So you think you would not last a day on Project Run Way? Maybe you never learned to sew or maybe you are the creative type but fashion is just not your media? This past Friday I realized anyone can make "wearable art." Tie-dying is easy, no sketching, cutting or sewing, most of the process is left up to chance. Park Works (a great oganization that brings fun events to Cleveland parks) held a tie-dye event at Fairview Park near where I live in Ohio City. Park Works made it easy; they provided free white t-shirts, coolers of cold water for soaking the shirts, rubber bands and rubber gloves and bottles of dyes in every color you could want.

As I drove from the site of the murder of Detective Schroeder, on West 98th Street, I passed the park dedicated in the honor of the murder of John Jackson and Masumi Hayashi on West 65th, and it occurred to me that there must be a similar park dedicated to Detective Schroeder. This is a fitting way to memorialize the victims of murder, and all violent crime, in our city, as it replaces death with life, and sorrow with joy... it gives people young and old a place to move on in the most healthy possible ways. I do not believe the people of Cleveland want to brush away such tragedy, but rather they want to have a remembrance of those who we lose, and a bright spot to remember that... and they want their neighborhoods to grow stronger so there will be less tragedy there in the future.

I am very excited! I recently volunteered to become an Energy Ambassador at Case Western Reserve Univeristy, part of the Adopt a Building program. I will be adopting Mather House, the building where I work. Mather House is a  century old Gothic Revival former girls dorm  turned office building -- probably not the most energy efficient on campus. I suspect the most  significant improvements at Mather House will be directly related to changing the residents' behavior. I think I could be a good energy ambassador; I am always turning out lights, I go to great pains to recycle, I hate air conditioning and I walk rather than using the campus shuttle bus. But I am looking for suggestions as to how myself and the other residents of Mather House could really make a difference. Please post your ideas. I would also appreciate links to good energy conservation sites. The Adopt a Building program is just getting started. My first "Ambassador's" meeting will be next Wednesday. I will fill you in with more details late next week.

The one and only Chaco presents a drumming workshop.  Learn about the different drums and drumming styles used in Afro-Cuban music.  A family-oriented program.

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There's an interesting, very colorful new installation of public art right at the W. 28th on-and-off ramps for Highway 2, by Detroit Avenue. While you can get a fair glimpse of the overall work from the road, that does not do it justice at all, as the greatest importance is in the details. For this work, Cleveland Institute of Art graduate Emily Acita collaborated with the Children of Lakeview Terrace Community Center, which is located right down the road from the mural location, explaining the unusual site selection, being where these children and their families pass-by daily on the way to work, school and play.

I went to the Beck Center for the first time for the Masumi Hayashi memorial. I was interested to see the place, as it has sufaced in controversy as the Beck Chairman of the Board wants to move it to Crocker Park, and the media and arts powers that be agree. What I found was a very expensive, expansive, high quality arts facility, as ugly as sin, on the skin, and poorly managed in obvious ways, but far from beyond redemption. That the regional arts leadership is ready to demolish this solid facility is beyond belief and shows how disposable our leadership finds our core and inner-ring community.

As a largely grey and blue crowd of arts and peace lovers assembled in Lakewood to think and talk about renowned contemporary artists John Jackson and Masumi Hayashi, now living only in spirit and retrospect, a young and multi-colorful crowd gathered in the "Market Square" pocket park at W.25th and Lorain (across from the West Side Market) to give props to scores of nameless contemporary artists that live on in the streets of Cleveland's urban core, through their art of aerosol paint, rap, scratch and break... otherwise known to the establishment as counter-culture, noise and pollution.

Today the bleak Beck Center for the Arts had a heart pounding inside, to the beat of a Masumi Hayashi retrospective... that is the power of art, even when the artist is dead. 100s of friends of slain artists Masumi Hayashi and John Jackson consoled themselves and those who joined them, with staged remembrances to the memorial gathering, which were broadcast throughout the center and had great impact. There were places to read some of the articles that have been written about Masumi over the years... mostly since her death... and a project of having attendees write messages to the artists on tissue paper and tying them to cords strung in front of the center, in what was described as a Japanese tradition.

During a gathering tonight of 100s of Clevelanders, promoting peace and honoring the lives of artists John Jackson and Masumi Hayashi, at the West Clifton Park and labyrinth at W. 65th Street and W. Clinton Avenue, now dedicated in the artists' honor, the heavens shed tears in a light, cleansing rain... followed by scores of uplifting tributes to the artists and other lost lives, numerous musical selections, the play of dozens of innocent children, in a coming together of good souls with love in their hearts.

Leave it to a great artist to know great artists, and to a great publication to get the right words out. In this week's Free Times, one of my favorite artists from Northeast Ohio, and our finest arts journalist, Douglas Max Utter paid tribute to John Jackson and Masumi Hayashi, and finally shared true insight about these great artists and their work, characters and visions with the world.

Edgewater Park no.2, Cleveland, Ohio. Panoramic Photo Collage with Kodak type C prints, 1992. Size: 36” x 77”. Artist: Masumi Hayashi

When I saw The Redhead's posting on REALNEO for "green :: a vegan and vegetarian potluck :: every sunday!" I knew this was a good thing and decided to invite some friends and attend. I'm certainly glad I did. Not only did I have the best meal in recent memory, from good homes and hearts, but it turned out to be a real "NEO Excellence Roundtable" where I met a bunch of awesome people making NEO special... we all even learned lots about vegan baking, from an entrepreneurial pro chef... all on a beautiful Summer's eve, in a setting hard to beat, on the shore of Lake Erie, at Lakewood Park. Learn more about all of this, and plan to join in next week... read on!

