Arts + Culture
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.
Since its inception in 1915, Cleveland Play House has been focused on nourishing new works of original American theatre. Yet until this season, it was staging the latest contemporary plays in an older, inflexible building that was largely unsuitable for its needs.
Yet thanks to CPH's recent move to the newly rebuilt Allen Theatre complex, the nonprofit finally has a truly inspiring, state-of-the-art home. The complex contains not only the rebuilt, 500-seat Allen Theatre, but also two smaller performing spaces that can be customized to suit CPH's artistic needs.
Now, on top of a hot season that is already drawing big crowds to its impressive, new abode, CPH is debuting the New Ground Theatre Festival. The weeklong celebration of new works, which will take place from May 3-12 and has an even greater emphasis on original theatre, was formerly called FusionFest.
"Our new quarters are fantastic for a festival like this one, so the name just seemed appropriate," says CPH Artistic Director Michael Bloom.
Highlights include a performance of In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play); a staging of Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, a Tom Stoppard satire that features a collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra; solo shows by former Daily Show correspondent Lauren Weedman and rapper-evolutionist Baba Brinkman; and a weeklong residency with Quiara Alegria Hudes, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has also been awarded the 2012 Roe Green Award. The culmination of the New Ground Theatre Festival will feature a public reading of Hudes' new play.
At the center of the entire festival will be CPH's crowd-pleasing, new home, which Bloom says is the perfect place to see new, original theatre. "The fact that these are new spaces demonstrate that we have a strong commitment to new work."
Source: Michael Bloom
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Yet thanks to CPH's recent move to the newly rebuilt Allen Theatre complex, the nonprofit finally has a truly inspiring, state-of-the-art home. The complex contains not only the rebuilt, 500-seat Allen Theatre, but also two smaller performing spaces that can be customized to suit CPH's artistic needs.
Now, on top of a hot season that is already drawing big crowds to its impressive, new abode, CPH is debuting the New Ground Theatre Festival. The weeklong celebration of new works, which will take place from May 3-12 and has an even greater emphasis on original theatre, was formerly called FusionFest.
"Our new quarters are fantastic for a festival like this one, so the name just seemed appropriate," says CPH Artistic Director Michael Bloom.
Highlights include a performance of In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play); a staging of Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, a Tom Stoppard satire that features a collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra; solo shows by former Daily Show correspondent Lauren Weedman and rapper-evolutionist Baba Brinkman; and a weeklong residency with Quiara Alegria Hudes, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has also been awarded the 2012 Roe Green Award. The culmination of the New Ground Theatre Festival will feature a public reading of Hudes' new play.
At the center of the entire festival will be CPH's crowd-pleasing, new home, which Bloom says is the perfect place to see new, original theatre. "The fact that these are new spaces demonstrate that we have a strong commitment to new work."
Source: Michael Bloom
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Rock the Catwalk, a new fundraiser being introduced by the Women's Leadership Council in support of United Way of Greater Cleveland, will highlight Cleveland's trendiest local fashion boutiques.
Yet it will also put a face on the real human need that unfortunately exists among formerly homeless, unemployed women in our region. The event will highlight the nonprofit agencies that help these women dress for success while also engaging the female clients themselves as runway models.
"Rock the Catwalk will feature all local boutiques and models, including Sandy Pianalto from the Federal Reserve Bank and Erin Kennedy, the new co-anchor of WKYC's morning show," says Jenna Snyder, Marketing Director for United Way. "It will also feature two clients from Transitional Housing Inc., a United Way member organization that helps women transferring out of homelessness."
Local boutiques which are participating in the first-ever Rock the Catwalk event include Amy's Shoes, Anne van H., Cindy Halle, Dredgers Union, Evie Lou, Girl Next Door, Kilgore Trout, Marta Glazen and Saks Fifth Avenue. The event takes place on Thurs., March 29th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Women's Leadership Council inspires, educates and engages women to become actively involved in supporting United Way of Greater Cleveland.
Tickets start at $75 and include hors d'ouevres, cocktails and museum access.
Source: Jenna Snyder
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Yet it will also put a face on the real human need that unfortunately exists among formerly homeless, unemployed women in our region. The event will highlight the nonprofit agencies that help these women dress for success while also engaging the female clients themselves as runway models.
"Rock the Catwalk will feature all local boutiques and models, including Sandy Pianalto from the Federal Reserve Bank and Erin Kennedy, the new co-anchor of WKYC's morning show," says Jenna Snyder, Marketing Director for United Way. "It will also feature two clients from Transitional Housing Inc., a United Way member organization that helps women transferring out of homelessness."
Local boutiques which are participating in the first-ever Rock the Catwalk event include Amy's Shoes, Anne van H., Cindy Halle, Dredgers Union, Evie Lou, Girl Next Door, Kilgore Trout, Marta Glazen and Saks Fifth Avenue. The event takes place on Thurs., March 29th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Women's Leadership Council inspires, educates and engages women to become actively involved in supporting United Way of Greater Cleveland.
Tickets start at $75 and include hors d'ouevres, cocktails and museum access.
