August 26th, 2010 §
Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer
This chair and ottoman are available at Wine & Design. SoBe, a dog owned by store owner Greg Morris, is the store’s mascot.
By Kim Crow
For us Average Joes and Josephines, the thought of hiring a decorator can be a little intimidating.
Evidence of the importance of interior design is all around us — entire TV networks have sprung up to support the idea in the past decade, for goodness’ sake — but wanting an attractive, cozy home does not always translate into knowing how to achieve it.
“I can pick out my clothes perfectly well, but when it comes to picking out a chair or a couch, I just freeze up, ” admits Kristen Powell, 33, an insurance adjuster who lives in Cleveland’s Larchmere neighborhood. “It’s just such a big expenditure — and it’s not as easy to hide an ottoman in the back of the closet.”
But Powell says she’s never considered hiring an interior designer.
“It just seems sort of outside my budget, you know? That’s something that people with giant houses who can afford $1,000 curtains do, not me,” she says with a smile.
It’s exactly that kind of perception that a new breed of interior designers are hoping to combat. A handful of new home furnishing stores in the city of Cleveland have popped up that offer interior design services along with the usual scented candles and picture frames. Like-minded shops can be found across the region, but newer stores such as Wine & Design in Tremont and Duo Home in Gordon Square have joined longtime downtown stalwart Surroundings Home Decor in the Warehouse District in capturing the urban-chic market.
These glass designs reflect even more light when placed on a mirrored table. They can be found at DuoHome in the Gordon Square Arts District.
“Our goal has been to go against the stereotype of what people think an interior designer is,” says Tim Kempf, co-owner of DuoHome in Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood. “The stereotype is that it is this fussy, expensive dictator rushing around, pushing you to spend thousands on custom upholstery. We’re happy to work with big budgets, of course. Who wouldn’t love that? But we’re all about good design at good prices.”
It was that same mind-set that Greg Morris embraced when he opened Wine & Design in Tremont in November 2009 in the first floor of a building he and his partner, Dan Rensel, spent months renovating into the ideal live/work property.
“We’re really trying to remove the intimidation factor of interior design,” says Morris. “It doesn’t have to cost a lot to have a professional guiding your choices. We can work with any budget. ”
As Powell, the insurance adjuster, puts it, “I really just want someone to tell me what to do, if this polka-dot chair I think is so fun now will look silly in 10 years. I don’t need a showplace, just a cool-looking apartment. Oh, and I need to know if painting a wall black is a really bad idea, too.”
Wine & Design Powell is exactly the kind of client Morris had in mind when he began dreaming of a retail space. The longtime interior designer wanted a showroom of sorts in which everything was affordable and available and exemplified his ideals of accessible design.
“We’re kind of a one-stop shop,” he says of his store, which packs high style into a compact space. “You can dash in and ask our opinion on anything from paint colors to throw pillows, look through our design books, or just buy a gift or a bottle of wine.”
Oh yes, the “wine” in the title of the shop is something the owners take quite seriously. The well-traveled Morris and Rensel are ardent wine lovers, and knew that vino would have to play a part in whatever retail venture they came up with.
“We’ve just learned a lot about wine over the years, and we wanted to share that. Wine is another area that has this perception of being snobby and intimidating, but for us, it’s a way of life, completely intertwined with the way we live,” says Morris.
Along with a nicely edited selection of reds, whites, roses and sparkling wines, Wine & Design offers a terrific assortment of related home furnishings. From unusual cheeseboards to corkscrews to cool wine glasses with chalkboard bases (perfect for tastings or to just label which drink is yours), any hostess gift requirements are easily filled here.
“Wine brings people together,” says Morris simply.
To that end, Wine & Design hosts monthly wine tastings that include accompanying appetizers for only $10 per person. Sipping and shopping is encouraged here, among items such as Archipelago Botanicals candles and body-care items, Cucina home supplies and a selection of sustainable gift items from area artists.
“We meet with our interior design clients here, to get a sense of what they respond to, then we go into their homes to really get to know them,” says Morris. “The whole process is designed to put people at ease. We’re bringing hard-to-find, unique furnishings to Cleveland in a way that won’t break the bank.”
Lisa DeJong, The PDUnique chandeliers found at DuoHome are typical of items that can be worked into a decor by trained designers.
