REALNEO is a free, secure, open-source virtual community dedicated to optimizing Northeast Ohio (NEO). Anyone interested in NEO should register for an account with REALNEO and participate in the virtual community. Read through the pages below to learn more about REALNEO.

A place at realneo for insight on the real visual arts & NEO

The day Ohioans and others around America failed the world and allowed Bush and his clan 4 more years was the saddest of my life, and I was depressed by life after that until I posted the following...

Case - "CRWU - Case Western Reserve University - through their Weatherhead Business School, Engineering School, Center for Regional Economic Issues, and other departments, hosts frequent, exceptional meetings, roundtables and forums on issues of interest for regional economic development and entrepreneurship - most are help in the Case campus and free and open to the public - all related information and comments from attendees are posted in this book.

REALNEO will include all City Club of Cleveland events in the calendar and
will post notes from each event in this book, as available - if you attend an event
and would like to add notes, please post them here as comments to the
appropriate activity.

The Cleveland Foundation established the Civic Innovation Lab (CIL website) to nurture "Civic Entrepreneurship" and CIL has in its first year provided $200,000 to 8 civic projects - details about CIL activities and outcomes are posted in this COIL  

Art and creative industies represent $ billions in economic activity in Northeast Ohio, and the CIA is the greatest fuel we have for that wealth engine. Not only does the CIA provide the region with great creators - fine, design, graphic and craft artists and entrepreneurs - but CIA brings to town monumental art and events that generate cash for our economy. Most important, CIA is developing programs that raise awareness of social issues essential to improving the quality of life and prosperity of all our residents. Read and contribute insight gained from experiencing CIA enlightenment here.

It is sadly appropriate this old mural "Flasopoly" hints at the end of the Flats as generations knew it... a land grab where the biggest bank account wins. Unfortunately, in NEO right now, the biggest bank accounts are controlled by a new class of leaders who made their money through regional sprawl, driving down the value of our urban core and inner ring. They are now using their rural-sprawl wealth to buy and control "blighted" core property at astounding terms. They're then keeping the worst - the port rock piles, toxic waste and fumes - and adding tents in massive parking lots, for entertainment and gambling, planning a bunch of tasteless condos for the views, and restructuring our freeways to reroute traffic to benefit their development agenda.

Developing a sustainable community, defined by the UN as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". How we may accomplish this for future generations of NEO is developing here!

A book of ideas, responding to Peter Lewis' request for proposals and continuing generosity in offering to help fund the future development of Northeast Ohio. Please add your proposals and build on others here.

East Cleveland 2010 is a multi-year, multi-institution initiative to work with the leadership of the City of East Cleveland supporting the transformation of their community from disadvantage to compeitive advantage. Related material is posted in this book, listed below.

Voices and Choices is a groundbreaking initiative of the Fund for Our Economic Future to develop a far-reaching, comprehensive regional dialog for setting a course for our region's future that will produce more jobs and create better economic opportunities for our families and businesses. Voices & Choices is also educating hundreds of thousands of people about the realities facing the regional economy.

Greater Cleveland has a higher percentage of elevated blood level children than the national average, and many neighborhoods have significant lead poison problems. This book shares insight generated in the effort to eradicate lead poisoning in NEO, including initiative of the Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council... GCLAC.

 Until a few days ago, I smoked steadily for the past 18 years... at a pack a day, that represents about 6570 packs... 131,400 or so nails in my coffin, at a lifetime cost of around $25,000. If I have cancer as a result, the cost to myself, family and society will be much higher. Now that I am working through withdrawal from addiction to smoking, it is a good time to hate all those who are responsible for the fact anyone in my lifetime has smoked at all, and that over the next 100 years a billion people will die as a result. Hate them all... spit on their graves... from Jesse Helms ("Washington's Number One Guardian of the Health of the Cigarette Industry") to the Marlboro Man (several, actually, who died of cancer) and so many potentially good farmers made wretched in government subsidy and greed by evil industry, politics and lawyers. The only real winners from that misfortune are the greatest losers in NEO, Jones Day, who make ungodly money to kill smokers with strategies like: "The key defense strategy in smoking and health litigation is (and must be) to try the plaintiff."

Enlightened economic strategy appreciates diversity in population, education and workforce development, including attracting and retaining excellent international inputs through promoting immigration and visas for foreign entrepreneurs, students and workers. Because of current national and local economic, political and global conflict issues, America is facing a crisis of poor inflow of international talent - the world's best and brightest are not coming to America at previous levels, and that is of concern for USA and NEO universities, employers, and overall economic development. Addressing these issues in NEO offers opportunities and competitive advantages here. Read and post related information in this area of REALNEO.

Nano Network, Ohio Aerospace Institute, NEOSA and Cleveland State hosted a
fascinating presentation by a Boeing Venture Capital manager, John Belk, which
provided expert industry insight from one of the world's most ingenious and
respected high technology manufacturing companies - Boeing. Rarely does one
hear such honest, open reflection on the role of an emerging technology from
such a unique perspective - showing how nano fits in a global $2 billion+
aerospace and defense business development strategy. Read some notes here -
feel free to post comments if you attended the session.

