Arts + Culture
On April 25th, Cleveland Public Library (CPL) will celebrate the opening of the Sports Research Center, where visitors can explore favorite moments in local sports history, learn more about the history of black baseball, and meet sports icons from past and present.
The Center lets sports junkies travel back in time to the Indians' glory days. And given the Tribe's current first-place perch in the AL Central, perhaps this isn't just idle daydreaming.
The opening reception for the new facility and its inaugural exhibit, "Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience," will be held on April 25th at 3:30 p.m. on the main library's 5th floor.
"Pride and Passion" tells the story of the African-American baseball players who formed the Negro Leagues after being barred from Major League Baseball in the 1890s. Some of baseball's greatest players, including Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron, played for the Negro Leagues in the early 20th century.
Negro League player Ernest Nimmons, who played alongside Hank Aaron for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1952, will be on hand to talk about his experiences at the event. Nimmons now lives in Elyria.
"Pride and Passion" is organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Additional highlights of the center's research materials include correspondence from Jackie Robinson, oral history interviews with 100+ baseball players, baseball fiction, boxing history and the Plain Dealer Historical Archive, an online sports news database.
The April 25th event is a partnership between CPL and the Cleveland Indians. The team's Vice President of Public Relations, Bob DiBiasio, and retired Indians player and 1980 American League Rookie of the Year, Joe Charboneau, will answer questions and sign autographs.
If you happen to miss the opening reception you won't have to "wait 'til next year." The Sports Research Center will be free and open to the public year round.
Source: Cleveland Public Library
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Center lets sports junkies travel back in time to the Indians' glory days. And given the Tribe's current first-place perch in the AL Central, perhaps this isn't just idle daydreaming.
The opening reception for the new facility and its inaugural exhibit, "Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience," will be held on April 25th at 3:30 p.m. on the main library's 5th floor.
"Pride and Passion" tells the story of the African-American baseball players who formed the Negro Leagues after being barred from Major League Baseball in the 1890s. Some of baseball's greatest players, including Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron, played for the Negro Leagues in the early 20th century.
Negro League player Ernest Nimmons, who played alongside Hank Aaron for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1952, will be on hand to talk about his experiences at the event. Nimmons now lives in Elyria.
"Pride and Passion" is organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Additional highlights of the center's research materials include correspondence from Jackie Robinson, oral history interviews with 100+ baseball players, baseball fiction, boxing history and the Plain Dealer Historical Archive, an online sports news database.
The April 25th event is a partnership between CPL and the Cleveland Indians. The team's Vice President of Public Relations, Bob DiBiasio, and retired Indians player and 1980 American League Rookie of the Year, Joe Charboneau, will answer questions and sign autographs.
If you happen to miss the opening reception you won't have to "wait 'til next year." The Sports Research Center will be free and open to the public year round.
Source: Cleveland Public Library
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Photo: Lisa DeJong
While Northeast Ohio's retail vacancy rate remains stubbornly high at 12 percent, a Cleveland Heights nonprofit is defying this trend by expanding its art gallery into an empty storefront, adding performance space, classrooms and offices to serve the community.
Heights Arts, which operates a 900-square-foot gallery next to the Cedar Lee Theatre, decided last year to make the leap into an adjacent storefront that formerly housed a Japanese eatery. The group has so far raised more than $60,000 towards its $100,000 fundraising goal. Renovations are expected to be completed this year.
The new 2,400-square-foot storefront will serve as a multipurpose arts space. Heights Arts, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, plans to host more poetry readings, concerts and art openings. The group anticipates that some events will spill out into the adjacent mini-park, a gathering place for visitors in the bustling Cedar-Lee district, aiding the group's mission of bringing art into the community.
Cleveland-based Studio Techne Architects designed the expansion. The George Gund Foundation and the Cyrus Eaton Foundation have provided lead grants for the project.
Since being founded a decade ago, Heights Arts has completed a bevy of art projects, including the Coventry Peace Arch on Coventry, three large-scale murals, and Knitscape, a project to brighten Lee Road and Larchmere Boulevard with crocheted 'sweaters' on parking meters and trees. The group also manages the selection process for the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate.
Source: Heights Arts
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Heights Arts, which operates a 900-square-foot gallery next to the Cedar Lee Theatre, decided last year to make the leap into an adjacent storefront that formerly housed a Japanese eatery. The group has so far raised more than $60,000 towards its $100,000 fundraising goal. Renovations are expected to be completed this year.
The new 2,400-square-foot storefront will serve as a multipurpose arts space. Heights Arts, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, plans to host more poetry readings, concerts and art openings. The group anticipates that some events will spill out into the adjacent mini-park, a gathering place for visitors in the bustling Cedar-Lee district, aiding the group's mission of bringing art into the community.
