BAYarts is offering a course, appropriately titled "Launching Pad," for students that have just completed their sophomore, junior or senior year in high school that is designed to encourage serious students to try new media and continue to build their portfolio. As students prepare for art school, they will work with professional artists and teachers in a variety of disciplines and locations. This intensive week-long "camp" will be a once-in-a-lifetime way for students to get close to real working studios and get focused attention on their portfolios. The camp is August 2-6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The course will include working in BAYarts ceramics studio, a life-drawing class with a nude model, plein-air painting, and a detailed look at the nuts and bolts of painting (like the best ways to stretch canvas, use materials and so on). The students will head out to Zygote Press for some hands-on print-making and visit the Cleveland Institute of Art. Also included will be  a portfolio review and a cook-out/chill-out on the last day.

Bay Village native Patricia Heaton was the guest of honor at BAYarts’ fundraising event on July 6. The Hollywood actress, who is well-known for her Emmy Award-winning role on the television series “Everybody Loves Raymond,” still maintains strong ties to the community. Heaton returns to Bay Village often with her husband, David Hunt, and four sons.

She was interviewed by Dick Feagler in front of a live audience of BAYarts supporters and her fans (some of whom came from as far away as Mentor to see their favorite actress). Feagler, a former columnist for The Plain Dealer and host of “Feagler & Friends,” is also a Bay resident.

The event raised $5,000 for the restoration of the Irene Lawrence Fuller House on the BAYarts campus, with completion scheduled to coincide with the Bay Bicentennial in October.

The spotlight will shine on some Bay Village residents on July 25, when they take to the stage to help raise funds for their city's Bicentennial. Bay's newest stars will join the cast of "The Music Man" at Huntington Playhouse for a 2 p.m. matinee performance. A reception following the play is included in the $20 ticket price.

Local business owner Jim Potter has added his support to the event by buying out the house at Huntington Playhouse, donating all of the ticket sales that afternoon to the city's 200th birthday celebration in October.

Appearing in cameo roles in the musical will be Fr. Tim Gareau of St. Raphael's Church, Jim Potter, contractor Doug Gertz, television personality Eileen McShea, Community Services Director Debbie Bock, and Ravenna Miceli of the new V107.3 radio station.

The special performance of "The Music Man" promises to be a fun and memorable community event. Cameras are welcome. Phone 440-871-4749 or 440-871-6681 for ticket information.

Edward Beyer's Oils and Pastels of Barns exhibit opens July 9 at BAYarts with musician Alex Bevan on stage. 

As the new camera club, the Westlake Photo Guild, forms at the Westlake Porter Public Library, we still need more photographers to get this group off the ground. If you have a love of photography and want to learn more while enjoying the fellowship of like-minded people, join us at the meeting on July 1 at 7 p.m. in the library's Craft Room. Digital and analog photography spoken here.

A new camera club for adults, The Westlake Photo Guild, is forming at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Rd. Anyone who owns a camera and enjoys photography, from hobbyists to professionals, are encouraged to attend the next meeting which will be on the first Thursday of the month, July 1, starting at 7 p.m. We will be meeting in the library's Craft Room.

The meetings are a fun and social way to spend a few hours a month, talking photography with like-minded people. One of the subjects to be discussed is Adobe Photoshop Elements and its tutorials. Membership is free. For more details, contact me by e-mail at putrguy12@yahoo.com or call me at 440-835-1185. Hope to see you there!

June is going to be a very busy month for Huntington Playhouse!

The comedy "Leading Ladies" opens on June 17 and plays through July 3 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday, June 27, at 2:00 p.m. In the play, two English actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. Hearing that an old lady in York, Pa., is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash. The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren't nephews, but nieces!

The theatre is also planning a New York Theatre tour in 2011. The trip will include a motor coach to New York City, three nights at the Sheraton Manhattan, two Broadway Musicals, dinner at Sardi's, tours of the NBC studios, a boat tour of lower Manhattan, tour guides and subway passes. 

