This weekend, attend Positive Vibes at Negative Space Gallery, hear Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony at Severance Hall, learn about maple sugaring with the Metroparks and join a conversation about gender and identity at Waterloo Arts. 

A few years ago, local arts groups faced declining audiences. Today, many of these organizations have reinvented themselves and begun to thrive -- or at least turned the corner.

This weekend, check out Teatro Publico at CPT, view films by a Swedish master at the Cinematheque, ruminate on Cleveland “then” and “now” at Heights Arts and join the community in brainstorming ways to enhance the Jim Mahon Green in Ohio City. 

Rooms to Let: Cleveland is returning to Slavic Village on Saturday, May 16th and Sunday, May 17th this year. 

"Artists will create a temporary art exhibition using vacant homes as their medium," the website states. "The event, free and open to the public, will also include a neighborhood block party with live music, hands-on art activities and local food."

"Led by Slavic Village Development, Rooms to Let: Cleveland seeks to continue the conversation around vacancy and the plight of Cleveland’s historic neighborhoods in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. This year’s event will expand this dialogue to a new group of visual and performance artists to further interpret the evolution of community and recovery."

Click here for more information on how to donate to the project and how to apply to become a Rooms to Let artist. 

Arts education programs that teach mastery have the greatest potential to impact child development, yet many urban youth lack access to them. Learn why these programs work and how we can cultivate them in Cleveland.

Social dancing is a great way to meet new people, get exercise and explore Cleveland. From Brazilian capoeira to contra dancing, here are four local places to get your groove on.

This week, join Sustainable Cleveland at Old Stone Church for the kickoff of the Hope for the City series, see Booker T. Jones at the Music Box, view three versions of Blade Runner at the Cinematheque, and sample local brews.

The new George Gund Building at the Cleveland Institute of Art is the perfect complement to the Uptown district, and a place where students can collaborate and create.

Game-changing projects will soon launch in St. Clair Superior and North Collinwood: Hub 55, a new fresh market, cafe and incubator, and ActiVacant, which will draw new retailers to E. 185th.

"The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Play House, the country’s first professional regional theater. Over the decades, the company has created more than 1,300 productions, seen by more than 12 million people."

Read the full story here.

"Not your average flea market, this pop-up event serves as a business incubator for small businesses and has helped spur development in the neighborhoods where it's held."

Read the full story here.

This weekend, check out the hot lineup at Brite Winter, celebrate comics at Comic Con, view “The Lives of a Poet” at CPT's Big Box and follow life, liberty and the pursuit of style all the way to Playhouse Square.

"The 39^th Cleveland International Film Festival, presented by Dollar Bank, is proud to announce its Opening Night film on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 will be I’ll See You in My Dreams," CIFF announced in a recent press release.

"Directed by Brett Haley, the film had its World Premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Blythe Danner as a widow who’s settled into her life and her age, until a series of events propel her into a renewed engagement with the people and the world around her. The film also stars Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place. The film was written by Brett Haley and Marc Basch, and produced by Rebecca Green, Laura D. Smith, and Brett Haley."

The closing night film will be Danny Collins, CIFF stated in the release.
 
"Danny Collins was written and directed by Dan Fogelman and produced by Jessie Nelson and Nimitt Mankad. The film stars Al Pacino as Danny Collins, an aging 1970s rocker who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40-year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love, and begin a second act."

You can purchase tickets at www.clevelandfilm.org.

Downtown Minneapolis is booming with new residents, and growth is spilling into outlying neighborhoods. Now plans are in the works to ensure that existing residents and artists have a seat at the table. 

"The vibrant redevelopment of a corridor linking art, educational and healthcare institutions with surrounding neighborhoods, creating lively outdoor gathering spaces, retail shops and restaurants, student and market-rate housing, and public transit connections," stated the Bruner Foundation its website.

Read the full list of winners here.