A Community of Interest committed to the understanding North East Ohio's greatest strength is our cultural diversity, and that is the key to our sustainability as a community, society and economy

Please join the NEO Excellence Roundtable for inclusive dialogue and pursuits to optimize the brainpower, quality places and innovation networks of Northeast Ohio. The Roundtable meets 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM each Tuesday for discussions and lunch at the City Club of Cleveland - related content posts here and at a virtual community for the collaboration at http://neoexcellence.realinks.us.

I heard today an interview with Chris Abani, of Nigeria, a poet, writer and activist who was imprisoned many times in Nigeria, and placed on death row, for his art and activism. He spoke of "illiterate soldiers with guns" and the struggles of his people in Nigeria and in other global conflicts around the world, including involving America, and I realized how little I pay attention to poetry and how much is offered to my mind therethrough, so I will begin adding "Poet of the day" to the "of the day" series on realneo... and the first will honor Chris Abani, from a struggling nation of which I have friends. Feel free to add favorite poems and poets as comments as you please.

REALNEO is developing Community of Interest Links (COILs) for Supply Chain And Logisitics (SCALE), to strengthen this already important sector of the NEO economy. A separate REALNEO site for this COIL will post this month.

The Tri-C JazzFest is one of NEO's great assets - 2006 is the 26th annual JazzFest - if you haven't supported this in the past (and soaked in the great jazz), now is time... see links below for more info:

Spaces latest show “Dissent: Political Voices� brings together a nearly overwhelming number of artists who address a wide range of political and social issues in their works. As expected the Bush administration and the war in Iraq are the inspiration for many of the works, but sexism, racism, homelessness, the risks of GMOs, and human rights violations are just some of the other issues addressed.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is difficult to recognize these days as it forges ahead with its major expansion and renovation project. One thing is certain, when the CMA reopens it will be a very different place. Will you miss the old museum and what are your hopes for the new, bigger and better CMA? What is the role of the CMA in Cleveland? and what does the CMA mean to you? Did you visit regularly before it closed last winter? Did you pay to go to the big special exhibitions? Do you visit art museums in other cities? If these are issues that interest you, you should read Museum Skepticism, a new book by Prof. David Carrier who teaches art history at Case. The following is a review that appeared on Case's homepage today.

1300
launched another great show with a hip urban aesthetic Friday May 27th.
“Pound and a Bear Hug 2� features the work of artists Bask and Tes One. The
main gallery is filled with paintings (the majority) and mixed media works.
Several of the pieces make use of truly original supports. “Riding the Rails�
is a good example; created by Bask, it is made from five shabby vintage
suitcases hung on the gallery wall to form a semi rectangular surface for a
painting. A stick with a bandana tied at the one end -- like an old-fashioned hobo would carry - is positioned on top
of the suitcases.

Folks interested in NEO will enjoy reading this write-up on Cleveland from a 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica - what was right then is what's best now (what remains) and what will be best if we can get it better together in the future... read back to then...

Starting in San Francisco and spanning to Cleveland...

Seven-generation sustainability is the tenet that all decisions should be made with consideration for the effect they will have on the next seven generations to follow us.

Development of this concept is attributed to a precept of the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy), which requires that chiefs consider the impact of their decisions on the seventh generation, although it has been adopted by modern groups. This book on REALNEO explores seven generation planning for NEO, in complete respect for all generations before us and seven generations ahead. More is found at http://7gen.us

If folks move to Medina for their health they are fools - today, Medina seems to be the most unhealthy place around NEO, based on particulate levels monitored by NOACA, which as of 7PM on Father's Day is unhealthy everywhere in NEO... real nice present for our kids, eh.

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The City of Akron has taken the lead in Northeast Ohio to understand Generation Xers in their community, how to appeal to them, and how to transform their economy as a community inclusive of young and old for leadership in the New Economy. Related insight is posted here.

In an awe inspiring performance, Konstantin Soukhovetski performed magic on Wednesday afternoon in front of a small audience on the east side of Cleveland. It was a treat to hear a musician of such caliber perform. Used to giving recitals in New York, Boston, Washington D.C, Spain, France, and more, it was a rare opportunity to hear a master pianist perform in close quarters in an intimate setting.

March 21, 2005 Cleveland-Marshall School of Law: Cleveland Municipal Judge Robert Triozzi discussed his court cases and involvement within the community to build a platform for his mayoral campaign. 

Hopefully after this week I will be able to put my sweaters and other wool clothes away until next fall. I have a large pile of items ready to go to the dry cleaner but I know the perchloroethelene most dry cleaners use is bad for the environment and bad for my family. What are the alternatives? I have already reduced the number of dry clean only garments in my wardrobe, but many vintage items require dry cleaning.

