One of the things James Levin said he hoped Ingenuity would
do when he launched the festival in 2005 was to show Cleveland its
forgotten spaces, to reveal the city anew. Talking about the festival’s
use of vacant buildings in the East 4th Street neighborhood when the
festival was there three years ago, his former collaborator Thomas
Mulready said it would be ideal if the festival kept moving —
drawing attention to new spaces and helping attract tenants.
After a couple of years at PlayhouseSquare, Ingenuity is moving
again. Artistic director James Levin said in September while getting
ready for the Bridge Project — a mini-festival on the subway
level of the Detroit-Superior Bridge — that if that event did
well, Ingenuity might move to the subterranean location. Things went
well: The bridge became part of the event, its spaces — like a
pool of water at one end — were incorporated into performances
and artist installations. It’s also sheltered from the weather. So
Ingenuity 2010 is booked for what’s technically known as the Veterans
Memorial Bridge, below the traffic where trolleys used to run.
“The bridge really redefines Ingenuity as a festival not just unique
in Cleveland, but in the world,” said Lavin in a statement. “There is
no other event that brings together art, music, technology, business
and urban landscapes quite like this.”
Levin will serve as artistic director, leaving administration to
newly appointed executive director Paula Grooms.
Bazaar Bizarre has begun to reproduce. And we’re not just
talking prints or multiple items in the same pattern. Business was so
good — and the number of local artists making stuff so great
— that organizer Shannon Okey put together a second version of
the locally made, holiday-shopping event. In true Cleveland fashion,
this one is on the other side of the river. Bazaar Bizarre Cleveland
East takes place 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Black Friday (November 27) and
Saturday, November 28, during the Larchmere Holiday Stroll, at 12635
Larchmere Blvd., just north of Shaker Square. For information, go to
Bazaarbizarre.org.
Don’t spend all your seasonal shopping money this weekend. Local
artists and crafters have a slew of events coming up so that without
the help of etsy.com, you can make
face-to-face transactions with people who made all kinds of cool gifty
stuff. Watch this space for more.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.