Cleveland Public Library will present The Most Rev. Richard Gerard Lennon, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland as its keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemorative celebration. The FREE and open to the public program will be held Monday, January 15, 1:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, 1962 Stokes Boulevard. The CPL Staff Chorus will perform. Freedom, A Visual Arts Exhibition, sponsored by The Arts League of Michigan, the First Congregational Church of Detroit, Michigan, and from a generous grant from The Ford Motor Company Fund, will be available to patrons. A reception will immediately follow the program.  The Branch will be open from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 p.m.

The Most Rev. Richard Gerard Lennon was installed as the 10th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio on May 15, 2006. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Lennon to the leadership position over nearly 800,000 Catholics in eight counties of Northeast Ohio on April 4, 2006. A native of the Boston area, the 59-year-old Bishop Lennon was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, graduated from Catholic High School, and then attended Boston College before entering St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, where he received an M.A. in Church History and a M.TH in Sacramental Theology.

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I came across this at Steve Goldberg's "What's in the Bag" blog and it sounds excellent. Quote: "The new year has finally arrived, but the Literary Café Poetry Academy is already well 2 months into their new year, and we have lined up yet another amazing evening of poetry and party. This Thursday, January 11 at 9:30pm (very sharp, pleeeze) the veterans, Daniel Gray-Kontar and RA Washington will be the features. These two have worked together before for delicious displays of verbal prowess and promise to give a show of extraordinary magnitude. Come to the Lit at 1031 Literary Road to witness the excitement."

RA Washington is a writer, musician, a teacher, a publisher, an artist, an independent film actor, and member of The Progressive Arts Alliance. Washington authored a number of books of poetry and novellas, published the literary magazine, Fair Trade, and his short films and paintings have been shown in independent galleries across the east coast, as well as, London, England, and Toronto, Canada. He was the Cleveland Museum of Art’s first ever Poet-in-Residence and is now MOCA’s director of community outreach. Sometimes known as King Freeqy, he can be seen holding court at Civilization coffee shop in Tremont.

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My hero, the man whose ideas expanded my own is interviewed here about his life and work. I had the opportunity to work with one of his very first dancers, Albert Reid when I was a 15 year old bunhead at a summer ballet school in Saratoga, NY. Needless to say, it changed my life and the course of my life’s work and world view.  So now that I have ended my career as artistic director of a modern dance repertory company here in Northeast Ohio, I, like Merce, am still dancing and still seeing dance even though I may not be entering theaters to do so as often as before. Now for example I head out for the dance of dog walking. Today, the lighting design is especially brilliant.

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This is too cool! I was exploring a site linked to realneo called Left Luggage, and came across a project created by Simon Fildes and Katrina McPherson as part of their hyperchoreography initiatives, described as "An interactive moving mosaic for the web." I can't recall any so engaging places on the web, where an individual creates a new art form - a dancing mosaic. I'll let words from the Ardnamurchan Zillij website describe this further, below, and strongly suggest you check it out - my first effort is shown in a screenshot above, but what I created was actually a living, moving work of art... each of the images that make up the mosaic are short video loops, so each of the images and the overall composition are constantly moving and changing - as a Flash file, I didn't know how to save it, so it was temporary and so personal... give it a try here.

Since late June, 2006, a growing team of innovative community leaders has been working together with Lamond Williams, the owner of Hot Sauce Williams BBQ, and East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer and Community Development Director Tim Goler, and government leadership in Cleveland, to determine how best to redevelop the historic Hough Bakery Complex, formerly the Star Bakery, which Lamond also owns. The objective is to use that redevelopment as a catalyst for transformation of the neighborhoods surrounding that significant property, located on Lakeview, partially in both Cleveland and East Cleveland. On the map above, the Star Complex is in magenta, and the green circle marks a 1/2 mile radius surrounding that - the other colored areas are key neighborhoods and assets within that radius.

With the holiday season upon us, it is time to announce the fourth annual Old Home Night at the Beachland Ballroom on Friday, December 22. Hosted by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, Home & Garden), the night will feature California Speedbag, Home & Garden, The Kidney Brothers, Where To Now, and readings by Cleveland’s own Mike DeCapite and New York City’s Janice Johnson. California Speedbag is one of the triumphs of the Cleveland music scene. Originally formed in the mid-eighties from the wreckage of the pioneering Kneecappers, Dr. Bloodmoney, and Neptune’s Car, they were documented on Smog Veil’s Fire of Misery CD, and are widely-beloved, deeply-grieved, and resurrected with a vengeance after the death of front man Gary Lupico - a ferocious reminder that you can’t keep a good band down.

