Recently a site called Rivers Art polled more than 3,000 art enthusiasts across the country about their favorite art district to visit in 2025, coming up with a list of 140 favored art district, topped by Wynwood in Miami, Florida, a converted warehouse district with rotating displays of huge outdoor murals. Other districts in the top ten are in Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, Brooklyn (2), Baltimore, Portland (Oregon), Kansas City (Missouri) and San Francisco, mostly major markets.
But coming in at #24 as the top arts district in Ohio was Cleveland’s own Waterloo Arts District in North Collinwood. The seed of the district was laid in 2000 when Cindy Barber and Mark Leddy opened the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in a former Croatian Hall on Waterloo Road, a once thriving ethnic enclave that had been declining for decades. Its first gallery, Waterloo Arts, followed in 2002.
The area went through some ups and down but turned a corner in the last decade, with the opening of such organizations as Brick Ceramics and Praxis Fiber Workship, galleries such as Framed (specializing in Black art), William Busta Projects, Maria Neil Art Project and Deep Dive Art Project, and new eateries including Citizen Pie Pizza and Doink’s Smash Burgers. It brings people to explore its three blocks of offerings during Walk All Over Waterloo on the first Friday of each month. In the warm weather, that includes free outdoor concerts on the Tower Stage located right outside Waterloo Arts’ door.
And if you want to check it out, the annual Waterloo Arts Fest is coming up Saturday September 13 from noon-7pm. It’s free.
Two Columbus districts came in at 46 and 102, and Dayton’s Oregon District was 71. Let’s not gloat! More info here.