Tuesday after Memorial Day I was suprised to come across Mayor Jackson hosting a Veterans Memorial Day event at the Mall, with only a few dozen folks present. The Veterans organization that organized the event certainly made nice arrangements, including printing a detailed program, and the occassion was important to a large part of our community - veterans and their families and loved ones. But there were few people there representing anyone.. not even war protesters.

Most of the NEO residents I know are animal lovers and most have at least one pet. What is your favorite pet? For many NEO residents its the Chihuahua! I don't have a Chihuahua, but I was invited to my first Chihuahua meet up yesterday afternoon.

Architect, painter, sculptor -- Tony Smith was all three. Sometimes his sculptures are grouped with Minimalism, though they don't really belong in that stylistic catagory. As the title suggests, there is some humor to this piece, and, if you could walk around it and see it from all sides, you would notice it has an anthropomorphic quality. As a child, Tony Smith contracted TB and was quarantined in a tiny building in his family's backyard.  During this lonely time he developed an interest in the geometric elements of architecture -- an interest that remained with him throughout his life.

Each Tuesday night, at Cleveland Heights "B-Side Lounge", below the Grog Shop, a house band sets the stage for poetic lyrical rhythms in whatever form wants to join in the act. Last Tuesday, October 04, 2005, the crowd was fortunate to have drop-in members of Stomp - shown above in their impromptu performance.

I've spoken to real estate, planning and economic development professionals in NEO about the false assumptions used for all planning in NEO, which take the position our economy is based on and driven by scarcity. We hear all day, every day, from the Plain Dealer to the Cleveland Planning Commission, that we have scarce resources here and must play every Joker and wild card we may to create value, in quiet crisis. I take the opposite viewpoint, that we have abundant resources here - plenty of excellent land and historical infrastructure, wealth and intellectual property - what I see as scare is effective leadership - and what leadership claims control is feudal and greedy. No doubt, that we are a place of environmental crises hampers growth of our economy, and scarcity of environmental activism slows our movement to a new economy, but in the seven generation context of real social change, we are in a strong position of abundant natural and human resources that may have great value forever, if not destroyed by current ineffective leadership decisions like poisoning our air and water, and neglecting public health and so education. For a conceptual overview of scarcity vs. abundance in economics, read on:

Anyone who has spent much time in Louisiana knows the Blue Dog of artist George Rodrigue. A friend of mine sent me a link to a website for a signed poster by Rodrigue raising money for the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. It's a classic image and worthy cause so I thought I'd pass it along. You can learn more and order the poster here.

The Studio Incubator is not the entire piece of the puzzle needed for a Film Industry here, but it is a start. First we have to recognize the Industry is not here, and then we move forward with the potential. So here, I will chart the progress of the Studio Incubator.

Reminder: CAAO's online executive auction opens May 1, 2006. Be sure to mark your calendar and avoid the risk of missing a chance to place your bid on the time of some of Northeast Ohio top executives. In honor of CAAO's 5th year anniversary, they have included special items in this year's auction. REALNEO is proud to support and promote CAAO and this event. Read On...

Are you a sculptor or do you know one? The following is a great opportunity for NEO sculptors -- but you need to act fast! Please pass this information on to anyone you know who may be interested in submitting their work.

I saw this sign on a telephone pole on Clifton Blvd. a few blocks east of W117th on Wednesday June 14th. I was impressed by how much someone obviously missed their dog and I wished I could help. It was n't practical or even possible for me to stop the car and start searching this Edgewater-Cleveland area. But, I had my camera with me and I though of a way to get the word out -- by posting it on Realneo. Have you ever lost a pet? What did you do to try to get him back? How much would you offer as a reward? Please post any advice you might have.

 The Nineteenth Century Dining Room: Gender, Refinement, and Grandeur

When a woman in the audience asked Christo and Jeanne-Claude how they define art, Jeanne-Claude  said they don't define art they make art. She went on to say that they make art because "it is our life" and all their works are works of "joy and beauty."

Harold Hitz Burton Award for Bruce W. Sanford

The Club is proud to announce that it will present its Harold Hitz Burton Award in 2007 to Bruce W. Sanford. Bruce is a partner at Baker Hostetler and one of the nation's most preeminent attorneys in media law. Author of both a popular work (Don't Shoot the Messenger) and scholarly tomes on libel and privacy, Bruce is also a recognized expert on the First Amendment.  Before going to law school, Bruce worked as a reporter on The Wall Street Journal. The Club plans a celebration in the Sugarman Room at Baker Hostetler, 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C., at 12:30 PM on January 23. A box lunch will be served. Reservations are requested through Brooke Stoddard. Non-Contributing members and guests: $15. Contributing members: $14.