Anyone who is familiar with the work of irrepressible conductor and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell knows that her brain fairly sizzles with creative energy, which seems to have burst its banks and extended down past the ends of her iconic curly ginger locks. The brain wave responsible for the creation of the period instrument ensemble Apollo’s Fire in 1992 continues to pulse with high theatrical energy, as the group expands into more and more venues throughout northeast Ohio, the country, and (starting next fall) the world.   

From June 18-25, Apollo’s Fire will be performing at Huntington Playhouse in Bay Village, the Bath Church in Bath, the Morley Music Hall in Painesville, and will make its debut at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. The effervescent Sorrell seems as excited about these concerts as she is about her group’s European debut in the fall. For the occasion, she has been reworking last summer’s runaway hit, “Come to the River,” which played to standing ovations in 10 sold-out concerts in its original form last year. 

“We are thrilled to be bringing these concerts to so many new venues,” she says, with pride.  “It will be such a joy to connect with new neighborhood communities in this way – with music that is full of human stories and emotions.” 

I would like to start up a photography group here at the Westlake Porter Library if there is an interest of photographers in the area. The Westlake Photo Guild membership would be open to all adults.

All you need to join is a love of photography and have an interest in improving your knowledge of it. We can share our knowledge among the group.

We will start off by meeting once a month on the first Thursday of the month. The first meeting will be June 3, 2010,  at 7 p.m. promptly. The meeting room is the library's Craft Room. Our first meeting would be an informative one to get acquainted and find out your experience in photography.

BAYarts Annual Summer Concerts are free to the public thanks to a grant from PNC and the Leonard Krieger Fund of the Cleveland Foundation. Grab your friends, family and a picnic! Some park seating is available but chairs and blankets are recommended.

Clip and save!

Sunday, May 23, 6-8 p.m.: Celebration of Poetry & Music I 

Friday, June 11, 7-9 p.m.: Mobius (Jazz) 

Saturday, June 19, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Hey Mavis! 

Sunday, June 20, 7-9 p.m.: Back Bay Father’s Day Concert & Cook Out 

Friday, July 9, 7-9 p.m.: Alex Beven 

Sunday, July 18, 7-9 p.m.: Moko Bovo

The family of musician/actress and Bay High grad Kate Voegele has generously donated to The Village Foundation four tickets to the Jordin Sparks with Kate Voegele Concert at the House of Blues, E. Fourth St., Downtown Cleveland on June 17, 2010. The tickets, and other Kate Voegele merchandise, will be awarded to winners of a raffle drawing on June 8.

Raffle tickets are available for a $5.00 donation to The Village Foundation. Readers can send a check made out to The Village Foundation Raffle, P.O. Box 40122, Bay Village, OH 44140 and include a self addressed, stamped envelope.

There will be three prizes. First prize is two tickets to the concert and two CDs that will be autographed the night of the show.  The second prize is two tickets to the concert. All four concert ticket winners will be invited to meet Kate following the performance. The third prize is a book of Kate's songs for piano, guitar, and vocal; two Kate Voegele T-shirts; an autographed poster and a bag.

BAYarts advanced ceramic students have been creating Asian-inspired pottery all year to prepare for the annual student pottery show. The opening reception is May 21, from 7 to 9 p.m. "From Beijing to BAYarts: A Journey in Ceramics" features an array of ceramic art and functional pottery, from intricate teapots to elegant geishas and hand-painted tableware. 

For more information, visit www.bayarts.net or call 440-871-6543. 

BAYarts students who will be participating in Parade the Circle on June 12 – an annual Cleveland Museum of Art event in University Circle – continue to work on their costumes under the guidance of BAYarts artist in residence Wendy Mahon. At a recent workshop at BAYarts, students worked in harmony to craft the eleborate bird costumes they will wear during the parade.

The comedy, “The Miser,” by Molière, translated by Albert Bermel and directed by Douglas A. Farren runs through Sunday, May 23, at Clague Playhouse in Westlake. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (note later curtain time) and Sunday at 2 p.m. (Sunday, May 23, is sold out.)

