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