I was pleased to be invited to participate on the steering committee for developing the Cleveland Municipal School District Arts Education Strategic Plan, which is a fairly large workgroup of many CMSD arts educators and administrators and other community representatives, that is working with consultant Ms. Dawn Ellis, the facilitating consultant and writer of our strategic plan. We had our first orientation today at 3 PM, at Trinity Commons, and it was a well facilitiated and enlightening activity. The format was very interactive, with Dawn surfacing key issues, themes and opportunities and driving participants through structured brainstorming. 

Linked in this book (see contents below) are articles on one of the most important public improvement (or disruption) projects of the next decade: the redesign of the I-90 bridge over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland and the route of I-90 through the Cleveland "Inner-belt Trench".

It is rare to find anything new and innovative in fashion these days. It seems like every season is just another revival of the 60s, 70s, 80s, or some other past decade. The same things are re-presented without ever being reinvented. Horst, a nationally known local fashion designer is an exception to this trend.

What are your principles? How about the following:

1. Attack poverty and world hunger as if our life depends on it. It does.

You may want to take a cake home from Buzz Gallery’s latest show. They look delicious, piled around the gallery with their fluffy white frosting and chocolate or yellow layers, but don’t try to taste one, these confections, reminiscent of Claes Oldenberg’s works, are made of foam and plaster.

On Monday April 17th at 4 p.m. in Strosacker Auditorium Dr. Gregory Eastwood, Interim President, introduced himself to the Case Community (students, faculty and staff). The event was also broadcast live via webcast. I tried to listen to the webcast, which was frustrating due technology problems  (I am not sure if it was on my end or Case's). I listened again the next day thanks to the archived copy -- much more satisfying result. If you missed out please check the link.

I had the bad fortune to need to drive around NEO this afternoon, so I was exposed to some of the dumbest people on Earth, all over town, and their socially repugnant Hummers and other gas guzzlers, and the poor behavior of many NEO drivers in general. The First Hummer was some jerk cruising around town at probably 8 MPG, yacking away on his cell phone... probably busy trying to rule the world...

This book provides content and links related to optimizing eGovernment - critical to making NEO a Quality, Connected Place

The most recent Third Tuesday event at the Great Lakes Brewing Company September 20th featured an excellent keynote speaker, Nadya Zherembayxa of the Organizational Behavior department at Case and Business as an Agent of World Benefit. She provided an enlightening presentation which broke down the business case for sustainability into ten key highlights. These are summarized as follows:

Few people will disagree the most important decision for planning the future of Northeast Ohio will be that of the Search Advisory Committee selecting the next CEO for the Cleveland Municipal School District. The Committee has selected nationally respected search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to handle the selection process, and has scheduled eight public forums to invite citizen feedback. The committee has also established a hotline citizens can call to leave their feedback by phone - 216-858-6978 - and has arranged with REALNEO.US is provide a social network where citizens may sign-up for a mailing list and submit a survey response expressing your view-points. We strongly suggest everyone sincerely interested in seeing Cleveland choose a great CEO for our schools become involved in the selection process - see the realneo.us events calendar and visit http://schoolceosearch.net to find the schedule of upcoming public forums, and submit a "search survey" response to communicate your opinions.

A two-part forum on: The Economics of Early Childhood Development

 Awareness: Session; One February 1, 2005, 4:00-6:00PM, Cleveland Museum of Natural History on Wade Oval in University Circle

 Alignment and Action: Session Two, February 14, 9AM to 12PM, Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development in Shaker Heights

Gray's Auctioneers Saturday March 1st sale was an exciting event in the fine arts market with the sale of two paintings by important California Impressionist painters, Orrin Augustine White and Arthur Grover Rider.  This was probably the first time works by these artists were sold in Northeast Ohio.

The annual Home & Garden Show is always a pleasant escape from Cleveland's winter weather. If you just can't wait until spring to see and smell blooming flowers or if you are more interested in home improvement  and lifestyle enhancing products this show is for you!

How can the Internet be used to preserve an artist's legacy? Can the Internet make an artist accessible to the world when their work is not exhibited in museums or found in art history books? Is art experienced through the Internet and never seen in person as meaningful and inspiring as art experienced in person? Most of the Realneo community would agree that the Internet and social networking is a useful tool in promoting artists and arts events, but what are the untapped possibilities and limitations. What role can the Internet play in preserving art for the future? As we begin the 21st century there are more artists in the world than ever before, more art work created and probably larger audiences for art as well. But with more artists and art created there is also more art being lost.  
 
Several recent experiences have led me to ponder how the Internet might be used as a cost effective and space saving way to preserve and promote an artist's work for the future. One such experience was Wednesday afternoon February 6th, I had the pleasure of visiting the studio of local artist Gina Brand. Gina Brand is a sculptor, though I am reluctant to give her such a limiting title. On this recent visit I learned that for her entire career she has also painted and produced beautiful charcoal drawings.  
 
