So the idea behind the giveaways was to increase the dialogue, but also give people a reason to check in at least once a week and see what is going on at the blog. However this ideas will only work if I manage to be on time and post these giveaways on a regular basis. Last week’s winner was Jessica in Canada! Today I am giving away another 8×10 print. This one is a color print. Matted and mounted for framing. Once again, post a comment on my blog anytime this week and Friday morning I will randomly choose a winner.Okay-go crazy!
Posts Tagged ‘Cleveland arts’
A day late….but a giveaway all the same…
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Food, Fun and Shopping-all in 216
Friday, June 26th, 2009
The shops of Detroit Shoreway
A great crowd!
We just got back from Made in 216 . This is the brain child of Danielle, owner of a store on Detroit called Room Service. A big believer in helping local artists and manufacturers, Danielle had her first event as a celebration of all things Cleveland. Her shop is a cozy spot on Detroit Ave, just west of 65th Street. The event was so successful that it drew both shoppers and participants alike from all over the city. People poured onto the street and hovered about and crammed in close to see what was new. Danielle, smart woman that she is, realized she had stumbled onto a great idea. This incarnation was an event to rival some of the hottest festivals in the city. She involved the other local merchants. Kitsch City, the fun gift shop, has items like Moses rubber duckies and the best birthday cards in town. Duo Home has some of the coolest home items I have ever seen. Rarely do I enter a store and find that I love EVERYTHING! And they have Stonewall Kitchen products-homestyle sauces and condiments that are like Gramma made em. Just a few doors down, we stopped for a beer at Luxe. The pizzas are amazing here, and the service is phenomenal. This time around, Danielle made use of a large storefront area across the street that is currently empty. Room Service created a huge showroom that allowed a lot of people to see the great products that made right here in 216!
Among my favorite items this year were Sarva Soaps. These hand crafted soaps are all natural and made with eco friendly packaging. The scents are absolutely AMAZING! 
APOC was also well represented. I have written about A Piece Of Cleveland before, but this time I got a chance to see larger designs. In addition to the cutting boards and kitchen items, I got to see some tables, chairs and other exciting furniture. Seeing these items was worth the trip all by itself! The Cleveland Clothing Co was there with his own individual spin on T shirts that celebrate Cleveland. He even created a limited edition made in 216 shirt just for the event! The Made in 216 event continues Saturday from 11-9. There are bands playing at teh Happy Dog both nights, so get out and celebrate all that is Cleveland!
Calling all artists! and designers, and architects and sales reps
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Zero Landfill is one of my favorite groups. I LOVE it. Now that we have been in the business long enough to collect a shelf of binders, a stack of samples and a pile of catalogs, I am amazed at what sales reps have to deal with. Not only do they have to keep these things up to date, but they need to be shuttled about and shipped around. Many of these poor reps have piles of these in their homes or cars, and when the company updates them, what do they do with the old ones? What about the carpet samples that are no longer available? Laminate chips, flooring samples, fabric swatches, binders, tile…often these become landfill fodder. But a great group was formed a few years ago. Michael Dungan is the guy that I know that is key to this organization. His idea is that why should all this stuff fill a landfill, when there are artists who could tap into this and create great art? I was turned onto Zero Landfill in the first year by Christy Grey at the Red Dot Project. It was held in a parking lot. Architects, designers and reps brought their samples out and artists culled what they could to stop it from being thrown out. Since that first year, a lot has changed.
Since inception, Zero landfill has diverted tons of material from the landfills. In the meantime, they have provided free materials to artists and others in Cleveland. I caught up with Jonathan Sin-jin Satayathum there. Jonathan is the designer who did the decor for the Greenhouse Tavern on E 4th Street. He and another friend of mine, David Fox have been volunteering there for a few years now. Jonathoan was able to rescue a plie of prfectly good carpet squares for use in the Greenhouse Tavern. Re purposing always out trumps recycling! There are pollination days and harvesting days. One Friday is pollunating (drop off) and the following is harvest (pick up). So if you have materials that might be usable for artists or even repurposed like carpet squares, check out the site for directions. If you are an artist, or great reuser, drop by next week for a chance at some goodies! Last week i picked up a couple large carpet samples, one is a new mat by the front door and one is a cat scratcher. I was shocked to see boxes of tiles. There were enough for a kitchen floor! There were stacks of art books and work books. This made one local art teacher a happy man! It will be a great way to enrich the imaginations of his students this fall. There were stacks of wall paper sample books. The paper would be great for homemade card projects or envelopes. I wish I was a crafter! Some were so pretty they would make great art all by themselves in a nice frame. This was just a few of the items that were there last week. Come buy and pick up stuff for your next project!
