The City of Lakewood, despite its substantial economic and social challenges, is home to an extraordinary arts community. By creating an overlay of art related programs and events within the existing city fabric, we can generate countless opportunities. It makes all the sense in the world for our community to learn from those already “walking the walk.”...

The Lakewood Arts scene is buzzing, featuring hundreds of fine artists, performing arts venues, emerging arts neighborhoods, numerous art galleries, and a myriad of art events. Another month brings some of City’s most exciting Arts and Culture Events to the forefront. Here is just a sampling of what’s in store in the upcoming weeks...

‘Pop Art Show’ at bela dubby Rocks Out! With works of Jimi, Siouxsie, Prince, Iggy, White Stripes, The Clash, Ziggy, Bjork, Blondie and T-Rex, Rock Pop Artist Michael Heasley gives us a show worthy of SOHO. ‘Rock Shots’, showing this month at bela showcases some of the most popular and influential Rock Icons of the 20th and 21st century...

Diversity is pervasive at the Wobblefoot Gallery, a peek around the corner from Madison Avenue at 1662 Mars. Behind its deceptively small storefront lies a long hall displaying soothing watercolors of freight ships and detailed nature landscapes by featured artist, Chris Gregg,...

THERE'S AN OLD ART WORLD joke that nobody rushes out to buy art as a stocking stuffer. But these days, they might."Small works" shows are all the rage this holiday season and the price for one of these pieces can drop as low as two figures...

On Saturday, October 6, 2007, Lakewood had the chance to meet Columbus artist Rebecca Jadway up close and personal as she presented her show Three Bodies.

Why not take some basic household items or even plumbing supplies and turn them into one-of-a-kind, beautiful garden art?

Beck Center, bela dubby, Local Girl Gallery, and more

What can you do with an old screw factory? Create the Screw Factory Art Studios! Nestled in historic Birdtown, the former Lake Eric Screw has morphed into very swanky artist studios.

More than 100 partygoers flocked to the “Think Spring” benefit auction to support the Friends of the Mentally Retarded at Local Girl Gallery on Saturday, April 21. An elegant party including an art auction featuring the talents of local artists from among others, the Beck Center and Rocky River Adult Activity Center. There were over 80 pieces of Spring-Inspired art ripe for the bidding; at last tally the event raised upwards of $2,000!

Did you know…. that the Lakewood Civic Auditorium’s ceramic art façade “Early Settler” or Johnny Appleseed as many of us affectionately refer to this Lakewood icon was designed by respected artist Viktor Schreckengost? If you recall, Viktor Schreckengost (born June 26, 1906, in Sebring, Ohio) is the father of industrial design, a long-time teacher at Cleveland Institute of Art and creator of the Jazz Bowl, designed for Eleanor Roosevelt. His Early Settler sculture is the largest freestanding ceramic sculpture in the world.

At bela dubby’s opening entitled “Pieces” a few Saturdays ago, I caught up with jewelry designer and proprietor of Artifactual Creations, Chris Swieger, to talk about his new jewelry line. If you recall, I had the opportunity to interview Chris last year at his Trash and Treasure Show at bela dubby. Chris sets all of his work in resin using everyday items “straight from the junk drawer” and creates provocative art and jewelry. I asked Chris about his inspiration for the new line of jewelry with its whimsical starfish and seahorses. He tells me that starfish are able to grow back any limb they lose—and he finds this resilience an inspiration and a testament to the human condition.

What do Poetry, Garage Jazz, and Lakewood all have in common? I’ll let you in on a little secret…it seems we have a poetry magazine emerging right in our midst.

Local Girl Gallery popped the cork on the New Year of gallery showings and fundraisers by hosting another amazing gathering. Thirty artists contributed to the “Lights of Hope Benefit” by creating unique luminaries that were auctioned off to a packed house on Saturday raising almost $4,000 for the Domestic Violence Center for Cleveland’s Stalking Awareness Programs.
This January marks the fourth annual observance of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), started in 2004 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. Since its inception, NSAM has become a unifying force for victim service providers across the country to raise awareness about the serious and deadly crime that victimizes more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in America each year.

Silhouette School of Dance recently held its Open House to celebrate the accomplishments of its students – and to let prospective students learn more about programs for children and adults.

Doris Long brings something fresh to the table with an eclectic menu of jazz favorites from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Last Friday at the Waterbury Coach House, I had the pleasure of catching a few sets over a couple of glasses of pinot noir with my husband and a couple of friends.

I had the pleasure of experiencing some “Pop Art” this Saturday at Local Girl Gallery and the Pop Shop. For those of you not too sure what I’m talking about, let me fill you in. Pop Art is an art movement and style that had its origins in England in the 1950s and made its way to the United States during the 1960s. Pop artists center upon familiar images/icons of the popular culture such as billboards, comic strips, magazine advertisements, and supermarket products to create their art and message. Some Pop Artists that come to mind are the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

We motored into bela dubby to check out the latest exhibit, “Car Kulture Show”, which is meant to be an introduction to the “Lakewood Car Kulture Show”, which was held in Madison Village on Saturday, August 26th.

Gallery Events for August 8th through August 21

Gallery Events for July 25th through August 7th

Gallery Events for July 11th through July 25th

Gallery Events for June 27th through July 10th

On Saturday, June 3rd, The Pop Shop Gallery and Studio celebrated its first year anniversary with a show entitled, “Pop-O-Matic”. This celebration show housed many artists that participated in the opening back in May of 2005, along with artists who have since joined the gallery. Artists included Jeff Hulligan, Julie Krofcheck, Anthony Washington, Inky Lorain, Meredith Hahn, Jeremy Mann, Rob Jones, Rich Bogart, Kim Cheon, Arabella Proffer-Vendetta, Adam Braun along with works by owner, Rich Cihlar. All the artists are local with the exception of Anthony Washington who hails from Mississippi.

Spring has sprung! Time for parties everyone! Isn’t it great when you can start a season with a rhyme? Sadly, there were no gallery openings to recount, but still plenty of reasons to visit our Lakewood galleries this time of year, for instance, bachelorette parties, baby showers, barbeques and birthdays to name a few. These events come into full bloom this time of year, and it takes some ingenuity to come up with that perfect gift or as in our case, gifts.

There was a lot to experience in the Lakewood art scene on Saturday, May 6th, so we decided to make a day of it! We started at the Wobblefoot Gallery's show, Celebrating Life. This Juried Art Show, which ran from noon till 4pm, was a celebration of the Gallery's 15th anniversary. Participating artists were: Nancy Womack, John Muscarra, Patrice Mueller Varzelle, Irene Sukle, Ruth Finley, Howard Hoehn, Gretchen L. Burmeister, Lyn Minnis, Jim Stracensky, Neal Jenne, Gerald J. Yustick, Robert Tubbesing, and Jim Messenheimer. Awards presented were First Place to Tim O'Connor, Second Place to Douglas Oldershaw, Third Place to Virginia Sonntag, and Fourth Place to Catherine Billingsley.