Art News

Tickets for UpStage Players’ Fiddler on the Roof Jr. Now On Sale

North Collinwood’s UpStage Players, one of Northeast Ohio’s hardest working children’s theatre companies, celebrates its 23rd season in 2017 with the beloved theatre show Fiddler on the Roof Jr. Tickets to all three performances of this Broadway-style musical can now be purchased online. Known for its no-cut policy, UpStage Players “works for the kids” of Greater Cleveland.

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Volume 9, Issue 3, Posted 3:59 PM, 03.09.2017

Playwrights Local’s “Objectively/Reasonable” Returns to Waterloo Arts in February 2017

Critically acclaimed play on the 2014 Tamir Rice shooting in Cleveland to be remounted for four weeks only. Directed by Terrence Spivey, the ensemble-written work returns from February 17 through March 11 at Waterloo Arts.

Cleveland, OH; December 19, 2016

Playwrights Local is pleased to announce the return of its critically acclaimed documentary play, Objectively/Reasonable: A Community Response to the Shooting of Tamir Rice, 11/22/14. Directed by Terrence Spivey, the original staging of this ensemble-written work will be remounted for four weeks only. Performances will run from February 17 through March 11, 2017 at the Creative Space at Waterloo Arts. Additional information, including details on tickets and special post-show discussions, can be found at http://playwrightslocal.org/.

Objectively/Reasonable was hailed by The Plain Dealer as “electric, probing and uncomfortably raw…a play that needs to be seen.” By Cool Cleveland, it was praised as “a work that should travel to theaters all over the country…a catharsis.” Talkin’ Broadway pronounced it “a show that begs to be seen by police officers and citizens alike,” while Broadway World proclaimed it “a must-see experience for anyone interested in the real world around them.” The original production received national coverage from NPR, American Theatre, and HowlRound, and has been commissioned for special presentations by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) and YWCA Greater Cleveland. Playwrights Local is proud to bring this powerful new work back to Cleveland audiences by popular demand.

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Volume 9, Issue 1, Posted 12:11 PM, 01.13.2017

Collinwood Landmark Calendars for Sale

The painting class, held at Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries 15706 St. Clair Ave, is selling 2017 calendars depicting their paintings of Collinwood landmarks. This is a wonderful gift of memories of Collinwood for your family and friends who still hold this area dear.  The Calendars are $10.00 each and will make a great holiday gift.  To purchase a calendar, stop in at 15706 St. Clair or call at 216 481 8182 to reserve a few

Perhaps you would like to participate in the next project.  The painting classes will meet on the following Saturdays in 2016: September 17th; October 1st, 5th and 29th; November 5th and 19th; and December 3rd.  Come at 10:00am and leave about 1:00pm.  Everyone is welcome.  No art experience is necessary. For more information, please call 216-481-8182 or 216.408.0214.

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Volume 8, Issue 11, Posted 7:00 PM, 11.07.2016

Operation: Vegetables! Giant Board Game of Yummy Health

Families picked rainbow chard and basil from the new Children’s Vegetable Garden Box painted by Ballot Box Grantee, Linda Zolten Wood, with many of the kids’ veggie superheroes. The box will have basil available for another few weeks: come by and pick some for your pizza or salad! 

About 60 people attended, from regular library attendees, staff and grant supporters; the neighborhood turned out to play! 20 children turned into teams to play throughout the afternoon: 4 games were played in about 2 hours (averaging 30 minutes each) in the dappled shade next to the garden. 

6 Player pennant vests were created in bright colors by Waterloo merchant Dru Christine Fabric and Design, 6 more are ready for the next game release at Grovewood Salvation Army’s Grand Opening in November, for permanent play. 

A beautifully painted Splice Cream Truck was in the parking lot under the trees, helmed by Ballot Box Grantee, Ben Smith, recording Collinwood Family Histories were and will be mixed and posted on his website, and possibly pressed as vinyl records.

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Volume 8, Issue 11, Posted 7:00 PM, 11.07.2016

This is Collinwood: History in Everyday People

Ballot Box Project award winner Stephen Bivens will bring his project, This is Collinwood: History in Everyday People, to a close at the end of this month. Bivens has been photographing local businesses and families in the Collinwood community. As an entrant and awardee in the History category, Bivens hopes to capture, on film, the unique people and places that make Collinwood the neighborhood we are proud to call home.

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Volume 8, Issue 10, Posted 7:55 PM, 10.03.2016

Local Painting Class Paints 2017 Calander

The painting class, held at Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries 15706 St. Clair Ave is selling 2017 calendars depicting their paintings of various Collinwood landmarks. After the class decided which landmarks they wanted to incorporate into the calendar, a photographer took a photograph of these sites.  Under the direction of Mr. William Denihan and Mr. Doug Rothschild, they drew and painted these landmarks on canvas and chose the best paintings to include in the calendar.  The Calendars will be selling for $10.00 and will make a great gift for Collinwood residents and Collinwood buffs.

