The Artist Formerly Known as Artchitecture

The Gallery formerly known as Artchitecture has changed its name to
William Rupnik Gallery, after its proprietor and resident
visionary. But the taste for stylish, graphic-oriented and street art
remains unchanged. Bill Rupnik wants to explore some of his other
interests —such as the display and sale of mid-century modern
furniture, vintage bicycles and other cool stuff. In the immediate
future, look for A Countdown to Awesome, a show of new works by
Ales “BASK” Hostomsky, which opens with a reception from 7- 10
p.m. Friday, June 5. It hangs through July 5 at the gallery (1667 E.
40th St., Unit 1A, 216.533.5575, artchitecturegallery.com).

The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve is looking for
volunteers to take on a range of tasks associated with its citywide
Color Me Cleveland fundraiser. During the event, artists create
work outside in public at locations around town, starting June 19 and
finishing June 26, when the works are auctioned at a gala benefit.
They’re looking for people to do all kinds of tasks, from flyering to
serving as gallery attendants to cleaning up. For more information or
to volunteer, e-mail Stephanie Scharf at artistsarchiveswest@yahoo.com.

It’s not entirely a coincidence that Cleveland is both ground zero
for the foreclosure crisis (and by extension, the economic woes
currently weighing on the world), and at the same time, home to the
world’s largest theater restoration project — PlayhouseSquare.
Some of the same forces — i.e. redundant construction and
outmigration — contributed to both. We wouldn’t have had those
restorations if we hadn’t first abandoned the theaters. The League
of Historic American Theatres will take in the grandeur of
our restoration efforts when it holds its 33rd annual conference and
theater tour here July 15-18, with the Wyndham as the headquarters
hotel. “Cleveland, a city that has overcome many challenges over
decades, is a great place for confronting difficult challenges with
creative solutions and envisioning the future for historic theatres,”
say the organizers. A pre-conference seminar will try to answer
questions about raising money for restoration projects in tough
economic times — just like the Great Lakes Theater Festival did
for its renovation of the Hanna. If you’ve got an eye on an old theater
in your neighborhood, this event is worth a look. Go to lhat.org.