Blog sosAssociates

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Return Visit -- Cleveland Museum of Art's Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern and Renaissance Splendor: Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapestries

Thank you, Cleveland Museum of Art, or bringing both Renaissance Splendor: Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapestries and Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern to Cleveland! I look forward to coming back to the museum to see the exhibitions again with Julie, my co-blogger and wife.

On Friday, January 18, 2019, Stuart returned with Julie to show her these two major exhibitions. Both Wednesday and Friday nights are good weeknights to go to the Cleveland Museum of Art, since they are open later than other nights -- until 9:00 pm. Visiting the museum makes for a very enjoyable evening.

Julie and Stuart at Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern

Julie and Stuart at Renaissance Splendor: Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapestries

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

#NewYearsEve and #NewYearsDay 2019 #ThankYou

As we have done the past four years, we have created this #NewYearsEve and #NewYearsDay 2019 #ThankYou blog post to review some of the fun things we did in 2018. We enjoyed reliving the year through our 47 blog posts, and also recognize that we have many people to thank for all the activities and events that we attended in 2018.

This blog post includes images that link to our 2018 blog posts, as well as all of our 88 @sos_jr year-end thank-you tweets from New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Author(s):
Kevin F. Smith, Michael N. Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland GiveCamp 2018: Coding for Charity for Nine Years!

The Mission of Cleveland GiveCamp is to pair creative and technology talent with nonprofits in need.

Stuart did not have time to write this blog post at the end of July, since he was preparing for a backpacking trip and writing blog posts about FRONT International, but we still wanted to share our experiences at Cleveland GiveCamp 2018.

On July 20-22, 2018, Cleveland GiveCamp Weekend marked the ninth year of serving nonprofits in the Cleveland and Akron areas. The Smiths (Stuart, Kevin, and Mike) want to share with you the following tweets, photos, and information about Cleveland GiveCamp 2018.

Stuart has attended Cleveland GiveCamp weekend for all of its nine years, and in 2018 served on the Cleveland GiveCamp Steering Committee for his eighth year. He continues to manage both the ClevelandGiveCamp.org website and the @CleGiveCamp Twitter feed year-round, and serves on the Social Media Team during Cleveland GiveCamp weekend. This was Kevin's fifth year working on the Cleveland GiveCamp social media team. Mike returned this year to work on a Wordpress project for Hope for Kids Geauga (HopeForKidsGeauga.org) at his seventh GiveCamp. Cleveland GiveCamp continues to be one of the largest GiveCamps in the nation.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Museum of Art's Two Major Fall 2018 Exhibitions: Georgia O’Keeffe and Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapestries

I was very fortunate to receive an email invitation to arrive early for the November 29, 2018, Cleveland Museum of Art's preview event. There is a lot of interest in the newly opened exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art! The tickets for the weekend following the preview ended up selling out, and the night I attended brought in a good-sized crowd of Museum members to see the two major fall 2018 exhibitions:

In this blog post, I will share what I and others observed and shared on Twitter (including photos of the artwork), along with some other comments and resources about these two exhibitions. I like that the museum is featuring both their Renaissance Splendor: Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapestries and Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern exhibitions together, and offering special combined ticket pricing for the public (museum members get free tickets and their guests get discounted tickets).

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Start of the Cleveland Holiday Season! PlayhouseSquare Holidazzle - Cleveland Winterfest - TubaChristmas Cleveland

Traditionally, on the weekend after Thanksgiving, Cleveland kicks off the holiday season! On Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25, 2018, we took part in some great holiday celebrations!

We wrote this blog post as our way of saying thank you to PlayhouseSquare and Cleveland Play House for Holidazzle 2018, and to Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Cleveland Public Square for Cleveland Winterfest 2018.

We also want to mention the great Cleveland Foundation skating rink on Cleveland Public Square! The Foundation has been sponsoring a winter skating program since 2016 as a great addition to the year-round programming that takes place at the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Plaza.