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Volume 8, Issue 10, Posted 7:55 PM, 10.03.2016

Three Brothers-In-Law Return to the Cleveland Art Scene with “Relate/Relative/Relativity”

Creativity runs deep in this extended family.  Article Gallery brings the return of two artists Steven Lewis and Craig Main, to the Cleveland art scene.  Joining them is local artist and director of the Waterloo’s Article Gallery and studios, Louis Ross.

Lewis, Main and Ross are brothers-in-law, related by marriage.  All three are recently retired  and enjoying the renewed pursuit of their mature vision and art.

Craig Main is a graphic artist living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  His recent work “Lake Superior Vistas” are digitally recreated recollections of his early life on the Great Lakes.                       “They are a vivid expression of a moment in time … I am trying to put the viewer at the place and moment of the vision, even to the point of being in the water or among the leaves.”

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Volume 8, Issue 10, Posted 7:55 PM, 10.03.2016

Silhouette Productions and the Shore Cultural Centre Proudly Presents "The Music Man"

By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, The Music Man is family entertainment at its best. Meredith Wilson's six-time, Tony Award winning musical comedy has been entertaining audiences since 1957 and is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.

The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he vows to organize this despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain's fall.

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Volume 8, Issue 9, Posted 5:03 PM, 09.09.2016

Photographer Offers Free Photo Shoots to Area Families

Stephen Bivens, neighborhood resident and recent Ballot Box Project winner, will be hosting a free photo session for Collinwood families this summer. Bivens will provide a 10-minute photo session. Two prints (4x6 and 5x7) will be available for pick up the following weekend. Images can also be emailed to participants.

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Volume 8, Issue 7, Posted 12:36 PM, 07.10.2016

Artist Spotlight

Margaret Craig is a longtime resident of North Collinwood and storyteller working to better connect arts with the wider community.

A lifetime Cleveland resident and 25 year community member of North Collinwood, Craig employs storytelling to engage with her fellow residents. She uses singing, acting, performance - just about any medium - to engage with other community members. She's even a professional clown. 

Exposing children to art is her passion, especially the connection of the spoken word with the written word. It's easy to see the roots of this dedication in both her personal and professional background.

Craig taught preschool for 20 years before working for the Salvation ArmyNortheast Shores Development Corporation and even Waterloo Arts (then Arts Collinwood). She's currently the Learning Zone Director at the Salvation Army on Grovewood Avenue, where she is in charge of after school programming. To all the kids, she's "Ms. Margaret." 

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Volume 8, Issue 4, Posted 6:27 PM, 04.06.2016

Music and Recruiting in the Austro-Hungarian Army

Music for Miles Brings Rousing Classics to Waterloo Arts

The Impreza Piano Trio, Sunday April 10, 4 pm

How did the Austrian army lure peasants to its recruiting stations? With music! And the Impreza Trio will demonstrate, in its April Music for Miles concert at Waterloo Arts.

Eric Charnofsky is at the piano in this newly formed Cleveland-area ensemble, with Emily Cornelius on violin and Lauren M. Dunseath playing cello. All three of these musicians have a wide background of performance experience as soloists, chamber and orchestral musicians, and are also active as teachers at all levels. Their debut program comprises trios from the standard chamber music repertoire, including works by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn.

Lane Cooper’s show “What Dreams May Come” will be hanging in the gallery, and the Callaloo will be ready as always with glasses of wine and flavors of the Caribbean. Or it might be the time to try Waterloo’s new coffee shop – Six Shooter, at the corner of E161.

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Volume 8, Issue 4, Posted 6:27 PM, 04.06.2016

March to the Music at Waterloo Arts

Waterloo Arts’ Music for Miles chamber concerts are back for their Spring season, starting with the Bayard String Quartet on Sunday March 13. Kimia Ghaderi and Victor Beyens, violins, Christine Sherlock, viola, and Eric Graf, cello, will play Vivaldi, Bach and Bizet; Massenet, Mozart and Fritz Kreisler; and Argentine dances, a tango and traditional music from Veracruz – a multi-faceted program.

As always, the afternoon will be multi-sensory: the Waterloo Arts gallery is hosting the All-City Art Show, and the adjoining Callaloo Café will be ready with glasses of wine and light Caribbean fare. Children are welcome, if quiet, and conversation with the musicians is encouraged.

And as always, the concert will be free, thanks to our partnership with the Local 4 Music Fund, the Music Performance Trust Fund, the Waterloo Arts Friends Committee, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and Ohio Arts Council.

Waterloo Arts, 15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500, waterlooarts.org.