About the play: One of the funniest plays in dramatic literature, this modern version abounds with laughter. The son and daughter of the miser fall in love and are about to declare their intentions when the miser announces his own wedding plans: he, to the girl with whom his son is in love, and his wealthy friend, to his daughter. After a few rollicking laps around the block in which the miser’s hidden treasure figures, it is revealed that the rich friend is the long lost father of the boy who loves the miser’s daughter and of the girl who is loved by the miser’s son.

It has always been a dream of mine to have my own photo show. In the past I always exhibited with my camera groups at numerous places in Northeast Ohio from art galleries and libraries to the President Garfield Memorial in Lakeview Cemetery.

My dream is about to come true with a One-Man Show. The photographic exhibition will be at the Westlake Porter Public Library from May 3 through May 31, 2010. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake. There will be a ”Meet the Artist” reception on Sunday, May 16, 2010, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the library.

The work exhibited is varied. My first commercial-industrial job at age 19 was for the company I was working for. The show as presented has a few pictures of that first job. Also a photograph of a machine I photographed, which was one of the biggest and tallest I had ever photographed. It was 10 feet square at its base and over 30 feet tall.

What is art? Leo Tolstoy gave us the quick answer when he wrote, "Art is communication." But that is not enough. Another requirement of art is Beauty. However, Beauty is not always beautiful.

This is a concept that requires serious thought. The importance of creating art is partially explained by the Elizabethan poet John Donne who wrote, "for [what] is got by chance, 'tis kept by art." 

An artist and his or her work are connected, and the question of artist or artisan might be quickly decided. That was true of my first meeting with DeAnn Harman and her painting, "The Weaving of a Dream."

When I heard that an artist had moved into my Westlake apartment complex I decided to knock on her door and introduce myself. And so I met DeAnn. The first thing I noticed in her home was the painting I mention above. It startled me. And immediately I knew it was art.

BAYarts students will be participating in Parade the Circle on June 12 – an annual Cleveland Museum of Art event in University Circle. Under the guidance of BAYarts artist in residence Wendy Mahon, participants will be given the special opportunity to actually be IN the parade on June 12.

Mahon, originally from Trinidad, is a regular festival artist who has worked on Cleveland Museum of Art projects including past parades and the annual Chalk Festival. Beginning April 27, age-appropriate “parade” workshops with a central theme will be conducted by BAYarts faculty leading up to the parade when the groups unite.  

Each group will design and create their special part in the parade. There will be plenty of roles for both boys and girls, young or older children, teens, adults and seniors. It’s a great way for groups of friends or families to work together.

The 18th annual Ballroom Blitz will take place on Saturday, April 24, from 6:30-10:00 p.m. at Bay Middle School. This year, the middle school will be transformed into a New Orleans supper club – the perfect setting to enjoy vintage jazz and swing performed by the Bay High School Jazz and Stage Bands and the Bay Middle School Jazz Ensemble. 

Besides superb music, Ballroom Blitz guests also will be treated to dinner with appetizers and desserts, a variety of beverages including the famous smoothie bar, balloon raffles and a silent auction. 

For reservations, contact Teresa at 440-835-2164 by April 10. Admission for the evening is $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, or $200 for a table of eight. All proceeds benefit the instrumental music programs of the Bay Village City Schools.

Dianne Frye lives in Bay Village and is the Membership Chair for Bay High School PTSA. 

We see them every day along the street or at the mall, at church or at the market – older citizens with unknown heroic histories. Many of them have stories we should know and honor, for they served our country in World War II. But these heroes walk past us and, more often than not, we don't even know who they are or what they have done.

And they are leaving us at an alarming rate.

Sitting next to me most Sundays during Mass at Saint Raphael in Bay Village is my friend, Eleanor Michalowski, a longtime resident of Bay Village. One morning over a cup of coffee she told me of her sister, Florence Shutsy-Reynolds, known as "Shutsy" to her friends, who was one of 1,102 women to serve as pilots in the United States Army during WWII.

