Ingenuity Cleveland will celebrate the beginning of its 20th year this weekend with IngenuityFest 2024: Era of Ascent at its newly-expanded IngenuityLabs as part of the Hamilton Collaborative in the in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood.

IngenuityFest—first started in 2005—begins its climb this month into its 20th year this Friday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Sept. 29.

IngenuityFest is gearing up for its most ambitious year yet, as the annual celebration where art meets technology prepares to launch its 20th anniversary season. This year's theme, "Era of Ascent," reflects both the festival's growth and its vision for the future.

Crooked River Circus during rehearsals for 2024 Ingenuity Fest: Era of Ascent “The Era of Ascent theme really plays in well with this new period for us, this big growth,” says Ingenuity Cleveland marketing and development manager Emma Morris. “We recently underwent this big expansion at the space. We opened up about 100,000 additional square feet of creative space and signed a new 10-year lease.”

Morris adds that the expanded space allows the creative nonprofit that ignites the spark among artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators to “serve more artists and entrepreneurs in our year-round programming” and expand educational and performance offerings.

IngenuityFest really does take flight this weekend with performers, exhibitors, and artists offering something for just about every interest, taste, and outlet. The weekend will host a variety of food trucks, vendors, exhibits, programming, live music, dance, poetry, comedy, drag performers, and more.

Morris says the theme of flight and ascending into the heavens will be exhibited both literally— through partnerships with NASA, the Western Reserve Historical Society. and the International Women's Air and Space Museum—and figuratively, with performances by Crooked River Circus and Tesla Orchestra.

Pondering life though lightning

A 40-minute collaborative performance by the Tesla Orchestra—merging science and music with giant Tesla coils—and Crooked River Circus’ talented aerialists, acrobats, and jugglers will unite in IngenuityFest’s headlining act to tell the story of “Flight of Lightning.”

Crooked River co-founder and aerialist Jaime Bouvier says the original show is “both silly and deep at the same time” as the performers soar to the ceiling, into the lightning created by the Tesla coils.

“[The performers] get caught up in the lightning and see messages,” she explains. “It’s about man’s search for meaning. You’ll see a lot of people flying high, high, high into the air.”

Bouvier says more than 30 jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists display their talents in the 40-minute show. “They are working together to figure out what the lightning means,” she says. “It should be a lot of fun.”

Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Ingenuity Fest 2023Local history

History buffs will appreciate a new exhibit called “Untold Stories of Flight,” funded by Ohio Humanities and developed in partnership with WRHS and the International Women's Air and Space Museum. The exhibit will highlight about twelve local individuals and events related to aviation history, presented through both traditional museum-style panels and live painting by a group of local artists.

“We have been researching and identifying people and pilots from Ohio with stories around flight, and who overcame adversity in their career paths related to being pilots,” explains Morris. “[The title] ‘Untold Stories’ is a little misleading because we’re telling them and a couple of them are pretty well known, especially in the Cleveland area.”

For instance, Morris cites former NASA pilot Dr. Julian M. Earls. “We did a portrait of him for the WRHS African American History/Art Walk earlier last year,” she recalls. “And then there is the first National Women’s Air Derby in 1929, which took place in Cleveland between 1929 and about 1950.

The murals in the Untold Stories exhibit are huge, Morris says. “They're doing a couple different size murals, but large scale, kind of like what we’ve done with Voices of Cleveland and Juneteenth with those large mural panels. Some of them are eight feet-by-10 feet, even up to nine feet-by-12 feet.”

Ingenuity Fest 2023Music, crafts, and food

Music remains a central part of Ingenuity Fest, with seven stages offering a diverse lineup of nearly 100 performers. The main stage will feature headliner Bad Bad Hats, an indie band from Minneapolis, and Ohio indie rock band Snarls while other stages will showcase genres ranging from folk and acoustic to electronica and dance.

For those seeking a more adult-oriented experience, the Cabaret stage offers variety acts during the day, before the space transforms into an adult, ages 18 and older, area at night, featuring comedy and drag performances.

Food enthusiasts will have plenty of options to explore in the food truck area outside. “We have more food trucks than ever before this year, with right around twelve,” says Morris. “There’s a lot of variety and diversity in the offerings.”

Craft lovers can lose themselves in the Maker’s Mecca on the third floor. “It’s your traditional craft fair trade show,” Morris says. “It's a big room full of vendors with all of their goods.”

Calm your mind

With all of the stimulation experienced at IngenuityFest—lights, visuals, music, and movement—Elizabeth Wadsworth is featuring an installation that offers a calming retreat from the event's sensory-rich environment.

Wadsworth’s Healing Arts Showcase will offer visitors a space for relaxation in a spa-like setting with an opportunity to experience various healing arts practices, including soft seating, sound therapy, and calming visuals.

Healing Arts Showcase by Elizabeth Wadsworth at IngenuityFest: Era of Ascent “It's really creating a healing environment that's conducive to relaxation,” Wadsworth explains. “It's meant to be a retreat from the rest of the festival because there’s a lot of activities, a lot going on—it can be kind of sensory overload. This is meant to be the opposite of that.”

The installation, located on the third floor in the Enchanted Forest area, features a fabric-based design inspired by a spa Wadsworth visited in Chicago. When guests step inside, they will be treated to a soft, cozy environment adorned with organic cotton fabric and large beanbag chairs and couches. Wadsworth says she was able to secure 600 yards of mattress covering bolts from a local mattress manufacturer to add to the comfort in her space.

On one wall of the space is a mural proclaiming “Art Heals” by tattoo artist Brad Loafer, while aurora-like projection lights create a dreamlike atmosphere.

During daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday, the showcase will host a variety of healing arts practitioners offering 30-minute sound bath sessions. Activities include sound baths using crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls, gongs, and other instruments.

“All of the participants are professional sound healers, and they will be using crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls, and gongs,” she explains to the sound baths. “We have some chimes, and we have some organic sounds.

“I know how I feel after experiencing a sound bath,” Wadsworth continues. “These artists are the real deal, and I'm truly honored to be able to have this showcase with them.”

Ingenuity Fest 2023 The programming will also feature a Butoh dance performance, which Wadsworth describes as “a combination of meditation and dance,” involving slow, intentional movements. Additionally, there will be a brief educational session on Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing practice.

In the evenings, the space will transition to a relaxation area without formal programming, offering festival attendees a place to unwind.

Wadsworth, who works in technology by day, became involved with IngenuityFest two years ago through its sister organization, Brite Winter. Last year, she worked on her first exhibit, repurposing seating for one of the stages. This year marks her debut as a lead artist in IngenuityFest with her own concept.

“I pitched this entire idea on my own,” Wadsworth says proudly. “I'm just really excited to be able to bring it to people.”

The Healing Arts Showcase represents a growing interest in alternative wellness practices. Wadsworth notes that many medical communities now support these methods as legitimate forms of healing and wellness.

“I'm hoping that people who come in and experience it will find it transformative,” Wadsworth says. “I know how transformative [these practices] are, and I want to bring it to people.”

Details

IngenuityFest 2024: Era of Ascent will take place at IngenuityLabs at the Hamilton Collaborative, 5401, Hamilton Ave., 44114, on Friday, Sept. 27 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 29 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets range from $15 for a general weekend pass to $28.65 for a full weekend pass. Children ages 12 and under are free with at least one adult ticket. Ingenuity Cleveland yearly memberships, which include a free ticket, are also available and start at $150.