NAKED. There: We said it. Inspired perhaps by the obsessions of
13-year-old boys, the Cleveland Museum of Art — with the
nonprofit young professionals group Cleveland Bridge Builders and guest
artist Dr. Theresa Boyd, owner of Tremont’s Doubting Thomas Gallery
— will lead “The Bare Essentials,” an Art on Tap tour
focusing on the naked pictures and statues to be found in the museum.
And believe me, there are plenty. Spice of Life catering will have food
and Great Lakes beer for sale. It’s from 5:30-9 p.m. tonight (August
12) at the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd, 216.421.7350,
clemusart.com) Free.
When spoken-word merges with music, hip-hop is just one of the ways
it can come out. If the poet doesn’t go for the verbal athletics of
speaking on the beat, his voice becomes incantatory. That’s what writer
Mike Marcellino and music-maker Abe Olvido (who plays guitar, drums,
typewriter or whatever suits the occasion) do in their ever-evolving
collaboration Split Pea/ce. Against Olvido’s guitar
experimentation — which could involve sliding the strings of an
electric guitar on the edge of the table or keeping time with chords on
an acoustic — the unrhymed stanzas become sculptures in sound.
Split Pea/ce teams up with poet Ray McNiece for a performance at
8 p.m. Saturday at the Barking Spider (11310 Juniper Rd., 216.421.2863,
barkingspidertavern.com).
This is a show that spoken-word fans shouldn’t miss.
The Solon Center for the Arts re-opens its art gallery after
a facelift with a show of works by Burton-based Henry Fusco and
Columbus’ Cody Nicely. Fusco paints large watercolors, while
sculptor Nicely works in blown glass. Come to the opening reception and
ask Fusco about the challenges in making a 24-inch glass brown trout
look like the real thing. The show opens with a reception from
6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday at Solon Center for the Arts (6315 SOM Center
Rd., 440.337.1400, solonarts.org).
Free.
The Prayer Warriors bring their inspirational groove to Lake
View Cemetery (12316 Euclid Ave., 216.421.2665, lakeviewcemetery.com) for a free
concert from 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesday in front of the James A. Garfield
Monument. Picnic days are fading fast, so pack one and get to the
cemetery to see if the Prayer Warriors wake the dead.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2009.