Duo Home DuoHome opened in November 2007, but Kempf and co-owner Scott Suskowicz nearly doubled the store’s footprint by taking over a neighboring storefront earlier this summer. The expansion allows them to better display their sleek furniture selection and better share their design sensibilities with their clients in the chic 1,600-square-foot space.
“When we were crammed into a smaller space, the furniture seemed more like props than something you could actually buy,” explains Suskowicz. “It seemed more like our emphasis was home furnishings when, in reality, we offer complete design services. That’s the engine that drives us.”
And what a ride it is. DuoHome’s offerings may have always been available for order, but the drama of seeing a dozen striking Nuevo pendant lights and the sleek silhouettes from Younger Furniture is much more inclined to inspire the casual browser.
Contemporary stylings sit next to rustic pieces by Freddy Hill, a Cleveland-based artist who creates them from reclaimed wood from specific places in the city. Gift items are still plentiful, from cute cards to vases to glass platters, all “priced to impress, not depress,” chuckles Kempf.
“We offer boutique shopping without the boutique attitude,” he says. “Come in, have a drink, look through our design library and let’s start talking about your space.”
DETAILS
Wine & Design
Where: 751 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland.
Contact: 216-781-8000, wineanddesign.net.
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment.
DuoHome
Where: 6507 Detroit Ave., Cleveland.
Contact: 216-651-4411; duohome.com.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday; other hours available by appointment.
[Cleveland.com Article][PDF]
August 1st, 2010 §
July 16th, 2010 §
June 21st, 2010 §
Published: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 11:59 PM Updated: Monday, June 21, 2010, 10:59 AM
Julie Washington, The Plain Dealer
Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer “Sex and the City 2″ Girls Night Out party at the Capitol Theatre– a one-time silent-film theater that was renovated and reopened in 2009 — is an example of the vitality of the Gordon Square neighborhood. The Gordon Square Arts District capital campaign is the recipient of a 2010 Cleveland Arts Prize.
It took a small village to raise the Gordon Square Arts District capital campaign from toddler to noisy, energetic adolescent. It’s appropriate that the village will be among those honored Saturday as winners of the 2010 Cleveland Arts Prize.
It’s the first time in recent memory that a Cleveland Arts Prize has been awarded not to a person or an organization but to a neighborhood.
“No one person could have done what Gordon Square Arts District is doing,” said the district’s executive director, Joy Roller. “To give it to one person would be totally unfair. I congratulate the Arts Prize for getting it.”
The Cleveland Arts Prizes — given to creative artists whose work enriches Northeast Ohio and whose accomplishments set a standard of excellence — were announced in May. Artists will be honored at the annual awards event Saturday at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Gordon Square was awarded a Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts, given to an individual or organization whose vision or philanthropy has made a significant contribution to the arts in Northeast Ohio.
While only Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone will go onstage to accept the prize on behalf of Gordon Square, nearly a dozen other civic leaders will receive an Arts Prize medal. They include Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization executive director Jeff Ramsey, Gordon Square Arts District executive director Joy Roller and Cleveland Public Theatre executive artistic director Raymond Bobgan.
The district is a collaboration among Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Cleveland Public Theatre and the Near West Theatre.
Its capital campaign has set a goal of raising $30 million for five projects in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, involving the area’s theaters, streetscaping and parking, Roller said.
MORE STORIES
And the winners are: Profiles in creativity
MORE INFO
| Cleveland Arts Prize
What: The 50th annual prizes recognize artists with ties to Northeast Ohio who have made significant contributions in the arts.
When: Ceremony is at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art.
Tickets: $250, VIP tickets (reception at 6:30); $100, patron tickets (reception at 7); $50, general admission.
Info: E-mail info@clevelandartsprize.org or call 216-321-0012. |
Gordon Square claims it has generated more than $500 million in economic development in the surrounding community near West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue.
“It’s using the arts for a catalyst for economic development,” Roller said. “The Gordon Square Arts District story is many layers deep.”
A ribbon-cutting for the first phase of Cleveland Public Theatre’s capital campaign was part of Gordon Square Arts District Day on June 12. The neighborhood celebrated with walking tours, music and classic cartoons at the Capitol Theatre. |
Among the other prizes to be bestowed are the Robert P. Bergman Prize for leaders who are dedicated to a democratic vision of the arts as well as awards for emerging and midcareer artists, and lifetime achievement.