And no matter who you are, Zero Landfill could use volunteers. Those samples often come in a book and must be removed so the cardboard backing will be recycled. Everything is arranged and weighed when it comes in, so pollinate days are a great time to help out! Pick up days are crazy, too so drop by and help carry boxes out for your local artists! It is a great group, so come help out. Besides, you never know who you may rub elbows with, though they may be a little dusty!
Art House will take your computer and peripherals…
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009I have mentioned the importance of recycling your old electronics. here is your chance to do just that and support a great local cause. From the email that we received:
Looking for computers…
Art House is fortunate to have a host of wonderful volunteers who are ready and eager to work, but they need computers! Art House is currently accepting donations of computers. For system compatability, Windows 2003 or newer is preferred. To make a donation, please contact Elizabeth Emery at 216.398.8556 or eemery@arthouseinc.orgThank you for your continued support of Art House.
Be sure to visit their website to find out more about them, or to take a great art class!
Made in 216
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009Last year I went to the 216 event, and it was a blast. Room Service (a store) in the Gordon Square area of Detroit Shoreway hosted the event and the small store was packed. This time they are back with a vengeance. They are using some empty storefronts for this year’s event, and it will be even bigger and better. I am a firm believer in supporting local artists and the local economy. Here you can do it! I had planned on writing a whole article about the event, when I got this blog post from Cleveland Foodie. I read her blog all the time, as I love the Cleveland Food scene. Since she has put out all the effort, here is the link to her article…
PS: If you love food as much as we do, then subscribe to her blog! I wish i could have her job, eating out and getting paid to write about it!
Zero Landfill means zero waste
Friday, May 29th, 2009One of my favorite programs in Cleveland is the Zero Landfill Project. This is an exciting group. From their recent email:
Since 2006, nearly 100 tons of expired specification samples that were originally misclassified as waste have been donated by local interior designers and architects and returned to the community as materials that are vital to the creative process.
Join the ZeroLandfill Cleveland online community here for program news, schedules, and announcements. Feel free to forward this invitation to friends and colleagues who may be interested in accessing a diverse and convenient material stream
for their classroom and/or studio work.
I first found out about zero landfill when they started a few years ago. basically they got all the design and architect firms together and got them to clean out their closets and libraries. They then brought all those materials together and called in all the area artists. People picked through and took as many items as they could for their future projects. Some people managed to take away wood, glass, wall covering samples and even tiles. This was a great thing for local artists, who usually had to buy retail for their materials and great for the environment as all this stuff would normally be thrown out. Over the years, Zero Landfill has done some great work! One year they helped a closing textile warehouse shed truckloads of old fabric and textile products. Diverting from landfill is a great goal, and sometimes they can even divert form the recycle stream! The Greenhouse Taverncontacted zero landfill for items like carpet samples to furnish their new restaurant.
Have some items to donate? Need some materials? The season’s kick off is on June 19, 2009. Materials are being distributed from 10-2. Questions? contact them at: info@zerolandfill.net
Cleveland is Freaking Awesome! (and Akron, too!)
Friday, May 22nd, 2009A blogger from LA is coming to Stow for a wedding next month. She emailed me and asked if there was anything cool to do or any great local food restaurants that I would recommend. I had to think about it, as she is not a meat eater. Somehow, I guess I became a Cleveland Ambassador, because as I started writing I had a ton of things to write about! Cleveland (and all of NE Ohio) is an awesome place to be! We have such a wealth of arts and food, I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here! Since I already wrote it, here is the Cleveland guide for incoming visitors as compiled by me. Of course there are a ton of other things to do and see, and festivals all year long. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments!