Cleveland-based Studio Techne Architects designed the expansion. The George Gund Foundation and the Cyrus Eaton Foundation have provided lead grants for the project.
Since being founded a decade ago, Heights Arts has completed a bevy of art projects, including the Coventry Peace Arch on Coventry, three large-scale murals, and Knitscape, a project to brighten Lee Road and Larchmere Boulevard with crocheted 'sweaters' on parking meters and trees. The group also manages the selection process for the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate.
Source: Heights Arts
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland star of first posthumous pekar novella
According to a recent Comics Alliance article, Top Shelf and ZIP Comics will release Harvey Pekar's "Cleveland," the first of several major works to be printed after his death.
"Cleveland" will be a 112-page graphic novel illustrated by Joseph Remnant, who also collaborated with Pekar on his Pekar Project webcomics series. Pekar completed the script before his death last year. "So our man did get to see the book's beginning and was super-pleased with how the art was shaping up," said Cleveland editor Jeff Newlett.
The novella will be an ode to Cleveland "that weaves historical events in with Pekar's trademark autobiographical style," the article explains.
"The Indians' winning of the 1948 World Series and the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire are among the events that Pekar touches on in Cleveland, which as yet has no release date."
Check out the rest of story here.
"Cleveland" will be a 112-page graphic novel illustrated by Joseph Remnant, who also collaborated with Pekar on his Pekar Project webcomics series. Pekar completed the script before his death last year. "So our man did get to see the book's beginning and was super-pleased with how the art was shaping up," said Cleveland editor Jeff Newlett.
The novella will be an ode to Cleveland "that weaves historical events in with Pekar's trademark autobiographical style," the article explains.
"The Indians' winning of the 1948 World Series and the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire are among the events that Pekar touches on in Cleveland, which as yet has no release date."
Check out the rest of story here.
miami herald hails cle orchestra's final notes
The Miami Herald recently reviewed the Cleveland Orchestra's "riveting" final performance of its fifth annual residency in Miami.
"With Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek in command, the Clevelanders were in top form, all sections playing with high-tech virtuosity and tonal luster," writes reviewer Lawrence Budman.
Belohlavek is principal conductor of London's BBC Symphony and chief conductor designate of the Czech Philharmonic.
The Miami Herald reviewer had nothing but good things to say about the performance, which included pieces by Dvorak, Haydn, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff.
"Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor may be one of the most overplayed warhorses in the repertoire but there was nothing hackneyed about Horacio Gutierrez's take-no-prisoners performance…No less impressive was Belohlavek's finely nuanced conducting. The orchestral strands of a Rachmaninoff concerto have rarely been conveyed with such precision and clarity of detail. With a blazing pianistic display and inspired conducting, this proved the high point of the ensemble's 2011 Miami residency."
Enjoy the rest of Budman's opus here.
"With Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek in command, the Clevelanders were in top form, all sections playing with high-tech virtuosity and tonal luster," writes reviewer Lawrence Budman.
Belohlavek is principal conductor of London's BBC Symphony and chief conductor designate of the Czech Philharmonic.
The Miami Herald reviewer had nothing but good things to say about the performance, which included pieces by Dvorak, Haydn, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff.
"Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor may be one of the most overplayed warhorses in the repertoire but there was nothing hackneyed about Horacio Gutierrez's take-no-prisoners performance…No less impressive was Belohlavek's finely nuanced conducting. The orchestral strands of a Rachmaninoff concerto have rarely been conveyed with such precision and clarity of detail. With a blazing pianistic display and inspired conducting, this proved the high point of the ensemble's 2011 Miami residency."
Enjoy the rest of Budman's opus here.
The Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) board recently approved a small grants pilot program for the 2012 funding cycle. The program simplifies the application process for organizations seeking funds up to $5,000.
The CAC's standard Project Support (PS) grant has an upper limit of $50,000 and requires a rigorous application process, including detailed financial and participant data, and a one-to-one cash match for each dollar of CAC funding. This program simplifies the amount of financial data required and allows for 25 percent of the match to be made up in "in kind" professional donations.
"The reason behind creating this program is small community-based non-profits don't have the resources to meet the financial requirements of the larger program," says CAC external affairs director Jonah Weinberg. "This should mean we're able to expand access to these projects throughout Cuyahoga County."
The guidelines for the grants will be available this month. Organizations can begin submitting intent to apply letters June 1. Applications will be reviewed by a public panel, and grants will be awarded at the CAC's November board meeting.