In addition to Holidazzle and Cleveland Winterfest, we have included in this blog post tweets with photos and videos from this year's TubaChristmas Cleveland. Julie performs in TubaChristmas concerts in either Cleveland or Akron every year.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

2018 Cleveland Public Library Mini Maker Faire Brings Together Makers and Creatives

On the afternoon of Saturday, November 3, 2018, I attended the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire. 2018 marks the sixth year for the Cleveland Public Library - "The People's University" - as a sponsor and host of the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire, and I have attended and written blog posts about three of the previous years' events.

Also, I am excited that my sons had a booth at the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire this year, featuring their tabletop game, PerMUTATIONS. This is the first time they have been invited to share their game with the public at the Library. They have demonstrated their PerMUTATIONS game at the last two Ingenuity Cleveland's IngenuityFest events, which you can read about in our blog posts.

What follows are my 100 @sos_jr tweets and retweets, so you can see photos from the event, and learn how the Cleveland Public Library uses the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire to bring together area makers and creatives to share their knowledge and to encourage others to join them.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Ctrl + Alt + CLE

I recently learned that the Cleveland Foundation has launched the new Ctrl + Alt + CLE group. Although I missed the first meeting on September 6, 2018, #CtrlAltCLE Convenes: Tech & Digital Equity, it dealt with a topic that I am very interested in, so I knew I should make it a point to attend future meetings. Fortunately, I was able to attend the second #CtrlAltCLE meeting, and a special #CtrlAltCLE blockchain training for nonprofits/government.

#CtrlAltCLE Convenes: Blockchain for Social Good

In this blog post, I will share:

I am also including information about Lynda.com classes that relate to the work of #CtrlAltCLE. The classes are available FREE with your library card!

Lynda.com Business and Technology Classes -- FREE with Library Card!

This is just the beginning of the new #CtrlAltCLE program, and I recommend you join with me in learning how Ctrl + Alt + CLE will evolve.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Hack Cleveland's #Fix216: Criminal Justice Reform Scope-A-Thon

I knew of Hack Cleveland from reading their @HackCleveland tweets, but I had never attended any of their events. When I read that the Hack Cleveland leadership team had scheduled a #Fix216: Criminal Justice Reform Scope-A-Thon for Friday evening, October 26, 2018, and Saturday, October 27, 2018, I signed up. I figured it was a good time to not only learn about the group, but also learn by participating in the methods they used to develop a social justice technology solution. I also liked the idea of a "Scope-A-Thon," with its emphasis on investing the time to find the right plan to succeed on the issue that would give the greatest benefit.

Attendees also learned that the work of this year's Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion artists would be shared at the event. 
 
Here are the three issues on which attendees focused:
 
  1. Bail Reform

  2. Re-Entry Skills Alignment 

  3. Collateral Consequences/Sanctions

#Fix216: Criminal Justice Reform Scope-A-Thon

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

High Arts Festival Akron 2018 Winner

A BIG thank-you to Summit Artspace for reaching out on Twitter and recommending I visit the Summit Artspace gallery as part of the High Arts Festival Akron 2018 finale celebration on Saturday, October 6, 2018.

I already knew about the Akron High Arts Festival, and had it in my weekend calendar along with other local fun activities. Thanks to the tweet from Summit Artspace, followed by a Twitter direct message with some great information from Downtown Akron Partnership, I knew I had to attend this event!

I love how the High Arts Festival logo reflects how this Akron event has grown to not only include the Visual Arts, but also Music, Film, and the Literary Arts!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland IngenuityFest 2018: FuturePast

My weekend of Friday, September 28, 2018, through Sunday, September 30, 2018, was a time to learn about the creative people of Cleveland! The weekend started on Friday with an evening with creatives, which I wrote about in my blog post, PechaKucha Night Cleveland Volume 32 at Sachsenheim Hall. It continued with Ingenuity Cleveland's annual celebration of artisans, makers, and technology! This year, the theme was IngenuityFest 2018: FuturePast!

I continued my annual tradition of living the full IngenuityFest experience by attending all three days and talking to as many exhibitors as possible. This was the second year at their new, permanent location at The Hamilton Collaborative, 5401 Hamilton Avenue, Cleveland, which is now their year-round community hub.

