconnect with reading, and many folks who are readers are also writers. We're pleased to be able to serve the literary community in a more meaningful way, and we're looking forward to doing even more."
The Cuyahoga County Public Library also continues to support its robust series of author visits, which Rua says have thrived in an era in which there are fewer book stores. Recent visitors include Isobel Wilkerson and Joe Hill. In the next month, "Hollows" author Kim Harrison and local sports legend Joe Tate will also give readings.
"We have some large venues, and we're able to support author events with marketing," says Rua. "We work with Mac's Backs to do book sales."
In the coming months, Rua says that plans are being made to broaden the Library's offerings for writers, but specific details are not yet available.
Source: Robert Rua
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"This is something that we've wanted to do for some time." says Robert Rua, Assistant Marketing Director with the Cuyahoga County Public Library. "One of our priorities is to help people reconnect with reading, and many folks who are readers are also writers. We're pleased to be able to serve the literary community in a more meaningful way, and we're looking forward to doing even more."
The Cuyahoga County Public Library also continues to support its robust series of author visits, which Rua says have thrived in an era in which there are fewer book stores. Recent visitors include Isobel Wilkerson and Joe Hill. In the next month, "Hollows" author Kim Harrison and local sports legend Joe Tate will also give readings.
"We have some large venues, and we're able to support author events with marketing," says Rua. "We work with Mac's Backs to do book sales."
In the coming months, Rua says that plans are being made to broaden the Library's offerings for writers, but specific details are not yet available.
Source: Robert Rua
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Major corporations have long conducted sophisticated research to figure out what kind of consumer you are. Now, a new initiative that is being launched by two young city residents aims to find out what kind of Clevelander you are -- and use the results to engage citizens and drive policy change in the region.
By surveying residents' attitudes towards living in Northeast Ohio, as well as our preferences for urban amenities, the creators of the Clevelander Report hope to place useful information in the hands of policymakers shaping our region's future.
"For all of the studies that have been done on our city, very few of them focus on citizens," explains Hallie Bram, a Detroit Shoreway resident who co-founded the Cleveland Report with Eric Kogelschatz. "Our goal is to create the most comprehensive study of Clevelanders that's ever been completed. We want to use that information to bridge the gap between organizations, government and citizens, and help our policymakers to make informed decisions."
The Clevelander Report surveys residents on such topics as whether or not they are natives, boomerangs, expatriates or have relocated from another city; where they currently live; which cultural institutions and businesses they have visited; their level of interest in urban living; and their attitudes towards the city.
Bram says that the survey has been well-received so far, garnering over 500 responses since it launched one week ago. She and Kogelschatz plan to continue the Clevelander Report through the summer, and then compile an Executive Summary that can be provided to residents as well as policy makers.
Bram and Kogelschatz are the founders of TEDxCLE, a popular annual event that features curated talks by some of Northeast Ohio's biggest thinkers. This year's event will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Friday, April 20th.
Take the survey here.
Source: Hallie Bram
Writer: Lee Chilcote
By surveying residents' attitudes towards living in Northeast Ohio, as well as our preferences for urban amenities, the creators of the Clevelander Report hope to place useful information in the hands of policymakers shaping our region's future.
"For all of the studies that have been done on our city, very few of them focus on citizens," explains Hallie Bram, a Detroit Shoreway resident who co-founded the Cleveland Report with Eric Kogelschatz. "Our goal is to create the most comprehensive study of Clevelanders that's ever been completed. We want to use that information to bridge the gap between organizations, government and citizens, and help our policymakers to make informed decisions."
The Clevelander Report surveys residents on such topics as whether or not they are natives, boomerangs, expatriates or have relocated from another city; where they currently live; which cultural institutions and businesses they have visited; their level of interest in urban living; and their attitudes towards the city.
Bram says that the survey has been well-received so far, garnering over 500 responses since it launched one week ago. She and Kogelschatz plan to continue the Clevelander Report through the summer, and then compile an Executive Summary that can be provided to residents as well as policy makers.
Bram and Kogelschatz are the founders of TEDxCLE, a popular annual event that features curated talks by some of Northeast Ohio's biggest thinkers. This year's event will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Friday, April 20th.
Take the survey here.
Source: Hallie Bram
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Metheny Weir, a home remodeling business which was originally launched out of a Shaker Heights basement, recently expanded to a spacious storefront on Larchmere. The growth spurt is the result of the company inking last year a deal to become Cleveland's only licensed retailer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, a hot new product that's generating a buzz in the interior design world.
Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to paint furniture and other surfaces without cleaning, sanding or priming -- you just put your brush in the can and start painting.
"Our customers like it because they don't have to move their armoire out of the living room to paint it," says Weir, who co-founded the company with her friend, Kim Metheny. "It's not a big production to change the look of their furniture."
Chalk Paint is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and considered green. Weir says that she recently sold $700 of the new product in a single week.
The paint has also attracted new business for Metheny Weir, which specializes in custom painted finishes and has become known for stylish makeovers of older homes and furniture. "We're redoing a kitchen for someone that fell in love with the Annie Sloan product but didn't want to do the work herself," says Weir.
Weir and Metheny are hosting workshops out of their Larchmere storefront to educate homeowners on how to use the paint. The uptick in interest in home remodeling is partially due to the stalled housing market, Weir says, a trend that has spurred many homeowners to reinvest in their homes and furnishings.
In the next several months, Weir and Metheny will also travel to Chicago and New Orleans to meet Sloan in person and to participate in product demonstrations.
Source: Sue Weir
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to paint furniture and other surfaces without cleaning, sanding or priming -- you just put your brush in the can and start painting.
"Our customers like it because they don't have to move their armoire out of the living room to paint it," says Weir, who co-founded the company with her friend, Kim Metheny. "It's not a big production to change the look of their furniture."
Chalk Paint is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and considered green. Weir says that she recently sold $700 of the new product in a single week.
The paint has also attracted new business for Metheny Weir, which specializes in custom painted finishes and has become known for stylish makeovers of older homes and furniture. "We're redoing a kitchen for someone that fell in love with the Annie Sloan product but didn't want to do the work herself," says Weir.
Weir and Metheny are hosting workshops out of their Larchmere storefront to educate homeowners on how to use the paint. The uptick in interest in home remodeling is partially due to the stalled housing market, Weir says, a trend that has spurred many homeowners to reinvest in their homes and furnishings.
In the next several months, Weir and Metheny will also travel to Chicago and New Orleans to meet Sloan in person and to participate in product demonstrations.
Source: Sue Weir
Writer: Lee Chilcote
In this video, we join Cleveland city councilman Matt Zone on a guided tour of his favorite neighborhood: Gordon Square Arts District. Stops along the way include duoHome, Sweet Moses, Yellowcake, Gypsy Beans, 1point618, Capitol Theatre, and XYZ the Tavern. Shot by Fresh Water videographer David Wester, the short film illustrates why Detroit Shoreway is fast becoming one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Cleveland.