CAC grants are funded by a cigarette tax in Cuyahoga County earmarked for local arts and cultural funding. The CAC has awarded nearly $65 million since the ballot initiative was approved in 2006.
Source: Jonah Weinberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
The CAC's standard Project Support (PS) grant has an upper limit of $50,000 and requires a rigorous application process, including detailed financial and participant data, and a one-to-one cash match for each dollar of CAC funding. This program simplifies the amount of financial data required and allows for 25 percent of the match to be made up in "in kind" professional donations.
"The reason behind creating this program is small community-based non-profits don't have the resources to meet the financial requirements of the larger program," says CAC external affairs director Jonah Weinberg. "This should mean we're able to expand access to these projects throughout Cuyahoga County."
The guidelines for the grants will be available this month. Organizations can begin submitting intent to apply letters June 1. Applications will be reviewed by a public panel, and grants will be awarded at the CAC's November board meeting.
CAC grants are funded by a cigarette tax in Cuyahoga County earmarked for local arts and cultural funding. The CAC has awarded nearly $65 million since the ballot initiative was approved in 2006.
Source: Jonah Weinberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Punxsutawney Phil of the retail world, pop-up shops spontaneously appear, attract big crowds, and then vanish as quickly as they came. For retailers and artists without a bona fide storefront, pop-up shops provide a lease-free way to test products and build a following. Landlords love them because they plug vacant storefronts while attracting new feet to the street.
Shannon Okey enjoys sharing what she knows about knitting. But she didn't like being told what to do by traditional publishers. So, after publishing 12 books the traditional way, Okey launched Cooperative Press in 2006 with The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design, the first-ever business book targeted to the handknit industry.
"I decided to start my own company and take advantage of some of the things that larger publishers were ignoring or underusing, such as digital publications," says Okey. "We now publish in a variety of formats, including print, PDF and e-book reader formats."
Today, Okey runs her business out of the Lake Erie building at Templar Park in Lakewood. She is the only full-time employee, but she hires freelancers for everything from editing to photography to graphic design. Cooperative Press splits profits equally with its authors, and pays a higher percentage on digital publications.
The biggest hurdle Okey has overcome is financing. "Banks are terrified the second they hear the word 'knitting,'" she says. "Never mind that crafts are a billion-dollar-plus industry. Never mind we're totally in the black and doing great numbers. Our bank wouldn't give us a standard loan. Their underwriters offered up a credit card in its place -- not the same thing."
This month she launched a month-long campaign on Kickstarter to raise additional funds. The effort raised $6,500 in the first week of campaigning. It is now nearing $10,000.
"People believe in what we're doing and they want to see us succeed, so they're willing to give us money where traditional sources won't," says Okey. "I'm hoping we'll raise over $20,000 this month, which will allow us a lot more flexibility in terms of where we print and other factors."
Source: Shannon Okey
Writer: Karin Connelly
"I decided to start my own company and take advantage of some of the things that larger publishers were ignoring or underusing, such as digital publications," says Okey. "We now publish in a variety of formats, including print, PDF and e-book reader formats."
Today, Okey runs her business out of the Lake Erie building at Templar Park in Lakewood. She is the only full-time employee, but she hires freelancers for everything from editing to photography to graphic design. Cooperative Press splits profits equally with its authors, and pays a higher percentage on digital publications.
The biggest hurdle Okey has overcome is financing. "Banks are terrified the second they hear the word 'knitting,'" she says. "Never mind that crafts are a billion-dollar-plus industry. Never mind we're totally in the black and doing great numbers. Our bank wouldn't give us a standard loan. Their underwriters offered up a credit card in its place -- not the same thing."
This month she launched a month-long campaign on Kickstarter to raise additional funds. The effort raised $6,500 in the first week of campaigning. It is now nearing $10,000.
"People believe in what we're doing and they want to see us succeed, so they're willing to give us money where traditional sources won't," says Okey. "I'm hoping we'll raise over $20,000 this month, which will allow us a lot more flexibility in terms of where we print and other factors."
Source: Shannon Okey
Writer: Karin Connelly
Five years ago, Deby Cowdin was cleaning up after a party. As she picked up the empty wine and liquor bottles on her porch, her friend and partner, Mindy Bohannon, dared her to do something that would change her life. "She said, 'you're a glass artist, figure out something to do with them.'" So Cowdin did exactly that. She founded Blue Bag, a company that transforms bottles into serving plates, cheese boards and other works of art.
Cowdin started the business out of her home, selling her creations first at the North Union Farmers Market at Crocker Park, then at other farmers markets and art shows. The idea took off. "We started out of necessity, as a hobby," she says. "We never really thought it would turn into a manufacturing business."