I am proud that my sons, Kevin and Mike, had a booth at IngenuityFest for their tabletop game, perMUTATIONS, both last year and this year.

Please share the information in this blog post with your friends. I enjoy attending this event every year, and want to encourage you to invite people who have not attended.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

PechaKucha Night Cleveland Volume 32 at Sachsenheim Hall

Stuart had planned to be out of town in September 2018, but a change in plans brought him home early, allowing us both to attend PechaKucha Night Cleveland - Volume 32 on Friday, September 28, 2018. We always enjoy both attending PechaKucha Night Cleveland events, and writing blog posts about them!!

We really appreciate the PechaKucha Night Cleveland leadership team, presenters, and sponsors, and want to thank them for all these great events.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art - Ohio City

When we published our FRONT - Oberlin blog post about our Sunday, August 5, 2018, visit to Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum, we expected to not have time to visit any more FRONT venues. Stuart had planned to be out of town in September 2018, but a change in plans brought him home early.

With a very busy weekend coming up at the end of September 2018, we decided to make time on Wednesday afternoon, September 26, 2018, to visit the Ohio City FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art venues.

Since the opening of the FRONT International Triennial on Thursday, July 12, 2018, we have visited over fourteen venues. We want to take this opportunity to thank the organizers of, and the venues that hosted these great FRONT International Triennial exhibitions.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

A Gathering of Fascinating & Curious People - Akron Library Mini Maker Faire 2018

This year, the Akron Mini Maker Faire took place at the Main Library of the Akron-Summit County Public Library on Saturday, September 22, 2018. This was earlier in the year than it normally takes place. Stuart had planned to be out of town in September 2018, but a change in plans brought him home early, allowing us both to attend the Sixth Annual Akron Mini Maker Faire! Stuart has attended all six years.

Our @sos_jr tweets and retweets show some of what we and others experienced at the Akron Mini Maker Faire. We hope they give you some insight into what these Makers do, but to learn more, you need to attend the next Akron Mini Maker Faire and talk to the Makers directly.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Museum of Art's 29th Annual Chalk Festival

I had planned to be out of town in September 2018, but a change in plans brought me home early, allowing me to continue my annual tradition of creating a blog post of my photos from the Cleveland Museum of Art's Chalk Festival It is one of my favorite community events, which was celebrating its 29th year on the weekend of September 15-16, 2018! 

I have added my own chalk drawing in the past, but this year I rode my bike on the evening of Sunday, September 16, 2018, to see all the finished artwork after attending the Cleveland Cultural Gardens 73rd Annual One World Day.

Here are my 130 photos of the Cleveland Museum of Art's 29th Annual Chalk Festival, including my favorite pieces.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Cultural Gardens 73rd Annual One World Day

I had planned to be out of town in September 2018, but a change in plans brought me home early. I was excited to learn that I had not missed a great event that I attend every year -- Cleveland's Annual One World Day, held this year on September 16, 2018, at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

I have enjoyed One World Day for many years now, and want to thank the many volunteers and organizers for keeping this great Cleveland tradition alive!

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

FRONT International Triennial for Contemporary Art - Oberlin

We had never been to Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum before. We are so grateful that the FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art chose it and other Oberlin art venues for the inaugural year of FRONT. When we visited on Sunday, August 5, 2018, we were extremely pleased with the gem we found there.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art - Return to UpTown Cleveland

On Saturday, August 4, 2018, I returned to the venues in Uptown Cleveland to show my family what I saw on the opening day of FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art.

I hope you enjoy my photos in these tweets of my return visit to FRONT International Triennial in Uptown Cleveland.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Stuart at FRONT International Akron

Thursday, August 2, 2018, was a great day to explore Akron art! I had planned to go to Akron to spend the afternoon at the FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art venues in Downtown Akron, but the day I picked had even more to offer!

Besides receiving free gallery admission to the Akron Art Museum on their "FREE Thursday," there was also a special event announcing a new community service at the Connect with Dot Launch Party! In addition, the nearby Summit Artspace had in its main gallery the PARALLAX Contemporary Art Juried Exhibition, which runs until August 18, 2018.

