Nan's Notes
Marie Neil Brings Dan Miller to Waterloo Arts Through September
Born in 1980 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Dan Miller is largely a self taught artist working in many mediums, primarily acrylic and watercolor. With a penchant for illustration, he evokes whimsy in often heavy or dark subject matter. Dan is also the author of several unpublished children's books, and does a considerable amount of commission work.
Echoes of Dali, echoes of Miro – all colorfully and very elegantly rendered.
Waterloo Arts 15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500, www.waterlooarts.org. Gallery Hours: Wednesday 12-7 pm and Saturday 12-4 pm. Or call 216-692-9500 to make an appointment.
Dork, and His #1 Fan, at Praxis
Praxis Fellow 2019 Gregory Hatch
With background in art history and a passion for narrative and ritual, Gregory Hatch is a fiber and performance artist who explores how pattern, texture, and material reflect our experiences and how we retell these stories. Recently his work has continued ideas of personas and archetypes that were explored in his thesis. www.gregoryhatch.com
A series called “Hides,” for instance, uses 81/2 x 11 pieces of hand-made felt – sort of like animal skin but sort of not - to fuse an individual’s unique pattern and texture with the chosen pattern and texture we lay on top of it. The result is colorful and temptingly strokeable. (But I don’t think you’re meant to stroke them.)
Since earning his MFA from Ohio University in 2015, Greg has worked with community arts organizations giving workshops on felt making, mask making, and hand quilting. He has presented his work at the SculptureX Symposium in Columbus, Radical Philosophy Conference in Long Island, Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference in Bloomsburg, PA, and Open Engagement in Oakland. Gallery hours are Wednesdays and Sundays from noon to 4 pm or by appointment. Email gallery@praxisfiberworkshop.org for any questions or information about showing at the gallery.
Outstanding Collection of African-American Art at Framed Gallery
Stacey’s gallery was inspiring right from opening day for the strength and variety of the work – which comes from African-American artists all over the country. Lately she has been showing some particularly interesting collections.
Hampton R. Olfus Jr. of Washington, DC, has exhibited nationally and internationally. His work runs a fascinating range from African to Native American and European, reflecting aspects of the Gullah culture of the coastal Carolinas and Georgia, where a unique creole language developed, with links to the Krio language of West Africa and a number of West Indian creole tongues.
Michael Gibson’s work is fascinating in another way; he creates 3-D reality with a pencil. Charles Smith creates finely detailed sgrafitto pots with contrasting images, patterns, and textures. Jerry Prettyman produces bold and colorful paintings and drawings from his impressions of Jazz and Blues musicians.
And if they’ve sold out, Stacey promises more to follow.
Framed Gallery, 15813 Waterloo Rd.
Article Gallery August “Ursuline Invitational” By Appointment
Article is open mostly during Walk All Over Waterloo, on the first Friday of each month, but if you can’t make that, you can call 440-655-6954 for an appointment.
“Ursuline Invitational” involves five generations of family, friends and faculty, 33 artists in all. Show stays up through August.
Save the Date: In September, artists Laura Dumm, Gary Dumm and George Kocar will be exhibiting their artwork at Article. The opening for this extraordinary show is Friday, September 6th, 6-10pm. 15316 Waterloo Road
Jerry Schmidt’s Sculpture Court
Metal sculptor Jerry Schmidt has long since over-flowed from his studio into the space in front, and has continued flowing down the street, dropping a wonky bench here, a few metal flowers there, a giraffe on a street corner . . .Stop in and ask him for a tour. Across the street from Article.
Blue Arrow Records Turns Ten August 10
On Saturday, August 10, 12 – 6, Blue Arrow Records will celebrate their 10th anniversary – and they’re hoping for company – because they couldn’t celebrate a decade without their customers. Join the for a day of DJs ! Snacks! Fun! Raffles! Records! Cats! And 10% off all purchases! Music. Kid friendly. Be there.
Blue Arrow Records 16001 Waterloo Rd.
Matt Shiffler Photography
Down at the E160 end of the street is Matt Shiffler’s studio, the walls lined with the most amazing photographs. Matt has travelled in Asia, and some of the most striking scenes are from there, but he has a remarkable eye for composing landscape shots, and there are many of those, too. Mostly open 10 am-7 pm, but sometimes he’s out taking more pictures. To be safe, call (440) 223-7264. Matt Shiffler Photography 16101 Waterloo Rd
Vintage Toy Nirvana at StarPOP vintage+modern
Everything your parents didn’t buy for you when you first wanted it – you can get it now. (It looks better if you bring a kid with you – but be aware that lots of the Beachland’s bands find treasures at StarPOP). Not just toys – also Tshirts, books, music, pins, Ouija boards . . . Troy is infatuated and his little shop is crammed – all for you. Across from Matt Shiffler.
