Arts + Culture
Pop-surrealist sculptor Leslie Edwards Humez is on a mission to make contemporary art accessible to the blind with her Perceiving Art Through Sculpture (PATS) initiative. For the past six months, Edwards Humez has been creating sculptural replicas of paintings and illustrations—which are then scanned and 3D printed as a means to getting visual ideas into the hands of the blind community.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.
Few things give a neighborhood a boost of pride and sense of place like a work of public art. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) wants to help make the connection between civic-minded artists and Cuyahoga County-based nonprofit organizations seeking a collaborative way to solve problems and benefit the community. Enter the Learning Lab—a professional development program designed to train artists in civic, social, public, and placemaking practices.
Wide open spaces and peaceful time for connection and relaxation aren’t normally what one might associate with a busy children’s museum, but the new “Meadow” exhibit at the Children's Museum of Cleveland is designed to deliver exactly that. Scheduled to officially open next Monday, October 1, The Meadow caters to the infant and toddler crowd as the newest addition to the museum’s lineup of four existing exhibits.
When portrait photographer Matthew Greene took a mission trip to the Ugandan village of Kabingo back in 2010, he had no idea he would later become the official photographer for Hope for Kabingo and return to the village twice to capture more photos. Tonight, those portraits take the spotlight here in Cleveland with “Faces of Kabingo,” a three-day exhibition at Hudson Fine Art & Framing Company.
Driving down Pearl Road from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to its intersection with State Road, it’s hard not to notice the eight whimsical carrot sculptures that dot the streetscape and ponder their significance. “There has been a lot of curiosity about it,” shares Vince Reddy of LAND studio, which helped bring the project to fruition. “People are always wondering, ‘Where did these things come from?’”
Move over, traditional antiques dealers and auction houses—there’s a new kid on the block. Veteran antique dealer Ronald Greenwald and Aspire Auctions co-founder Cynthia Maciejewski have joined forces to open Neue Auctions, a one-stop online auction house and art gallery geared at Millennials and women.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.
Amanda King graduated from Case Western Reserve University's law school last year and still lives in the Cleveland Heights apartment she rented as a student. But instead of practicing law, King has immersed herself in her true love—photography. Now King's six-part portrait series, "The Marigolds," will be showcased as the first of four installations in LAND studio's Inner City Hues project.
Imagine 100,000 watts of surround sound pumping out high-voltage performances from 100 artists including Prince, the Rolling Stones, and Metallica, shown on 12-foot-high moving screens. Top it off with 761 laser lighting cues (one per second), and the Rock Hall’s “Power of Rock Experience” is one potent multimedia mashup.
For many people, “Power of Rock” amounts to a highly memorable music experience, but for those with sensory processing issues, it can be a whole lotta overload.
For many people, “Power of Rock” amounts to a highly memorable music experience, but for those with sensory processing issues, it can be a whole lotta overload.
The Land has been a welcoming place for immigrants since the dawn of the 20th century—when Cleveland was the nation’s fifth most important immigrant gateway city. Over 100 years later, immigrants continue to be a vital part of Cleveland’s population. Their significant impact is felt not only in Cleveland’s economy and vibrancy, but also celebrated in the city’s cultural offerings.
Take a visual journey through the great work of five organizations highlighting Cleveland’s immigrants with grants from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Take a visual journey through the great work of five organizations highlighting Cleveland’s immigrants with grants from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
From Cake to SZA to Rock Hall inductee Booker T. Jones, more than 20 musical acts descended on downtown Cleveland this weekend for the inaugural InCuya summer music festival. Along with enjoying 10+ hours of live music each day, festival-goers also got free admission to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with other special touches that added ample Cleveland flavor to the amped-up event. (Check out our pre-coverage for more details.) FreshWater's managing photographer, Bob Perkoski, was there to capture the sounds and sights.
From Beyonce to David Byrne, it’s been an impressive summer for concerts in Cleveland. As the season approaches its end, denizens of The Land will be treated to one last hurrah: the inaugural InCuya Music Festival, the first contemporary, multi-day music fest to be held within city limits in quite some time.
Lakewood may be a huge hub for the “shop small” movement, but the personalities of the city’s emergent local businesses are anything but small. This summer, the city has welcomed two niche stores: Coven and Cleveland Curiosities. Catering to those with interests that may be off the beaten path, Coven focuses on all things witchy, while Cleveland Curiosities is packed with oddities that can’t be found anywhere else.
Originally slated to close yesterday, the Asian Lantern Festival has been such a popular attraction this summer that Cleveland Metroparks decided to extend the luminous, intricate exhibit that winds through the lower zoo ground for two more weeks through Labor Day weekend. That's a testament to the hard work of Metroparks staff, plus the 35 lantern makers who came to Cleveland from China to lend an authentic touch.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.
Not just a first for Cleveland, Flaming River Con is actually the inaugural LGBTQIA+ geek convention for the Midwest. (The only similar event takes place in New York City.) Like other comic cons, Flaming River Con includes panels, vendors and events highlighting geek-culture like comics, tabletop gaming, books, and arts and crafts—but with a focus on inclusivity, a trait that’s sometimes lacking at similar events.
As Cleveland artist Loren Naji sees it, the art world should be an inclusive place—with his recent CAN'T Triennial event embodying that philosophy. As FreshWater caps off its Arts & Culture-themed month, we asked Naji to share his thoughts on where the art world is headed...and why he thinks stuffy museums and exhibitions will soon be the stuff of the past.
Former FreshWater editor Erin O'Brien may have put it best when she said that Rooms to Let "is not dancing on a grave. It's leaving flowers on it." Held last weekend, this thought-provoking annual event enlists local artists to transform houses slated for demolition into meaningful, active art installations. Each year, Rooms to Let takes place in Slavic Village (which Cleveland.com called "Ground Zero" for the foreclosure crisis). Take a deeper look into this evocative effort with Bob Perkoski's pictures taken on-site.
Northeast Ohio’s largest temporary art event will celebrate its fifth year this weekend in Slavic Village. Led by curators Dana Depew, Scott Pickering, and the Visit Arts Collective, Rooms to Let will transform a trio of properties slated for demolition into interactive public art installations—with the intention of lovingly honoring the condemned homes in a creative way before they’re leveled.