They were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and their duties included ferrying everything from small trainers and artillery spotters to B-29 super fortresses between military posts all over the United States, towing targets, instructing cadets, and many other duties too numerous to list. It was hazardous work.

Huntington Playhouse will be offering their Youth Theatre Classes beginning June 14, 2010. There will be two sessions during the summer.

Judith Mazur will be the lead instructor for both sessions. Ms. Mazur will be available to answer any questions on June 12, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the theatre. 

Session 1 is designed for students in grades 1 through 3 and will start June 14 and conclude June 26. The two-week class will focus on creative drama and stage craft skills; with the second week consisting of rehearsal and show preparation for a non-musical presentation on June 26. Cost for this session is $125 and sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Mondays through Fridays.

The Huntington Playhouse is currently offering 2010 Flex Passes for sale for their upcoming season which gets underway on May 13th with a production of the adult musical “The Full Monty.” 

Flex Passes offer patrons the chance to buy seven (7) admissions that may be used in any combination and on any date during the 2010 season. The cost is $105 per pass. Board Chair Dolores Ballou offers that “this gives our patrons the chance to see the shows they want to see, when they want to see them.”  She then added, “Of course we hope they see them all!”

Clague Playhouse presents “The Chalk Garden” by Enid Bagnold and directed by Ron Newell on Friday, March 5 through Sunday, March 28, 2010. Show Times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (No performance on Sunday, March 7 and limited seats remain on Sunday, March 21). Reservations are strongly recommended.

Tickets are $12 for seniors (60+) and students, and $13 for adults (with a $1 discount on Thursdays) and may be purchased by calling the Box Office, 440-331-0403, Wednesday - Saturday 1:00-6:00 p.m. Cash, check, Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

The Great Lakes Theater Festival’s Women’s Committee has honored Bernice Bolek as the 2009 Dorothy Teare Award winner. This award is for extraordinary service to the theater. Bernice, a Westlake resident, has served as co-chair, on many boards including the Board of Managers and does any job necessary to help GLTF.

She is always available to feed the cast, help with mailings, help with fundraising and donates regularly.

In addition, you may recognize Bernice from her involvement in Clague Playhouse. She has acted, directed, produced and consulted in their productions since 1997.

Whether in front of the curtain or behind the scenes, you can truly say that Bernice loves live theater and is willing to do all she can to promote it. Bernice feels “the show must go on” and does all she can to make it so. Congratulations, Bernice!

Joanne Bobey is the Publicity Chairperson for the Women’s Committee of the GLTF.

As a long time student of Abraham Lincoln I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to have heard him speak – in the debates with Stephen Douglas, at his inaugurations, and at Gettysburg. To hear the golden words of that great writer/speaker/politician would have been a wonderful experience, especially for a history junkie like me.

Even better would have been to be in the various inns and taverns where Lincoln stayed as he rode the circuit as a lawyer. There he would be, after everyone there had a hard day – maybe in courts arguing against each other – telling his stories and yarns. It would be the informal Lincoln, relaxing among his old and new friends. No one enjoyed hearing or telling tales as much as he did.

My wonderings led me to imagine a scenario that would combine formal and informal talks – to bring some of my dreams to life in a way that would entertain, inform and honor the president in a presentation to an audience.

Each winter BAYarts offers a series of relaxed, casual evenings that incorporate all the elements that go hand-in-hand with the fine art and art education they offer. In the past there have been spa nights, wine and chocolate tastings, gardening seminars and a Cinco de Mayo party. According to Mary Conway Sullivan, a BAYarts board member and creator of the series, "We limit these to 40-50 people to keep them intimate, and they have all sold out. Word-of-mouth has been our greatest advertisement, we have a blast."

Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, fourth President of the United States, paid a visit to Bay Village Middle School on January 12th. The buoyant and gregarious first lady relayed her experiences in the White House during a program sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Resplendent in 19th century apparel, local actress Carol Starre-Kmiecik regaled the audience with tales of lavish formal dinner parties and her ability to make everyone feel at home in the White House.