Source: Jenna Snyder
Writer: Lee Chilcote
rock hall inducts backup groups, not just frontmen
Groups such as Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Bill Haley and the Comets are known and loved throughout the music world. Up until now, just the frontmen are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, the Rock Hall announced it would induct the backup groups for six previous solo inductees, according to a story by David Hinckley of the New York Daily News.
The six groups include the Famous Flames, who backed 1986 inductee James Brown; the Crickets, who backed 1986 inductee Buddy Holly; the Comets, who backed 1987 inductee Bill Haley; the Miracles, who backed 1987 inductee Smokey Robinson; the Midnighters, who backed 1990 inductee Hank Ballard; and the Blue Caps, who backed 1998 inductee Gene Vincent.
Other notable bands left out of this initial induction include the Belmonts, who backed up Dion, the E Street Band, who backed up Bruce Springsteen, and the Wailers, who backed up reggae legend Bob Marley.
The six groups will be inducted at the Hall’s annual dinner, which will take place on April 14 in Cleveland.
Read the full New York Daily News story here.
The six groups include the Famous Flames, who backed 1986 inductee James Brown; the Crickets, who backed 1986 inductee Buddy Holly; the Comets, who backed 1987 inductee Bill Haley; the Miracles, who backed 1987 inductee Smokey Robinson; the Midnighters, who backed 1990 inductee Hank Ballard; and the Blue Caps, who backed 1998 inductee Gene Vincent.
Other notable bands left out of this initial induction include the Belmonts, who backed up Dion, the E Street Band, who backed up Bruce Springsteen, and the Wailers, who backed up reggae legend Bob Marley.
The six groups will be inducted at the Hall’s annual dinner, which will take place on April 14 in Cleveland.
Read the full New York Daily News story here.
Last month, staff from the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) played matchmaker. They held meetings throughout the region in an effort to match the 36th annual festival's most compelling, topical titles with nonprofit organizations whose mission and work relate directly to the content of the film.
When the 2012 festival kicks off on March 22, 125 nonprofit partners will join with CIFF to help market the festival and engage the community in discussions and education about the films. According to CIFF Associate Director Patrick Shepherd, it's a community-based strategy that's really paid off over time.
"We try to take our content and push it beyond just the screen, and one of the ways to do that is to partner with the region's nonprofit organizations," he says. "This targeted marketing has really begun to pay dividends over time, and we believe it's been one of the reasons for our annual increases in attendance."
For example, this year CIFF will screen a film called Brooklyn Castle about an inner-city youth chess program in New York City. Progress with Chess, a local nonprofit that promotes chess as a way to help students develop critical thinking skills, is its community partner. Progress with Chess will hold dozens of chess matches in the Tower City Skylight Concourse to coincide with the film. There will also be a FilmForum to discuss the issues presented in the documentary.
"These kinds of community partnerships are rare among film festivals, and we're really being seen as a national model," says Shepherd, who cites the partnerships as a key part of CIFF's "After the Credits Roll" program that seeks to educate, inform and mobilize the community. "We're very fortunate for that."
Source: Patrick Shepherd
Writer: Lee Chilcote
When the 2012 festival kicks off on March 22, 125 nonprofit partners will join with CIFF to help market the festival and engage the community in discussions and education about the films. According to CIFF Associate Director Patrick Shepherd, it's a community-based strategy that's really paid off over time.
"We try to take our content and push it beyond just the screen, and one of the ways to do that is to partner with the region's nonprofit organizations," he says. "This targeted marketing has really begun to pay dividends over time, and we believe it's been one of the reasons for our annual increases in attendance."
For example, this year CIFF will screen a film called Brooklyn Castle about an inner-city youth chess program in New York City. Progress with Chess, a local nonprofit that promotes chess as a way to help students develop critical thinking skills, is its community partner. Progress with Chess will hold dozens of chess matches in the Tower City Skylight Concourse to coincide with the film. There will also be a FilmForum to discuss the issues presented in the documentary.
"These kinds of community partnerships are rare among film festivals, and we're really being seen as a national model," says Shepherd, who cites the partnerships as a key part of CIFF's "After the Credits Roll" program that seeks to educate, inform and mobilize the community. "We're very fortunate for that."
Source: Patrick Shepherd
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Rock Hall is raising the curtain on two multi-million dollar initiatives that are bound to amp up this city’s appeal to rock-and-roll fans. First is the Rock Hall’s recently completed $7 million-plus renovation of its museum. Also, the Rock Hall’s new Library and Archives opened its doors in the new Center for Creative Arts building on the campus of Cuyahoga Community College.
cleveland's 'fat chefs' mentioned in time
There is no denying that Rocco Whalen, chef-owner of Fahrenheit in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, is one of the most beloved people in Cleveland. His warm personality and outgoing demeanor still could not hide the fact he was morbidly obese.
While the mainstream media depicts the modern chef as a healthy tattooed rock star, in many kitchens across the country and in Cleveland, chefs often battle with their weight due to “tasting” during the day and large “gorging” meals when work is done for the evening, only to continue the same pattern day in and day out according to the TIME article "When Chefs Get Fat," written by TIME food writer Josh Ozersky.
