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Las Vegas cocktails, Cleveland art
Last month, local artist Dana Oldfather completed her second commission for the MGM Resorts International's Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The work consists of two large pieces, Reflexive 1 and 2, which measure roughly 10 ½ by 12 feet each. She completed her previous commission for the hospitality giant in 2013 when she was seven months pregnant.
 
"I'm sure glad it went well because it provided the opportunity to make the largest paintings I have every made," says Oldfather of this second commission. She finished both Reflexive pieces on February 13 then prepared them for shipping by dismantling and rolling them. The works will eventually unfurl in the resort's exclusive Sky Suites Lounge.
 
"It's been a long process," says Oldfather, "about two months of planning, building and ordering, and four months of painting. I am so thankful for my family and all the help they provided so that this project would be possible."
 
Get more details on the artist and her process here.
Nonprofit tackles LGBTQ teen bullying
"That's so gay" is a phrase common in most high-school settings, says Liz O’Donnell, co-founder of Dare2Care, a Cleveland nonprofit aiming to create a harassment-free environment for lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-questioning (LGBTQ) students.

The slur's casual nature, often used alongside words like "fag" or "dyke," typifies the many insidious ways LGTBQ students are bullied, says O'Donnell. According to the Human Rights Campaign, nine out of 10 students who identify as LGTBQ experience harassment and nearly two-thirds feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

Dare2Care is shedding light on what group officials believe is a hidden issue by training students as anti-bullying ambassadors. The goal is to inspire these young people to create communities free of harassment and intimidation.

"(LGBTQ) is often a taboo topic among school administrators," says O'Donnell, a mental health professional who launched the organization in 2011 with co-founder Don Wismer. "But students who attempt suicide are far more likely to identify as LGBTQ, or are perceived by their peers that way."

The nonprofit will endeavor to educate Greater Cleveland high school students on the importance of leadership and diversity through a free workshop on March 11 at St. Edward's High School. The workshop, held in partnership with the Global Youth Leadership Institute, will address color, culture and class, with participants encouraged to share their personal stories. About 90 students are expected to attend the program, along with 17 faculty members from representative private and public schools.

"We wanted to invite different schools that normally wouldn’t interact with one another,” says O'Donnell. "In that space, we'll already be creating a level of diversity that requires students to think differently."

Ideally, attendees will leave with an understanding of their personal identities, while recognizing their fellow students without the crutch of harmful stereotypes. The event, the second such program offered by Dare2Care, is reaching people at that critical stage of development where identity is being shaped, O'Donnell says. Those emerging from the workshop, meanwhile, will ostensibly have the tools to confront bullying in a non-punitive manner.

"Kids should be able to understand the impacts their words can have," says O'Donnell. "It's more than anti-bullying: We want to give students skills that allow them to make broader decisions in the larger world." 
Terry Schwarz
Terry Schwarz is the Director of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, a combined urban design graduate program and urban design practice nonprofit that uses planning and design to address social issues in neighborhoods throughout Northeast Ohio. 
CCPL offers Food4Fines throughout March
The Cuyahoga County Public Library invites patrons to reduce their library fines throughout the month of March by bringing in up to four of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's "Super Six" food items, which include peanut butter, cereal and canned soup, vegetables, beef stew, and tuna. Patrons will get a $1 reduction in fines for every food item donated, up to $4 per visit, per account.
 
Cash donations will also be accepted during the entire Harvest for Hunger campaign.
 
Get all the details here.
 
Cleveland is #2 - in mortgage affordability
According to online mortgage resource HSH.com, a homeowner must earn $32,523 in order to own a home in Cleveland. The only city with a lower threshold was Pittsburgh, for which the figure was $31,134. The highest must-earn income for home ownership was $147,996 for San Francisco.

From HSH.com:

"HSH.com took the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2015 fourth-quarter data for median-home prices and HSH.com’s 2015 fourth-quarter average interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages to determine how much of your salary it would take to afford the base cost of owning a home - the principal, interest, taxes and insurance - in 27 metro areas.

We used standard 28 percent "front-end" debt ratios and a 20 percent down payment subtracted from the NAR’s median-home-price data to arrive at our figures. We've incorporated available information on property taxes and homeowner’s insurance costs to more accurately reflect the income needed in a given market."

Get all the details here.
Cleveland Community Police Commission to hold "Use of Force" town hall
On Wednesday, March 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Halloran Skating Rink, 3350 West 117th St., the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CCPC) will hold a "Use of Force" town hall meeting. This event is free and open to the public.

Per the March 3 press release, "this meeting is focused on the CCPC's mandate to collect the concerns, experiences and values of the community concerning police use of force policies, training and accountability.

Attendees are invited to fill out a questionnaire available here. Contact info@clecpc.org or 216-755-4272 for more information.
 
Tethering Cleveland's charter and district schools to bring quality education to all
Cross-pollinating Cleveland's charter and CMSD schools by transferring educators between them - along with their experience and ideas - helps advance the Cleveland Plan's goal of ensuring quality education for all students.
PHOTOS: Eighteen images of places around town that are gone but not forgotten
Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski rarely lets a Cleveland icon go unrecorded no matter how humble it may be.
Girls With Sole on a marathon to wellness
Liz Ferro, founder of Girls With Sole, is on a mission to help girls turn to fitness for healing in the long run.
Friday launch party: CAN Journal to feature international Creative Fusion cohort
The Spring 2016 issue of CAN Journal marks the beginning of a partnership between Collective Arts Network and the Cleveland Foundation to broaden awareness of the Foundation's Creative Fusion international artist residency program. The new issue will be released at the Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Avenue, in tandem with the opening of Ron Barron's Gleanings with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 4. This event is free and open to the public.

