the tough questions

deadlines

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:29:58 -0500

It’s running a little close to the wire, but for those who can get projects done quickly, there’s still plenty of time.

The Rubbertop Review is accepting short stories, poetry and creative nonfiction for publication. Last year, I’m pretty sure this was just University of Akron-driven, but they’re pulling in from outside now. I’m intending to get at least one good story in before deadline.

Massillon Museum of Art’s Canstruction competition is already getting started, but there’s still a week before the deadline of Jan. 29 to get the entries in. Each team has a $50 entry fee and they have to provide their own cans, but all the works will be displayed in the museum after the opening and judging. I can’t wait to see some of the creations coming up, based on what I saw last year.

Better late than never - good luck!

first friday january

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:56:43 -0500

It really always surprises me just how many people show up to the colder First Fridays. At least, it seems like there are always big crowds when it’s freezing. On the other hand, we might all just be hanging out in the same areas to try to stay warm.

There was only one place to hang out to stay warm this (pseudo-)First Friday. The theme might’ve been “Fire and Ice,” but most of us were content to hang around the fire. There were a couple that dared to dance with it, though.

The Jackson majorettes spun flaming batons for a quick show before running back to coats for warmth. Definitely pretty cool, though I wish my camera had behaved a little better to capture a few of these shots.

Some Canton South students also had the chance to show off some art that wasn’t as volatile.

I’m a big fan of that swan in the center; I also liked a dolphin over by 2nd April Gallery (that I mistook from across the street to be a bear; sorry!).

Beyond the art in that gallery, Anderson Creative was doing a really neat show called Blind Date, in which writers and artists paired words and images for an overall effect. I really want to take the time to read some of the work if I get the chance before it comes down.

My favorite work of the night was an ice chimney that brought the elements together in a strange blaze. I’m still not exactly sure how it works, but it was amazing.

first night 2010

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:37:20 -0500

Happy New Year! Even though I’ve been hearing lots of horror stories about missing money for Akron events, I was looking forward to First Night Akron from Christmas night. It’s such a strange amalgamation of arts and other events that it’s always a lot of fun.

This year, I started out at the Akron Art Museum, where I caught Case Sensitive, a teen band with some really nice choices of cover tunes and a few original pieces. They definitely had some talent, and they might bring extra drumsticks along next time.

In the Greystone Hall Ballroom, I listened to the Akron Derbytown Barbershop Chorus. I intially headed that way because I thought it’d be a little curious, but it ended up being a lot of fun, with some songs that got the crowd moving and singing along - there was a guy behind me really belting it out along with the chorus.

I grabbed a traditional hot pretzel at the John S. Knight Center (someone needs to step it up - I almost didn’t finish the thing) and went to the Summit Art Space to see Creatures of the Midnight Sun, of which the lion up there is one. Blacklights can be really tricky to work with, but everyone there seemed to be having a lot of fun with the art. I really hope the art space can keep up little interactive shows like this.

I finished up the night doing some ice skating at Lock 3 - the first time I’ve done any skating for a few years. I didn’t fall once, but it wasn’t for lack of flailing around. I sort of scooted along the outside edge as 6-year olds blew by me backward in the center. I didn’t know it was actually so easy to rent skates out up there; I’m thinking I’ll be doing that again before the season is over.

The night finished with dancing to radio tunes (dear radio people: can we please put a moratorium on that song? You know what I’m talking about) and finally, the thing I was waiting for most:

holiday wishes

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:43:46 -0500

Merry Christmas to everyone out there! Not a lot of local art going on in these past few weeks, but it’s time to spend time with family anyway! Happy holidays to you and yours!

ryan humbert: strung out for the holidays

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:47:19 -0500

One of the things that I’ve wanted to highlight in a little way with this blog is the chance to get involved in the community and be a part of things, and this is definitely the time of year to do that. There are lots of very worthy causes out there right now, but the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is both local and important to people in need, right in our own community.