Okay, so I won’t inundate you with too much information, as I don’t know how much you can do while you are here. In Akron, there is Vegeterranian (Chrissie Hyndes restaurant), and Bricco. I have only had dessert here and it was tasty, but my Akron friends swear by it. In Twinsburg, near Stow, is Blue Canyon. I know the chef for this place, and I love it. It is kind of a lodgie feel, and Chef Brandt Evans is working on getting more of his produce and meats locally. The atmosphere is nice and they started rolling sushi on the patio-a great space. Be sure to mention me to Chef Brandt or Katie and they will take care of you (they take care of everyone so well here-but I like to think I am important)! As far as entertainment goes, there are plenty of bars around town, but I really don’t go out in Akron very often. They have a good art museum, and the Civic theater is one of the best preserved movie and stage production theaters that I have ever seen. You can check out Mustard Seed Markets, one of the few local natural food stores that remains independent. The Akron store has a great restaurant and the Solon store a nice deli.
Now on to Cleveland:
Cleveland is about 40 minutes from Stow, but well worth the drive to check us out! For food, I still haven’t been to Crop Bistro, but it is getting good reviews and feedback. There are plenty of bars nearby. I like Chef Jonathon Sawyer. He has two locations: Bar Cento and Greenhouse Tavern (Ohio’s first certified green restaurant.) I wrote about them both. Bar Cento sits next to the Bier Markt- a great beer house that serves a HUGE selection of imported beers. Across the street is the Garage-a live music bar. The Greenhouse Tavern is a great spot. The décor is made of as much recycled and upcycled products as possible. Both spots are dedicated to local foods and farms-the Greenhouse is slated to have a greenhouse and urban garden on the roof. They use fresh local ingredients and are one of the few restaurants that recycle. (I know it’s crazy, but don’t get me started.) If you go there, be sure to ask about what is in the food, as the fries at Bar Cento are made with some duck fat-makes them tasty, but if you don’t like that…and I think they make them the same at Greenhouse. Of course, the Iron Chef, Michael Symon, has 2 restaurants here. One is Lola which moved down the street from Greenhouse Tavern and the other is Lolita in Tremont. He has a local food approach as well. Greenhouse and Lola are part of a cityscape project called E 4th St. This is an old dying street that was converted to a dining and entertainment hub. Bigger spots like Pickwick and Frolic (which has a comedy club, cabaret room, restaurant and martini bar) and House of Blues meet up with great local names. The Tremont area has a great selection of bars and top notch restaurants, nearly all of which favor local foods. The area also has a ton of art galleries and some fun funky shops.
If you like museums, you should really check out the Cleveland Museum of Art. They have a fantastic collection and they are undergoing a major renovation so more things can be out at a time. It ranks as one of the top 5 in the country! There is the Museum of Natural History, the Western Reserve Historical Society (home of the Auto Museum and the History Museum) and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens are all within a few blocks. There is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center both downtown and near the lake. All alone is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). I have seen some of the most intriguing art of my life here. There are some other great Art venues too: Spaces, 78th Street Studios and art walks around town that vary.
More museums here.As for shopping, there are some smaller “green” shops, but nothing close together. Planet Green sits in a retail area, and the Detroit Shoreway area has a great coffee house and a selection of cool shops.
Wow, so much for not inundating you with info! I just started writing and look at all that came out! If you were coming up to Cleveland for just a day, I would recommend going to a museum (the Art Museum is #1) and driving down MLK Blvd to get a glimpse of the cultural gardens. In the evening go to E 4th (or W 6th ) for food and entertainment. If you go to Greenhouse ask if Chef Sawyer or the Chef’s Widow are in and mention that I sent you. They would probably love to tell you their story if they can! Feel free to call or email me if you need anything and I hope you enjoy your trip! Cleveland really does rock!
Of course this is a short list! There is the West Side Market, Cedar Point, Football Hall of Fame, Bang & Clatter Theater, Playhouse Square, Art Walks, Arts Festivals (Clifton, Cain Park, Waterloo) and so much more! Aren’t you glad that you live here?
Eco Art at Waterloo Arts Festival
Monday, May 4th, 2009Cleveland is one of the best cities in the world to celebrate the arts. We have a world class symphony, a collection fantastic museums, and the performing arts is by no means limited to Playhouse Square! Clevelanders stand behind their arts and artists, too. I recently participated in Art Cares (a benefit for the Aids Taskforce of Greater Cleveland) and it was hopping. The Beck Center in Lakewood came close to closing its doors and a grassroots campaign sprung up and the money was raised to keep it open. Street festivals and arts fairs all across the region are packed with artists and art lovers alike. One such festival is coming up, and you should mark your calendar. It is the Waterloo Arts Festival. It is presented by Arts Collinwood and promises to be a great time. The festival is scheduled for June 27 from 12-7pm. Take the E 152nd exit of I 90 and head north, then turn right on Waterloo.