Since the opening of the FRONT International Triennial on Thursday, July 12, 2018, I have visited over six venues before going to the Akron Art Museum.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Juie and Stuart at FRONT International Triennial - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018, we ended the month by taking the afternoon to explore the FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art venues in Downtown Cleveland. These are the first venues we have had time to visit since the FRONT International Triennial opening on Thursday, July 12, 2018. 

We spent seven relaxing hours taking our time seeing the artwork, and wanted to share our experience through our @sos_jr tweets and retweets about the day.

Juie and Stuart at FRONT International Triennial - Cleveland Public LIbrary

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Opening remarks by Fred Bidwell at the FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art Press Conference

FRONT International Triennial Opening Day Press Conference!

The BIG day is finally here!

Since I had received press accreditation back in January 2018, I received a password for the FRONT VIP Portal, and the following details from the SUTTON PR firm:

... our opening day press conference on Thursday July 12th, 2018 at 10:30 am. William M. Griswold, Director and President of the Cleveland Museum of Art, will join both Fred Bidwell, Executive Director of FRONT, and Michelle Grabner, Artist Director of the inaugural edition, to provide remarks, alongside the leadership of FRONT’S presenting partners. The event will take place at The Cleveland Museum of Art in the Gartner Auditorium at 1150 East Blvd, Cleveland OH 44106.

I enjoyed talking to several people at the reception -- it was great to see so many people here from all over the country.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors

We were excited to be invited to attend the Saturday, July 7, 2018, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors preview.

Here are our photos from the preview, followed by the tweets we shared as we toured the exhibition. We enjoyed seeing this special presentation of Yayoi Kusama's work, and even walked through the exhibition a second time to see everything from a different perspective.

Photos can't do it justice. The Infinity Mirrors installations of Yayoi Kusama are something you truly need to experience. It is great that we have an art museum in Cleveland that features great diversity, from the Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe exhibition we saw in the spring, to today's Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Dessert Time! Anniversary Cake at Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn!

Due to commitments at home, this is the first vacation in quite a while where we both were free to take a week-long trip. Because of this, we decided to write this blog post about the different locations we visited in Michigan from June 24 through July 1, 2018. We are sharing our 100 @sos_jr tweets and retweets to show our activities and our photos.

While not a perfect trip, in that we ended up needing to cut it short by two days, we created this post so we can look back on it to remind us of the fun we had and to share it with visitors to our blog.

Happy traveling!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Thank You Cosmic Bobbins and The Trust for Public Land

After attending the inaugural Common Ground on July 30, 2017, I knew that I would want to make a point of attending future Common Ground community conversations and related events. When I learned that the Cleveland Foundation planned to have the 2018 Common Ground on June 24th, which was during a week I had planned to be out of town, I delayed the start of my vacation. I am glad that I stayed in Cleveland that day to attend Common Ground 2018!

With so many interesting topics, I had a problem. It was great to have the problem of having to choose from so many options. In the end, I was able to take the 13+ sites that had topics that interested me, and decide on four that I would really like to attend. With the very full agendas happening at each location, I ended up only having time to visit two sites:

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

On June 9, 2018, we had a great day that we want to share with you. This blog post includes 152 tweets from before and during the Cleveland Museum of Art's Parade the Circle, and from our evening activities on the Cleveland Metroparks' waterfront. Writing this post reminds us of the fun we had, and we hope it encourages others to explore these and related activities in the future.

Parade the Circle 29th Year

 

We were able to attend the Parade the Circle together again in Cleveland's University Circle, and wanted to share our experience and photos from our @sos_jr tweets and retweets. If you never attended Parade the Circle, it is a must-attend Cleveland event!

Old Coast Guard Station

After an enjoyable time at University Circle, we ended the day with a visit to Cleveland Metroparks' Wendy Park and Edgewater Park. We had just read that day on Twitter about the renovations being done to the old Coast Guard Station at Wendy Park, by the Cleveland Metroparks.
Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

We started off June 2018 with some great activities and music. We often go to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Metroparks, and we wanted to share in this blog post some of the unique things we did on June 1 and June 2, 2018.