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Volume 8, Issue 3, Posted 2:00 PM, 03.06.2016

Phone Gallery: Making a Big Impact in a Small Space

If you blink, you might miss Cleveland’s smallest gallery housed inside a once vacant pay phone box annexed to the front of Russ' Auto Care in the west end of the Waterloo Arts District. 

Originally conceived in 2013 by another artist and myself, Phone Gallery demonstrates the transformation of an otherwise underutilized "space" into an inventive place for art display. For nearly three years the diminutive gallery has exhibited emerging talent and preeminent Northeast Ohio artists and is the darling of my 2016 CPAC Creative Workforce Fellowship (thank you again to those who supported Issue 8 on the ballot last fall!).

The transformation from empty metal box to white walled gallery (with a shatter resistant, tamperproof “viewfinder”) required imagination and great partnerships with a local handyman and Russ’ Auto Care, from whom we siphon a little electricity every time someone walks by the motion-sensor operated LED lights retrofitted inside the pay phone box. The brick wall recess behind the box is painted bright yellow to grab your attention while the existing etched, graffitied pay phone box housing is left untouched, a relic of its former utility.

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Volume 8, Issue 3, Posted 2:00 PM, 03.06.2016

Classical Meets Folk: CityMusic at Waterloo Arts

Classical Meets Folk: CityMusic at Waterloo Arts

CityMusic’s second chamber concert at Waterloo Arts turns to folk music, which was part of the audible landscape for classical composers. Their string trio will play duets for two violins, by Haydn, Mozart and Bela Bartok; and trios by Haydn and Beethoven for two violins and double bass. Masha Andreini and Aniela Eddy are the violinists; Tracy Rowell plays bass.

The concert is in the Nan and MilesKennedyCommunityArtCenter at Waterloo Arts (enter at 397 E156 St) on Friday, February 19, at 7 pm, and will include a short intermission. Like the M4M concerts, CityMusic concerts are free. And when they’re held at Waterloo Arts, they include (sometimes) a gallery show and (always) the possibility of a glass of wine or some such from the Callaloo Café.

The full CityMusic orchestra will perform at St Jerome church on March 17 and May 12. The M4M series at Waterloo Arts begins in March, with the Bayard String Quartet, followed by the Charnofsky Piano Trio in April; the Trillium Trio (flute, clarinet, bassoon), which was our very first M4M concert, in May; the Tower City Brass Quintet in September; the Silver Keys Clarinet Quartet in October; and Joe Parker with his sitar in November.

Where did the folk influence come from? Haydn’s parents were working folk – musical working folk – and he grew up singing folk songs with them and their neighbors. He also adapted some of the Landler, the immensely popular German dance, as did Beethoven and Mozart.

Beethoven wrote 179 folk-song arrangements, many of them English, Scots or Irish – although he never visited Britain. A Scots collector paid him by the song (possibly one British pound apiece, which apparently had been Haydn’s rate) and Beethoven obliged generously – despite the difficulties of smuggling goods between Austria and Scotland during the Napoleonic War. The songs didn’t sell well in Scotland – not simple enough.

Bela Bartok, after hearing a peasant woman singing, began to record (on an Edison phonograph) hundreds of songs from small villages in rural Hungary and Romania. His intention was preservation, but the process had a profound influence on his own compositions.

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Volume 8, Issue 2, Posted 4:59 PM, 02.06.2016

Tickets On Sale Now for "Shrek the Musical, Jr."

North Collinwood’s UpStage Players, one of Northeast Ohio’s hardest working children’s theatre companies, celebrates its 22nd season in 2016 with the beloved theatre show Shrek the Musical Jr.

Tickets to all three performances can now be purchased online. Known for its no-cut policy, UpStage Players “works for the kids” of Greater Cleveland.

Performance Dates

Friday, March 18, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. 

Performance Venue

Cleveland Public Library Auditorium, 17109 Lakeshore Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44119

Ticket Prices

$8 in advance

Online Ticket Ordering

Tickets may now be purchased through WWW.SHOWTIX4U.COM.

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Volume 8, Issue 2, Posted 4:59 PM, 02.06.2016

Music for Miles in the New Year

More Music at Waterloo Arts

Amy Callahan and the Music for Miles committee have announced their 2016-17 dates for the chamber series named in honor of Miles Kennedy, a Waterloo Arts founder and Waterloo benefactor. As usual, the concerts will be varied, informal – and free.

March 13 – piano chamber; April 10 – string quartet; May 8 – The Trillium Trio (flute, clarinet, bassoon - and our very first M4M concert in November 2011); September 11 – brass quintet; October 9 Silver Keys Clarinet quartet; and November 13 – sitar.

The concerts always begin at 4 pm in the WaterlooArtsNan & MilesKennedyArtsCenter; families with musical children are invited to arrive early so their offspring can watch the professionals set up. They run for about 90 minutes, with an intermission, and refreshments may be found in the adjoining Callaloo Café.