I’ve written about Ryan Humbert before, probably because I run into him now and again through my day job and First Friday events, but I knew this had to get its own mention. Humbert and his band came together with a string quartet, keys and a percussionist to perform a Christmas concert at the Akron Civic Theatre to benefit the Foodbank, Strung Out For the Holidays. An acoustic set is a twist on his normal show, but it went even farther by including a lot of songs not usually considered holiday fare from the Beatles, Sinatra and Elton John. Honestly, I think the huge variety in the set list was my favorite part of the evening, even though they sounded really good.

Beyond the show, the Foodbank pulled up a huge truck in which went all the donated food, so people could see what a difference could be made even with a few small donations. Check the Foodbank’s site for more information on how to get involved there, and look for other places to help someone this holiday season.

light up downtown

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:10:59 -0500

Even though it took me 20 minutes to find a parking space and cold rain was drizzling over everything, Light Up Downtown, put on by the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, managed to brighten an otherwise dreary December night for me.

I showed up a little bit late for the stage show about Christopher Pop-In-Kins (for which I am, admittedly, a little old), but was marching through the street right when the lights burst on and fireworks started fighting the rain. Instant smile.

Lots of local school groups got a chance to show off, too. There were choirs from at least three schools, though I only really saw the Jacks-N-Jills of Jackson High School. With the stage show, there were dance teams and even faux Rockettes.

Honestly, my favorite part about the night was the same thing that I end up liking about First Fridays during the winter: no matter how cold it really is, there are enough people out doing things that there’s sort of a heat in the crowd. There are some times when I’m down there for events like this where I’m fooled into thinking that Canton is a much larger city than it really is.

The holiday lights will be up for a while, so take some time to go check them out before Christmas comes around.

the late late late show

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:24:26 -0500

the late late late show:

This is about as far away as physically possible from being local art, but it’s probably one of the biggest shows to be seen this year. The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight, right around 4 a.m. our time. I’ve been meaning to mention it, but I forgot all about it myself. We’ll be getting about 20-30 meteors per hour, while viewers in Asia will be watching more than 200-300 pieces of crumbling, shining debris streak the sky. If you’re up early enough, you might be able to catch some streaks of light before the dawn.

first friday november

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:01:17 -0500

I refuse to believe that November is here, especially in that the days are starting to get shorter and colder. Despite a little bit of a chilly night, plenty of people showed up to First Friday November: Harvest Moon.

I was out there with a coat and scarf, and I was still a little cold. I sort of wanted to get a warm snack, so I stopped at Sheri’s Sweets. I ended up choosing a pumpkin spice cake, but it was tasty enough that I didn’t really worry about heat. While I was there, I got to listen in on the sounds of several performers in the Canton Idol contest, which I had forgotten about entirely. To the little girl (I didn’t catch your name) who was singing “Soak up the Sun,” best of luck; you sounded really good!

The galleries were pretty packed, and I saw a few new pieces that I liked over at ACME Artists. I can’t believe I’ve gone so long with First Friday without mentioning this gallery here, since they consistently have visually interesting pieces up. I was really getting into a couple of the new Mona Lisa mashups they had on display.

Since I had gotten to the party a little late, I finished off by heading down to Muggswiggz. Actually, I went and got my car, and then drove down to Muggswiggz, because I did not want to walk all that way. I know, I know, I’m a wimp when it comes to cold!

revenge is a dish best served animated

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:32:06 -0500

Last year, unsuspecting filmgoers were terrified by a series of haunting and sometimes gruesome shorts in the merciless Freakishly Short Animation Festival.

Now, it returns to thrill a brand new crowd with the Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival!

No, seriously. Akron Film got to setting up the Halloween mood at the Akron Art Museum with an animation festival filled with more than a dozen great shorts. Several of the films, like The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! and Who’s Hungry? cut right to the heart of what makes the season so much fun by being so unsettling.

Not everything was gore, though. Several of the films, including one of my favorite segments, went to the absurd. I couldn’t find a full version of Hello (my actual favorite part of the night), but here is Mameshiba, a tiny bean dog that unnerves people who are about to eat them with disturbing trivia.