"Nobody Don't Like Yogi" plans to stay at the Actors' Summit Theater through January. It figures to be good enough for its site. So, why not Bay / Westlake soon? We're no less cerebral. The real-life Lawrence Peter Berra had something besides baseball stardom. And he still has. What? As Brit theatergoers would colorfully pronounce it, it's "clahss."

Ah, Yogi Berra was in the news the other day. At least in Maureen Dowd's column briefly.

Was one of your New Year’s Resolutions to begin exploring and recording your family history? Or, are you having difficulty finding that elusive ancestor? Now is the time to really tackle that project, as members of the Cuyahoga West Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society are doubly ready to assist you.  

There will be two opportunities for you to receive assistance with your research in February. First is an informal “help session” offered on Wednesday, February 3, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. The second is an online demonstration of genealogical websites, presented by Jim Denham and John Noble, on Wednesday evening, February 17, from 7:00-8:45 p.m. Come early for social time and refreshments from 6:30-7:00 p.m. Both sessions will be held at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Rd. There is no charge for either meeting and you do not have to be a member to attend.

The weekend of Jan. 15th was another busy one for art around the Westside with the opening of the faculty show at BAYarts and the quarterly open house at The Studios at 78th Street in the Gordon Square Arts District.

I taught a painting class at BAYarts years ago and have watched the momentum that the venue has been gaining of late, and the current faculty show exemplifies this new energy. Included in the show were some nocturnal landscapes by Jeff Yost that dance the line between realism and abstraction.

Clague Playhouse presents “Mass Appeal” by Bill C. Davis and directed by Jonathan Kronenberger on Friday, January 8 through Sunday, January 31, 2010. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (No performance on Sunday, January 10).

This is a two-character play about the relationship between an older priest and a young, idealist one. Father Farley values tact over truth. He drives a Mercedes and has a store of spirits in his cabinet. Mark Dolson, a new priest being evaluated, is an impassioned rebel with a truly deep cause. Moral questions abound, like: Is it okay to lie? Do the ends justify the means as long as collection revenues don’t drop off? It is a drama with compassion, wit, wisdom and warmth.

On November 6th and November 8th, Ninja Zombies invaded Westlake, Ohio... movie zombies, that is. Students from Westlake Martial Arts and extras from across Ohio were participating in the movie "Death of the Dead," a film being directed by Gary King (of "New York Lately," a film that ranked second in Associated Content's Best Independent Movies of 2008 behind 'Slum Dog Millionaire", which went on to win eight Academy Awards in 2009).

Various locations across the Cleveland metro area, including the Cleveland Clinic, the site of the old Elyria YMCA and many other Cleveland landmarks were used in the filming.

Support Clague Playhouse while enjoying good food and camaraderie at Max & Erma’s in Crocker Park, 30105 Detroit Road, Westlake, on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 from 11 a.m. to closing. Present the coupon available at the theater, 1371 Clague Road, Westlake, or on our website www.clagueplayhouse.org to your server and 20% of your lunch, dinner and carryout sales will benefit Clague Playhouse. Monies raised will be used to purchase more energy-efficient lighting in the lobby.

When I was three years old, most kids thought that storks brought babies, but I knew better – Santa brought them.

It was Christmas Eve 1941 when a good friend of my mother’s took my older brother, Dick, and I for a walk while “something” was happening at our house. We came home to learn that Santa had brought us a baby sister named Dolores.

I wasn’t happy with this news – I hadn’t asked for a sister and neither had Dick. Could Santa have brought her to the wrong house? No, Mom assured us, she belonged to our family. She was a special gift to all of us – especially Dad, who, after two boys, had his “Honey-Girl.”

Dick and I came to appreciate Santa’s gift and probably even bragged about it at school. Who needs another electric train? We had a sister we would love forever.