This year’s season will be extended by two CityMusic chamber concerts, in the same setting.* CityMusic has added North Collinwood to the Cleveland neighborhoods where it performs – chamber concerts will be played at Waterloo Arts on January 15 and February 19, and the full orchestra will perform at St Jerome on March 17 and May 12.

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Volume 8, Issue 1, Posted 5:34 PM, 01.05.2016

A Natural State of Mind

Artist, Jonah Jacobs is part of an exhibit entitled “Bottled Water”, which was held at Waterloo Arts Gallery this fall. Bottled Water is an experimental installation, which explores the human relationship to the natural world. “Artists draw inspiration from: the bottle- representing something man-made that is encapsulating, controlling and which commercializes an element; as well as water- representing the life giving quality or the eroding and violently destructive quality of water as an element of nature beyond human control; also, man's manipulation of material, both natural material into art and mundane manufacture materials back to a seemingly organic state.” I had the opportunity to stop by Waterloo Arts and talk to Johah about his work, how he got started in his career as an artist, and the processes that he uses.

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Volume 7, Issue 12, Posted 5:18 PM, 12.06.2015

"Circumstantial Evidence"

BOOK REVIEW: "Circumstantial Evidence" by Frank Secich
I feel I should preface this review by saying that I do not ordinarily review books. It just happened that I was given the opportunity and, hey, I'm all about local music, and that's what this book is about, so here you go. "Circumstantial Evidence" is an autobiography written by Frank Secich, of many great bands from Ohio or with Ohio connections (Blue Ash, Dead Boys, Club Wow, Deadbeat Poets, etc.). There's plenty of great tales from his time with these bands and others, such as Blue Ash's time opening for the infamous final Stooges show, captured on side two of the live album "Metallic K.O.," as well as great stories about touring around the world and living in Sharon, PA and Youngstown, OH. There were funny stories, interesting anecdotes, lots of info, and cool/rare photos, such as outtakes from photo shoots that produced picture sleeves and shots from recording sessions. In terms of the category "autobiographies of esteemed Ohio musicians," it was a different side of the music scene, refreshing in its way, as it didn't have the sordid tales of alcohol and drug abuse like, say, Cheetah Chrome's or Mike Hudson's, though like these, it was a from the heart, honest take on the life of a musician. I learned many things I didn't know before about the Ohio music scene. I also really appreciated the inclusion of a full discography, with a lot more info that I didn't know about. The book also includes full sets of lyrics for songs written about events described within the book, telling the story from a different angle, which was great. If you like learning about Ohio music, power pop, or just enjoy funny stories about Stiv Bators, I'd recommend this book to you. I know I certainly enjoyed it.

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Volume 7, Issue 12, Posted 5:18 PM, 12.06.2015

“Who we are, Where we live” Reading and Celebration at Waterloo Arts

On Saturday, November 14, the spirit flags will fly above the Waterloo Arts and Entertainment District and all Collinwood and Greater Cleveland community members are invited to gather at Waterloo Arts Gallery from 1:30 to 3:30 pm to celebrate the culmination of the “Who we are, Where we live” program. “Who we are, Where we live” is a multi-faceted creative arts program, funded by the Institute for Poetic Medicine and designed to give voice to the residents of the diverse Collinwood community. For some, stories and memories of life and work in Collinwood date back to the 1940’s and before. Pat Nevar, Vice President of the Slovenian Workmen’s Home, and her husband Fred began dancing together in the Hall’s ballroom decades ago. For others, like Gladys Burnett, a recent transplant from Youngstown and avid member of the Collinwood Rec Center, these memories and stories are just beginning to unfold. Together, they tell the larger story of a place that has endured through hard times and good times, a place where people still live, raise families, make art, run businesses, and go to school.

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Volume 7, Issue 11, Posted 11:41 AM, 11.25.2015

UpStage Players’ Announce Shrek The Musical Jr. for Early-January 2016; Will Hold an Open House/Audition Workshop in December

UpStage Players, one of Northeast Ohio’s most enduring non-profit children’s theatre companies, invites area youths, ages 7 to 15, to audition for the troupe’s Spring 2016 musical, Shrek the Musical Jr. Known for its no-cut policy, UpStage Players “works for the kids” of Greater Cleveland.

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Volume 7, Issue 11, Posted 11:41 AM, 11.25.2015

Waterloo Arts

Waterloo Arts is thrilled to host another Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion international artist this fall. Kuenlin Tsai is from Taipei, Taiwan and works in a variety of media depending on the project. He has designed and installed many public art sculptures in Taiwan, China and Japan, which are site specific and often incorporate a "sound" element.