In conjunction with the festival, Blue Bag, LLC has been looking for Eco Artists to participate in a show. They are putting together a show of art made from recycled/reclaimed materials. I am always big on upcycling and recycling. Turning old items into new art is a thing of beauty. Keep an eye on their site to find out exactly where the show will be, because it is slated to open on June 26th. For those of you who have never been to the Blue Bag site, check it out. They offer a variety of gift and functional art items that are made form recycled materials. The perfect wedding gift may be right at hand!
Why Cleveland NEEDS its Film Festival!
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009Just in case you are not in touch with what is going on in Cleveland, we have a film festival here! This year was the 33rd annual Cleveland International Film Festival. I spent much of the festival at the hospitality suite, laying out cheese cubes and veggie trays for festival goers. While I spent the better portion of the last two weeks at Tower City, I managed to sneak in a few films. I think the final count was 14-plus several shorts programs. , and I discovered the nicest and hardest working bunch of people that I have ever had the privilege to work with. Moreover, the festival has a huge impact on the city and we NEED it here.
First off, I will start with the obvious. The Cleveland International Film Festival brings money and tourism to the area. The economic impact is in the millions. The Cleveland Film Society estimates are 3.1 million in economic activity in downtown Cleveland. We know our region is hurting, and adding money to our economy is crucial to future development. Anyone who has been downtown on a weekday evening in March, also knows that there is not a lot going on. Tower City, while a great mall, continues to struggle in the same manner that all malls are struggling these days. Take 66,500 film goers and put them in downtown Cleveland and money WILL be spent. That money doesn’t just come from our own citizens either. The CIFF brings in dollars from around the world!
Secondly, the film festival brings tourism marketing to NE Ohio. While working the festival, I met film makers, directors, producers and film enthusiasts from around the globe. Everyone that I spoke with commented on how great Cleveland was to visit. I often wondered if any of these folks would have ever come here, if there were no film festival. I also know that many of them will be telling their friends and colleagues about their experience here and encouraging them to make the trek in the future. I can’t tell you how positive these folks were about our city and how our enthusiastic film going crowd surprised them. Many early morning screenings had large crowds, and film makers were shocked to see a couple of hundred theater goers at a showing at 11:30 am on a weekday! This only encourages more film makers to be involved and more people to attend.
That leads to the next point-talent and marketing. Cleveland as a city could never get the kind of positive marketing that the film festival generates, no matter what the budget. There were film makers that will honestly try to make a trip again, even without a film in the festival. Furthermore, film makers know each other and right now they are telling their colleagues how great their trip was, and why they should enter or attend next year’s festival. That is the kind of buzz that we need in this town. Add to that, the talent that is tapped to putting on this festival. Truly outstanding people like Marcie Goodman are needed in this town. Artistic vision abounds with people like Bill Guentzler and Patrick Shepherd. I can’t help but wonder where these talented and strong people would have gone if there were no Cleveland International Film Festival to capture their imagination and tap into their strengths. Cleveland would surely have lost these talented individuals to places like Austin. The CIFF is an integral piece of the pie when it comes to attracting and retaining talent to the region.
With an annual festival, with documented attendance and economic impact, Cleveland is uniquely positioned to take advantage of new technologies. This year’s incredible rise in attendance and increase in charitable contributions is due in no small part to the aggressive social media campaign that was launched. With interviews on You Tube, updates on Twitter, pictures on Flicker and links on Facebook, the festival marketed itself very aggressively and it worked. They were able to see records smashed day after day at the box office. In this gloomy economic environment, that is no small feat. The festival has proven that these marketing techniques work, and makes me wonder what will they try next year? This can only help show both the city and its major companies how to best market and position themselves in the coming year. If this type of marketing campaign can work for the festival, then it can work for other types of businesses as well. It only proves what can be done and may lead the way in showing others how Cleveland companies can add dollars to their bottom lines by adding new marketing positions to their payrolls.
How can the festival improve?
