• Article

    First look: The 36th Cleveland International Film Festival

    Published July 19, 2011 by

    With the record-setting 35th Cleveland International Film Festival in the books, the staff have turned their attention to the 36th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF). While logistical planning, fundraising efforts, and community outreach partnerships are underway here in Cleveland, half a world away Artistic Director, Bill Guentzler, is in Karlovy...
  • Article

    Illustrating Manayunk one person at a time

    Published July 19, 2011 by

    Artist Mat Tomezsko recently undertook a project in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and the Manayunk Development Corporation to reflect the historical and contemporary feel of Manayunk through a series of street art paintings. Many of these pieces line Main Street in this North Philly area...
  • Article

    “FireHouse Detroit” begins

    Published July 19, 2011 by

    I recently dropped in on artist Greg Holm at Firehouse Engine Company #4, the decommissioned Corktown firehouse that’s the site of an exciting, ambitious music/sound art event taking place this Friday night. (The performance is the first installment of “FireHouse Detroit,” a five-part art installation that Holm is directing. Read...
  • Article

    Exploring Pig Iron’s roots

    Published July 18, 2011 by

    This spring, the Pig Iron Theatre Company received a $150,000 Knight Arts Challenge grant to strengthen Philadelphia's contemporary performing arts scene by launching a two-year training program for actors and directors in the Crane Old School space in the Fishtown area. This week, the Philadelphia Inquirer profiled the project and...
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    Nichole Canuso’s exploration of perception

    Published July 18, 2011 by

    By Nichole Canuso, Nichole Canuso Dance Company Nichole Canuso was awarded a $50,000 grant as part of the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia to broaden people’s understanding of art and dance by turning the audience into a participant in an aural and visual performance journey called The Garden. Canuso recently returned...
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    Makai rocks The Rock Shop on South Beach

    Published July 18, 2011 by

    I've heard the local music scene is tough, especially for local musicians. This may be true, but so is life. Last night beneath red stage lights and bursts of green laser lights, Makai performed from its latest album, "Luz al Instante (Instant Light)"at The Rock Shop — a South Beach...
  • Article

    Brandished at Re:View Contemporary

    Published July 15, 2011 by

    The eye that delights in detail will have a field day with “Brandished,” a two-person show on view at Re:View Contemporary. Featuring work by recent Cranbrook Academy of Art graduates Wes Taylor and Chitra Gopalakrishnan, “Brandished” presents digital prints, drawings and screen prints that explore the contrasting subjects of simplicity...
  • Article

    The power of poetry

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) has been helping the youth of Philadelphia discover the power of their voices through spoken word & literary expression since 2006. This week CNN profiled the Knight Arts grantee, following the story of  19-year-old Alana Gooden, who credits PYPM with saving her life: “If PYPM didn’t exist, Gooden said she and her fellow members might not be where there are right now. ‘We wouldn’t be performing, we wouldn’t be promoting positive change, we would be out there with them downtown, flash mobbing, running around, fighting, cursing, getting arrested, shooting, dying,’ she said.”
  • Article

    Puppets visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    By Meranda Stuart, Matrix Theatre Against a backdrop of sun, the sweet beats of Motown, community art projects and activities, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit’s block party was the perfect place for families and community members. The Matrix Puppetry Department provided children with a variety of puppets. Puppets varied...
  • Article

    Matrix puppetry department at Riverdays

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    By Meranda Stuart, Matrix Theatre For the third year in a row, Matrix Theatre set up their tent at the Riverdays June 24-26, 2011. Riverdays is a four-day festival that celebrates the environment of Detroit, and most importantly the Detroit River. It is a festival of performances, rides, and games...
  • Article

    ArtWorks 945 is saving the homeless

    Published July 14, 2011 by

    Synonyms for the word “homeless” are unhoused, nomadic, outcast and desolate. Folks struggling with reliable and safe places to sleep may feel this way sometimes. This economy’s impact on so many is an opportunity to approach homelessness with new ideas and look at programs that are working. One of Charlotte’s...