Blue Bag sales have grown 50 percent each year since 2006. This year sales are up 100 percent. Aside from two additional partners, daughter Brandy Cooney and Jeff Nischwitz, the company has eight employees. Cowdin makes a point of hiring hard-to-place people, including a disabled vet and an employee with mild autism. "We build our company around helping people," Cowdin says.
Everything from the recycling to the distribution is done in house -- these days a studio on W. 14th St. and Berea Road -- and their products are available in more than 300 retail stores nationwide. Everything with the exception of one item is purchased locally.
"We work really hard at keeping everything in Cleveland," Cowdin says. "If we don't support the local economy, who will?"
Source: Deby Cowdin
Writer: Karin Connelly
Cowdin started the business out of her home, selling her creations first at the North Union Farmers Market at Crocker Park, then at other farmers markets and art shows. The idea took off. "We started out of necessity, as a hobby," she says. "We never really thought it would turn into a manufacturing business."
Blue Bag sales have grown 50 percent each year since 2006. This year sales are up 100 percent. Aside from two additional partners, daughter Brandy Cooney and Jeff Nischwitz, the company has eight employees. Cowdin makes a point of hiring hard-to-place people, including a disabled vet and an employee with mild autism. "We build our company around helping people," Cowdin says.
Everything from the recycling to the distribution is done in house -- these days a studio on W. 14th St. and Berea Road -- and their products are available in more than 300 retail stores nationwide. Everything with the exception of one item is purchased locally.
"We work really hard at keeping everything in Cleveland," Cowdin says. "If we don't support the local economy, who will?"
Source: Deby Cowdin
Writer: Karin Connelly
From the Warehouse District to Tremont, artists have been harbingers of neighborhood comebacks. Now a new program aims to use artist-based development as the centerpiece for one lucky neighborhood's turnaround.
The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) on Monday announced the launch of Artists in Residence, a new program that seeks to create improvements in one city neighborhood by offering incentives for artists who live and work there.
The program is being funded in part through a $250,000 grant from Leveraging Investments in Creativity's Creative Communities Challenge Grant Program, a one-time competitive grant program made possible through the support of the Kresge Foundation.
"Artists play a key role in the strength and vitality of Cleveland neighborhoods," said Tom Schorgl, CPAC President, in a press release. "By leveraging artists' skills and the extraordinary leadership of Cleveland's community development sector, we will work to make Cleveland's neighborhoods even more creative, more sustainable and more equitable."
The two-year, $500,000 pilot program will provide a small loan program for artists buying or rehabbing homes in the target area, a small grant program to support artists' work in carrying out community-based projects, and artist homeownership services such as credit counseling and saving programs.
A panel of arts, community development and planning experts will select the target neighborhood through a competitive process. Community development corporations serving Cleveland neighborhoods can apply through April 25th. CPAC hopes to announce the winning neighborhood by July 1st.
CPAC is a nonprofit arts and culture service organization that works to strengthen Greater Cleveland's arts and culture sector. Some of its programs include the Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute, a business training course addressing the needs of working artists, and From Rust Belt to Artist Belt, a conference series that examines the role of artists in the redevelopment of industrial cities.
Source: Community Partnership for Arts and Culture
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) on Monday announced the launch of Artists in Residence, a new program that seeks to create improvements in one city neighborhood by offering incentives for artists who live and work there.
The program is being funded in part through a $250,000 grant from Leveraging Investments in Creativity's Creative Communities Challenge Grant Program, a one-time competitive grant program made possible through the support of the Kresge Foundation.
"Artists play a key role in the strength and vitality of Cleveland neighborhoods," said Tom Schorgl, CPAC President, in a press release. "By leveraging artists' skills and the extraordinary leadership of Cleveland's community development sector, we will work to make Cleveland's neighborhoods even more creative, more sustainable and more equitable."
The two-year, $500,000 pilot program will provide a small loan program for artists buying or rehabbing homes in the target area, a small grant program to support artists' work in carrying out community-based projects, and artist homeownership services such as credit counseling and saving programs.
A panel of arts, community development and planning experts will select the target neighborhood through a competitive process. Community development corporations serving Cleveland neighborhoods can apply through April 25th. CPAC hopes to announce the winning neighborhood by July 1st.
CPAC is a nonprofit arts and culture service organization that works to strengthen Greater Cleveland's arts and culture sector. Some of its programs include the Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute, a business training course addressing the needs of working artists, and From Rust Belt to Artist Belt, a conference series that examines the role of artists in the redevelopment of industrial cities.
Source: Community Partnership for Arts and Culture
Writer: Lee Chilcote
April and May bring out the best in design during the inaugural Cleveland Design Month-and-a-Half, which features two events that show off the talents of local design students as well as regional and national designers.