Djapo Cultural Arts Institute Performers

Lost Bob and the Ozone Ramblers

 

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Escape Day to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

What we needed was a simple day to get away -- thank you, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and the Cleveland Zoological Society, for providing the perfect venue.

Earlier in the month, we had learned from tweets by Etsuko Dunham, Danielle Garbo, and Kelly Manderfield about some incredibly beautiful Japanese cherry tree blossoms in the Cleveland Metroparks' Brookside Reservation, which is very near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Garrett A. Morgan Water Treatment Plant Open House

There is always something going on that you can learn about by following the right organziations on Twitter. I saw a tweet by @ShareTheRiver that linked to Cleveland Water Tour of the Garrett A. Morgan Water Treatment Plant

The Share The River event post stated that in celebration of American Water Works Association's Drinking Water Week, Cleveland Water was hosting an open house of their Garrett A. Morgan Water Treatment Plant. This was the final event of Cleveland Water's Drinking Water Week 2018 activities.

I am very interested in the subject of water treatment and city resource infrastructure. 

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

2018 Bald Eagle Fest at Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Mentor Marsh

Cleveland Museum of Natural History has nature hikes at Mentor Marsh. We learned that the Museum's Natural Areas Department has over 9,400 acres of land on 56 natural areas.

When Julie and I heard about the May 6, 2018, Bald Eagle Fest at Mentor Marsh, we were excited to check it out!

Eagle Nest at Mentor Marsh

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

8) Saturday, May 5, 2018 - Fifth Annual Station Hope

2018 marked the fifth year for Station Hope, which I have enjoyed for the past two years. It is an incredible event to experience!

Congratulations to Cleveland Public Theatre and all the Station Hope 2018 organizers for the grand success of this annual Cleveland event!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Akron Waterways Renewed! Blue Heron Homecoming

I thought it would be interesting to attend the Akron Waterways Renewed! Blue Heron Homecoming when I learned that it was taking place at the Akron Water Reclamation Facility.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

6) Friday, May 4, 2018 - MIX: Spectacle at Cleveland Museum of Art

Julie and attend most of the MIX at CMA events during the year. We enjoy both the general party atmosphere in the Ames Family Atrium, and the themed tours through the galleries led by art experts from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

5) Thursday, May 3, 2018 - Cleveland Museum of Natural History Members Behind-The-Scenes Night

My CMNH friends, adult programs coordinator Ashley Hall, and preparator and lab manager Lee Hall, had often recommended that I attend a Cleveland Museum of Natural History Members Behind-The-Scenes Night. They told me that attendees get to explore the normally off-limits lower levels of the Museum.

Therefore, when Spike Radway invited me to attend with him and Henry Lee, I knew I needed to make time to go.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

4) Wednesday, May 2, 2018 - Starship Troopers at Cedar Lee Theatre

My wife and great co-blogger, Julie, and I enjoy attending the Starship Troopers, the Reel Science event featured a science talk by the museum's collections manager of invertebrate zoology, Dr. Nicole Gunter. This was the last of the 2017-2018 Reel Science series. The Museum's adult programs coordinator, Ashley Hall, is already gathering ideas for next year's films -- send her your recommendations! 

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

CDPUG iMac Pro Video Briefing at Apple Eton

I highly recommend both the monthly Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group - CDPUG meetings (the final Thursday of most months), and also the special field trips that they plan. Spike Radway, the founder and program director of CDPUG, always recruits great presenters for the meetings.

It was great to start the month of May with a special field trip to the Apple Eton Store to learn from both Erica Brenner of Erica Brenner Productions, LLC, and Bill Baraona of Flex Media about video editing.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

2) Monday, April 30, 2018 - Front International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art Discussion at MidTown Tech Hive

When I first learned about Front International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art in the summer of 2016, I was very excited about this grand art show taking place over many northeast Ohio locations in the summer of 2018. What I did not know was that it was even bigger than just the summer exhibitions. I have already enjoyed attending several Front International artist talks, and look forward to more of these pre-summer events. 