Gina Brand has been part of the Cleveland arts scene for many years. A Cleveland Institute of Art graduate, she has been tirelessly producing work that is consistently high quality, both technically and aesthetically strong for many decades. Her studio is filled with works in progress, recently completed works (may of which are sold) and older works that represent her artistic development over the years. Her studio space is in an old warehouse, which I would guess was once used by Cleveland's thriving turn-of-the-century garment industry, is filled with natural light and well organized, though it is obviously the site of much artistic activity.  

I was so offended by the article the Plain Dealer ran on the cover Tuesday: "Ravenous birds facing last meal in Ohio soon" that I feel the need to post some factual inormation about cormorants. It is not that I necessarily oppose reducing the population of these birds -- what the article is essentially about -- its the over the top, purple prose I find insulting. i.e. "the cormorants look like prehistoric lizard-birds designed by Edgar Allan Poe on a bad night." Is this a phrase that belongs in Cleveland's daily paper or a cheap tabloid?  Why does reporter Bill Sloat want to make us hate these birds, and does he think readers are so impressionable? Can't he just tell us the facts? There is actually an interesting story here -- about the human impact on nature.

I was so offended by the article the Plain Dealer ran on the cover Tuesday: "Ravenous birds facing last meal in Ohio soon" that I feel the need to post some factual inormation about cormorants. It is not that I necessarily oppose reducing the population of these birds -- what the article is essentially about -- its the over the top, purple prose I find insulting. i.e. "the cormorants look like prehistoric lizard-birds designed by Edgar Allan Poe on a bad night." Is this a phrase that belongs in Cleveland's daily paper or a cheap tabloid?  Why does reporter Bill Sloat want to make us hate these birds, and does he think readers are so impressionable? Can't he just tell us the facts? There is actually an interesting story here -- about the human impact on nature.

December 7, 2001, was the greatest independence day in the history of Cleveland, when a hopefully new real NEO economy received the greatest gift imaginable with the closing of the toxin-spewing 1,200 acre LTV brownfields in the flats. This gave NEO's 1,000,000s of citizens independence from asthma and cancer and the freedom to breath clean air, redevelop a new city worth of prime real estate where the sprawling LTV-cyst finally sat idle, and the opportunity to resuscitate entire communities in the former LTV pollution fall-out zones spanning from Central and Slavic Village east to Brooklyn and Valley View south to Tremont and Ohio City west, literally saving the lives of 100,000s of our citizens and making Northeast Ohio more attractive to all who seek a good home and place to raise children. The freedom to breath was felt immediately, and for six months Northeast Ohio was a far better region.

Images, videos and stories from the 2005 Cleveland Ingenuity Festival

The best part of Ingenuity was that it lacked the packaged look and feel of the festivals that come to Burke, the IX Center, the Convocation Center, etc. There was sincere NEO pride generated by Ingenuity. True, not all the "ingenious" people involved were local, but it showed the collaborative potential we have here and the appeal we have for outsiders.  To anyone that thinks we need big box developers here and chain restaurants, Ingenuity is evidence that we don't. We have great people and great ideas right here, we just need to utilize them.

Issue 18 -- the signs make it seem so clear. "Arts & Culture". Yes! I'm for that! That's what my life is all about, really; five years earning my B.A. in fine arts, two years for a  M.A. in art history , 6 years of a Ph.D. in art history and museum studies. I go to art openings, visit MOCA and the CMA frequently, and I collect art. I go to the opera, the film festival, a few plays and musicals each year. I love to support arts and culture.

John Eisenmann designed the Cleveland Arcade, and... 

From a Case history site...

I was saddened to hear of the untimely death of Kenneth Lay. At the young age of 64, there was so much more he could have done -- like go to prison for 20+ years. The days would have passed quickly with visits from his children and 12 grandchildren. On visits with his wife they could have reminisced (about their last $200,000 cruise). But, life is not fair. I find it difficult to feel any sympathy for Lay -- a New York Times Article and the article in the PD "Lays passing produces some mixed feelings" suggests some did feel sorry for him. Shamefully, Lay maintained his innocence and always blamed others -- rogue executives beneath him -- for the fall of Enron.  Most disturbing to me is the the self-rightiousness, bordering on insanity he reveals in this statement: "We believe that God in fact is in control, and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the Lord," he said outside the courthouse in Houston after the verdict. Did God bless Kenneth Lay's lies? A convenient death or did God strike down Kenneth Lay? Perhaps Lay did not escape his sentence after all, perhaps he was just called before a higher judge.

For eight years Kevin Knobloch has lead one of the most well-known nonprofit groups, the Union of Concerned Scientists. A graduate of MIT, Kevin has dedicated efforts to the application of science to the preservation of life. Global Climate change is (rightfully) seen as the most pressing and important issue to resolve. Effects of unabated levels of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere have already had significant effects – from doubling the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes to dramatic temperature hikes of 7-12 degrees Farenheit during the summer and winter.