A Little Refreshment
Possibly the world’s best pizza at Citizen Pie. Caribbean flavors at Callaloo Café. Great bar food at Classics (in the former Slovenian Home). Great chili at the cops’ dive bar, SS Boardwalk. Saturday and Sunday Brunch at the Beachland: mmm, those house-made buttermilk biscuits.
Six Shooter Coffee
A pretty good coffee house with a great cup of hot chocolate for people like me. Also banh mi sandwiches on Japanese milk bread, when Bonn has time. An excellent place to camp with a laptop. And the gallery for BRICK Ceramic lurks at the top of the stairs. (I have to add that people who actually drink coffee say SS is a great coffee house.) They’re certainly adventurous: cold brews infused with hops from Hiram, Ohio. Cherry cola cold brew on tap. And in August, SS will have its own display, curated by Maria Neil: bright geometric abstractions by graphic designer & illustrator Leandro Castelao. A block east of StarPOP.
Music for Miles in September
Howie Smith, Title to Be Announced, Sunday September 8
The thing about a Howie Smith concert is that the audience has no idea what’s coming, and sometimes it also surprises Howie. Last time Howie played for us, he was billed as Howie Smith and his Iron Toys. For more than twenty-five years one of the classes Howie taught at CSU was Jazz Survey, a course designed to acquaint non-music majors with some of the major musicians associated with that style of music. The final class of every semester was an hour-long, completely improvised solo concert that utilized any and all of the instruments and electronics he had on hand at the time. On a number of the thirty concerts that were part of his annual Concert in Progress, he was the sole performer, again utilizing a variety of instruments and electronics.
If you’re a fan of being surprised – in a good way – by music, mark the calendar: Sunday, September 8, 4 pm, Waterloo Arts.
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Moms Announce Best Beach in Cleveland: Wildwood
The sand is clean – Metroparks is taking good care of us. There’s a swimming area for kids, and a play area for kids, and food for the family at the new take-out restaurant/snack bar (I’ve read the menu and it sounds too delicious to be healthy – but food you eat at the beach has no calories. ) And it’s right here. Thank you, Councilman Polensek. I first wrote about bringing back a concession stand in 2012 – good things come to those who wait – but the councilman has been on the case much longer.
Fiddles at the Market
The Coit Road Farmers’ Market, that is, where there is usually music of one sort or another, most often guitars. Sometimes Pat with her violin students. And last Saturday, my friend Janice with her fiddle; you can tell a fiddle from a violin, says Janice, because a fiddle has strangs. Janice played Amazing Grace for me, which is just what I think the market is: tiny and shabby but extraordinarily effective. It works so well for me, perhaps, because I cook what the market has that week, instead of going with a shopping list; as a result, between the market and my garden (all of us organically inclined), I buy very little produce at grocery stores. Or butter or eggs. Or cookies. Or jams or pickles or ramps butter or black garlic powder. Or coffee.
Besides the music in the background, there is usually a cooking demo conducted by Kevin and Andrew. Last week it was ice cream – possibly the reason why Jane&Friends were at their stand, despite the heat; they had gigantic beets with sweeping skirts of greens, and arugula, and charming jam-pot bouquets of zinnias and wildflowers. Plus a very small amount of gooseberries for making gooseberry fool. Care-A-Van makes frequent visits, also, with (loud) music and free books and health checks, among other things.
And it’s late July, so Secors is back for the season. They truck in three stands full of corn, melons, squash, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, berries . . . always good news.
And the big moment of the summer: August 17th /Annual Cliff Schultz Memorial Corn Roast 11am. 15000 Woodworth Rd, East Cleveland, (216) 249-5455.
A Word in Your Ear
I noticed a Snopes report on Ring the other day – the operator of doorbell cams that promises to keep your deliveries safe. Apparently their growing ubiquity is making some people worry about how much they also record on perfectly innocent neighbors and passers-by. Not mentioned was a factor that I would think might drive the owner crazy – a report every time a car passes the house?
Summer Concerts in a Park August 8 and 22
East Shore Park Club welcomes neighbors to their summer concerts; dogs and children (well behaved) are welcome; food trucks attend, or bring a picnic.
The Hot Club of Buffalo + Rebecca McIlvain, August 8, 6:30 - 9:45. PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY START TIME 6:30 PM for opening act. The Hot Club of Buffalo is a 4-piece gypsy jazz band from…Buffalo, NY!
Pieces of Eight, featuring the Lakeside Brass, on Thursday August 22, 7- 9:45.
17213 Dorchester Dr.
Police-Community Relations through Book Clubs August 29
Memorial Nottingham branch library will host a panel discussion of police relations and the community, the final event of a Police Commission program that invited the community’s residents and peace officers to read and discuss Jewell Parker Rhodes’ “Ghost Boys,” at MemNott and other library branches city-wide. Thursday, August 29, 7 pm.