The Cleveland Arts Prize board of directors solicits nominations, and a jury chooses the winners, said executive director Marcie Bergman.
In Gordon Square’s case, the jury originally received a nomination for just two of the movers and shakers, but the jury felt more of the people involved also deserved recognition, Bergman said.
John Zayac, president of the Project Group, a Cleveland-based firm that manages capital projects, originally nominated Zone and Ramsey for their work with Gordon Square.
Zayac, who lives in Detroit-Shoreway, knew about the neighborhood’s transformation. The Project Group was project manager for the Capitol Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre capital projects. The Project Group also served as fiscal agent for the district.
While serving as an arts-prize juror in 2009, Zayac noticed the nomination list was heavy with artists living or affiliated with organizations on the East Side. Determined to correct that, the following year he nominated Zone and Ramsey, and resigned as a juror to avoid conflict of interest.
As deliberations were under way, Zayac got a call from a jury chairman asking if Zayac would mind if the jury chose to honor Gordon Square instead of two individuals.
“It’s great the entire district is getting the award,” Zayac said. “Jeff and Matt are first among equals.”
[Original Cleveland.com Article] [PDF]
June 18th, 2010 §
Photos from June 12th, Discover Gordon Square Arts District Day Gallery
Photos from June 11th, ‘Made in the 216′ 2010 store opening & ‘Out of Place’ Midnight Show
View and share these photos on Gordon Square Arts District Facebook page.
June 12th, 2010 §
CLEVELAND, Ohio — One cultural event is a cherished civic tradition. The other is trying to become one. Both had successful Saturdays. Partly because it never rained.
Though ominous clouds hung low in the Cleveland sky throughout the morning and early afternoon, both Parade the Circle on the East Side and the Gordon Square Arts District Day on the West Side were spared thunderstorms that had been promised by the National Weather Service the day before.
At 11:00 a.m. with the temperature at a muggy 85 degrees, cars were already parked halfway through Martin Luther King Blvd. A license plate read KRE8IVE, and you had to be creative just to find a place to park. Folks wearing T-shirts, tank tops and short shorts — some pushing baby strollers — made their way to Wade Oval for the 21st annual Parade the Circle celebration.
“We had 70,000 people last year, and this looks about the same,” said parade director Robin VanLear from atop her six-foot-high stilts as she directed costumed marchers. “We seem to have reached a critical mass with the parade, and it’s a good number without being too crowded.”
Though the humidity was oppressive, it didn’t dampen the crowd’s spirit as more than 50 parade entrants danced around the circle. Among them was a group called Books Open Doors to New Worlds featuring Amy Frank and Sean Hensley, who were married at 9 a.m. that morning at Holden Arboretum. The wedding party of 50 bused over to Cleveland to take part in the parade.
“This is our honeymoon,” said Hensley. “Next year we’re going to do something simple like go to Japan.”
Another entry in the parade was The Phoenix, a 10-foot-tall bird on wheels made entirely of the clear plastic packaging from medical supplies. The bird’s creator, is Sawson Alhaddad, an anesthesiologist from the Cleveland Clinic.
“It took a year to save all of these pieces of discarded plastic,” she said. “I work in a suite that has seven operating rooms, so everybody helped me collect them”.
Across town in Gordon Square, at West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue, Ryann Anderson squeezed out some acoustic folk jazz on a makeshift stage for a dozen onlookers. Gordon Square executive director Joy Roller said she expected the crowd to pick up at the first-time event as the East Side event wound down. A free shuttle took people back and forth.
“We had to add another vehicle because the one we had was packed,” Roller said. “We just want people from the East Side to find out that we’re here and that we have art and culture and theater music and great food. We want everyone to discover us.”
The hub of activity in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood was a temporary store called Made In 216. The double storefront space offered clothing, jewelry, hats and furniture — all made in the Cleveland. The place was cooled with an industrial-sized fan, had a D. J. playing tunes and ice-cold beer on tap. Danielle Deboe organizes the bazaar twice a year to promote small Cleveland retail manufacturers.