You may have read the reviews but have you seen the show yourself? Lilian  Tyrrell is one of the best artists in NEO, perhaps in the United States. An exhibition of her work at Spaces Gallery is in its last days and closes with a reception Friday evening (see the Realneo calendar for details).

There are only a few days left to see All Digital, one the most visually interesting and intellectually challenging exhibitions at MOCA Cleveland in recent memory. The show closes Sunday May 7th. If you were there for the opening make sure you make a second visit to experience CyberLounge and the ArtCasts. What are ArtCasts? They are digital recordings (think Podcasts) of interviews with the artists who participated in All Digital. They can be heard via your iPod, or, if you don't have an iPod, MOCA will loan you one in exchange for your id and a credit card.

If you have been feeling starved for art lately you should find the last half of January very satisfying. Major exhibitions are opening this Friday at MOCA, Spaces and the e.gordon Gallery.

"All Digital" at MOCA features the work of 8 international artists (one of them, Lynn Hershman Leeson, was born in Cleveland and got her B.A. at Case) who create computer generated art. 

MAGNET: Regional Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network Launches Their Plan in 2006

The special traveling exhibition Masterworks from the Phillips Collection is now on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art through May 29th. The exhibit includes 59 works from the Phillips Collection and 18 related works from the CMA collection. The exhibition’s next stop is the Mori Arts Center in Tokyo, Japan.

Over a period of two evenings - October 31 and November 1, 2005 - around 150 folks from all walks of life and corners of NEO came together at two spectacular places - the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Palace Theater - to participate in "world cafes" introduced by futurist Rebecca Ryan. The response and outcomes were fantastic. Highlights and content created is posted in two books below:"Making NEO "More Better" at the CIA - October 31, 2005" and "Storming the Palace for a sustainable NEO - November 01, 2005" - more will be added for quite some time so check back frequently - the most important outcome is the development of ideas surfaced during these events, which are posting to our "Community Forums"... go there to participate in making NEO "more better" . To those who joined us, thank you so much!!!

It is only fitting for Realneo users to take some time to remember the artist Nam June Paik. In his 73 years, his ground breaking work changed art and the world. In the 60s he was the first artist to make media his medium. He is widely considered the inventor of video art. He is also credited with coining the familiar phrases "information super highway" and the "future is now." If you have visited the current exhibition at MOCA, All Digital, it was Paik who led the way and made it possible.

A community of interest focused on developing an African American Cultural Center and driving innovation in the sharing of understanding and strengthening of African American and all culture in Northeast Ohio.

Northeast Ohio has many organizations dedicated to supporting aspects of entrepreneurship, from business networking to enterprise development. You'll find related coverage post here.

It's December 1st already! Only 24 days to find a special gift for everyone on my list -- and that includes some hard to please friends and relatives. Where do you shop in Cleveland if you hate Walmart and try to avoid the crowds and monotonous merchandise of the malls? There are plenty of galleries, boutiques, books stores, thrift stores and websites with unique gifts and shopping them can help support local artists, entreprenuers and charities.

Northern California has a unique combination of incredible brain power, the world's highest quality, connected places, and innovation networks - and its booming'. It rode through the bubble-burst with little disruption and now ideas, deals and dollars are flowing freely. The sun is shining, the skies are blue and the limits. While this place and reality are far removed from NEO, there are connections to make and lessons to learn - there is knowledge to tranfer. Details to post here.

Carol Cartwright, President of Kent State University. gave an engaging presentation on the importance of higher education before a diverse group of civic entrepreneurs and concerned citizens at the City Club Tuesday. Carol announced that she will be retiring soon, closing a chapter in a remarkable and distinguished career in higher education that has spanned over forty years. Carol began with a reminder that there are 170,000 college students in Northeast Ohio, representing 25 colleges and universities. Over 36,000 of these students are Kent State students collectively this highly educated population represents a $2.2 billion dollar economic force and it is clear that we need retain and attract college students and graduates. Though Ohio is slightly above average in High School Graduation rates the state needs 440,000 more college educated citizens to reach the national average- put another way, only 2 of 4 NEO residents have college degrees, while 4 of 10 people do nationally. Cartwright attributed this mainly to legacy of blue-collar jobs but it is clear, she indicated, that times and economics are drastically changing such that this can no longer be the prevailing paradigm. The shortage of college-educated citizens in Ohio is a serious issue that must be dealt with, either through attraction or retention, or both. Many agree there had been a dramatic change in need for college education, but the fear is paying for it - state support has been very low, and there has been a strong inverse correlation between state support and state tuition. Ohio ranks 43rd in the nation in taxpayer support for higher education with one of the highest average college tuition rates nationally. 

The century plant sure knows how to go out with a bang! 

At Rockefeller Greenhouse, the century plant is about to bloom. If you have visited the greenhouse any time in the last  60 or 70 years you probably saw the century plant -- its the huge centerpiece of the succulent garden. Why is this such a big deal?