An especially exciting project 7GEN Canada is undertaking is the transformation of the premier gallery of the glass art of Canada, Material Matters, into a virtual community. In doing this, we are taking a physical gallery at 215 Spadina Avenue, in Toronto (which 7GEN also calls home), and transforming that into a community of all Canada's glass artists, and a global marketplace for their art.

Lisa Wuohela in front of Material Matters, the premier gallery of Canadian glass art in the world.

The August 14, 2006 REALNEO header (included below) has great meaning, as it introduces a new initiative of 7GEN, LLC, the organization formed by Phillip Williams, Evelyn Kiefer and myself following the attempted theft of REALinks, LLC, property by my former partner, Peter Holmes. This header is of a great NEO art collection, of my parents, Doctors Ann and Norman Roulet, which Phillip, Evelyn and I are documenting on-line as a first service of May Show for the NEO community... in the future, my parents and other NEO art collectors and art dealers and artists may show the world the art they create, sell, collect and exhibit here in Northeast Ohio. The May Show portal being developed by 7GEN, LLC, will be the only interface in NEO to so well document art and make it available to the public, far eclipsing capabilities of even our beloved Cleveland Museum of Art. But that is not the most exciting development for 7GEN I have to share with NEO today, as we are basing future operations at the location shown above, on Spadina Avenue in Toronto, Canada. Read a brief introduction of what, how and why 7GEN will operate in Canada below.

Welcome to the home of Material Matters, and now 7GEN Canada, at 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Canada

If you have not been to Spaces Gallery to see it yet, your last chance is this Friday August 4th. Nine works that represent the implied theme of the failure of the American Dream in the 21st-century by artists from Ohio, New York and Colorado. This exhibition received a bad review from Dan Tranberg, but see what you think.  

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Seen in Asterisk Gallery during the Taste of Tremont -- these assemblages made of multiple light fixtures, chairs legs and other recycled things are the most interesting sculptures I have seen in a long time. This is a big year for Dana Depew, besides running a great gallery on Professor (for some years now), he has been very prolific with his own art lately. He is also one of the five artists in "New American Art", what may be Doubting Thomas Gallery's best show yet. Doubting Thomas is about a block away from Asterisk on Jefferson.

Better late than never! Millennium Park opened in 2004, long after the 2000 festivities. Not a problem, this green space/public art extravaganza has lasting appeal.

Please join us for a BBQ to celebrate the West 28th Street Murals project by
local artist Emily Acita!

WHEN: Monday, July 31, 2006 at 6:00 pm

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Live music, Morrison dancers, hula hooping roller skaters, art, dogs, ice cream, ethnic and gourmet food -- The Taste of Tremont had it all.

MORRISON DANCE STREET PERFORMANCE: Taste of Tremont, Sunday, July 23, 1:30 - 3pm STREET PERFORMING In the summer months, MorrisonDance enjoys performing through the city streets in the style of busking. Adorned in beautiful masks created by Scott Radke, the dancers improvise and interact throughout festivals, parties, and other events. Taste of Tremont Street Festival

Fourth Annual Taste of Tremont street festival! Bring the family and lawn chairs to enjoy a day of music, art and sampling the cuisines of all your favorite Tremont restaurants. Admission Free

July 23, 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Professor Street between Fairfield and College, Tremont, Cleveland.

google map | yahoo map

MorrisonDance photos posted on flickr

click here for a wonderful history of BUSKING

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This is no ordinary silent auction.

Becky's bar and grille has long been a favorite hang out for artists in downtown Cleveland. The flavor of the crowd, as well as the food, is always exceptional. Drinks are stiff, however the clientel is anything but. Saturday, July 22nd at seven o'clock characters of all types are welcome to join Cleveland artists as they spice up the joint with a show that includes paintings, glass, multi-media, prints and more. Things should get livley as all of the artwork is up for auction. Artists will include: Anne K. Hayes, Liz Maugans, P.J. Doran, William Greenburg, and Streets of Manhatten. Becky's is practically a Cleveland landmark. It is located at 1762 East 18th street, between Chester and Payne. The silent auction begins at seven p.m. and ends promptly at nine p.m.

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In honor of my favorite TV show, Project Runway, I'm choosing some of my favorite locally made  wearable art for "art of the day". Carol Nesper has had a studio in Cleveland's Little Italy at the Murray Hill School for many years. She is a fiber artist,certified elementary teacher and teaches tie-dye work shops. Unlike many designers she does not forget that kids need cool clothes too. Most of her creations feature her own unique  style of  tie-dye. The model is wearing a one-piece outfit in blue-gray 100% cotton with a subtly goth style black, gray and off-white textured tie-dye panel in the center.

Friday, July 21 | 8pm The Great ARTdoors: MUSIC + FILM In collaboration with the Miller-Weitzel Gallery $5 MOCA Members and Students with valid ID $7 Non-Members

In this annual event, MOCA Cleveland partners with theMiller-Weitzel Gallery and Warp Films (literally) an “off the wall” evening of visual and sonic entertainment. At 8PM, DJ r.a. washington gets the party started with a summery set of jazz, avant rock, and soul before the films start at sunset.

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Friday, July 21 @ 7pm The Artist's Perspective: SARAH KABOT FREE and open to the public Join Sarah Kabot as she shares insights into the influences and work featured in her exhibition, On the Flip Side currently on view at MOCA Cleveland. The eighth artist in the Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Series, Kabot is an Assistant Professor of Drawing at the Cleveland Institute of Art

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