The Cleveland Institute of Art's annual Spring Design Show, a tradition for more than 20 years, kicks off on Tuesday, April 19, while the Cleveland Furniture Fair, hosted by Cleveland's District of Design, begins May 16.
In the spring show student work in industrial, interior and communication design will be on display for the public, as well as national employers in Case Western Reserve's Peter B. Lewis building. "More than 100 students show work and interview for internships," says CIA's head of industrial design, Dan Cuffaro. "It's a big job fair." A free public reception from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. will kick off the event.
Throughout the week, designers hailing from some of the most progressive firms in the world will present a series of free lectures to the public.
The second annual Cleveland Furniture Fair will show off the brightest designers and manufacturers of furniture, lighting, millwork and more. This year's fair has a greater variety of designers from Northeast Ohio, unique seminars tailored specifically for exhibitors and the public, as well as pop-up retail shops and a variety of design-focused events.
Additionally, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Cleveland Chapter has a calendar full of lectures, exhibitions, and tours open to the public that will introduce new and exciting architecture and design to Northeast Ohio.
Sources: Dan Cuffaro, Casey Burry
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Cleveland Institute of Art's annual Spring Design Show, a tradition for more than 20 years, kicks off on Tuesday, April 19, while the Cleveland Furniture Fair, hosted by Cleveland's District of Design, begins May 16.
In the spring show student work in industrial, interior and communication design will be on display for the public, as well as national employers in Case Western Reserve's Peter B. Lewis building. "More than 100 students show work and interview for internships," says CIA's head of industrial design, Dan Cuffaro. "It's a big job fair." A free public reception from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. will kick off the event.
Throughout the week, designers hailing from some of the most progressive firms in the world will present a series of free lectures to the public.
The second annual Cleveland Furniture Fair will show off the brightest designers and manufacturers of furniture, lighting, millwork and more. This year's fair has a greater variety of designers from Northeast Ohio, unique seminars tailored specifically for exhibitors and the public, as well as pop-up retail shops and a variety of design-focused events.
Additionally, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Cleveland Chapter has a calendar full of lectures, exhibitions, and tours open to the public that will introduce new and exciting architecture and design to Northeast Ohio.
Sources: Dan Cuffaro, Casey Burry
Writer: Karin Connelly
Although jewelry maker Heather Moore moved into her rehabbed Midtown studio earlier this year, she's still getting used to her spacious new digs.
Maybe that's because she's spent the last 11 years running her fast-growing business out of her house. Granted, it was no ordinary home office: the Cleveland Institute of Art grad bought her great-grandmother's estate, a rambling Heights mansion, after moving back from New York City in 1999.
"We just couldn't grow anymore -- I had 45 employees working out of my house," says Moore, whose company, Heather B. Moore Jewelry, specializes in custom-made, personalized jewelry that she sells to more than 150 retailers around the world. "The workshop was in the basement, while sales and marketing were in the attic. If we needed to have a private conversation, we had to use one of my kids' bedrooms."
To accommodate her growth, Moore recently bought and renovated a former crane-making factory at 4502 Prospect Avenue, bringing 45 new jobs to Cleveland. In her renovation, Moore reused as much of the building as she could, including leftover crane parts that were repurposed into a dining room table that now graces the large kitchen.
Moore's building renovation included removing ceilings to create a lofted second-floor office, installing new windows, and turning an old garage door into a light-filled window. Future plans include an art gallery, new patio and roof garden.
When asked about her decision to relocate to Midtown, Moore says, "There's so much industry in Cleveland that you can take advantage of. A lot of what we do mixes old school techniques with newer technologies, so this is a great place to be."
Heather B. Moore Jewelry has become known not only for its work -- Moore builds relationships with her clients to draw out their stories and create highly personalized jewelry -- but also for its sustainable business model. The company uses 100-percent recycled materials in their products.
Now that she's settled into her new studio, Moore is soaking up the extra legroom -- and she also doesn't mind the short commute. "It's seven minutes from my house," she says.
Source: Heather Moore
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Maybe that's because she's spent the last 11 years running her fast-growing business out of her house. Granted, it was no ordinary home office: the Cleveland Institute of Art grad bought her great-grandmother's estate, a rambling Heights mansion, after moving back from New York City in 1999.
"We just couldn't grow anymore -- I had 45 employees working out of my house," says Moore, whose company, Heather B. Moore Jewelry, specializes in custom-made, personalized jewelry that she sells to more than 150 retailers around the world. "The workshop was in the basement, while sales and marketing were in the attic. If we needed to have a private conversation, we had to use one of my kids' bedrooms."
