CAC connects communities through free arts and culture events

Arts and culture are well-known links in the community, but the costs represent a mountain that some people and organizations cannot climb.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is the region’s premier creative arts nonprofit, funding thousands of free cultural events throughout Cuyahoga County – with a wide range of events ranging from local photography to handmade crafts to fun community gatherings.

Last year, the CAC awarded $12.3 million to 275 organizations, enabling nearly 55% of supported programs to offer their programs for free.

Jill Paulsen, executive director of the CAC, believes that residents should have the opportunity to engage in artistic activities regardless of their circumstances.

“Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is funded by taxpayers’ money, so it’s very important to us that residents can pursue arts activities in their community without cost being a barrier,” she says. “We’re proud that the nonprofits funded by CAC are committed to this as well.”

Three CAC-supported organizations provided FreshWater Cleveland with details about their own contributions to the Northeast Ohio community.

Jim Szudy poses with Brooklyn Mayor Michael Procuk as part of the upcoming Cleveland Photo Fest exhibition, which focuses on mayors and public officials in the regionA picture says more than …

The Cleveland Photo Fest was “developed” in the late 2010s by Cleveland photographer Herbert Ascherman, who sees the medium as a unifying force for people of all backgrounds.

The month-long event, held each year on the first four weekends of September at the Bostwick Design Art Initiative, is open to amateur and professional photographers alike.

“People are taking photos with (both) cell phones and sophisticated equipment,” says Sue Starrett, Photo Fest’s volunteer fundraiser. “We want to make sure we cast a wide net and remain welcoming and open.”

This year’s exhibition features black-and-white portraits of 60 Cuyahoga County mayors and municipal officials – taken by a diverse group of 30 area photographers.

For cat lovers, there will be a retrospective of entries from a national cat show as well as a juried exhibition of 40 self-portraits by local women.

Other exhibitions feature fashion photography by Cleveland native Arlene Pachasa and the work of Daniel Hertel-Cournoyer, a member of the LGBTQ community.

Although whimsy and humor are a major part of Photo Fest, the program does not avoid serious topics, notes Starrett.

“Last year we had (photos of) an asylum-seeking family from Congo,” Starrett recalls. “It was very emotional to see the family members on opening night. That’s the magic of Photo Fest: We hang pictures, but then we have these educational events where we make connections.”

CAC provides thousands of dollars to support the marketing of an organization with an annual budget of $10,000 to $12,000. Supporting events of all sizes is critical to maintaining a vibrant arts ecosystem, says Photo Fest volunteer Starrett.

“The wonderful thing about CAC is that in addition to the larger programs, they also support smaller programs like ours,” she says. “We are all the arts community and we want to share that with the wider region.”

The Cleveland Photo Fest opens Friday, September 6, at the Bostwick Design Art Initiative, 2731 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, 44115 and runs through September 29. Admission is free and open to the public.

Young seamstress shows her quilt creation at a recent Oh Sew Powerful eventMaximum performance

Perhaps for obvious reasons, Paula Coggins doesn’t like the term “seamstress” when referring to Oh Sew Powerful, a Cleveland-based nonprofit that offers free sewing instructions for both beginners and experienced needle-and-threaders.

“Closers” is the preferred term for visitors to the Frederick Douglass Resource & Recreation Center in Cleveland’s Lee-Miles neighborhood, where participants make clothing, decorative crafts, intricate textile art and more. Coggins, a former accountant and business consultant, founded the group in 2020, at a time when people were looking for therapeutic outlets in the face of the crisis.

“With COVID, people were locked down and had to start living again,” says Coggins. “So many people expressed their joy at having an activity they could do outside of the house.”

JOANN Inc. (formerly known as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts) provided sewing machines when in-person meetings resumed. Since then, the free class has attracted an average of 20 participants per session. Recent projects include a tree-themed quilt dedicated to the Harvard Community Services Center.

Coggins says she’s also excited about an indoor quilting trail that will connect even more public buildings and businesses in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood. While sewing is often viewed as an activity for older people, the hobby has benefits for young people as well, she adds.

“Sewing when you’re young helps you develop critical thinking skills that can help you later in life,” says Coggins. “You have to think about a project and figure out how to do it. You go through a whole series of planning.”

CAC awarded Oh Sew Powerful two grants last year – one $5,000 grant funded 11 free sewing classes while also providing the organization with greater public recognition.

“As a fellow, you get a lot of exposure – CAC also provides access to resources like seminars and Zoom programs to make us more professional,” says Coggins.

Fun in autumn

Arts-related entertainment has been the theme of University Circle, Inc.’s (UCI) Yay! Saturdays program since its inception. While the premise remains the same, officials have moved the event from its usual summer date to a regular fall event.

“The concept was originally designed to help students bridge the gap between school closures during the pandemic and reopening,” Heidi Clevinger, UCI’s chief marketing and experience officer, said in an email. “When the pandemic ended, schools reopened and traditional summer activities resumed. UCI realized that the original timing for this program was no longer the best.”

Yay! On Saturdays, families and children can explore different interactive zones, with each zone offering an artistic, educational or recreational component. For example, a STEM area might emphasize science activities, while play zones focus on climbing and running.

As a collaboration between the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and other stakeholders, Yay! Saturdays aligns with the CAC’s mission to “inspire and empower the community through investment in arts and culture,” Clevinger says.

“CAC has long supported many of UCI’s free public programming events such as Yay! Fall Fun and Wade Oval Wednesdays,” Clevinger continued. “Their support is absolutely critical to our work and our goal of providing meaningful programming. As a nonprofit organization, every dollar counts for UCI and we are grateful to funders like CAC.”