I read that review by Carolyn Jack and thought it was very strange - especially:

But winning the respect and interest of the world outside Cleveland's circle of high-art aficionados - becoming the Pulitzer or even just the Pushcart prizes of the region, let alone the nation - remains elusive.

What the hell is she talking about. Sometimes I think NEO reporters just do things like that so they can call some big shot like the head of the Pulitzer... but I'm not a high-art aficionado so I missed the arts prize and can't offer an opinion, other than it is nice to see it back in action, and I know we can never run out of great candidates for this from NEO in the future.

I do have a suggestion for how to ratchet things up a bit with the arts rize, though - about two years ago I discovered that the names "May Show" and "Cleveland School" were in the public domain so I registered them with the Secretary of State, to keep them from falling into the wrong hands (like the Cleveland Museum of Art again). I'd like to see some artists and supporters take a crack at doing something exciting with them, and that could combine nicely with The Arts Prize. Bounce that around with your high-art aficionados... perhaps get Carolyn Jack's opinion as well... and let me know if you come up with any cool ideas.

Disrupt IT

I am so fed up with the high art/low art BS. What happened to art and wannabe art or trying to be art. Who defines art anyway? What spreads outward from this is the issue of class and a divisiveness that permeates our culture like a sickness. Let's face it. Who can afford to pay for art/pay high commissions/big ticket prices? Those with money can support art. But then art is not just a two or three dimensional object that you can own. Art can be a way of life. Art is vision and interpretation/communication of that vision. It comes in all forms like people. Certainly Harvey Pekar doesn't consider himself some snobbish upper crust artist. I don't disrespect him because he worked at the VA anymore than I respect an architect who can make large sums for outrageous buildings like the PBL. I do respect their vision and their hard work to bring that vision to a larger public. Art makes us think; it expands our vision. It can reflect beauty and horror. It is attention and innovative voice given to a subject or to an aspect of our world. For years when I worked in the art world, I heard people say I don't know anything about art, but they just didn't realize how art touched them at every level. Art was in the design of their neighborhoods, their eating implements, etc., in their visual and aural consumption daily.

You don't have to be a high art aficionado to attend the Arts Prize Ceremony. It is a ticketed event and asks for a sum that helps the organization to award cash prizes to artists, but the event continued outside for the public for free. That is elitist or for high-art aficionados?

However, my point is this: screw the high low caste system construct. Support art if you want to and in anyway you want to do so, but please don’t claim that you didn’t go because of class issues. We can’t all attend everything – enough said. Notices were posted, the public was welcomed and invited to attend. I was there, and I can say with certainty, that everyone who was there puts on their pants one leg at a time when standing.

If you are a reporter you might refrain from writing an op-ed piece. Since when did the PD find the money to send writers to parties to review them?

Norm -- with your connections to people like Peter B. Lewis and Agnes Gund and Marjorie Talalay (all great patrons of the arts), as the son of a former dean of the Cleveland Institute of Art, I would think that you might be more supportive of the concept of celebrating the talent in our midst. As someone who launches an idea to gather great patrons of the arts in our region to discuss the impending ballot issue that would support the arts (whether you smoke or simply contribute tax deductible sums), as someone who lives with an art historian, I am surprised at your "high-art aficionado" comment.

What can we do to bridge the digital, the economic, the class, the art, the environmental divide here in Cleveland? Many years ago I spoke with someone who has extensive knowledge of and respect for the art of astrology (I must say this is an area where I have little knowledge). She said that cities and regions, like people, have astrological aspects and that their behaviors are colored by these astrological interactions. Cleveland’s fall back place, the aspect of Cleveland’s being that it will always struggle with is divisiveness characterized by the river that divides east and west -- that historically this divide has been a greater and more prominent casualty for American and regional history than the continental divide. These words spoken to me many years ago still resonate as I struggle to find methods of knitting together the disparate ideas and issues that we face as a region in a global family. I find schism and divisiveness everywhere here. Divided we fall. Will that be our fate? Please say no. Please say that we will struggle together to bridge this/these/the divide(s).

I do want to continue to pursue other issues, but if I can be a part of encouraging artists and the institutions who educate them, show their work and recognize them together then I will.

I am unclear about your ideas for May Show, but I feel that a push to get the realneo operation out to more people would be a good thing. I like the fact that arts and culture and social and economic and environmental issues are discussed here. It encourages cross fertilization of ideas. I prefer that art be a part of and not apart from the discussion of the whole. realneo represents a coming together and convergence of issues and ideas. Can you tell us how many people use the site and can we send links to some of the discussions out to leaders in the area so that they know that they and their issues are being discussed here? I sent links about Cleveland Play House to Michael Bloom and Tony Brown a while back. Maybe we should do an email campaign to arts (as a place to begin) orgs to let them know that some "regular folk" are concerned about their well being -- you know, market realneo.

BTW I just visited Greg Reese at the East Cleveland Public Library and had a tour of that fab facility. Have you seen the computer labs they have there? the auditorium? This guy is great! He garnered almost 4 million in the past few years to build the addition and renovate the historic 1916 building. No wonder he won the Bergman Prize! I had the honor of taking him the ring designed for Bergman prize winners by CIA prof emeritus and 1961 Arts Prize winner John Paul Miller, who is still working in Brecksville. Read about this amazing guy here http://clevelandartsprize.org/visart_1961.htm talk about art and technology!!! This guy rediscovered the process of gold granulation which had been lost since the time of the Roman Empire! "The original American granulation artist .." Right here in Cleveland! What's more, you couldn't hope to meet a sweeter, more gracious individual! More than ever we need to celebrate the amazing folks in our midst.

Today in the PD are published letters in response to the July 15, 2006 offbase article by Carolyn Jack.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1153557248242390.xml&coll=2

   Way to fight back arts interested locals!

I am looking at the online version. Does anyone know if the print edition gave any ink to the winners?