Whalen appeared on Food Network’s “Fat Chef” along with Auburn Township’s Kimberly McCune Gibson, a chef-caterer. The show chronicles the struggle of chefs and their attempt to lose the weight they have packed on over the years.
While sometimes hard to watch, the show is also remarkably inspiring. As for Whalen, he has shed well over 100 pounds and is now living a healthier lifestyle as he continues to work toward his goal weight.
Read the full TIME story here.
While the mainstream media depicts the modern chef as a healthy tattooed rock star, in many kitchens across the country and in Cleveland, chefs often battle with their weight due to “tasting” during the day and large “gorging” meals when work is done for the evening, only to continue the same pattern day in and day out according to the TIME article "When Chefs Get Fat," written by TIME food writer Josh Ozersky.
Whalen appeared on Food Network’s “Fat Chef” along with Auburn Township’s Kimberly McCune Gibson, a chef-caterer. The show chronicles the struggle of chefs and their attempt to lose the weight they have packed on over the years.
While sometimes hard to watch, the show is also remarkably inspiring. As for Whalen, he has shed well over 100 pounds and is now living a healthier lifestyle as he continues to work toward his goal weight.
Read the full TIME story here.
Steven Peffer cannot easily explain why he calls his new record shop House Frau; he just likes the German-sounding name, which reminds him of dark, wood-paneled bars and frothy steins of beer. Yet the entrepreneur has a crystal-clear view of why he's opening a vinyl record store in a digitally-oriented economy: Shoppers are hungry for tangible shopping experiences, he says, and there's a viable niche market for new and used records.
"Sure, you can fire up a website, sit around in your boxer shorts and look for music on your computer. But I think people want more of an experience," says Peffer, a sound engineer at Now That's Class, a punk club on Detroit Avenue near the Lakewood border. "People took shopping for granted in the past, but now I believe bricks and mortar stores can be successful because they stand out."
Peffer says House Frau will sell new and used records featuring selections of punk, synth, jazz and blues. The store, which opens this month, will also offer curated records from plenty of other genres. Peffer recently finished building record crates and was amazed at how much good stuff he was able to pack into the cozy, 434-square-foot shop. (You'll have to bring your own German beer, though.)
The launch of House Frau continues the renaissance of indie shops on Cleveland's near west side, which has seen dozens of new stores open in the last few years.
Source: Steve Peffer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Sure, you can fire up a website, sit around in your boxer shorts and look for music on your computer. But I think people want more of an experience," says Peffer, a sound engineer at Now That's Class, a punk club on Detroit Avenue near the Lakewood border. "People took shopping for granted in the past, but now I believe bricks and mortar stores can be successful because they stand out."
Peffer says House Frau will sell new and used records featuring selections of punk, synth, jazz and blues. The store, which opens this month, will also offer curated records from plenty of other genres. Peffer recently finished building record crates and was amazed at how much good stuff he was able to pack into the cozy, 434-square-foot shop. (You'll have to bring your own German beer, though.)
The launch of House Frau continues the renaissance of indie shops on Cleveland's near west side, which has seen dozens of new stores open in the last few years.
Source: Steve Peffer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
writer's goal was to 'walk where langston hughes walked'
Ervin Dyer writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "In Cleveland, my goal was to walk where [Langston Hughes] walked and uncover Hughes' connection to this grand American city."
In this lengthy feature, she does just that.
"Born 110 years ago, the poet laureate of black Americans is indelibly linked with Harlem," she writes. But Hughes' literary sense was shaped in Pittsburgh's mirror city on Lake Erie.
Langston Hughes, called the poet laureate of black Americans, lived in Cleveland from 1916 to 1920. The first day of February marked the 110th anniversary of his birth. Hughes lived at 2266 E. 86th Street, boarded in the attic, alone, as his mother and stepfather had returned to Chicago for work.
Hughes attended Cleveland’s Central High School, one of the first public high schools to enroll black students before the Civil War. It was there where he began to hone his craft as the editor of the school’s annual and the class poet.
In a 1957 letter, written while living in Harlem, Hughes said that his "most valuable guidance" in writing came in high school.
Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story here.
In this lengthy feature, she does just that.
"Born 110 years ago, the poet laureate of black Americans is indelibly linked with Harlem," she writes. But Hughes' literary sense was shaped in Pittsburgh's mirror city on Lake Erie.
Langston Hughes, called the poet laureate of black Americans, lived in Cleveland from 1916 to 1920. The first day of February marked the 110th anniversary of his birth. Hughes lived at 2266 E. 86th Street, boarded in the attic, alone, as his mother and stepfather had returned to Chicago for work.
Hughes attended Cleveland’s Central High School, one of the first public high schools to enroll black students before the Civil War. It was there where he began to hone his craft as the editor of the school’s annual and the class poet.
In a 1957 letter, written while living in Harlem, Hughes said that his "most valuable guidance" in writing came in high school.
Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story here.
As the number of local bike commuters continues to increase, so too does the number of savvy entrepreneurs who serve and service them. In recent years, a mini boom of bike-based businesses has developed across Northeast Ohio, including frame builders, messenger bag makers, rickshaw drivers and an indoor bike park that attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.