Tom Laffay’s photo of Astrubal Linares Vaca, a Colombian farmer whose lagoons were contaminated by a Colombian oil company. Credit: Courtesy of the Cleveland Print Room
The Cleveland Print Room celebrates its fifth anniversary on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. with a special reception launching Anthropocene, a new art exhibit that examines how humans affect the environment.

The exhibit includes works by the following: local artist Michael Loderstedt; former Clevelander, photojournalist Tom Laffay; and Oscar Palacio, a native Colombian who lives in Boston. It runs through Feb. 24.

Richard Smith, a former Clevelander and Thoreau reenactor at Walden Pond for 19 years, will attend the reception and speak as Thoreau at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Additionally, the Cleveland-based Elu Dance Company will perform, and there will be a poetry reading by Clevelander Kisha Nicole Foster.

The Print Room’s first exhibition, Welcome to Hard Times, was a solo show by Youngstown native Vaughn Wascovich. Some of Wascovich’s latest work will be presented on the Print Room’s new Wall 5 during Anthropocene.

This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2018.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.