While in Cleveland, Tsai has been getting to know the city and has designed a sculpture for the Waterloo Tower in response to his experience here. The sculpture references the cycles of decay and growth - whether in a forest or urban neighborhood - and the hope that is emerging in Cleveland today. Tsai is building the sculpture in his studio at Waterloo Arts and install it during the next few weeks. 

On Wednesday, October 28, Tsai had a workshop with students from OH Perry to build their own individual sculptures, some of which will be incorporated into the Treesure House tower installation. He is also hosting screenings of quintessential Taiwanese films, on Wednesday evenings, in order to introduce the city of Cleveland to the culture and history of Taiwan.

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Volume 7, Issue 11, Posted 11:41 AM, 11.25.2015

Now With Added Alphabetization!: Reviews Of Recent Releases By Local Bands

Obligatory Disclaimer: Record reviews are a tricky business. It's one thing to enjoy music, but to, like, pick out what you like about it? That being said, if I review your thing and I didn't like something, don't feel too bad. My opinion doesn't matter all that much.

Another Mother's Milk - Milk Money - self-released - 22 songs - CD
Quick note: I've been told they're working on getting a download together as well, but right now it's just on CD. Onto the content. "Milk Money" is a good solid 50 minutes of trashy garage pop/rock. A couple songs, such as "Kirtland" and "My Own Scum," go into a folk kinda territory as well. And whatever you'd like to count "Robot Noises" as, kind of a, well, robotic stomp. Good male-female vocals as well. My favorites were the opener, "Little Cellar Girl," "That's When She Cursed Me" (which sort of reminded me of a loopier Stray Cats), the bluesy-ish "Bomb Shelter," and the crazy, stalker song "Follow You Home." Also includes their great track from the "Short Shorts Vol. 1" 7", "Drone." There were quite a lot of songs, but they were catchy and mostly short, so what's there to complain about there? 4/5

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Volume 7, Issue 10, Posted 5:41 PM, 10.12.2015

Exercise While You Wait!

We are all busy. So busy. Too busy.

What is something else most of us have in common? We commute to work, to shop, to play, to dinner. For those of us who use public transportation waiting for the bus is the least productive and most annoying part of the commute (well, aside from potholes).

Coming soon to a bus shelter near you is an art project that challenges our community to join together in exercise and make great use of that idle time waiting for the bus!

Thanks to a grant funded in part by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and awarded by jury selection through Northeast Shores Community Development Corporations’ “COLLINWOOD 2015” health initiative, this Fall three bus shelters in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood will be transformed by a printed, clear vinyl wrap illustrating simple, easy exercises along with preventive care facts and tips on health habits.

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Volume 7, Issue 10, Posted 5:41 PM, 10.12.2015

University School Seventh Graders Visit North Collinwood

This spring, a group of University School seventh graders took part in a week-long field study of the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood. Among the things the students saw while in the neighborhood were the Zoetic Walls, Cleveland’s first organized street art project.The students came to understand that among the goals of the project were a visual enlivening of the neighborhood, a contribution to the neighborhood’s sense of identity, and the aspiration that residents might become attached to abandoned infrastructure in hopes that these buildings would not be demolished. Nonetheless, as the students interviewed neighborhood residents, they heard contrasting opinions regarding the walls: The neighborhood residents generally love the idea of public art, but some feel that the murals do not properly represent the neighborhood’s identity – its history, its future, or its residents. Others feel that these murals are, indeed, representative of these things. The boys were intrigued by the way in which art inspired such a rich conversation on the topic of Collinwood’s identity.

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Volume 7, Issue 7, Posted 11:02 AM, 07.12.2015

Phone Gallery: Calling All Artists

Sometimes, bigger isn’t better. This is the case with ‘Phone Gallery’ - Cleveland's smallest gallery - annexed to the front of Russ' Auto Care in the west end of the Waterloo Arts District. 

Originally conceived in 2013 by another artist and me, Phone Gallery demonstrates the transformation of an otherwise vacant and underutilized "space" - in this case, an abandoned pay phone booth - into an inventive place for art display. 

The transformation from empty metal box to white walled gallery (with a shatter resistant, tamperproof “viewfinder”) required imagination and a great partnership with a local handyman and Russ’ Auto Care, from whom we siphon a little electricity every time someone walks by the motion-sensor operated LED lights retrofitted inside the pay phone booth.