To accommodate her growth, Moore recently bought and renovated a former crane-making factory at 4502 Prospect Avenue, bringing 45 new jobs to Cleveland. In her renovation, Moore reused as much of the building as she could, including leftover crane parts that were repurposed into a dining room table that now graces the large kitchen.
Moore's building renovation included removing ceilings to create a lofted second-floor office, installing new windows, and turning an old garage door into a light-filled window. Future plans include an art gallery, new patio and roof garden.
When asked about her decision to relocate to Midtown, Moore says, "There's so much industry in Cleveland that you can take advantage of. A lot of what we do mixes old school techniques with newer technologies, so this is a great place to be."
Heather B. Moore Jewelry has become known not only for its work -- Moore builds relationships with her clients to draw out their stories and create highly personalized jewelry -- but also for its sustainable business model. The company uses 100-percent recycled materials in their products.
Now that she's settled into her new studio, Moore is soaking up the extra legroom -- and she also doesn't mind the short commute. "It's seven minutes from my house," she says.
Source: Heather Moore
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Inside the ultra-sleek Vitrolite Glass building overlooking the Shoreway, the Intermuseum Conservation Association is an oft overlooked jewel of the fine-arts world. Inside its walls is a trove of timeless treasures, with precious relics from Coney Island to Ancient Rome and even Cleveland receiving matchless care, attention and preservation before returning to the walls of museums, galleries and private collectors.
A large map on the wall of Crafty Goodness, a new Lakewood store that sells goods from artisans that live in Northeast Ohio, provides a visual reminder of the store's mission. It pinpoints all of the different communities where the items are made, stressing the owners' commitment to the buy local movement.
"We wanted to create a store that would offer an alternative to big box retail for people that want to buy local," says Chris Sorenson, a potter who joined with artists Joanna and Matthew Orgovan to open the store at 15621 Madison Avenue.
Crafty Goodness got its start as a modern arts and crafts show that was held in Seven Hills in 2009. The success of that show inspired its creators to set up a bricks and mortar store, and a year and a half later, Crafty Goodness was born. The store, which opened in March, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, April 9th.
In addition to items such as clothing, home décor, jewelry, book bags, cards and notebooks, Crafty Goodness features an extensive art gallery on the walls, with more than 60 artists from seven Northeast Ohio counties represented. The owners selected Lakewood because of the community's commitment to the arts and small, local businesses.
Despite being only 750 square feet, Crafty Goodness offers a wide array of merchandise. Sorenson plans to continue hosting the annual craft show and hopes to find a space in Lakewood for this year's event.
Crafty Goodness also hosts a variety of classes, including jewelry making, needle arts and vegan baking, for consumers of all ages. The majority of the classes, which run about two hours and are affordably priced in the $20-35 range, are presented in a make-and-take format, which lets participants go home with an original work of art.
"We wanted to create a store that would offer an alternative to big box retail for people that want to buy local," says Chris Sorenson, a potter who joined with artists Joanna and Matthew Orgovan to open the store at 15621 Madison Avenue.
Crafty Goodness got its start as a modern arts and crafts show that was held in Seven Hills in 2009. The success of that show inspired its creators to set up a bricks and mortar store, and a year and a half later, Crafty Goodness was born. The store, which opened in March, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, April 9th.
In addition to items such as clothing, home décor, jewelry, book bags, cards and notebooks, Crafty Goodness features an extensive art gallery on the walls, with more than 60 artists from seven Northeast Ohio counties represented. The owners selected Lakewood because of the community's commitment to the arts and small, local businesses.
Despite being only 750 square feet, Crafty Goodness offers a wide array of merchandise. Sorenson plans to continue hosting the annual craft show and hopes to find a space in Lakewood for this year's event.
Crafty Goodness also hosts a variety of classes, including jewelry making, needle arts and vegan baking, for consumers of all ages. The majority of the classes, which run about two hours and are affordably priced in the $20-35 range, are presented in a make-and-take format, which lets participants go home with an original work of art.
Source: Chris Sorenson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
nbc sports cheers on tribe's social media power
NBC Sports recently featured an article on the Cleveland Indians' innovative use of social media.
NBC's Craig Calcaterra writes, "Not that I'll name any names, but a lot of other clubs could take a hint. Some ballparks won't let you bring an iPad in. Others have media relations people who seek out bloggers and try to intimidate them when they write negative stuff. Get a clue fellas."
Last year, the team launched its ground-breaking Social Media Deck, setting aside a portion of the bleachers specifically for heavy social media users. This year, the Tribe upgraded the social-media experience with the Indians Social Suite. The new space moves from left field to an actual suite, giving bloggers and Tweeps a fine new home.
