Fall Events

Saturday, Sept. 15

SPAR X City Hop
If an art exhibit is like a visual circus, then Sparx City Hop has a little bit in common with the a jungle safari. Multitudes of artists open their studios for the curious to come and see them in their natural habitat. You can ride the trolley on four routes where varied species dwell—The Orange Route runs from 11:00am to 6:00pm through the Campus District. The Blue route runs from 11 a.m. To 6 p.m. through the Arts Quarter and Asia Town. The Green Route will take you through Ohio City from 11 a.m. To 9 p.m. And the Red Route will take you to Tremont from 11 a.m. To 9 p.m. All of which is good timing, really. After you look at some pictures, you can get something to eat. Trolley rides are free. Tour guides and welcome centers will help you find your way. Go to downtowncleveland.com for information.

Dia de Los Muertos, 2011 at Cleveland Public Theatre

Thursday, Sept. 20

CAN Journal’s Thursday Third Friday Preview Party
You’re reading CAN Journal, so you’ve got a sense of how we feel: Cleveland’s Art Scene needs a voice, and we are happy to provide it. CAN is Northeast Ohio artists and galleries creating their own media. You can help this venture get off to a
good start, by coming to CAN’s Fall 2012 Launch Party, a Thursday night sneak preview of 78th Street Studios Third Friday openings. You can check out what’s in store in some of the galleries elsewhere on this page. But on Third Friday Eve, you can mingle with the curators, artists and visual adventurers who have jumped in to the Collective Arts Network. We’ll have some food, and drinks, and some kicking jazz. All we ask is that you kick us ten bucks. It’s not much. And we’d love to see you. It’s from 6 to 10 p.m. The entrance to 78th Street Studios is at 1305 W. 80th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44102.

Friday, Sept. 21

Third Friday at 78th Street Studios 

With monthly mass openings, you might think 78th Street Studios could fall into a rut of just propping open the doors and putting out some drinks. But the truth is the galleries keep pushing themselves with new and ambitious ventures. For the Third Friday in September, Kenneth Paul Lesko Galleries presents the third iteration of its Cinema series, which selects works rooted in cinema—either specific films or directors, or the process itself. Meanwhile Hilary Gent’s gallery is evolving into something new, but in the mean time she’s working with Bill Scheele –who’s taking advantage of the space to show a collection of Randall Tiedman’s brooding industrial landscapes, as well as to host a signing party for Rustbelt Chic, Anne Trubek’s new book, a collection of stories about the life and landscape we so love. Contributors will be on hand. In his own Kokoon Arts Gallery annex, Scheele offers works created by Michael Nekic using photoshop and other graphic software. Meanwhile, Survival Kit gallery presents an installation-heavy show that explores the life imagined by several Cleveland artists in response to a collection of photos discovered at the abandoned Westinghouse building. The photos –meticulously cataloged and labeled—document the life of Debbie Ellen Shore. The entrance to 78th Street Studios is at 1305 W. 80th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44102. Subsequent Third Fridays are October 19 and November 16.

October 1 – 27

OctavoFest
Rhetorical question: How remarkable is it that in addition to the international handmade paper conference Watermarks (see page 42) Cleveland is host to a second multi-event celebration of handmade books and the paper they are printed on. Octavofest has been gaining inertia since its launch in 2009 by Art Books Cleveland. This year it has grown to involve more than two dozen partners, beginning with Cleveland Public Library’s Center for the Book, Cleveland State  University’s Library, and the Morgan Conservatory. Events run through the month including ABC’s annual Abecedaria show Sept. 7 through Nov. 17 at the Cleveland Artists Foundation (17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood) wherein dozens of book artists show how far they can push this most basic book concept. Go to Octavofest.com for complete listings of exhibits and programs.

Friday, Oct. 12

Tremont Art Walk 

It’s a standard sales tactic, to convince you that whatever you have is not adequate, and that you can buy the solution. Michelle Marie Murphy and Cynthia Penter take a look how that dynamic relates to feminine beauty in media culture in a show opening for this month’s Art Walk. Rather than provocative images of women, they’ve focused on the tools marketed to them. In “Perceptual Beauty” the subject, medium and message are over-the-counter beauty maintenance products women buy to help themselves conform to impossible ideals. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. at Brandt Gallery, 1028 Kenilworth. Go to brandtgallery.org for information about the show, or to tremontartwalk for complete listings. Upcoming Tremont Artwalks are Nov. 9 and Dec.14.

Friday, Nov. 2

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Commission Deadline 

In addition to offering legal services to artists and arts organizations, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts annually commissions a work of art to use in promotional materials and on the organization’s website. The commission is worth $500. Send your name, address, phone number, e-mail, title of your submission, medium, the type of digital file you’re sending, a short biography, and a digital image of your original artwork to: volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Committee, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 1301 East 9th St., Second Level, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, or email the same to jpaine@clemetrobar.org. Or go to clemetrobar.org/ vla/.

 

Saturday, Nov. 3

Dia de los Muertos
Skeletons parade down Detroit Avenue in the midafternoon to celebrate the Dia de los Muertos. In Mexico and countries around Latin America, the festival coincides with Halloween and All Saints Day, mixing elements of the pre-Colombine harvest festival with Catholicism. When the Cleveland Parade of Skeletons reaches Cleveland Public Theater, celebrants can feast their eyes on seven elaborate altars designed by artists, and even a recreation of a cemetery. Artist Ana Luisa Sanchez-Butte will design the main altar. Mark Jenks, Nina Huryn, and Ian Petroni will design the cemetery. Food trucks
will converge. Jazz pianist Lawrence Minadeo, a mariachi band, and local folk and contemporary Latino dance groups will entertain. Doors are open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The parade of Skeletons starts at 3:30. It’s in Cleveland Public Theater’s Orthodox Church and Parish Hall at 6415 Detroit Ave. Free. For information, call 216.631.2727.