Just some of the paper waste that ended up left behind...
Whenever there is big economic impact on the region, I worry about the carbon footprint left behind. While most of the people involved in the festival worked hard at reducing their own waste, using reusable cups and bottles and recycling their plastics, Tower City still has no program in place for recycling. With the amount of people coming through that mall every year, a better partnership with the city could be forged to include more recycling and less landfill waste. The sheer volume of paper involved in putting on an event of this size is unfathomable. Add to that daily updates, added screenings, surprise guests and film maker participation, and the the volume goes up exponentially. That doesn’t even include those would tried to take advantage of the extra patrons downtown and put out their own fliers and coupons. Next year, I would encourage the use of email and electronic media for updates. Streaming video and flash messages to cell phones would reduce the amount of paper waste considerably. Adding a few more video screens for news and updates instead of handouts would help a lot as well. We all know that many Clevelanders are behind the curve when it comes to new media. Most still want to pick up a piece of paper and read it, then toss it, rather than get email updates. I think that The CIFF is uniquely positioned to bring more people into the fold for new media and show everyone how they can reduce paper and waste. Besides, it would save them money! And in a town where the entire festival pretty much takes place in one place, it is easier to do than say Toronto, where films are spread around the city.
In short, Cleveland NEEDS its festival, so we should all support it. Take the time to drop a line to the folks at the Cleveland International Film Festival and thank them for all their hard work!
Another day at the Film Festival!
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009I have had a great time working at the film festival this year. I had forgotten what hard work food service can be (I am working in the pass holders hospitality suite). Despite being on my feet, I am having a great time! I have met a bunch of great people and look forward to hanging our with them at other events in the future. I try to see a few films every year and the staff have always made the whole event look so easy and seem so streamlined. By being behind the scenes, I am seeing just how much hard work goes into making this whole thing look so effortless. Imagine a ballet of 500 strangers and 100 leads, choreographed by a madman on crack and set to the music of Chopin, Glen Campbell and Justin Timberlake-and you can begin to imagine the organized chaos that is the Cleveland International Film Festival. If you know anyone who works for the festival, call them and thank them for all their hard work.
I did manage to sneak away for a few hours last night to my favorite networking group Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S). I love the topics that are raised and the speakers that they feature. There is something great about being able to hang out with a bunch of like minded individuals, and discuss how we can all contribute to making the planet a better place. Last night they featured a group of great speakers. I enjoyed hearing about what the University Circle Inc. is doing to make that area more sustainable. They are adding more regional services in an effort to make some things more accessible, like streetside recycling bins. Ben Campbell was there from the Slavic Village Development Corp. and he had exciting things to say about the future of that area. They are working hard to address the concerns of this neighborhood that is in transition and make it more sustainable and green. I got to hear what Hyatt is up to in reducing its waste and saving energy. There was a rep from Interface. They make green carpet, and I don’t mean green as in just the color. They have a carbon neutral company that manufactures commercial carpet squares. They are leaders in the industry, by buying carbon offsets, recycling, reducing waste, etc. In fact, they look at ALL aspects of every thing they produce and make sure to make it it as sustainable as possible. They are a fantastic company with a great mission. Lastly, I got to meet Andrew Watterson, from Cleveland’s office of sustainability. We all know that things can move slowly in Cleveland, but I think that this city has done more in a few short years to make sustainability a priority than many cities in the country. Andrew and his department are doing more than their share to make that happen.
As for the office, things are still moving slowly forward. Bud has finalized the presentation for the site and we have started the application process for federal stimulus dollars. We are talking with retailers and looking for sustainable businesses who are interested in relocating to Cleveland and leasing a space in our green building. The loan packet will be going off to Shore bank in the next week, and we are consulting on forming a non profit to run the Eco Park. Next month is the Eco Village Block Club clean up day, and we look forward to starting the beautification of the outside of the building and cleaning up the garbage and weeds that are everywhere. It will also be a great opportunity to meet the neighbors!
Also next month is the Green Dream. This is an eco friendly showcase by the students of Beachwood High School. We will have a table there and plan to show off some of our designs, as well as some of our eco friendly materials. It is being held at the Beachwood Community Center on April 17, from 1-7pm. Come by and see us and the other exhibitors. Best of all-it is FREE! We hope to see you there.