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Volume 7, Issue 7, Posted 11:02 AM, 07.12.2015

Silhouette Productions Presents "42nd Street"

Auditions for 42nd Street Director: Frank Lucas  Musical Director: Ginny Rodeig  Choreographer: Tara Mirabile 
Tuesday , August 4 and Thursday, August 6 Monday, August 10 for auditions and callbacks Tuesday, August  11 callbacks 7:00 to 9:30 pm Shore cultural center 291 East 222nd Street Euclid Room 241 upstairs  No recorded music or accapello. Accompanist available  Bring sheet music and be prepared to dance(tap, jazz, Ect.) Questions call 216-219-3630. Show dates October 16,17,18,23,24&25

This is the story of hard work, being in the right place at the right time, talent and love. 42ND STREET is a celebration of Broadway and the people involved in shows. It focuses on aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer, and takes us along her journey. Musical hits include You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me, Dames, I Know Now, We’re In the Money, Lullaby of Broadway, Shuffle Off to Buffalo and Forty-Second Street. Every audience enjoys watching the underdog succeed

42nd Street tells the story of a humble, naïve young actress named Peggy Sawyer who has come to audition for a new Broadway musical,. Unfortunately, due to her nervousness, Peggy arrives to the audition late and misses her chance to join the chorus. Luckily, Peggy soon catches the eye of the famous director, Julian Marsh, and he gives Peggy her big break. However, the show's aging leading lady, Dorothy Brock, quickly grows to dislike Peggy. On opening night, Ms. Brock falls and breaks her ankle. Panic spreads through the company, as the show is doomed for closure, until it is suggested that Peggy take the roll. In only thirty-six hours, Peggy learns twenty-five pages, six songs and ten dance numbers and becomes a star.

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Volume 7, Issue 6, Posted 11:40 AM, 07.12.2015

Music for Miles

Blue Water String Octet at Waterloo Arts on May 10

Come early to the Music for Miles concert in May – the Blue Water String Octet is the largest group we’ve hosted, and it will be performing the sumptuous Octet for Double String Quartet by Felix Mendelssohn. Parents with children, especially, are invited to arrive early to watch the players warming up, and learn how musicians prepare for performance. (Also, there will be cupcakes.)

The ensemble, with four violins, two violas, and two cellos (all members of the Blue Water Chamber Orchestra) will also be playing a Divertimento for Strings by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Blue Water Chamber Orchestra is a group of local world-class musicians committed to bringing exciting and unusual music directly into the neighborhoods ofNortheast Ohio. Carlton R. Woods, founder and Artistic Director, has collaborated with such artists and composers as Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Chang, Dave Brubeck, and the Juilliard String Quartet.

See more at: http://www.bluewaterorchestra.com/about/artistic-direction/#sthash.uwS7DNYu.dpuf

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Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 4:11 PM, 05.18.2015

A Place To Support, A Place To Enjoy

This past Saturday evening I had the esteemed privilege of attending a wonderful concert in a fantastically intimate setting.  The event was in support of one of Cleveland’s greatest non-profit treasures; The Cleveland Music Settlement.  For those of you who may not be aware The Cleveland Music Settlement is, “a hidden gem of University Circle.  The Music Settlement offers music therapy, early childhood education, and music instruction to people of all ages and levels of experience in Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Founded by Almeda Adams in 1912 as part of the Settlement movement and featuring a campus that includes the 1910 Burke Mansion and the Bop Stop, The Music Settlement is the most beautiful place to learn music in Cleveland.” 

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Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 4:11 PM, 05.18.2015

Euclid Youth Competes in Poetry Slam

Devlinbleu Chambers is a 15-year-old from the Sunny Cliff Drive neighborhood. He will be competing against other Cleveland area youth reading original poetry. Four winners from her event will move on to the national Youth Poetry Slam this summer in Atlanta. The event was at Spaces Art gallery on Saturday, March 28.

The finals will be a cumulative slam. You will see all 8 poets in all 3 rounds. Their scores from each round will be added together, and that is how the team will be determined.

BNV is an international youth poetry slam convention and competition. This event features teams from all over the world, not just the United States! There are open mics, workshops, networking, fun events, town hall meetings and of course a multitude of slams!

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Volume 7, Issue 4, Posted 8:45 PM, 04.03.2015

Collinwood Native takes 2nd Place in the Garage Bike Contest at the Auto Rama.

Custom cars and bikes from all around filled the IX Center the weekend of March 20-22. Collinwood native, George Blade Jr., was one of the many to be honored and allowed to participate in this event. He brought his debut, one of kind, handcrafted bike made of all scrap metal pieces. He was a hit at the show, taking 2nd place in the garage bike contest. He made many contacts and was photographed for a upcoming issue of Thunder Roads magazine. He is also being featured at Ohio Bike Week in Sandusky, which is the Midwest largest bike rally.

He is a self-taught welder who can weld and create just about anything with scrap pieces. What makes this bike unique is that unlike other custom built motorcycles and bikes, he used various scrap pieces such as tractor tires, bbq grill pieces, steel bars and various steel and metal items purchased from home depot and junkyards.

He states” This week was such a great experience. I was welcomed by everyone and I wow the crowd with my custom bike. Even though I placed 2nd, I am just honored to even been part of this event. I am going to get back to work on my next creation so stay tuned!”

Late 2015 he plan to conducts FREE class to young men who want to learn basic welding techniques. 