It was all a build up to Seeds of the Damned, made by local Akron animator Cory Sheldon, and Please Say Something, a literal story of cat and mouse.

Thanks to the site, I found out that Hello ended up winning the crowd’s favorite award, so at least one vote I made recently counted!

These clips and the video below are from the Zombie Walk in...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:30:00 -0400

These clips and the video below are from the Zombie Walk in Massillon Oct. 17. It isn’t specifically local art, but I’ve been sort of disappointed in the local Halloween stuff.

Though most of my shots are of the Thriller dance, the costumes looked even better during the daylight, where you could see some of the painstaking (zing?) effort put into the living dead. I think my favorite part was seeing people’s faces when a horde of hungry zombies swept into Smiley’s looking for some… pizza.

The whole thing took a lot of creativity, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with next year! I am definitely getting out there next time. Though with my sense of rhythm, I should probably start practicing now to be ready in time.

xavierjones: Zombie Walk Thriller Dance Massillon, OH...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:18:08 -0400

xavierjones:

Zombie Walk Thriller Dance Massillon, OH 10/17/2009 (via Cableboy1515)

downtown dining discounts

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:26:42 -0400

First Friday might be the big event around downtown Canton, but at least through October, the Canton Development Partnership is trying to get people to notice the food as much as the art in the district for Downtown Deals Wednesdays.

Each Wednesday evening through the end of the month, a coupon printed from the site will earn a half-priced meal for every full-price entree bought at several restaurants in downtown Canton like Iris, Arcadia Grill and the Desert Inn. Played right, it could mean a great cheap meal from a favorite restaurant or a chance at a new regular spot.

Beyond the lure of food, musicians are lined up for much of the area through the month, and several of the galleries and shops will be open late - a great chance to see them if you can’t make it out on a First Friday.

Photos taken by a friend at the Hattie Larlham presents...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:52:37 -0400

Photos taken by a friend at the Hattie Larlham presents Hollywood event at the Akron Civic Theatre. Akron doesn’t usually have a history to share with Hollywood, but for the sake of a pretty special benefit, jeweler Richard John put his collection of classic Hollywood costumes and accessories on display

Patrons got to sample some hors d’oeuvres as they took in the gowns of some of the most famous ladies of the golden age of Hollywood, with actors playing the parts wandering in the crowd.

first friday october

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:16:01 -0400

I didn’t actually make it out to First Friday this month, but I hear it was a good time. I’d be a little iffy on the family-friendlyness of the “Oktoberfest” chapter of the monthly event, but there was apparently plenty of focus on the food and fun parts of the harvest season.

The Kresege lot was the scene for people focused on pumpkins, where there was painting and a seed-spitting contest, put on by the Canton Jaycees.

I’ve noticed a growing trend of musicians on just about every street during the events this year - I can’t believe this many musicians got out to different venues for shows this month. The site lists 25 performers and groups, all spread out over downtown Canton. For my own taste, I’m a bigger fan of the visual art, but I’m glad that so many people are getting something out of First Friday that it’s growing like that. I hope the November harvest moon brings out even more!

first friday september

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:58:17 -0400

Geez, is it September already? And already the end of it, I guess. I have no idea how it got so late in the year so quickly, but I think I’ll be okay with it (if for no other reason than all the great comfort food that comes with colder weather).

First Friday this month was all about “the color of music.” There have been academic battles back and forth in the art world about tying music and visual art, but the evening focused more on sounds parading through the streets. Musicians covered almost every street in the festival with lots of different musical tastes. I would have the names of some of the musicians, but there were actually crowds around almost all of them.

The closest I got to really being involved with the music was up on 4th Street, where the drum circle that I had taken some photos of a couple months ago was keeping a heavy beat. The circle leader got the crowds around involved even if we didn’t have instruments by clapping our hands and shouting along. I’m not great with rhythm, but playing along with a group was a ton of fun.

jam or bust

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:14:04 -0400

I also visited the NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls during their jam Aug. 29 (is that the right word? I’m still unsure how that works) to catch the bidding wars on the works from the Bustapalooza event.