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I met a few days ago with Ed Hauser - the "Citizen Hauser" who single-handedly saved Whiskey Island for the public - to see what he's been up to for the past few months. In brief, besides helping save Northeast Ohio from ODOT and their foolish pursuit of their ill-conceived Innerbelt Bridge and Trench plans, and continuing to single-handedly challenge the Port Authority's ongoing attempts to destroy Whiskey Island, Ed is taking next steps in his one man, multi-year battle to save the remarkable National Historic Landmark Coast Guard Station, at the tip of Whiskey Island, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga, designed by J. Milton Dyer, also architect of Cleveland City Hall. Ed mentioned to me he in the process of pressuring the city of Cleveland Law Director Robert Triozzi to seek a court order to force the city to comply with its own landmarks-preservation law, which requires owners of city landmarks to keep the properties secure and water tight, and, if the city fails to act responsibly and lawfully, Ed intends to file a citizens lawsuit against the city. Today, the Plain Dealer picked up the scent of the story, and shared some of the sad commentary of some of those related to the sorry state of this landmark, and the declining historic integrity of this city.

Tonight, 1300 Gallery wrapped up five years of transforming the visual arts scene in Northeast Ohio, with a classic showing of hallmark works of passionate visual expressionists Derek Hess and Bask, ending an era of hosting some of the coolest exhibitions and parties in Cleveland history, and doing that just right.

I have been following this fascinating debate in the pages of the New York Times, the PD and on CASE Daily (CASE's online newsletter). About 2 months ago I also attended a CASE physics department symposium where Kate Jones-Smith and Ellen Landau were the guest speakers on this subject. That afternoon Jone-Smith and Landau captivated a large audience of scientists and art historians -- a group that does not often come together on this campus! On this debate I side with Jones-Smith and Landau. I think the Pollocks are real and I hope I get to see them in person someday. Fractal or not, seeing Pollock's drip paintings is an experience like no other.

read on ...

Case Western Reserve University physicists refute analysis of Jackson Pollock's paintings

Courtesy of Alex Matter

Zygote Press, Inc. is Northeast Ohio's only non-profit cooperative fine-arts printmaking facility. In its tenth year, Zygote is located with other arts organizations and businesses in Cleveland's Quadrangle neighborhood, a developing arts district complete with galleries, restaurants and exciting new live-work possibilities for artists and other members of the creative community.

It is always a pleasure and privilege to see the Cleveland Orchestra perform at Severance Hall, but their presentation of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" was unique and special. This is a great creative set of compositions, being composed in 1914-1916 as highly expressive, at times avant-garde voyages to each of the planets known at the time, long before man had physically probed space, and no man has probed space more aptly than did Holst. And, I doubt any men and women could probe the complexities of these compositions more ably than does the Cleveland Orchestra.

One of NEO's most striking and fascinating galleries, Convivium33, is featuring, as its first anniversary showing, Evolution 1964-2006, an exciting retrospective of the work of globally appreciated mixed-media artist and Case University art professor Christopher Pekoc, curated and catalogued by prolific author and Case art history professor Henry Adams, delivering an inspiring and intriguing experience for all visitors. From Professor Adams' writings about the show: “There’s something dark, tough and roughly textured about Pekoc’s work that captures the creative essence of Cleveland”... “His imagery is both repressed and intensely sensual.” I like those thoughts about Pekoc and Cleveland and this show very much.

"Five previously unseen candid photographs of Marilyn Monroe have now been released, with limited edition prints being distributed to select galleries throughout the United Kingdom.

The photographs are not posed, and capture the star in her most private moments- in bed, on a plane and in front of a mirror. Only 495 prints of each photo have been made, making them very exclusive.

The photos are were unveiledfor the first time today at a Marilyn-themed event at the Meller Gallery in Witney, Oxfordshire. They will be available only until Christmas."

Read the full article here: http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/862

Opening Friday, December 8, 6-9 pm

Through December 23rd

Zygote Press Website

Gallery hours:

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Leave 'Em Wanting More #1 "Please God Save Us From Your Followers." Final show at the 1300 Gallery featuring Derek Hess and Bask.