Orchid Mania returned to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens this past weekend. This years theme is blossoms and butterflies. Hundreds of blooming orchids are everywhere. Artificial butterflies made of feathers and artistic renderings of butterflies represent the lepidoteran half of the theme. There are also some live butterflies in the glass house, however they were asleep during the preview party Friday evening.

Hodge School is a former elementary school, a turn-of-the-century brick building with wide, tall halls and many wide-open rectangular rooms still with the original blackboards and children’s coat closets. The building is currently being used as an artist live-work space. But it is not just the building that is conducive to art; an artists’ community is thriving there.

Thomas Hylton spoke before a packed house Wednesday afternoon at the Metropolitan on the top floor of the Huntington Building and delivered an excellent presentation on the importance of building cities that are pedestrian-friendly and feature mixed-use construction. This presentation resonated greatly with recent presentation on New Urbanism given by John Norquist, former Milwaukee mayor and author of the Wealth of Cities. Hylton began with a story from his younger days – living in a small Pennsylvania town where the most energy efficient school building in town (the only one in town without a parking lot) was leveled to construct –what else? – a parking lot!  Stories like this have been a commonly recurring story across the nation.

On Tuesday, August 2 to Sunday, August 7, 2005, I (Derek Arnold, Technology Analyst for REALNEO) will be in Portland, Oregon for the 2005 Drupal Conference which also runs concurrently with O'Reilly Open Source Conference, also in Portland.

Tomorrow is not just another Tuesday -- it is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras! So I thought it would be fun to have a king cake. The West Side Market was the first place I decided to look because there are several great bakeries there.  I searched the market Saturday afternoon.No king cakes at Vera's, none at Cake either. The only place that came close was Theresa's  (D-6).

Three great exhibitions opened at MOCA this past Friday: "Sarah Kabot: On the Flip Side," "The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art," and "Transitions: Linda Butler and Philip Brutz Photography." "On the Flip Side" is the 2006 edition of the Wendy L. Moore Emerging Artist Series.  This annual exhibition of the work of a very talented, young (under 30), female artist who has yet not had a major gallery show never fails to generate a lot of excitement. "The Persistence of Geometry," curated by Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims of the Studio Museum in Harlem featured many works -- paintings, drawings, prints, textiles, sculptures and decorative arts -- from the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. Visitors may have expected this exhibition to be just another highlights tour of the CMA only in a new location, but the result was something totally new and surprising. "Transitions" gives the viewer a peek at what it looks like inside the museum now. Brutz's color stereoscopic transparencies were especially popular with children.

Tuesday Andrew Watterson, sustainability programs manager for the City of Cleveland addressed a dynamic gathering of concerned citizens and spoke about a variety of planned initiatives geared toward sustainable progress toward sustainable economic development.

Tuesday Andrew Watterson, sustainability programs manager for the City of Cleveland, addressed a dynamic gathering of concerned citizens and spoke about a variety of planned initiatives geared toward progress toward sustainable economic development. Watterson explained his mission to reduce city expense while creating a sustainable economic agenda, reforming antiquated policies internally and  educating the public.

While at a meeting in the City Hall Red Room last year, among portraits of many past Cleveland mayors, I asked then Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell's Chief of Staff Chris Ronayne who was Cleveland's best mayor ever, and he said without hesitation Tom Loftin Johnson (b. July 18, 1854 - d. April 10, 1911), who was mayor from 1901 to 1909. I didn't know much about Johnson nor think much more about him until I grew completely disgusted with the inane puffery in the Cleveland Plain Dealer demanding we the public bend over and take ODOT's obliteration of downtown Cleveland, Wolstein's destruction of the Flats, Stark's WalMarting of the Warehouse District, Carney's corruption of the Port Authority, and now Volpe's Disneyfication of Public Square, driving me to stand up and seek reality at the roots of this one-paper-chase misplanting of bad planning seeds into our social subconsciousness, so greedy developers may destroy our civic  mind, heart, and soul. So, I ask you the public to consider, will any of these corrupt land-grab developments serve the masses. or have we strayed so far from the world Tom Johnson left us that we are again just a low-class, groping, leaderless, blind, selfish, forsaken party to few, as Tom Johnson found and fought at the beginning of the last century? For the answers, join me at Public Square below...

03.29.2005 Cleveland-Marshall College of Law,
Today at 6:00PM sponsored by the Democratic Law Organization, Mr. Jerry Springer
discussed the national political arena as well as the regional economic development issues.

I will soon be planting my garden in East Cleveland. There are many varieties of herbs, vegetables, annuals, perenials, trees and shrubs that I would like to include. My yard is a clean slate. There is no sign of any past plantings with the exception of an evergreen by the front porch that must be at least 50 years old.

Several female artists, including Robin Stone and Alexis Antes, and their bands gave outstanding performances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum, on Wednesday 12th, 2005. All the proceeds went towards the annual Breastfest of 2005. It was a rocking good time as these musicians poured their hearts out through their love of music.

