Celebrate the arrival of the second round of the 2009 Spanglees! As before, be sure to read to the end, where you — our loyal readers — get to pick the top story of the year. (Voting ends Dec. 31, 2009.)

Today, Tim Marshall picks his best-of list for Northeast Ohio’s visual arts institutions and events.

Cleveland’s social canvas is always full of great events and personalities, but 2009 stood out as the year our signature museum got its groove back and one of our largest annual happenings remembered that community arts events are truly about the community’s art.

Given the many fab installations and talented artists in town, it was hard to narrow down the following best-of list. But hey, these types of things, like art, are subjective. My main criterion for these selections was the fact that after many months, art snobs and newbies alike are still talking about them.

Hottest Opening Party

Where were you June 20 — besides Cleveland or Columbus Pride, that is? Whether you were able to attend the ritzy VIP reception or were just lucky enough to have made the standing-room-only cut-off for attending Summer Solstice, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s East Wing event, you witnessed one of the best parties this city has ever seen. This is key for two reasons: One, the party celebrated a milestone in the museum’s ambitious expansion plan, and, two, the museum proved it can hold its own against other arts institutions, such as SPACES and MOCA, which had been seen as trendier alternatives to the University Circle staple. The event staff let it rip with great musical performances (the highlight of which was a lengthy set by London-born DJ Rekha that had guests dancing up a storm) and a hot vibe that made its way through the fashion-forward crowd. Oh, yeah, there was lots of great art on view, too.

Best Revival of a Queer Icon

I’m hoping all of you had a chance to get your Warhol on last spring, thanks to the Cleveland Institute of Art, which displayed some very rare works by the most popular artist to ever emerge from the Rust Belt. The show challenged the usual notions of what Andy Warhol’s art looks like, as it featured detailed prints of John Wayne, Mickey Mouse, Superman and other pop culture icons — an important statement to make as images of his four-up Marilyn Monroe and classic Revolver paintings have been printed or screened on everything from underwear to mouse pads (Urban Outfitters: I’m talking to you). Warhol would have been thrilled with that, mind you, but the masses have gotten so caught up in those few works that many fail to realize that geniuses like him are far from being one-trick ponies. Essentially, the exhibit proved that even after four decades, Warhol’s pop still packs a punch. Now, if only we can get a Cleveland venue to host a festival of Warhol’s films. Perhaps CIA’s Cinematheque will pick up this ball in 2010?

Best Exhibit/Installation

The Cleveland Ingenuity Festival has quickly become a highly anticipated event for scene-sters and artists alike. This year the festival’s powers-that-be made a special effort to reach out to community artists when they gave Dana Depew, owner of Tremont ArtWalk haunt Asterisk Gallery, the keys to an abandoned building downtown. Depew created Asterisk@Ingenuity, a rich gallery full of diverse works of art; media ranged from paintings to sculpture to video to performance. Highlights included the post-modern-meets-retro Ladyspace (by Spangler Maria Miranda), a found-object visual essay on the Catholic church by Robert Bucklew, and a slumber-party-as-group-performance-art piece in which dozens of quirky, artsy types spent the night in the space. Although downtown has seen many great (and not-so-great) galleries come and go, for one weekend it was home to a truly diverse space with exceptional works on view. The only downside was that it was located just outside the main festival area. Still, while many attendees gawked at the electrifying musical act of Ian Charnas on the main stage, others quietly roamed Depew’s makeshift gallery, “oohing” and “ahhing” along the way.

Best Cause of Impulse Spending Due to Alcohol

You may not have been sure whether or not you wanted that artisan scarf before you downed those two (for the price of one) martinis at Luxe during happy hour, but afterward, you simply couldn’t imagine life without it. I’ll let you in on a piece of advice, kids: Never drink and shop. But if you are going to, you might as well do it at one of the newest arts events on the social calendar, entrepreneur Danielle Deboe’s seasonal Made in the 216 parties, where local artists and designers get the rock-star treatment. Deboe has done a bang-up job of encouraging hipsters and Gen Y Clevelanders to shop local while at the same time bringing media attention to the area code’s crème de la creatif, including superstar fashion-label Wrath Arcane, pithy T-shirt-source Cleveland Clothing Company, and jewelry designer Susan Scaparotti, among many others. The events also have served to keep the spotlight on the revitalized Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and give its many new restaurants, bars, and boutiques a boost.

Best Work that Made Non-Art Lovers Go “Hmmm…?”

Clunky. Hairy. Awkward. No, we’re not talking about any local public officials or that unfortunate hook-up you had at last year’s office Christmas party. Rather, we’re still in awe over Urban Trotter, the mechanical creature It Artist Melissa Daubert brought to life at this year’s Ingenuity Festival. Part-horse, part-monkey and all-Daubert, many a festival-goer took a turn “driving” the work around the festival, making heads turn and kids hold their mommy. The brilliant piece was Daubert’s latest kinetic sculpture, and deep high-brow criticism of it might state that its purpose was to speak to clashing cultures between the automatic and the autonomic. However, most of the passersby failed to see this dynamic and merely stopped at the surface upon seeing this creation coming toward them after having one too many in the beer garden.

Honorable Mentions

‘Tis the season of giving, so let’s give a shout-out to some other noteworthy artists, events and venues. SPACES Gallery’s Erie Prom helped us get over horrible memories of own high school proms, during which we were more concerned with our beards’ corsages than they were. Low Life Gallery is playing a part in securing the Waterloo area’s reputation as “the next Tremont” with a regular schedule of groovy shows. Artist Amy Casey took home the 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist, but most of us would agree she emerged long ago after gaining a national reputation for her breakthrough solo exhibitions in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Last but not least, we have to mention the recent FrigidArt show at Asterisk Gallery. Some of the works had merit, some didn’t, but the whole thing was a triumph for pushing the envelope. After all, isn’t that what good artists do best?

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Great
written by handbag , January 23, 2010

That's really the hottest opening party, the best parties this city has ever seen. Also the exhibition is very good, many new items were presented.

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