“I live in the neighborhood and have another store across the street called Room Service,” said Deboe. “It’s an art-centric lifestyle boutique. We were packed in here last night. You couldn’t move. As soon as the parade is over, we expect everyone to come over to Gordon Square and party late into the night.”
[Online Article - Cleveland.com] [PDF]
May 21st, 2010 §
May 9th, 2010 §
Read the Original Article on Cool Cleveland.com
Gordon Square Arts District
Cleveland is alive with art. It’s one of our greatest strengths.
Would-be artists have been awed by The Cleveland Museum of Art with its world-renowned collection and free admission. Budding violinists have been inspired by the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom or a Celtic band in a local pub. Thespians have taken to local school productions after witnessing Shakespeare performed on Playhouse Square.
Great art, when combined with opportunities to create it, breeds new ideas, new art, innovation. Nonprofit organizations and community organizations provide instruction and incubation takes place in studios and backstage rehearsals.
In Cleveland, arts districts invigorate our neighborhoods. Gordon Square Arts District was born when $20 Million was spent to renovate the near west side surrounding the Capitol Theatre. Restoration of the Capitol Theatre, a throwback to the era of classic movies like “Gone with the Wind,” was just the beginning. The Cleveland Public Theatre got a facelift and the Near West Theatre was constructed, making Gordon Square a destination for film and live theatre http://gordonsquare.org/capitol.html. You can watch a video of CoolCleveland.com’s Thomas Mulready interviewing Joy Roller of the Gordon Square Arts District by clicking the image below or here. Also pictured are Gordon Square Arts District Executive Director Jeff Ramsey and Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone.
The streets were enhanced by new street lights, wider sidewalks, and accessible parking in the highway-accessible Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. Long underutilized and not-so-well maintained, Detroit Shoreway now enjoys great restaurants, musicals, galleries, films, and dance, in a clean and comfortable urban environment.
I headed out there on a Sunday afternoon to catch “Alice in Wonderland” at the Capitol. Others had the same idea– there was a line. Inside the theater’s lobby, the shadowy wall-sconce light and dark wood against light walls created the feel of the 1920s, the time of silent movies. The old Vaudeville stage (yes, it IS that old) remains amongst the three screens with digital projection foreign and independent, and the latest pop-culture, films, like Alice. Check out their Classic Brunch and Movie Series: a classic movie followed brunch in the adjacent restaurant, for $25 (call 440-349-3306, ext. 111 for your reservation). Late Friday Shift Schedule includes films like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Room,” 6515 Detroit
http://www.clevelandcinemas.com.
Cleveland Public Theatre has become the west side’s incubator for new talent. Dancers, choreographers, playwrights, musicians, and directors are encouraged to seek their muse and create art with the support of art professionals. Although students create raw material from inexperience, that doesn’t mean the show is deficient. The theatre has drawn a large audience from around the greater Cleveland area since 1983 http://www.cptonline.org.
Visual arts and design, including fashion, brighten 78th Street Studios a few blocks north on Lake Avenue. The Creative Arts Open House is the best way to see what the West Side’s art community has to offer. Check it out every third Friday, not the same weekend as the Tremont or Little Italy walks, which means you can walk and look at art on lots of Fridays. The hunger and thirst are staved off by light food and beverage every third weekend quarterly when the exhibits change, making it a happy hour experience from 5 until 9 http://www.78thstreetstudios.com. Music stirs in the Lava Room recording studios, and print media is alive and well at the Alternative Press.
After all that exploring, you’ll be hungry, and although Gypsy Beans & Baking Company is great for coffee and pastries, pasta at Luxe will taste heavenly after all that walking http://www.GypsyBeans.com. That’s what I plan to eat after I spend an evening with W.B. Yeats at Cleveland Public Theatre sometime between May 13 and June 5.
“The Secret Garden” is playing at the Near West Theatre Thursdays through Sundays from May 7 through May 23 at 3PM. The kid-friendly production costs just $8 for adults and $6 for children. Call 216-961-6391 to purchase tickets. The Near West Theatre is a grassroots theatre with a focus on educating the public and strengthening people of all ages, with an emphasis on youth. Its philosophy is rooted in the transformative power of theatrical arts http://nearwesttheatre.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia Taller, whose passion for words has led to creation of the Lakeside Word Lover’s Retreats, an outgrowth of her work with Skyline Writers. Her favorite foods are red wine, salmon, ice cream, and chocolate. She loves to read, write, tour wineries, ride her bike, ease into yoga, and cook gourmet meals for friends. Find her at http://www.claudiatallermusings.blogspot.com.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 3:54 pm and is filed under BizTech, Claudia Taller, Events, News, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Read the Original Article on Cool Cleveland.com
May 3rd, 2010 §
View full sizeThe Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer’s critic Steven Litt has won the Robert P. Bergman Prize as part of the 2010 Cleveland Arts Prize.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a rare move, a Cleveland Arts Prize has been awarded not to a person or an organization, but a neighborhood.