 Call me sac religious, but for me Easter is all about the chocolate. I eat chocolate just about everyday of the year, but around Easter my diet gets a lot cuter. What do I like so much about chocolate? Well, for one, it is delicious, but its also good for you, and it can be so beautiful. Making fine chocolate is really an art form -- and we have many talented chocolatiers in NEO!

 The Plain Dealer is starting to raise awareness of the political campaigns coming up in November and I appreciate that, as it is obvious the only hope for Northeast Ohio to make any progress forward at all this decade, from the disasterous funk we're in, is through a complete change of leadership in Columbus and that we send to Washington, DC, in preparation for making sure America has a completely different global leadership profile after Bush finishes his current lame-duck mucking-up as President.

The BBC news today reported from the territory of Senora, where native people of modern-day Baja California, southern California, and Arizona reflect a shared history that dates far before European invasions and artificial nations and borders of the United States of America, and Mexico. At the end of the report, intended for the global BBC market, rather than the "American" dribble we call news, the reporter discussed with the leader of one of the remaining communities of Native people in Senora, whose land spans now-USA and Mexico, how disruptive to destructive escalating USA isolationism is to the eternal life-patterns of his people, and the reporter concluded "to these native American people, anyone who is not a native American is an illegal immigrant". 

From the International Relations Center America's Program, Borderlines, from "Ancient ties, cross-border links", please recognize that: "For thousands of years before the artificial border line was drawn between the United States and Mexico, native people in the Arizona-Californias region shared languages, cultures, and oral traditions that traced their shared histories back through time. The earth itself, not today’s border, defined territories: the up-thrust backbone of sierras, inhospitable deserts, great rivers, and watersheds. These natural spaces and barriers also shaped the ranges of plant and animal communities, with stands of oak in the valleys and piñon in the mountains, agave and prickly pear in the deserts, deer in the hills, and rabbits and quail in the chaparral. They influenced the coming and going of humans as well, who, though extremely adaptable to different ecosystems, were profoundly aware of and responsive to the rhythms of their environment. The modern boundary between Mexico and the U.S., however, does not reflect these natural parameters."

Just think about his for a while. What comes to your mind? Now get inside the minds of the European invaders, through the sick eyes and delusional writings of a German Jesuit invader of our Native land named Juan Nentvig from before Cleveland was a city. And consider why we the people are now building borders across native lands we did not succeed to steal. Do you really approve of we the illegal immigrants calling native people illegal immigrants? I find the whole psychotic USA superiority complex incredibly arrogant, disgraceful, embarassing and pathetic, along with the entire free world outside America, and I am especially embarrassed as Cleveland shows such ignorance of culture in the prostitution of our native people's identity through the forever-loser "Indians" and wretched Chief Wahoo brand. Can you really imagine a city with a team with such bad karma could ever win? Or, do you think like an invader?

Berkeley artist Jan Wurm was welcomed to Cleveland this past weekend by the Miller Weitzel Gallery with a one-woman show titled “Drawn In: The Seduction of Line.� Wurm initially met the owners of the Miller Weitzel Gallery Online, through a call for submissions. Her 15 mixed media drawings on canvas on view now until April 16th are raw and thought provoking commentaries on the human condition. Hung in two groups of four, and one group of five, they cover such timely -- and timeless -- subjects as war, feminism, and service and the cycle of life. Two smaller works, Samson & Delilah and the Organ Grinder and Monkey, are independent from the three groups. All are recent works on unstretched canvas, tacked to the gallery walls in a manner that conveys the intimacy and immediacy of the artist’s studio rather than the distance of a gallery.

An exciting new business has opened in NEO -- Gray's Auctioneers. Cleveland now has the largest auction house between New York and Chicago! Gray's inaugural auction of furniture, decorative arts and fine arts will be this Sunday, June 17th at 12 noon. Most of the items in this auction came from Florida estates and are entirely new to the Cleveland market. There are some great deals to be had! Check out Gray's Auctioneers's website and online catalog that just went live this past weekend and stop by their location at 10717 Detroit Avenue to preview the 212 lots this week (Wednesday 10-6, Thursday, Friday 10-8 and Saturday 10-2). There's sure to be something you have always wanted. Maybe you will find a Father's Day gift. This auction even has vintage ties!

eBay was probably my first experience with social computing -- if you can really call it that. eBay is a community of buyers and sellers that for the most part control the environment (what the buy and sell). Like Realneo, eBay users have a profile and choose what personal information to reveal, they post pictures, and writing (though in the form of descriptions of things they are selling). After several years of using eBay on and off to buy and sell, I feel like I don't really understand how eBay is working in an economic sense. Maybe you have some insights? Please post them!

 The following story with its links ran in CASE Daily (Case's online newpaper) today. Do feel like you have entrepreneurial genes? I think I do! Please post your thoughts
"Do genes influence who will be entrepreneurs?"

ABC News (Reuters), June 5, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2041245