I also want to note that FRONT International: An American City took place at the new MidTown Tech Hive. When I arrived, it was fun to learn that I already knew some of the people who work in this new tech-centric space. I recommend you learn more about Tech Hive by watching for a summer grand opening event which will be announced by Digital C. 

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

REI Cleveland Free Day of Fun at Holden Arboretum

My family participated in a great day of activities planned by the new REI Cleveland store ahead of the grand opening of their Beachwood location.

We attended a day of activities at Holden Arboretum, so in addtion to the special activities planned by REI Cleveland, we also explored the Murch Canopy Walk and the Kalberer Emergent Tower.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

"Eight Days a Week" of Fun

A flurry of activity! In late April and early May of 2018, I had eight busy days of activities! I originally created this as one single blog post listing all nine events, but later decided to publish nine posts to make it easier to find for my website visitors to read.

I still think of it as one post that I hope will not only give you insight into my eight-day week, but more importantly, encourage you to support these organizations with your presence at future events.

 

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Return Visit -- Cleveland Museum of Art's "Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe"

In our blog post, Cleveland Museum of Art's "Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe," we wrote that Stuart attended the Eyewitness Views Media and Influencer Exhibition Preview on February 24, 2018. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Julie was not able to attend. We knew she would enjoy this exhibition, so we planned to come to the show together at a future date.

We ordered our tickets to return on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, since the Cleveland Museum of Art's is open late -- until 9:00 pm -- on Wednesday nights to accommodate people like us who need an evening visit time.

While Stuart knew Julie would enjoy Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe, her enthusiasm for the show was even more than Stuart anticipated! It was fun to start the evening by having our photo taken in the Venetian gondola provided by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Stuart brings Julie to tour "Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe"

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Rock Hall Community Celebration 2018

On April 7, 2018, after a busy morning at the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 2018 Opening Day for Trails - Cleveland, and spending the afternoon at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Free First Saturday, I continued the fun with an exciting evening at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

A BIG shout-out to PNC Bank! In addition to sponsoring this free day at Cleveland's Rock Hall, they also sponsored the MOCA Free First Saturday that I enjoyed this afternoon.

There was so much happening at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that night, including concerts, fireworks, food, entertainment, and free entrance to the museum. I want to commend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame staff how they did a good job handling the large crowds. They kept the lines moving, and provided entertainment and activities to keep people engaged. 

Powered By PNC - Rock Hall Community Celebration 2018

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

MOCA Cleveland Free First Saturday featuring Simon Denny: The Founder's Paradox

On April, 7, 2018, despite a very busy morning at the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 2018 Opening Day for Trails - Cleveland, I was still very interested in seeing the current exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland in the afternoon. 

Thanks to the sponsorship of PNC Bank, the museum offers free admission for all visitors on the first Saturday of every month.

The current MOCA exhibitions include INDUCTION: Tauba Auerbach and Éliane Radigue, Simon Denny: The Founder's Paradox, Claudia Comte: Zigzags and Diagonals, and Mei-Jia & Ting-Ting & Chih-Fu & Sin-Ji: C. Spencer Yeh. 

My son, Kevin, is developing two board games, so when I told him about Simon Denny's board game designs, he joined me at the Museum. In addition to Simon Denny's work, there were also game designs by local college students.

Simon Denny: The Founder's Paradox

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Opening Day for Trails

Every year, because of my personal history, I always think that April 7th is a special day to explore a trail! So when I saw Bike Cleveland's tweet announcing that on Saturday, April 7, 2018, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy would have a Cleveland location for its annual Opening Day for Trails, I knew that I would need to attend! 

As I learned more about the day from Share The River's blog, and very informative @ShareTheRiver tweets, I grew more impressed with the strong partnership of organizations in Cleveland that were coming together on April 7th to promote trails and good environmental stewardship in northeast Ohio. The day's activities were hosted by the Cleveland Rowing Foundation.