The Indians also released a comprehensive list of the team's active Twitter accounts. Additionally, followers of the team's social media accounts, including their Facebook page and their Twitter feed, can purchase discounted game tickets.
Read the entire feed here.
NBC's Craig Calcaterra writes, "Not that I'll name any names, but a lot of other clubs could take a hint. Some ballparks won't let you bring an iPad in. Others have media relations people who seek out bloggers and try to intimidate them when they write negative stuff. Get a clue fellas."
Last year, the team launched its ground-breaking Social Media Deck, setting aside a portion of the bleachers specifically for heavy social media users. This year, the Tribe upgraded the social-media experience with the Indians Social Suite. The new space moves from left field to an actual suite, giving bloggers and Tweeps a fine new home.
The Indians also released a comprehensive list of the team's active Twitter accounts. Additionally, followers of the team's social media accounts, including their Facebook page and their Twitter feed, can purchase discounted game tickets.
Read the entire feed here.
eco-artist susie frazier sets up shop in 78th street studios
The 78th Street Studios, a warren of creative-minded businesses located at 1300 W. 78th Street, recently welcomed a new showroom run by environmental artist Susie Frazier.
Three years ago, Frazier designed the logo and public art elements for the $3.5 million Gordon Square Arts District streetscape, which perk up Detroit Avenue between W. 58th and W. 73rd streets. From markings she'd observed along the Lake Erie coastline, she created unique crosswalk patterns, amoeba-shaped benches and a distinctive new logo.
Now, under the brand of "earthminded art," Frazier is launching a new line of up-cycled home products and gifts, including tables and lamps made from salvaged wood, decorative pillows and note cards printed with earth images, and rings made from Lake Erie driftwood.
"Today, architects and homeowners are selecting art that's modern and simple, but reinforces their love of nature," Frazier explained in a press release announcing the new showroom.
Frazier also creates original fine art that she sells to collectors. By using natural fragments from different habitats, she creates textural art that highlights the repetitive patterns that she identifies in nature.
The 78th Street Studios, located in a renovated loft-style warehouse that once housed American Greetings' creative studios, contains an eclectic mix of arts-related businesses. The studios are located at the western edge of Gordon Square, a lively district with restaurants, galleries and shops anchored by Cleveland Public Theatre and the Capitol Theatre, a three-screen independent movie house
Frazier's new studio highlights the continued growth of the 78th Street Studios, which developer Dan Bush has renovated to feature exposed brickwork, vibrant colors and a contemporary industrial aesthetic. Bush also recently opened the smART space at 78th, a 6,000-square-foot venue available for short-term rentals such as private parties and benefits.
In addition to their regular business hours, the businesses in the 78th Street Studios host festive open houses with wine and snacks every third Friday of the month from 5-9 p.m.
Source: Susie Frazier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Three years ago, Frazier designed the logo and public art elements for the $3.5 million Gordon Square Arts District streetscape, which perk up Detroit Avenue between W. 58th and W. 73rd streets. From markings she'd observed along the Lake Erie coastline, she created unique crosswalk patterns, amoeba-shaped benches and a distinctive new logo.
Now, under the brand of "earthminded art," Frazier is launching a new line of up-cycled home products and gifts, including tables and lamps made from salvaged wood, decorative pillows and note cards printed with earth images, and rings made from Lake Erie driftwood.
"Today, architects and homeowners are selecting art that's modern and simple, but reinforces their love of nature," Frazier explained in a press release announcing the new showroom.
Frazier also creates original fine art that she sells to collectors. By using natural fragments from different habitats, she creates textural art that highlights the repetitive patterns that she identifies in nature.
The 78th Street Studios, located in a renovated loft-style warehouse that once housed American Greetings' creative studios, contains an eclectic mix of arts-related businesses. The studios are located at the western edge of Gordon Square, a lively district with restaurants, galleries and shops anchored by Cleveland Public Theatre and the Capitol Theatre, a three-screen independent movie house
Frazier's new studio highlights the continued growth of the 78th Street Studios, which developer Dan Bush has renovated to feature exposed brickwork, vibrant colors and a contemporary industrial aesthetic. Bush also recently opened the smART space at 78th, a 6,000-square-foot venue available for short-term rentals such as private parties and benefits.
In addition to their regular business hours, the businesses in the 78th Street Studios host festive open houses with wine and snacks every third Friday of the month from 5-9 p.m.
