Arts + Culture
Cleveland's collection of world-class arts institutions would be a boon for a city of any size. For nearly a century the Cleveland Museum of Art has served as one of the finest galleries in all the land, recently made all the better thanks to a just-completed $350-million transformation. Rubbing shoulders with the museum for the past 100 years has been the Cleveland Orchestra, which delights fine-music fans at home-base Severance Hall. Toss in the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Institute of Music, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Public Theatre, Museum of Natural History, Cleveland International Film Festival, the Rock Hall, live-music clubs, and funky galleries too numerous to name, it is clear that art, indeed, lives here.
“Velveteen, A New Musical” is the first show Playhouse Square has created and self-produced for young audiences. The adaptation from the classic children's book "The Velveteen Rabbit" premiers later this month with a sensory-friendly performance in the Mimi Ohio Theatre.
Story Club, a monthly nonfiction storytelling event in Cleveland, offers a platform for personal narratives and community building. This month features guests from Literary Cleveland and Nebula Spiritual. Partnering with The Reading Room CLE, the event will host a mix of featured storytellers and open mic slots in The Brownhoist this Friday.
The Western Reserve Historical Society opens its newest exhibit "All Dolled Up: 200 Years of Dolls and Miniatures" on Thursday at the Cleveland History Center. The exhibit showcases a diverse collection of dolls, dollhouses, and toys from the 1830s to present-day. The opening will also feature a screening of "Black Barbie."
This summer a new trend in outdoor entertainment—public concerts in private yards—swept through Northeast Ohio. Hosts invited both friends and strangers onto their properties to hear the sounds of local musicians like Blue Lunch, Jackie Warren and Forecast, Moises Borges, and the Jim Rangel Trio. It sounds like a trend that may continue.
The 89th Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which recognize outstanding books that contribute to our understanding of racism and celebrate cultural diversity, take place this weekend at the City Club of Cleveland. As part of the ninth annual Cleveland Book Week, the awards will introduce a new author symposium, “When Artists Go to Work,” with Anisfield-Wolf Award-winning authors and the jurors
The event is presented by the Cleveland Foundation.
The Banned Wagon will roll into Lakewood Public Library next week to give away free books on a tour spearheaded by Penguin Random House to promote awareness of book challenges and censorship during Banned Books Week.
Ingenuity Cleveland will celebrate the beginning of its 20th year this weekend with IngenuityFest 2024: Era of Ascent at its newly-expanded IngenuityLabs. The festival where art meets technology will reflect both on its growth and its vision for the future in its most ambitious year yet.
Future Heights will host the 2024 Heights Music Hop this weekend in several Cleveland Heights neighborhoods, including Cedar Lee, Coventry, and Cedar Fairmount, with live music, shopping, dining, and plenty of community spirit.
The Cleveland Museum of Art's Annual Chalk Festival is this weekend. The public is invited to work in chalk pastels to create their own masterpieces on the museum pavement, alongside five local artists, Cleveland Institute of Art students, food trucks, and live music.
St. Emeric Catholic Church's Hungarian Fall Festival is this Sunday at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Hall. The free event features live music, four dance performances, and catered food by Balaton Restaurant.
Steve Presser, owner of the former Big Fun, and Gary Pearlman, aka, Dr. U.R. Awesome, are bringing Bubblefest to Cleveland in September. The two-day event hosts bubble artists from around the world and features activities, demonstrations, food trucks, music, and, of course, plenty of bubbles!
Cleveland artist Ben Small and his sister, Betsy Allen, have just published their graphic novella "Mary Sticks," which follows the ghost of Mary Clarence, who mysteriously disappeared in 1910. Small was inspired to write a ghost story after evening walks in Bratenahl. Mac’s Backs will host the authors for a book discussion and signing next week.
FreshWater exclusive: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and
author Connie Schultz captivated a packed audience at the Cuyahoga County
Public Library’s Parma-Snow branch last Saturday with a reading of her first
children’s book, "Lola and the Troll." Schultz talked with
FreshWater's Jess Starr about how her grandchildren inspired her venture into
picture books, and the lessons on kindness and bravery learned.
Literary Cleveland, the community of writers bringing people into the world of words with writing opportunities, with hold its annual Inkubator in September. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, Aug. 1.
Twin sisters and Laurel School graduates Natalie and Sophia Casa will debut their new musical comedy "Ship Show" at the Hermit Club this week as part of the BorderLight Theatre Festival. When the lead character is injured during the opening number, two ensemble members make a hilarious attempt at holding true to saying, "the show must go on."
The BorderLight Theatre Festival returns this Wednesday for its fourth in-person four-day event, with theater, comedy, music, and other performances at various indoor and outdoor venues throughout Playhouse Square.
While decluttering her basement, teacher, artist, and retired bass player Juliana Sadock Savino came across some items that inspired her to create some impromptu public art installations on the grounds of the decaying former Westinghouse Electric factory on Ashland Road.
GardenWalk Cleveland will feature more than 400 gardens in 11 Cleveland neighborhoods this weekend—showing off the work, creativity, and neighborhood pride of local gardeners.
Oberlin Conservatory of Music rising senior Damian Goggans and musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra will perform the works of forgotten Clevelander, 19th Century composer Justin Holland, at Lake View Cemetery's Classically Lake View chamber music concert series on Sunday, July 7.
The Western Reserve Historical Society recently unveiled composer and educator Dr. Harrison Leslie Adams, Jr. as the seventh notable figure in its African American Art/History Walk in University Circle. The public art installation celebrates the achievements of Black history-makers and artists in Cleveland through a mural with QR links to The HistoryMakers biographies.