Not only was there a lot of action on the floor, the auction was more ferocious than I expected it to be. In total, they raised $4,385 for Stewart’s Caring Place, with a high bid of $970 for just one of the 12. Bravo, ladies, and what a way to use local art to benefit everyone!

art-a-palooza

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:04:29 -0400

Honest, I’m not trying to make a list of posts suffixed by -apalooza; it’s just sort of strangely happening that way these days. The Green Arts Council finally updated their site with a couple photos from the arts gathering Aug. 29. I’d upload a couple of my own, but they didn’t turn out that great.

The event itself was pretty great, though. I met a couple really nice local artists, and got to see some interesting crafting. A lot of the work shown off fell more under the handcrafted banner than traditional paintings, but I’m fine with that. I’ll take really cool quilts, print shirts and sheared metal lampshades any day.

In addition to the booths, there was a tent for the new Taste of Green gathering. I didn’t get to see that as much, since it was already past lunch when I visited, but I hear it was pretty packed. It’d be nice to see what’s going on in there, since I’m always at a loss when I’m trying to find good food in Green.

stark naked salon

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0400

The Massillon Museum hosted another huge party Aug. 22 for the opening of the Stark Naked Salon exhibit. I hear about 1,200 people showed up to support a show of many artists, all of them from Stark County. The show, put together by co-curators Alexandra Nicholis and Dan Kane of the Canton Repository, brought together some artists that I’ve seen around at First Friday and other venues, but gave some new artists a chance to show off as well.

I was running a little late, but I got there just in time to see a fishplosion of dance and art from the art/theatre group Xaingo. While the artist in the back worked on a quick painting, the actresses in front interpreted the ideas of the art and music through the dance of some curious fish and graceful water. They even got some kids involved in the dance:

Inside, the gallery was packed full of people checking out the new art. I enjoyed some of the pieces by Marti Jones Dixon and Ron Copeland, who has had art in the Acme Gallery in Canton. There were some fun pieces from Scot Phillips as well, but the whole show is much more impressive than any links I can find.

Before the night was over, I had my photo taken in the lobby by Nick Brewer, so I can’t wait to see how that turned out.

And, while I did get some food at the party, I also had to run down the street to Smiley’s before the evening was over to pick up a stromboli. I only recently discovered this place, but I like it more and more every time I’m there.

another photo contest

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:26:56 -0400

I had made a note about this a while ago, but I totally forgot to mention it here. Canton/Stark County Convention & Visitors’ Bureau is holding another photo contest. This time, shutterbugs are supposed to show off what makes Stark County such a great place to visit.

The contest runs until Aug. 31, so there’s still a week before to go. I’m too late to mention something during Hall of Fame, but I think that’s probably good anyway. We’re good at other things too!

bustapalooza

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0400

Does anyone know anything about roller derby girls? Up until a short while ago, I hadn’t even run into any before. Now, I’m finding out that there’s not only one but two teams right here in the northeast Ohio area.

For the record, they’re pretty cool (if a little quirky) people, with names like Suicideblonde, Scarlet and Rorshach. But for the sake of a little quirk, they’re definitely out to do some good in the area. The NEO Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls have dedicated every bout they’ve played(?) this season to a different charity, and they do some outside events beyond those.

Recently, they teamed up with Stewart’s Caring Place to have a bout against breast cancer - more specifically, by using their own busts. The girls on the team each picked a local artist to design and work with their busts for Bustapalooza. Each one shows off an aspect of their personality, and will be auctioned off at their Aug. 28 bout to raise money for Stewart’s.

They’re all different and just as quirky as the ladies, but I think this might be one of my favorites:

Meanwhile, the busts were first on display at the We Gallery in Akron, but have since moved to the Cyrus Custom Gallery in Canton, where they’re staying until the girls hit the track again. Check them out and then go bid on the busts at the next bout!