Source: Susie Frazier
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Local rowing advocates say their beloved sport is about to get even bigger thanks to the Cleveland Rowing Foundation's recent acquisition of Rivergate Park, a former marina on the East Bank of the Flats. Over the next two years, CRF will redevelop Rivergate into a seven-acre riverside recreation venue, with a boathouse, kayak rental and public park. Rivergate is part of an emerging recreation district in the Flats that includes a new skate park and bike path to Whiskey Island.
cleveland museum of art goes shopping
An Antiques and the Arts article features recent acquisitions made by the Cleveland Museum of Art.
"A singular Jacobean miniature, a Thomas Hope settee, a large and pristine British watercolor and a sculpture by contemporary Polish artist Monika Sosnowska are among the latest works approved by the collections committee of the Cleveland Museum of Art's board of trustees. The museum is continuing to collect across all departments as it moves toward the completion of its transformational building expansion and collection reinstallation in 2013."
"Madonna and Child in Glory," a cabinet miniature, was painted by Isaac Oliver (1565-1617), one of the most prominent practitioners of miniature painting in the Jacobean period.
The neoclassical settee (circa 1802-1807) was designed by English Regency designer Thomas Hope.
William Callow's "The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli" is a large watercolor that will complement CMA's collection of British drawings, a recent area of acquisition focus. The painting was based on sketches Callow made when he visited Italy in 1840.
Monika Sosnowska created "Stairs," a steel sculpture based on fire escape stairs, in summer 2010.
View the complete work here.
"A singular Jacobean miniature, a Thomas Hope settee, a large and pristine British watercolor and a sculpture by contemporary Polish artist Monika Sosnowska are among the latest works approved by the collections committee of the Cleveland Museum of Art's board of trustees. The museum is continuing to collect across all departments as it moves toward the completion of its transformational building expansion and collection reinstallation in 2013."
"Madonna and Child in Glory," a cabinet miniature, was painted by Isaac Oliver (1565-1617), one of the most prominent practitioners of miniature painting in the Jacobean period.
The neoclassical settee (circa 1802-1807) was designed by English Regency designer Thomas Hope.
William Callow's "The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli" is a large watercolor that will complement CMA's collection of British drawings, a recent area of acquisition focus. The painting was based on sketches Callow made when he visited Italy in 1840.
Monika Sosnowska created "Stairs," a steel sculpture based on fire escape stairs, in summer 2010.
View the complete work here.
cleveland shows signs of renewal, says native son
Former New Yorker editor and Cleveland native Charles Michener pens a love letter to his hometown in Smithsonian magazine. After returning to Cleveland four years ago to cover the Orchestra for the New Yorker, Michener decided to stay. He is currently writing a book about Cleveland entitled "The Hidden City."
"Unlike the gaudy attractions of New York or Chicago, which advertise themselves at every opportunity, Cleveland's treasures require a taste for discovery," Michener writes in the piece. "You might be astonished, as I was one Tuesday evening, to wander into Nighttown, a venerable jazz saloon in Cleveland Heights, and encounter the entire Count Basie Orchestra, blasting away on the bandstand."
"I'm sure that every Clevelander was as outraged as I was by Forbes' superficial judgment about what it's like to actually live here," he continues. "Cities aren't statistics -- they're complex, human mechanisms of not-so-buried pasts and not-so-certain futures."
"Returning to Cleveland after so many years away, I feel lucky to be back in the town I can once again call home."
Read Michener's entire piece in Smithsonian here.
"Unlike the gaudy attractions of New York or Chicago, which advertise themselves at every opportunity, Cleveland's treasures require a taste for discovery," Michener writes in the piece. "You might be astonished, as I was one Tuesday evening, to wander into Nighttown, a venerable jazz saloon in Cleveland Heights, and encounter the entire Count Basie Orchestra, blasting away on the bandstand."
"I'm sure that every Clevelander was as outraged as I was by Forbes' superficial judgment about what it's like to actually live here," he continues. "Cities aren't statistics -- they're complex, human mechanisms of not-so-buried pasts and not-so-certain futures."
"Returning to Cleveland after so many years away, I feel lucky to be back in the town I can once again call home."
Read Michener's entire piece in Smithsonian here.
Friday at 9:25 a.m., the screens at Tower City Cinemas will begin flickering with some 150 feature-length films and 130 shorts. So begins the 10-day movie marathon known as the Cleveland International Film Festival, which returns for its 35th year. Tasked with picking the flicks is Artistic Director Bill Guentzler, who views over 600 films per year in his quest to select the best.
Unseasonably warm weather brought out St. Patrick's Day revelers in record numbers, with estimates topping 300,000. For one glorious day, Clevelanders joined together to play hooky from work, watch the parade, gobble down corned beef, and maybe a beer or three. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski captured the spirit of the day in this photographic feature.