Each year since 2008, the Foundation has brought artists from around the world to Cleveland for three-month residencies hosted by local nonprofit organizations. The new issue of CAN introduces audiences to the Spring 2016 cohort, which is hosted by Zygote Press, the Cleveland Print Room, Verb Ballets, Inlet Dance Theater, The Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, and The Sculpture Center. Artists of the Spring cohort hail from Albania, Pakistan, South Africa, and Taiwan.

In addition to Creative Fusion, the new issue of CAN includes feature stories on two African American artists whose work deals with race matters, Darius Steward and Clotilde Jimenez, and on what the Cleveland Institute of Art's new unified campus means to the organization's past and future, a review of Unfixed at Transformer Station, comprehensive event listings, and previews of upcoming shows at three-dozen galleries.
New downtown YMCA set to open at Galleria in March
The YMCA's 40,000 square feet of premium health and wellness space is finally set to open at its new home in the Galleria.

Current members are invited to the two-story Parker Hannifin Downtown YMCA  starting March 21, with a grand opening celebration slated for March 29, says marketing director Amanda Lloyd.

Amenities at the much-anticipated facility include over 70 pieces of cardio and strength equipment and a three-lane lap pool. Members can also enjoy group exercise studios, a spinning area, message therapy rooms, and a health clinic complete with an on-site physician.

Pilates, acupuncture, hot yoga and biometric screenings will be among the programming available, notes Lloyd. The new YMCA is expected to house twice as many fitness devotees as its current location at East 22nd Street and Prospect Avenue, which holds nearly 3,250 members.

The Prospect location will close March 20, meaning members won't have a delay in service, Lloyd says. The old building, sold to a Texas-based company last year, will be maintained as private student housing.

All of the YMCA's functions will move to the Galleria, where the gym will take up a former retail space. The organization has raised $7 million for a project budgeted at $12 million, with $3 million coming from Parker Hannifin. YMCA will tap grant money and individual donations for the balance of the financial package. The project is also set to employ 40 full-time and part-time workers, including personal trainers, lifeguards and housekeepers.

Membership enrollment will cost $50 monthly for young professionals ages 18 to 29, $65 for adults and $105 for a household.

YMCA officials believe the gym can be an anchor for a downtown population projected by Downtown Cleveland Alliance to balloon to 18,000 within the next two years.

"There are some vacant storefronts (in the Galleria), but around us there's a good core of corporations and people living downtown," says Lloyd. "Moving to this space seemed like the perfect fit." 
Russo brothers ignite rumors about next "Avengers" effort to film in CLE
Didn't Fresh Water just report on the benefits of the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit? Why, yes, we did. And then this pops into our feed from MoviePilot:

"They didn’t share any 'Captain America: Civil War' spoilers, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo told fans that 'Avengers: Infinity War' could land in Cleveland.

'It’s on the list,' said Anthony.

The reveal took place Saturday during a Wizard World Comic-Con Cleveland panel titled 'Let’s Shut Down Some Streets: Bringing the Avengers, Captain America and the Russo Brothers to Cleveland.'

The Russos, who grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Case Western Reserve University, were joined by Ivan Schwarz, director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. The trio discussed how the region could grow its production slate and how it could attract more features to Northeast Ohio.

The first step, said Schwarz, was getting the Ohio legislature to raise the motion picture tax incentive from $25 million a year to $75 million. That’s legislation will go before Ohio lawmakers this spring."

Get the whole story here.

A tip of the hat to Tom Tenant, who champions films and filmmaking in the Midwest - primarily Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit (but mostly Cleveland), for this great tip. Readers can follow his musings on Midwest Movie Maker.
Call for Earth Day Coalition Volunteers
Parties interested in Earth Day Coalition volunteer opportunities are invited to attend a meeting for EarthFest 2016 volunteer orientations. All new volunteers are required to attend one orientation to be assigned a job. Orientations introduce prospective volunteers to the year-round work of the Earth Day Coalition and the EarthFest event, which will be on April 17 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. All EarthFest volunteers who serve four or more hours are eligible for a free pair of Cleveland Indians tickets through our partnership with Business Volunteers Unlimited. 
 
Upcoming orientations include:
 
Saturday, March 5 from 10:30 a.m. to noon and Saturday, April 2, also from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the auditorium of the Carnegie West Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, 1900 Fulton Rd.
 
Wednesday, April 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Oak Room at 3606 Bridge Avenue.
 
Complete details are available here.
Diversity, curriculum set West Park's Birchwood School apart
The Birchwood School offers area families a unique educational opportunity for the Pre-K through middle school set, with an energized curriculum and a keen focus on character and hard work.
New images reveal true impact of freeways on Cleveland's neighborhoods
While Interstate highways connected Cleveland proper with points across the county and beyond, the street-level impact on dense urban neighborhoods was profound and enduring. Guest contributor Tim Kovach reveals this topic with a sobering bird's eye view.