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Volume 7, Issue 4, Posted 8:45 PM, 04.03.2015

Fashion Week Cleveland 2015

Cleveland has a rich history not only in Rock & Roll, but also in fashion. Fashion Week Cleveland presented a true reflection of that history on March 21, 2015 at The Hyatt Regency in the atrium of the historic arcade. Alexis Nunn, a Collinwood resident and participant of the iMedia Mentoring program, was in attendance at the black tie event as an intern-in-training of Volume Magazine, a Cleveland based digital lifestyle magazine. Darvio Morrow, editor-in-chief of Volume Magazine and a Collinwood resident, was also in attendance.

Fashion Week Cleveland in its 11th year, featured Dayton's own Althea Harper, designer from Project Runway, who was a runner up from the show's 6th season, designer Indashio, from the show, Catwalks Across America, which was seen on Style Network along with 16 year old designer Victoria Cohen, designers DeAndre Crenshaw, Johnathan Dembowski, Christian and Christopher Lett, Cora Mercer, Chikondi Butao Mirlemba, and Bridgette Schriner.

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Volume 7, Issue 4, Posted 8:45 PM, 04.03.2015

UpStage Players to Perform Once On This Island Jr.

North Collinwood’s UpStage Players, one of Northeast Ohio’s hardest working children’s theatre companies, celebrates its 21st season in 2015 with the beloved musical Once On This Island, Jr. Tickets to all three performances can now be purchased online.

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Volume 7, Issue 2, Posted 10:04 PM, 02.05.2015

Upstage Players' Musical Auditions

Auditions for UpStage Players' performance of Once on This Island will be January 3 and 4, 2015.

WHO: Children ages 7-15 can audition for the production.

WHEN: January 3 and 4, 2015 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: 17109 Lakeshore Blvd., Collinwood/Cleveland 

This is the Cleveland Public Library Nottingham-Memorial Branch (which is the former Villa Angela High School). Pull around to the left side of the building towards the back. Plenty of free parking.

WHAT TO BRING: Water bottle and a great attitude!

HOW TO PREPARE: 

   * Choose a song from a Broadway musical. 

   * Practice singing every day.

   * Make eye contact when singing.

   * Remember to use facial expressions!

   * Everyone wants you to do your best, so relax...

   * Take a deep breath and SING YOUR BEST!

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Volume 6, Issue 11, Posted 2:59 PM, 01.24.2015

Empty Bowls in Collinwood

On Thursday, December 11, 2014, Ginn Academy will hold its 2nd annual Empty Bowls fundraiser in the library media center to directly support The Cleveland Food Bank.  For a $10 donation, you can select a handmade bowl created in our art studio by a member of the Ginn Academy ceramics program—both teachers and students participate.  Your bowl will then be filled with homemade soup—this year’s offerings are broccoli & cheese, steak & potato, vegetarian minestrone, chicken tortilla, and matzo ball—you can also choose turkey chili.  Included will also be a spoon wrapped in linen, along with a slice of freshly baked bread—rustic Italian, multi-grain, or homemade cornbread.

Please come to the Ginn Academy from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to support this important event for those in need in Northeast Ohio throughout the winter months.  Last year well over $1,000 was raised from this event for The Cleveland Food Bank.  We hope to make this year’s event an even greater success.

An additional table of beautiful, handmade ceramic pieces will be hosted by Mrs. Rickel.  Anyone interested in making an additional donation to The Cleveland Food Bank can choose from a range of art pieces from $5 and up.

Helping to Feed People in Need

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by The Imagine Render Group. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity. http://www.emptybowls.net/

This fundraiser has been organized by Judy Rickel, ceramics teacher at the Ginn Academy.

Photos courtesy of Claire Lucas

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Volume 6, Issue 10, Posted 2:57 PM, 11.17.2014

Jerry Schmidt – Collinwood’s Man of Steel

You’ve seen his work rising up from the concrete like something from the far off reaches of your imagination. Gleaming in the sunlight, and accented with bright paint, and shiny steel. If you’ve ever wondered where all those great and wonderful “things” come from; which torch wielding genius architect gave life to them…well, let me introduce you to Jerry Schmidt.

When you first walk into Jerry’s studio, it’s as if you’ve been transported to Santa’s workshop. Only instead of Santa, there’s Jerry, and instead of toys, there is steel. Well, not just steel. There are walls covered in anything you can think of, and metal objects adorning every crevasse, waiting to take form into something beautiful. Your imagination takes you back to childhood, when anything was possible. You begin to notice the intricate ways each object is made, and the care and precision that it took to make them. Then you realize that you’re somewhere pretty special. Welcome to Waterloo 7 Studio & Gallery.

Jerry’s talent was honed by his father, Fred Schmidt, a world-renowned sculptor. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, Jerry would often spend hours watching his father work. It was then that he knew what he wanted to be.

