As a youngster, Addie Balester participated in many of Playhouse Square Education Department's programs. As an adult, she experienced her first Jump Back Ball last week, hosted by Playhouse Square Partners. She shares her experiences during the themed evening of Villains Unleashed: A Night of Chaos.

Brite Winter, the festival that is full of art, fire, music, and fun to beat the winter blues, returns to the West Bank of The Flats for its 15th year this weekend. There will be more than two dozen musical acts, food trucks, Sibling Revelry beer, and fun. Take a break from winter and warm up to Brite Winter!

Literary Cleveland announced today it will host its third Cleveland Poetry Festival in April at Cleveland Museum of Art's Community Arts Center in Tremont. This year's festival celebrates the overlapping influence of poetry and visual art with workshops and events with local and national poets and artists.

In late 2023, the City of Cleveland used $10 million in ARPA money to create and support the Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund, which helps grassroots organizations fight the root causes of crime with educational, inspirational, artistic classes. FreshWater Cleveland talks to six of the grant recipients and what the programs are doing.

Lake Erie Ink's 12th annual Kids' Comic Con: Ignite you Imagination takes place on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2 at institutions like Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art's Pivot Center, and MoCa. Kids, teens, and adults are encouraged to ignite their creativity all weekend!

For more than seven months, the Playhouse Square Partners young professional group has been planning, plotting, and building sets for the organization's annual Jump Back Ball—an evening of dancing, drinks, and music to raise money for Playhouse Square's Education Department. This year's theme is "Villains Unleashed: A Night of Chaos." Find out more about what goes into the planning of this signature event.

Shaker Arts Council has issued a call for artists to submit designs for utility box wraps on Shaker Heights streets in its Painting the Town design competition. Get the details on applying here!

Orchids Forever: Golden Hour, Holden Forests & Gardens' annual flower show, opened last weekend at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Managing editor Bob Perkoski captured some of the vibrant colors of the orchids. Get your tickets to the exhibits and classes today!

It's time to scare away winter this weekend with the Cleveland Kurentovanje Festival—when the mythical Kurenti appear, their bells loudly ringing as they dance around a bonfire to chase winter away and welcome spring at the Slovenian National House in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Y-Haven Theatre Project—a collaboration between YMCA of Greater Cleveland and Cleveland Public Theatre—will present "Troubled Waters," a play based on the lives of Y-Haven Treatment and Recovery Center residents.

With offices and government buildings closed on Monday, Jan. 15 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s galleries were open to everyone—offering art activities and entertainment to honor and celebrate the work and lessons of the Rev. Dr. King. FreshWater managing photographer Bob Perkoski was there to capture the day in photos.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden will be bursting with color on Saturday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, March 17 with Holden Forests & Gardens' annual flower show, Orchids Forever: Golden Hour. Tickets are on sale now and registration is open for classes and activities for every age and interest.

The Cleveland Museum of Art will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15 with its regular free admission, hands-on art activities, and entertainment from WOVU 95.9 FM's DJ Kristyles and Humbly Submitted—all to learn from each other, celebrate humanity, exchange ideas, and spur creativity in a space for reflection.

The BorderLight Fringe Festival will return this summer to Playhouse Square, and organizers have put out a call for artists to apply for this year's festival. This year's four-day event will emphasize diversity, thanks to support from the Cleveland Foundation, and application clinics are being held in Cleveland neighborhoods throughout January. Find out how to apply here.

The holiday season is the perfect time to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art and CMA's Community Arts Center for world-class exhibits, hands-on art projects, holiday decorations, or just grabbing a bite while spending time with friends at Provenance.

The Cleveland Ballet will open "The Nutcracker" this Thursday at the Connor Palace in Playhouse Square. FreshWater contributor Tricia Chaves attended a recent rehearsal to witness the behind-the-scenes preparations.

Canalway is already well into planning for its third Annual Towpath Trail Lantern Parade in March, and the organization has put out a call to community artists to submit proposals for creating large-scale lanterns made from recycled materials.

FreshWater contributor Katie McMenamin recently dropped by the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City, where she got a lesson in the history of glassblowing, got to assist owner Mike Kaplan in creating a design, and learned what keeps Kaplan going after 25 years of blowing glass, teaching others the art, and sharing his passions.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is offering an immersive experience with the broadcast of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in surround sound, paired with breathtaking views of the cosmos in the Shafran Planetarium.

Facing History & Ourselves, the organization that uses the lessons of the past to create a better future by helping navigate student conversations about race, equity, justice, and citizenship, worked with LAND studio and artist Isaiah Williams to send its message through a mural on the side on their building on the Urban Community School campus.