Reading about the Facebook event, 2018 Opening Day for Trails - Cleveland, also excited me by mentioning the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail and the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail. I have enjoyed exploring both of these trails, and writing about them in some of my past blog posts.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

April 2018 Mix: Philosophy at Cleveland Museum of Art

On the evening of Friday, April 6, 2018, my wife and co-blogger, Julie, and I attended a Cleveland Museum of Art #MIXatCMA. This event takes place on the first Friday of each month, and we attend most of them. The MIX: Philosophy theme had special meaning for me, since it reminded me of seeing Auguste Rodin's sculptures in Paris. There is no additional charge for us to attend these enjoyable events as members of the Museum. 

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Public Library's "Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton"

Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton - An Exhibit
May 6, 2017 - March 31, 2018

Follow Superman's journey from his creative birth in Cleveland to his growing international popularity, his connection to social justice issues, his influence on the current superhero craze, and the pride our community maintains for its homegrown superhero.

Three floors of exhibits in the Main Library will feature memorabilia, art and artifacts from the Mike Curtis Collection of Superman Memorabilia and other prominent collectors.

When the closing day for Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton - An Exhibit came on March 31, 2018, I knew that I had to take my family for a final visit, and write this blog post to say how impressed I was with this exhibit. The exhibit not only told the history of Superman's creators, but did an excellent job of showing the Cleveland connection and how Superman led to the creation of other superhero characters.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.


Brite Winter 2018 - #Brite18

Arrived VERY late -- I had a blast!!!

As I drove through the rainy streets of Cleveland on a very late Saturday night, February 24, 2018, I was not sure I should attempt to attend the last hours of Brite Winter 2018. I had been invited by the Communications Department of the Cleveland Museum of Art  to attend the preview for Eyewitness Views earlier that evening. Thus, I had already had a very fun and very full evening.

It was very late, very dark, and raining, but since I have greatly enjoyed attending Brite Winter for years, since it was a small event in 2011, I decided to see how the event's evening ended. It ended up being the best decision I could have made!

As I parked my car, I saw the bright lights of Brite Winter transforming the underbelly of the Main Avenue Bridge to a festive area full of music and fun! It was great to be with all these people, dancing and having fun into the late evening.

Brite Winter's Fluri the Yeti!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe

I was very fortunate to attend the Cleveland Museum of Art's Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe Media and Influencer Exhibition Preview during the museum's members-only opening on February 24, 2018. This event was a fantastic preview with special music from the 18th century performed live in the museum, special drinks and food, and generally a great members party before the exhibition opened to the public on Sunday, February 25, 2018. The exhibition runs through Sunday, May 20, 2018.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

sosAssociates.com Blogiversary: Six!

 

2012 to 2018!!! Our sixth Blogiversary of celebrating the fun of exploring our community and writing about our experiences!

Thank you to my great co-writer and wife, Julie Smith! I always enjoy sharing the journey with her. I also want to thank the many organizations that hosted the events/activities I wrote about this year!

Please take a moment and scroll across the following images/links, and please click to read some of our 29 blog posts for 2017, and the posts we have done so far in 2018. 

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Keeping warm with the North Coast Harbor hats we won at the Ice Fest 2018 scavenger hunt!

The cold and snow did not keep Clevelanders away from the January 15th Cleveland North Coast Harbor Ice Fest 2018, which featured ice sculptures set up on the walkway along the lakefront. This year, part of the fun was a scavenger hunt. We all won North Coast Harbor winter hats!
 
Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

#NewYearsEve and #NewYearsDay #ThankYou

As a fun review of 2017, we created this blog post. We enjoyed reliving the year through our 29 blog posts, and also recognize that we have many people to thank for all the activities and events that we attended in 2017.
 
Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

2017 Trail Challenge

The Cleveland Metroparks introduced their new Trail Challenge on National Trails Day, June 3, 2017!! It was very appropriate, since the Trail Challenge reflects the spirit of National Trails Day by encouraging people to enjoy the great outdoors and to explore trails in the Cleveland Metroparks.

In this blog post, I will share information about my journey on the 10 required trails (and beyond!!), for the 2017 Trail Challenge through:

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Mixing it Up on a Wicked Holiday Weekend!