“In the 60’s I really started to see it, at the age of eight. I’d come in and I’d watch him create. I remember the first time he had handed me a (welding) helmet, and I put that helmet on, and I saw the darkness. But then all of a sudden the light appeared, and it was like trying to find that light at the end of a tunnel. To me that’s what it reminded me of. Have I found that yet? I haven’t. I’m waiting for that. I think that’s when that light will ultimately be, when I meet my maker. Ya know? But all this in-between, all this other part, is the thrill of being a sculptor, and being able to do what I love to do, and that is art.”

Long before there was a “Waterloo Arts District”, there was Jerry Schmidt. He was one of the first artists to move into the area. His father passed away in 2001, which prompted a location change from a studio on E.51st & Superior. A friend of Jerry’s mentioned that there was a place on Waterloo Road available. He quickly took over the Zaller Building space, where he remained for 8 years, until finally ending up at his Waterloo 7 location.  If you ask Jerry how the Waterloo Arts District got it’s start, he’ll tell you it was Miles Kennedy, and that without him none of this would be happening. He’ll speak of him with such reverence, that you know every word he’s telling you is true. He’ll tell you about all the time, money, and effort Miles spent, and that the things he accomplished in the neighborhood shouldn’t be forgotten. I agree.

“ We had no idea what was going to happen here. It wasn’t even a plan. I would have underground gorilla art shows at the gallery, with over a hundred extension cords for lighting. No heat. But people came. It was really great”

Speaking with Jerry, you get a sense of someone in tune with his work. Someone that sees things in the pieces he puts together. Taking sheets of steel, scraps of colored glass, rusty springs, old bicycles (well, you get the point), and turning them into wonderful mind-bending sculptures. You want to be around them, stand beside them. You want to hear what they are saying to you.

Jerry’s recent work can be seen at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the Fabulous Food Show at the IX Center (November), as well as many locations throughout Collinwood and Cleveland. When Jerry isn’t sculpting, he is active in various community programs. He volunteers at the Euclid Adult Activity center, and also teaches a weekly class with PEP (Positive Education Program).

Waterloo 7 Studio & Gallery is located at 15315 Waterloo Road, in the Waterloo Arts District. Please call to set up a time for viewing or consultation.

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Volume 6, Issue 9, Posted 10:35 PM, 10.15.2014

Local Artists Dedicate Wheels On Waterloo Sculpture

Waterloo Artists Louis Ross and Jerry Schmidt dedicated their public sculpture "Wheels On Waterloo" to the residents of North Waterloo. The large steel sculpture was created as an Artist In Resident Grant from Community Partnership for Arts and Culture and Northeast Shores. It was partially funded by The Kresge Foundation, Ford Foundation and other NPO sources. Lou designed the monumental sculpture to depict the past, present and future of Waterloo Road.  5 Steel wheels are balanced on a large swelling Lake Erie wave.   The recent Streetscape Project unearthed ancient trolly train tracks that once ran down the center of the street.  A large train wheel depicts that era.  Residents traveled daily across what is now I-90 to factory and foundry jobs, symbolized by an arrangement of industrial gears.   A fan blade represents the new "green" windmills which can be seen on our skyline.  A 45 RPM record with its iconic center adaptor celebrates our identity as a music, vinyl record and entertainment destination.  Finally, a bicycle wheel complete with spokes and chain is for the residents and visitors who will enjoy our newly renovated Streetscape.

The work was created at Jerry Schmidt's Waterloo 7 studio.  Local students and neighbors were enlisted to cut, shape, weld, and grind the sculpture.  Many local businesses donated their services, time and materials for shaping, cutting and powder coat painting the heavy guage steel .  

Jerry and Lou have also designed a created a Giant Light Switch for promotional use along the Street and a series of aluminum kinetic wind banners,  soon to be installed on the new Streetscape lighting poles.   Both artists have studios and galleries on Waterloo where they work, teach and help celebrate our neighborhood's unique history and future success.

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Volume 6, Issue 9, Posted 10:35 PM, 10.15.2014

The Gold Standard & The Silver Lining

A triple gold star art event curated by Collinwood artist and resident "Joan of Art" at the Doubting Thomas Art & Free Verse Space  856 Jefferson Ave. in Tremont, Ohio one of several galleries openend during second Friday Art Walk. Opening night exhibit will include work of over 25 artists with several Collinwood artists involved. Artist were challenged to interpret title theme and create a small wall hanging piece.  Viewers are asked to get up close to work and converse with artists as to what the work represents. There will be a costume contest in the gold and silver theme, "Silence Is Golden" room music and refreshments served opening night only.

Gallery hours after opening, Saturdays. and Sundays  1-5pm through November 1, 2014.

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Volume 6, Issue 9, Posted 10:35 PM, 10.15.2014