John W. Carlson is a local paint-artist who recently has had major exhibits at the Chicago Art Matrix Gallery (in the Zhou Brothers Complex) and at Ashland University's Coburn Gallery. His work is on display at the Erie Art Museum, and also may be seen at BAYarts in Bay Village.

Carlson's studio, at the back of his home on Lake Road in Bay Village, is a place of grand activity and wonderment. We might say this of a Carlson painting – it is a harsh beauty, dark, wiry, strong, sometimes stark, occasionally leaning away from the viewer, a cacophony of sound, with droplets of paint scattered about, with hidden images, and concentrations of black and gray tension.

In Richard Florida’s 2002 book, "The Rise of the Creative Class," the author discusses how a city’s artistic and creative power is not necessarily derived from its museums, concert halls, or other high-brow institutions – but rather by the number and quality of the city’s working artists. What draws artists to a city are affordable work spaces, a supportive audience, and the possibilities for collaboration. When artists begin to congregate in an area, that could mean something exciting is about to happen. There’s been some of that happening recently here in Cleveland. 

I had been hearing some buzz recently about the Gordon Square Arts District off the Detroit Shoreway and had a chance to go see for myself what was brewing. 78th Street Studios, now the name of the old American Greetings building, houses an eclectic mix of artists, galleries, musicians, alternative publications, and other creative businesses. This sprawling building with its growing creative enclave is blossoming into the Westside equivalent of the Superior Midtown art district.

Where can you find a one-stop shopping experience with no lines, friendly staff and free parking? Sounds too good to be true. But beginning Saturday, BAYarts kicks off a month of holiday events with the  Annual Holiday Open House.

If you have never experienced the holiday shop, you’re in for a treat. You’ll be immediately hooked by the warm inviting nature of this historic building. Lights, greens, and an abundance of work by regional artists promises a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.

Perennial favorites like Freckle Face Jewelry, Crystal Moon Beach Glass, Marge Gulley commemorative coasters join many newly featured artists. Or, create your own masterpiece in a holiday-themed workshop. Highlighted events this year include a Girl’s Day Out trunk show, “Date Nights (drop the kids for a night of art and pizza, while you dine at Vento and do a little shopping)” and holiday themed workshops.

The Lake Erie Building at the Templar Industrial Park in Lakewood, also known as “The Screw Factory,” is the western suburb home to dozens of artists and artisans from the greater Cleveland area. I attended the studio open house Saturday night, Nov. 7th, along with my wife and kids and another family to check out the scene for the first time.

I entered the imposing industrial space of the Screw Factory with a sense of excited optimism. The concrete stairs leading up to the second floor were well-worn and solid – an appropriate metaphor for the enduring perseverance of our local artists. Having visited dozens of industrial-spaces-turned-artist-studios in the past, I pretty much had an idea of what to expect, although tonight I held hope for a surprise. We were greeted outside in the parking lot by a friendly security guard who proved be a positive ambassador for the venue. It was a mild November evening; the sky was still shimmering from the setting sun. It was a perfect night for art.

Huntington Playhouse will present “It’s A Wonderful Life” to close out their 2009 season. The production opens November 27th and plays through December 20th. Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. with four Sunday matinees that start at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 29th, Dec. 6th, Dec. 13th, and Dec. 20th. Bay Village resident Dale Hruska is the director of the production.

Each year, BAYarts extends its consignment shop into the gallery space to make way for the popular Holiday Gallery Shop. “It’s a one-of-a-kind shopping experience,” says Westlake resident Lynne Hannibal. “Especially during the craziness of the holidays, this is the opposite of stress and rushing. The moment you walk in and experience the cheerful staff and charm of the shop, you’re hooked.

Dan Edgerly tries to convince Susan Marinac that he is uniquely talented during a recent KIDSTUF production at Bay Presbyterian Church. KIDSTUF is a monthly family show featuring hilarious skits, contemporary music and interactive fun while teaching character and faith. The next show is Friday, November 6, at 6:30 pm. 

Photo by Bill Gerber.