Bodwin Theater Company Director Kevin Cronin contributes to
the Cleveland Plain Dealer "Voices in the Arts" series of guest
columns on arts and culture in NEO with a compelling business case for
encouraging more filmmaking and related industry in Ohio. In his analysis, he
explains how this industry "cluster" can generate greater unique
value and economic benefits for this region than may casinos and convention
centers, which tend to monopolize the local development mindspace. To
illustrate the potentials, Kevin highlights data on benefits of the film
industry in Canada and the states of Louisiana, Illinois, Alabama, Oregon, New
Mexico and New Jersey, totaling $ billions... concluding "If Ohio wants
film, commercial, TV and digital-media jobs and income, it needs to take the
legislative steps to compete effectively. They are sensible, cost-effective, necessary
tools to compete with other states and countries to generate employment and
business growth." With elections coming up for Cleveland Mayor (for which
current Film Commissioner Carmody is apparently running) and for Ohio Governor, both of which will
focus on workforce and economic growth, it is timely now to push for the benefits Kevin proposes this creative cluster offers in
the future - make the candidates address these opportunities before they get our votes.

City of Phoenix offers support for local artists via ICE - Information Community Effectiveness. The following eNews from City Hall highlights "a new pilot grants program designed to assist individual artists living in Phoenix and working in all artistic disciplines." The focus is quite basic and low-level and low-cost - one could say negligible, in the big picture... $10,000 total... yet for individual artists this is a sign the city cares about their development and success. As NEO's Community Partnership for the Arts is now planning how to allocate $100,000s of dollars to artists, it is worth thinking so small with some of that money, to spread the wealth like in Phoenix...

Cool Cleveland Commentary
Cleveland Blows

Nicole Bryson leads the way into the artisan's realm of glass
blowing in Cleveland, its culture, how it developed here, and what its past and
future look like. Read on to familiarize yourself with the personalities of the
glassblowing world, and its underground culture of creatives. The first week in
February, Burning River Glass will have a sculptural chandelier show in their
gallery featuring Brian Bencheck and other emerging glass artists.

Cool local artist and creative entrepreneur Bridget Ginley - founder W. 25th Street Buzz Gallery - has posted to her lake of consciousness blog, erie.effusion, some great concepts for better integrating and socializing regional brainpower to make NEO a more sustainable, quality place.

There was an article posted on the Channel 3 website proclaiming "Graffiti becoming a big problem in Midtown".

Can artists improve civic behavior?

Here's an interesting article from the Harvard University Gazette about the mayor of Bogota, Colombia. He's a former academic and has been using mimes to encourage people not to jaywalk or behave irresponsibly in public.

A recent report by the Pew The Pew Internet & American Life Project explores the attitude of artists to the Internet. The surprising finding: Artists and musicians are enthusiatic Internet users and they believe the Internet helps them make and sell their work.

CrainTech published a story about two graduates of CIA's TIME
- The Integrated Media Environment - program, which fits perfectly with a recent development announced at American Greetings: AG invested in a
children-oriented film and television production, marketing and brand
development company named The Hatchery, in LA, and the CIA TIME grads have
formed an animation production company called Flipline
Interactive Design Studios that has an animation product they want to take to market (and lots more in the works, as you'll see at their website).
What better dots could we have waiting to connect for a local success story?

There's an article in the Plain Dealer on a fascinating local business development - American Greetings bought into The Hatchery, an innovative Los Angeles company "that produces family entertainment for film, television, home video,
video games and new media." My immediate thought was, what can this hatch for NEO. Our creatives need opportunities in these sectors and insider Los Angeles connections, and The Hatchery could certainly find "product" and talent here - it seems if our hometown powerhouse American Greetings is teaming up with shuch high level folks in LA, they should be able to steer some insight and opportunity from there to here. Reading a press release about The Hatchery, posted below, makes clear their management is influential and top notch - if our leaders ask very nicely, perhaps The Hatchery folks can help bring more new life to NEO than just on American Greetings bottom line. Has anyone bothered to welcome our new celebrity neighbors to town?

THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 17th, from 8pm - 11pm, 1300 Gallery will be
carrying on the tradition of offering the public a chance to get great art on
the cheap. Our annual Holiday show is a chance to give back to the artists that
have exhibited at 1300 throughout the year with the No Commission show. Each
artist will be presenting work which 1300 will take no commission on. What does
this mean? Original artwork that is 30 – 40 percent off typical prices.

Participating artists include: Brian Kelly, Bask, Bob Sek, Ali Calis, Vicky Semarjian, Chako Suzuki, Lesley
Reppeteaux, Nick Zaremba, Laura Brink, Jeff Gilligan, Kiki Maclean, Derek Hess,
Valerie Mayen, Dolan Geiman and Grant Smrekar.

