09.09-09.16.2026 Oxygen

 

 

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Oxygen

09.09-09.16.26

Don’t take for granted the air we breathe, the water we drink, the artists, entrepreneurs and scientists around us who innovate and inspire us. The future of humanity on earth is literally in the hands of Northeast Ohioans Dawn Schaible, recently appointed Director of NASA Glenn, and awesome Aerospace Engineer Rob Ahlman, who I had the opportunity to talk with about the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Don’t underestimate the value of the imprimatur of a major arts organization, as CoolCleveland Culturati columnist Liz Maugans examines the current Lake Effect show mounted by the CMA at the Transformer Station.

Don’t fail to appreciate the importance of raising voices that need to be heard, like author Jesmyn Ward opening CCPL’s Writers Center Stage series, or the new show at Praxis that focuses on Black Maternal Health, or the writers at Literary Cleveland’s free Inkubator writing conference.

And don’t overlook the art-making party for Democracy at Future Ink Graphics, or the free workshop for musicians on how to get better gigs, or Studio-A-Rama’s incredible day of live music, or the Akron Symphony’s season preview at Jilly’s Music Room.

And certainly don’t assume you’ve seen every type of festival out there, because have you seen the LatinUs Film Festival or the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival or the Silent Film Festival, or the 25th Annual Skunkfest, or Lake Farmpark’s Village Peddlers Festival or the Berea Arts Fest, or the Zoo’s Asian Lantern Festival or the Slovenian Sausage Festival? I didn’t think so.

-Thomas Mulready

CoolCleveland.com 

Photo by Thomas Mulready

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VIDEO

 

 NASA GLENN:
TO THE MOON, MARS
& BEYOND 

CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready had the opportunity to interview NASA Glenn Research Center Director Dawn Schaible and Aerospace Engineer Rob Ahlman at the Horizontal Planar Near Field Range inside the Aerospace Communications Facility at NASA Glenn in Northeast Ohio to discuss the ongoing Artemis missions that sent a crew to fly by the Moon, in anticipation of further missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Dawn & Rob discussed putting humans back in space, NASA Glenn’s massive and world-class research and testing facilities in Cleveland and Sandusky, their core competencies of Power, Propulsion, and Communications, how they coordinate and integrate the work of multiple partners, and the agency’s focus on increased cadence.

Check out the upcoming Ohio Space Week and Discovery Days, 09/14-09/26, offering the public ways to have fun and learn at the Great Lakes Science Center, CSU, Progressive Field, and NASA Glenn.

 

CULTURATI

 

 A SHOW IS A SHOW IS A SHOW—OR IS IT? 

“A show is a show is a show. Except when it isn’t,” writes CoolCleveland CULTURATI columnist Liz Maugans. “There are museum exhibitions, juried exhibitions, open calls, artist-run exhibitions, commercial gallery exhibitions, community exhibitions and student exhibitions. There are the shows that artists spend months applying for and the shows that seem to arrive with the institutional authority already attached.”

It’s how that “institutional authority” operates that Maugans explores in relation to the juried Lake Effect show of Northeast Ohio artists, currently at the Transformer Station. She wonders if the Cleveland Museum of Art, which put the show together, supported and promoted it in a way most beneficial to the chosen artists.

 

NEWS

 

 STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY  

Tuesday September 15 is National Voter Registration Day, described as a “nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy.” It’s a reminder to get registered or check your registration to make sure you haven’t fallen victim to a purge. No, the November 3 election won’t be cancelled; no, they can’t hack the machines. All they can do is try to prevent you from voting. Don’t fall for it. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and Cleveland Votes will be hosting nonpartisan events across the country and you can sign up to volunteer.

 

 SPOOKY ZOO FUN 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s special Halloween attraction Boo at the Zoo returns October 1 to provide evenings of seasonal fun after-hours, including trick-or-treating, a “Monster Mash” dance party, a hay maze and costumed characters. It runs from Thursday-Sunday through October 25.

WEDNESDAY
9/9

 

Cleveland jazz trumpeter Dominick Farinacci has used his musical talent in creative ways. One of those is his collaborations, not just with musicians but using music to amplify the real-life experiences, first of a veteran, then of a 9/11 first responder, which make up his new program, Behind the Lines:A 9/11 Story, debuting at Playhouse Square tonight.

 MORE on WEDNESDAY… 

THURSDAY
9/10

 

“Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison” is a statewide, yearlong celebration of the work of the Lorain-born author. Five multi-disciplinary artists were chosen by a jury to be part of the show A Clearing: Word, Image, Body, responding to the influential writer’s work. It opens tonight at Zygote Press.

 MORE on THURSDAY… 

 

FRIDAY
9/11

 

Cleveland’s drag scene is remarkably diverse, with drag queens and kings who strut in high glamour, offer outrageously comical acts, or hit the stage in horror makeup. The annual Cleveland Drag Pride showcase at the Beachland Ballroom is there for all of this. Ban THAT, state legislature. We dare you.

 MORE on FRIDAY…

 

SATURDAY
9/12

 

Since 2019, Rid-All Farm in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood has hosted FreshFest, a free festival focusing on health and community. In addition to food and vendors, it offers chess, basketball, yoga, a kids’ playground, and all-day music, capped by legacy hip hop artist Rakim. This year TWO national acts join the six locals; Rebirth Brass Band brings some New Orleans flavor.

 MORE on SATURDAY… 

SUNDAY
9/13

 

The Berea Arts Fest returns to the shores of Coe Lake, which will be ringed by booths from 150 local, regional and national artists. Two stages of live music and strolling artists will offer entertainment, and there are opportunities to do some art-making for both kids and adults.

 MORE on SUNDAY… 

 

MONDAY
9/14

 

Author Jesmyn Ward is a best-selling novelist, essayist and memoirist, and the only woman/person of color to have won TWO National Book Awards for Fiction. She kicks off Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Writers Center Stage 26-27 author series at the Maltz Performing Arts Center.

 MORE on MONDAY… 

 

TUESDAY
9/15

 

The documentary The Extraordinary Caterpillar looks at the work of The Caterpillar Lab where researchers explore how native plants and their host insects interact to the benefit of the environment. A screening at the Capitol Theatre will feature a post-film panel discussion and Q&A. 

 MORE on TUESDAY… 

WEDNESDAY
9/16

 

Tonight, the Silent Film Fest, which runs through September 20, screens the first of four films it will show at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The 1926 Western 3 Bad Men helped establish the genre’s tropes and Ford’s reputation as its master. Ford expert Grafton Nunes will speak before the film.

 MORE on WEDNESDAY… 

BACKTALK

 

Take a breath.-Thomas Mulready
CoolCleveland.com
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