Brandon Chrostowski has a ton of great ideas, and the determination to make them into reality. Building off his fine French restaurant that hires those returning from incarceration, adding a network of support services (child care, housing, training, bakery, butcher), and fresh off the James Beard finals, his latest brainstorm is to offer a $250 gift certificate to Edwins for every gun turned in to Cleveland Police. View CoolCleveland’s exclusive VIDEO interview with Chrostowski at his place on Shaker Square.Liz Maugans will need nine lifetimes to make all her brilliant ideas happen, but so far, she’s tackled these roles: artist, educator, gallerist, curator, mom, social justice advocate and arts & culture administrator. Add cultural commentator to that list and read the first installment of CoolCleveland’s new column, CULTURATI, about her vision for turning NEO into a creative WONDERLAND.
Bruce Checefsky, photographer, educator and writer, has been speaking truth to power in his recent reporting in CoolCleveland on the challenges of arts & culture funding in Cuyahoga County. There’s more to come on that story, but this week he turns his lens to the debacle-in-the-making as Republicans attempt to dismantle democracy with Issue 1, and he speaks out, joining CoolCleveland in urging a NO VOTE on Issue 1 on August 8. Remember to register to vote by July 10.
So many local heroes exhibiting their brilliance this week: reggae master Carlos Jones at WOW, County Exec Chris Ronayne in the Flats, painter Justin Brennan at HEDGE, author James Renner at Beachwood Library, and the legacy of Mansfield Frazier at Château Hough to raise money for his non-profit Neighborhood Solutions. We can all be heroes. I suspect you are one as well.
Brandon Chrostowski’s Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute has expanded from a single fine French restaurant to include a butcher, a bakery, a daycare center, and housing for the formerly incarcerated, whom he trains in the field of food service – over 500 trainees to date. Last week he was honored as a finalist for the prestigious James Beard award, one of only five in the country.
His latest idea is the most audacious yet: he’s offering a $250 gift certificate to Edwin’s Restaurant for every gun taken off the street and turned in to the Cleveland Police. View the video here.
There’s almost no one in the visual arts community who doesn’t know Liz Maugans. The printmaker/mixed media artist is also a catalyst. She co-founded printmaking nonprofit Zygote Press, which spawned similar groups devoted to other media. When she stepped down as its executive director, she fired off project after project focused on connecting people with art and artists with each other.
Now she’s sharing some of her thoughts about who gets attention in NE Ohio’s creative scene and what can be done in expand that network, something that’s a passion for her: finding opportunities for artists of all demographics and making the scene feel less exclusionary. You can read her ideas in this, her first column for CoolCleveland.com. Read more.
With the Republican supermajority in Columbus focused on silencing the voice of voters forever and cementing its absolute power, local Democratic officials are reminding people of the importance of turning out and voting on August 8 to protect democracy in Ohio.
Bruce Checefsky attended a Cleveland Ward 7 Democratic Club meeting to hear what people had to say. As Ward 7 precinct committeeman accurately put it, “At the end of the day, the Republican agenda is to make it harder for democracy. Issue 1 is not just about abortion rights. It is about controlling us.” Read more.
The Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project aka CUSP is a nonprofit presenter of new & experimental music. It’s currently looking for innovative performers to expand its 2023-24 season. If you like to chart new realms of sound or use music in a mixed-media setting, get your proposal together. Read more.
If you want to vote NO in the August 8 election to prevent voters from being stripped of their voice by power-hungry politicians, you must register by July 10. Double check your registration. It’s too important! Read more.
Low-cost spay/neuter nonprofit PetFix has fixed thousands of dogs and cats, preventing the birth of countless unwanted animals. It will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an ice cream social on Saturday July 15, but it’s asking people to RSVP by July 5. Yes, there’ll be adoptable animals there!Read more.
The Happy Dog, the eclectic venue in Gordon Square, was awarded a 2023 Music in Action grant from the New York City-based nonprofit Live Music Society. It will fund a project called Hip Hop Underdogs, a collaboration with the iFilm216, which will work with students to film local hip-hop artists at Happy Dog.Read more.
MON 7/3 True Crime Crimes against women have fascinated Cleveland writer James Renner since he wrote his first book about the murder of Amy Mihaljevic. His new book explores a Shaker Heights teen’s murder. He’s at the Beachwood Library this evening.
WED 7/5 Rising Star Piano Cleveland’s 2023 Young Artists competition is about to launch, and it’s kicking it off with a concert by its 2018 winner, 19-year-old Eva Gevorgyan, at CIM.