Cleveland knows Derek Hess, but they have never seen this before.

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Leave 'Em Wanting More #2: 1300 Gallery celebrates the second to last installment of "Leave 'Em Wanting More" on December 8 with art by David D'Andrea, Stephen Kasner and Douglas Utter.

D'Andrea, a freelance illustrator in Portland, believes in the tradition of the "memento mori" and uses this visual reminder of the transience of life on earth in his work. D'Andrea, "seeks to perpetuate the avowal that is death and in turn catharsis to create archaic crests for modern battles of loss, love and hopeless abandon."

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Shopping at Heights Arts Holiday Store supports local artists and the local economy, and provides unique gifts for your friends, relatives, or yourself.

Jon Abrahamson, Ambiente, Todd Anderson, Judith Angelo, Pamela Argentieri, Anna Arnold, Herbert Ascherman, Jr., Kris Barnes, Peter Billington, Dana Bjorklund, Cathie Bleck, David Brichford, Ann Caywood Brown, Craig Bungo, Gail Burdick, Catherine Butler, H.C. Cassill, Janet Century, Wendy Collin Sorin, Rene Culler, Bonnie Dolin, G.M. Donley, Kathryn Ellis, Gene Epstein, Betsy Fallon, Gretchen Gaede, Susan Gallagher, Joann Giordano, Zach Gorell, Marge Grevatt, John Gulyas and Maryann Posch, David Hagen, Joel Hauserman, Matthew Hollern, Margaret Kimura, Anne T. Kmieck, Ursula Korneitchouk, Tomasz Kowalczyk, Jean Kubota Cassill, Laura Kulber, Joanne Laessig, Andrea Leblond, Joan Lederer, Rick Lewin, Nancy Markham, Tobi Mattes, Susan McNamara, Shannon Morris, Robert Muller, Lynn O'Brien, Melissa O'Grady, Susan Prendergast, Debbie Apple Presser, Quandle Qadir, Robert Raack, Jeanne Regan, Jennifier Rohrer, Michael Romanik, Debra Rosen, Ann Rosmarin, Viktor Schreckengost, Patricia Schneider, Susan Skove, Steve Sorin, Susan Squires, Ellen Strong, Mark Sudduth, Anne Taylor, Jeremy Tugeau, Douglas Max Utter, Vivian Vail, Rafael Valdivieso, Roger Warner, Roy Woda, Theresa Yondo, Brent Kee Young, and Paula Zinsmeister.

Cleveland Public Library's Staff Chorus will perform the free and open to the public 10th Annual Holiday Concert on Friady, December 8, 12:00 Noon in the auditorium of the Main Library's Louis Stokes

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1st Anniversary Exhibition - Convivium33 Gallery at Josaphat Arts Hall in cooperation with the Bonfoey Gallery presents: CHRISTOPHER PEKOC- EVOLUTION 1964-2006

Christopher Pekoc, whose mural Night Sky in the main hall of the downtown Public Library is a Cleveland landmark, will be staging a major retrospective [that charts the technical and expressive evolution of his work over the last four decades and that highlights the ways in which photography has remained a constant creative stimulus for his work.] The exhibition, at Convivium33 Gallery in Cleveland will feature over 40 years of work as well as major pieces that have not been seen in decades, such as his grand-scale Kent (State) Triptych, based on his eyewitness experience of the shooting of unarmed student protesters by the National Guard in 1970.

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I was very please to be contacted, last month, by the editor of Cleveland Magazine and told they were writing a feature article on the remarkable St. Josephat Hall, home of the spectacular Convivium33 Gallery, which had just hosted a show of the great work of old family friend Clarence Van Duzer, and that the magazine would like to use in their article some of the photos and collages I had posted to REALNEO about that show. Well, the Cleveland Magazine article featuring all that, "Angel Investor" is in the December issue, now out, and very exciting.

Ceramist Gina DeSantis will be showing her great work in this holiday art sale. The other artists? I'm not sure who they are but I am expecting good things. Supposedly this is a member's only event. I can't imagine they would turn anyone away who wants to buy art and maybe a drink or two. Any Realneo members who are interested please contact me and I will forward you an email that will get you in.

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