The Shaker Heights Arts Council Insiders

Shaker Heights Arts & Music Festival coming June 19-20

2010-05-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Summer Solstice party has become the Shaker Heights Arts & Music Festival. The Arts Council has joined forces with the Ohio Designer Craftsmen to put on an exciting street fair for the whole family. We have changed the venue from the Colonnade of years past to Farnsleigh Road, which will be closed to traffic for the two days and will be transformed into festival grounds for live music, childrens' activities, food and refreshments from local vendors, and street entertainment.
The craft fair was formerly on the grounds of Hathaway Brown and will now be FREE. Come and peruse the artists' fare and enjoy the entertainment. Bring a chair to watch the great bands perform on our stage all Saturday evening. Check out the lineup on our web page Summer Sostice.

Aha!

2009-02-25T10:48:00.001-08:00

The Aha was a total success; it was wonderful to see the big turnout at Loganberry, and the evening was marvelous; Bill O'Connell told stories from his radio days, and William Clarence Marshall had the audience riveted with his great voice (our mayor of Shaker, Earl Leiken, is at the table bottom left). I did the best I could with photos under pretty dark conditions; great for watching performances but dicey with low light photography.
I particularly love the renditions of show tunes by William, and we purchased a CD so we can continue to be entertained by this lovely man.

Here is a pic of William, and Harriet Logan of Loganberry books:

AHa this Friday night; come one come all

2009-02-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Everyone is invited to our fundraiser AHa (at home with the arts) this Friday night, February 20, at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd (near Shaker Square). The featured artist is the highly acclaimed bass vocalist William Clarence Marshall, who will perform selections from Porgy and Bess and other favorite Broadway shows. Bill O'Connell, the program manager from WCLV, will host and tell stories. We are really fortunate to have a private show with these two talented men.
The cost for the event will be $30.00 for non-members, and $25.00 for SHAC members.
Complimentary wine and refreshments will be served. The funds from this party will help support our annual summer solstice event in Shaker. Payable online at www.shakerartscouncil.org!
More than ever, we need to support the arts in our community.

more thoughts on the rainout

2008-06-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

here is what Sally has to say about next year; onward and upward!....

"As the group of wonderful Summer Solstice 2008

(SuSo08) planners reflect on the awesome power of

nature, we look forward to getting together and planning

SuSo09. With the support of the county's generous

grant for next year, we have no other choice but to look

toward sunnier skies."

Sally

zen and the art of solstice maintenance

2008-06-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

The longest day of the year has been laid down to rest on its grumpy bed. Many thoughts will arise along with the sun tomorrow; a new day ,freshened by light of the morning, shooting rays off the sparkling grass.
These trickle -down- thoughts, of the what had been, and what could have been if Solstice had happened, spark in and out of our minds ,to temper last night's rain drenched souls despairing the demise of stamping muddy feet to the elusive drum beats, shoving down wet hot doggies in a last ditch effort to grab a meal, a song, a Machiavellian juggler, an otherworldly magician. Bands waiting in the wings, crafters bouncing about unsure in the downspouts like maniac nuns with white nylon tents like vestments grasped round about them flying in the wind above their drenched dark heads.
Optimistic... yes,it seems that we were, surely, in the planning.
And it calls to mind an ole hip book from a few decades ago; Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. It's about how one must live for the day,to really concentrate on and love the process of that living, and not focus only on the end product. In the solstice planning process, many friendships were cemented, many jokes told, news shared, positive vibes for the Shaker community felt. Over the many months of planning the party we must not forget the spirit raised, the awesome energy and creativity that evolved . This speaks to our core being as an organization; and we can send out arrows of this to all our future endeavors.

what the weather gods hath wrought

2008-06-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

The elephant in the room got up and gave a loud trumpet: for us Solstice planners, we never really talk about how the festival is weather dependent. After all, we have lucked out for the past five years. This year, however, the weird June weather swooped in suddenly and fiercely a bit after five o'clock, just as folks were arriving. The tents had been set up (thanks go out to Quata and Roger for many long hours) and everything was ready to rock. But not to be. Apologies go out to the crafters, entertainers, food vendors....but I guess you gotta know how to go with the flow with weather; and as I write this the darn sun is out. As the saying goes, "timing is everything". In an alternate time and space, solstice happened and was great. Just not this year! Onward and upward.

Shake it for Solstice

2008-06-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

This morning Fox 8 News filmed a jammin' preview of what's coming up for Saturday's solstice. Shaker Square's Sarava restaurant was the scene for the tantalizing sound bites.

Magician Richard McClendon performed a few sleight of hands to Fox's amazed Kenny Crumpton and his assistant.

Sergio, the owner of Sarava, taught Kenny how to whip up some tasty looking Brazilian vodka drinks, which we all eyed longingly: drat, it's 8 am in the morning!

Cindy Hill and her Brazilian drum line band pounded out some great beats that I am sure got the work-bound Shakerites passing by on the sidewalk tapping their toes, along with all the viewers catching Fox news early in the morning.

2008-05-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

SuSo is coming!!!!!

So….

What is the Shaker Arts Council anyway? That’s the question that rolled around in my mind about four years ago when I was approached by then-president B.A. Green to become involved in the council. I remember how she kept referring to “Shac this”, or;” Shac” that and I was numbly wondering why the heck this “Shac” person was such a biggie in the organization. Of course, now I know that Shac stands for Shaker Heights Arts Council and now I throw the term out like it’s my best buddy, and a good buddy it has become indeed.

Our current president is Suzanne Cooper. Here is a photo of Suzanne doing a dynamite drumming job at last year’s solstice.

One of my favorite events of the night of the solstice party is the community drumming session .Anyone who wishes to can participate; from watching on the fringes the past few years I have wanted to throw my camera down (I am the designated photographer skulking about the perimeters of the crowd) and just hammer on one of those lovely instruments in the spirit of the evening surrounded by young and old members of my community.