December 1, 2017 - a new month full of possibilities! We started off the final month of 2017 with a very active weekend!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Akron Mini Maker Faire 2017

On Saturday, November 11, 2017, the Main Library of the Akron-Summit County Public Library held the fifth annual Akron Mini Maker Faire. I have attended all five of these events showcasing creativity! Every year, I learn about maker groups and their very ingenious activities -- it is a true joy to explore!

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Mini Maker Faire 2017

On Saturday, November 4, 2017, the Cleveland Public Library celebrated its fifth Cleveland Mini Maker Faire by bringing together area makers and creatives to share their knowledge and encourage others to join them. 

This was the fourth Cleveland Mini Maker Faire that we have attended. Every year, we have a great time talking to people about their creations. We love learning about what is happening in Cleveland's creative community.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s

On September 27, 2017, we traveled back in time almost 100 years via the Cleveland Museum of Art's dazzling The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s exhibition. We were thrilled to attend the Media & Influencers Preview for this spectacular show.

When you go to this exhibition, please be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to fully explore it. The Jazz Age includes such an incredible variety of art and artifacts, that even after our two-hour visit, we plan to come back to see more. Ironwork, jewelry, clothing, accessories, paintings, furniture, cars, a chandelier, and other surprises -- all with an artist's flair! This exhibit is rich with the elegance of the era!

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Metamorphosis: IngenuityFest Cleveland 2017

In 2016, the theme for IngenuityFest weekend was "Awakening," since it was held for the first time at their new, permanent location: The Hamilton Collaborative, 5401 Hamilton Avenue, Cleveland. I found it interesting that Ingenuity Cleveland chose the theme “Metamorphosis” for IngenuityFest 2017 to reflect how they have evolved into a year-round community hub.

Included in this blog post are my photos and @sos_jr tweets and retweets from IngenuityFest 2017 weekend. I met a lot of interesting people, and enjoyed a lot of great entertainment. I encourage you to learn more about the creative people involved -- it would be worth your effort.

Author(s):
Julie Smith, Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Museum of Art Chalk Festival 2017

Every year, we visit and write a blog post about the Cleveland Museum of Art's Chalk Festival. It is one of our favorite community events. This blog post includes our photos from the two-day event, and our @sos_jr tweets/retweets with more photos and information about this year's Chalk Festival.

Most years, we attend only on Sunday. Stuart normally does a chalk drawing, and we take photos of all the finished works late on Sunday. This year, Stuart had two events scheduled for Sunday, so we spent a relaxing day on Saturday, September 16, 2017, on the Cleveland Museum of Art's south lawn overlooking Wade Lagoon.

Stuart did his annual chalk drawing, while Julie took in the ambiance of this peaceful setting. The Fine Arts Garden, with its Chester Beach’s Fountain of the Waters, combined with live music, and people from all over Cleveland creating their art, made for a perfect day.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

"A Prints of a Party" welcome by Bill Griswold, director and president of Cleveland Museum of Art

The Print Club of Cleveland's 33rd annual Fine Print Fair took place on September 15-17, 2017, at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Before the weekend opening of the Fine Print Fair to the public, there was an opening night benefit preview, "A Prints of a Party," on Thursday, September 14. 

While, as members of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Julie and I attend many events at the museum, we were not aware of the Fine Print Fair. Therefore, I was very pleased when Sarah Palagyi invited us to the "A Prints of a Party" preview by contacting me via the Column & Stripe Twitter account. Unfortunately, Julie had another commitment that night and was unable to join me.

Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Cleveland Has The Largest Urban Cycling Festival! NEOCycle 2017!

On September 8-10, 2017, the largest annual cycling festival in the United States, NEOCycle, was held in Cleveland at the Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park, through the support of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission! This was my third year attending what has become a great Cleveland tradition!

 
You really have to experience this event firsthand, but I hope this will give you a taste of it, so that you will want to go yourself next year!
Author(s):
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

2017 One World Day

The 2017 One World Day took place at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on August 27, 2017. Over 25,000 people attended!

My goal for this blog post is to share my 80 @sos_jr tweets and retweets, which have photos and videos from the event, as my way of thanking the organizers of this great, annual, Cleveland tradition. I also include below some of the articles and videos from the event.

The day was great fun, so enjoy the sights and music!