Gordon Square Arts District — a collection of theaters, restaurants and galleries clustered around West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue — and its leaders are being honored for having the vision and influence to revitalize a Cleveland neighborhood using the arts as an economic engine.
And among other winners of the arts prize is Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer’s art and architecture critic won the Robert P. Bergman Prize for leaders who are dedicated to a democratic vision of the arts.
Gordon Square leaders include Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization executive director Jeff Ramsey, Gordon Square Arts District executive director Joy Roller, and Cleveland Public Theatre executive artistic director Raymond Bobgan.
Winners of the 2010 Cleveland Arts Prize — given to creative artists whose work enriches Northeast Ohio and whose accomplishments set a standard of excellence — will be announced today. They will be honored at the annual awards event Saturday, June 26, at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“This crop of winners is broad-based and reflective of Cleveland today,” said arts prize executive director Marcie Bergman. “I find it thrilling to look at the people represented.”
Here are this year’s winners:
Lifetime Achievement Award in Visual Art: Artist Audra Skuodas spends so much time in her Oberlin studio, her husband jokes that she’ll grow roots there. Naturally a reclusive person, Skuodas has never done the kind of self-promotion that many artists do to goose their careers.
So it was a wonderful moment when she learned that she had received the Cleveland Arts Prize Lifetime Achievement Award in Visual Art.
“It’s just a beautiful reassurance,” said Skuodas, pronounced SKOO-dus. “I exist.”
Skuodas has spent 40 years building a body of work that includes wall sculpture, book making, drawing and writing.
Cleveland Arts Prize
What: The 50th annual prizes recognize artists with ties to Northeast Ohio who have made significant contributions in the arts.
When: Ceremony is Saturday, June 26.
Where: Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art.
Tickets: VIP tickets are $250, patron tickets are $100 and general admission tickets are $50.
Info: 216-321-0012 or info@clevelandartsprize.org.
Martha Joseph Prizes for Distinguished Service to the Arts: Honors an individual or organization whose vision or philanthropy has made a significant contribution to the arts in Northeast Ohio. It is being awarded to Gordon Square Arts District and its leaders.
Other winners include:
• Joanne Cohen, executive director of the Art and Medicine Institute’s Art Program at the Cleveland Clinic.
Harper Collins BooksFormer Akron Beacon Journal reporter and author David Giffels is the recipient of the 2010 Cleveland Arts Prize’s midcareer award.
• Trudy Wiesenberger, curator and creator of the Art Program at University Hospitals of Cleveland, a trustee at Cleveland Institute of Art and a co-founder of the institute’s craft council.
• Mary Louise Hahn, former chair of the Cleveland Arts Prize and consultant for the Cleveland Foundation, where she bolstered the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award jury, increased the awards prize to $10,000, and turned the awards ceremony into a compelling event.
• Mickie McGraw, co-founder of the Art Studio at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Emerging Artist Award in Literature: This prize, awarded to a promising artist living in Northeast Ohio, carries a $5,000 prize. Poet and author Phil Metres, an associate professor of English at John Carroll University, is the recipient.
Mid-Career Awards: This honor spotlights artists who have received national and regional recognition and have lived in this region. The literature award will go to David Giffels, former Akron Beacon Journal reporter and author of “All the Way Home.” Giffels is assistant professor of English at the University of Akron. The music and dance prize will go to world percussionist Jamey Haddad, visiting associate professor of percussion at Oberlin College. Giffels and Haddad each will receive $2,500.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Writer Henry Adams, professor of art history at Case Western Reserve University, is the author of “Eakins Revealed: The Secret Life of an American Artist.”
[PDF] [Original Cleveland.com Article]
April 9th, 2010 §