In addition to the exhibition, 1300 will be hosting a Holiday Party featuring
the sounds of misterbradleyp. 1300 will also be holding a raffle for a chance
to win a piece of art from Derek Hess or Bask. Both artists have donated their
work and everyone who buys a ticket will have a chance to win one of the pieces
valued at over $500.

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Friday in NEO
- where's our unique value today? Start at the City Club for lunch with
Ambassador Ross, speaking on the what’s next for

Hotel Bruce in the OC: Come and celebrate as Hotel
Bruce releases Issue No. 3, the all-Ohio City issue, on December
10th - 6 - 9 PM. Enjoy wine, cheese and refreshments; take in an exhibit of local

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Cleveland Museum of Art CIO Len Steinbach recently presented
to the Community of Minds network on his work to leverage state of the art
information technology for extended learning and virtual community development
and in-house experiential enhancements, ranging from multi-player student games
and videoconferencing for conservation to touch screen displays in the
galleries to help teachers explain advanced concepts to students while visiting
the museum. If this doesn’t sound like our founding fathers’ CMA, it isn’t.. it
is better. Leveraging IT is essential for all great museums to
best fulfill their missions in the modern world, and the CMA’s future value and
reputation in this region and in the global community will increasingly be
evaluated for virtual effectiveness. Read more about the high tech side of
museum operations from the NYTimes, excerpted and linked below, take
satisfaction Cleveland is in the same league as the world’s best – be
supportive of CMA’s efforts to further these world-class objectives as they
expand and evolve.

Community of Minds hosted another great forum at Case,
partnering with REI, featuring the energetic and proactive CIO of the
world-class Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), Len Steinbach, presenting on
innovative technologies, projects and services they’ve developed to best serve
the local community and extend their value, outreach and success around the
world.

BizArt is a Weatherhead School of
Management based community dedicated to developing the synergies that exist
between the worlds of business and art. Along with many area development
leaders and professionals, this initiative is exploring the value of the creative
class in this community, and breaking down walls found in traditional economies
and organizations – everyone is creative – everyone has entrepreneurial
instincts – everyone should learn to leverage both sides of the equation. It is
exciting to see this free forum provided to students from both Case and the
Cleveland Institute of Art, allowing for sharing of knowledge and perspectives
among NEO’s emerging economic drivers.

I'll start my insight from the 1st CIA Design Conference with a few quotes from the incredible designer James Victore. To artists in the audience, he encourages them to realize the power of their talent, saying "Our opinion has value." "Learn a skill - get a job... learn to think and have a career." He regrets that these days "no one wants to suffer or give up anything" and he demonstrates how, by being different, by being authentic to himself, he has become one of the most important visual and social voices of our time.

The best concept for regional and global government, public, private, and foundation spending for economic development in this region that I can imagine is driving for a NEO MultiDATA strategy - Multimedia, Design, Architecture, Technology and Art - which fits my understanding of the purpose of our foundations and economic development visions and would revolutionize NEO's global position in many creative class and new economy ways which are not even contemplated in any of the writing and thinking I've seen around town but which are featured in major creative class communities world-wide.

Included in MultiDATA vision is a Philip Johnson conceived School of Architecture (he proposed that for our community around 1996 - perhaps it's not too late), integrating an urban and regional planning institute, featuring an "MIT-inspired" Media Lab, and multimedia production including music, video, gaming and film, and a CIA-rooted TIIMEish graphics center, and a Case-rooted third generation technology RDT center - research, development, transfer (open-source, advanced networking, IPv6, wireless, MEMS, RFID, nanotech, etc.), each and all with the capability to support secondary, vocational/trade/craft, highest education, advanced research, and entrepreneurism - from concepts and designs to production and commercialization.

Student Holiday Art Sale December 3rd, 6-9pm; December 4th, 10am-9pm; December 5th, 1-5pm, Gund Bldg., Room 111, 11141 East Blvd

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Student Holiday Art Sale December 3rd, 6-9pm; December 4th, 10am-9pm; December 5th, 1-5pm, Gund Bldg., Room 111, 11141 East Blvd

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LOW DOUGH HOLIDAY SHOW

Title of the Exhibit: Lough Dough Holiday Show

Media: Various

Artist:
Greg Alberti, Joe Ayala, Kris Barnes, Ray Brown, Gina DeSantis, Bridget Ginley,
Andrew Kaletta, Brian Kelly, Jim MacNamara, Bythe Pavone, Molly Pokorny, Scott Radke,
Damon Reeves, Grant Smeker, Colin Toke, Tracy Weinhold, Katy Wentzel, & More

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On November 27 from 12:00pm - 8:00pm at 1300 gallery

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1300 will be hosting the Bazaar Bizarre next Saturday Dec. 4th.
Bazaar Bizarre: 4 December, 3:00-9:00 p.m.
Bazaar
Bizarre is not your typical craft fair. Two dozen DIY artisans

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