Sat 5/28 @ 7-10PM
Station Hope was conceived in 2014 as a one-day artists festival devoted to exploring issues of justice, freedom and human rights through music, dance, poetry, storytelling, theater, visual art and more. The fact that it took place at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ohio City, an authenticated stop on the Underground Railroad, gave it an added layer of meaning.
The event continued in 2020 and 2021 as an online-only event, and while it was great to see it carry on, it’s even better to see it returning to St. John’s for its ninth year.
Produced by Cleveland Public Theatre, the event draws on the talents of more than 200 individuals, and more than 50 community and arts groups from across the city, presenting performances and exhibits inside the church’s two buildings and on the street in front of it. Short performances take place in different locations are repeated and there’ll be interactive art activities on the church grounds.
Among the issues/topics/ideas addressed by pieces this year are the last slave ship Clotilda, Ghanaian dance, the challenges of child birth, Afghanistan drumming and Black Panther activist Angela Davis. There’ll be an exhibit of the spectacular, intricate work of the African American Quilting & Doll Guild, and superhero posters designed by a rainbow coalition of youth with disabilities.
The event is free, family-friendly and open to all.