Tag Archives: Art

Fine Arts At Cleveland Downtown Library

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When planning a trip, I always look up libraries around my destination. If there’s a Carnegie library or some other interesting building, it automatically makes the list of must sees. Sometimes I stop in anyway because libraries say a lot about the place. In these four walls, it is possible to simply exist. There’s no admission, there’s interesting stuff to see, and the library staff is typically knowledgeable about their community. Plus, there’s a free and clean public restroom! 

The main library in downtown Cleveland has been on my list for a while and there just hasn’t been a good opportunity to go in. That is, until last week! Adam and I revisited the gorgeous Arcade where an important scene was filmed for the new Superman movie. From there, the library was just across the street. 

Park once, visit two things. This is helpful when parking garages cost $15 a pop. 

This library did not disappoint. My friends, the security guard may have momentarily thought us crazy until he realized we’re just nerds. He handed us a guided walking tour and sent us on our way. But first, I had to admire this light!!

Look! The shade is a globe! Where can I get one of these for my house? 

The downtown library consists of the original building and the Louis Stokes Wing which is accessible via an underground tunnel. We explored the new building some but thought the real show stopper was the main library which opened just over a century ago in May 1925. 

The building features a number of architectural styles. Inside, Italian marble, vaulted ceilings and grand staircases are only upstaged by the paintings of historical and mythological figures.. It’s five stories and cost about $5 million to build in those glorious years of prosperity we call the Roaring Twenties. 

I read somewhere that times were tough for the library during the Depression just as they were for everyone else. President Roosevelt’s Public Works programs sent employees to clean, paint, make building repairs and perform other chores for a while. During that time, some federally funded art was given to the library via paintings and murals that remain today. Can we pause for a moment and recognize the value of funding art for public buildings? Putting to work starving artists while preserving art of the period and improving public spaces is a real gift.

We visited the Arcade last year and strolled through the beautiful reading garden but didn’t make it inside.  Incidentally, the reading garden is named for Linda Anne Eastman who was the first woman to head a major U.S. city library system and she was a pioneer in modern libraries who was once President of the American Library Association. When did she do that? She was the head librarian of the Cleveland library system from 1918 to 1938. She raised money to build this library and oversaw its construction. 

What. A. Rock. Star. 

And honestly, I could write an entire story about her accomplishments. But I digress. 

The library has an enormous collection of books as well as all manner of electronic items, programs for all ages, gallery space, a place for technology education and an impressive makerspace complete with 3D printers, laser fabrication and music and video production tools. 

They have done a magnificent job keeping up with the times. Plus, the library system has 27 branches as well as the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. 

Sit tight and come back. I still have to tell you about their collection of Superman memorabilia and artifacts. He’s from Cleveland, you know!

Joan Of Arc Out Of Storage

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Once in a while you find yourself in a place where you turn a corner and are astonished by what you see. I live for those moments. Whether it’s a meadow of wildflowers, a mural that brightens an alleyway or anything else that’s out of the ordinary, I’m all in for these experiences. At the library in Piqua, Ohio, there’s a life-sized statue of Joan of Arc that sits, unceremoniously, in a corner. 

I entered this space to admire the beautiful light streaming through the windows. Imagine my delight when I turned to see her.

Created by Henri Chapu in 1872, this is a plaster copy of the original by the Caproni Brothers of Boston. The tag next to her says that this piece appeared in their 1914 catalog. It was purchased and presented to Piqua High School by the Class of 1917. She was exhibited at the high school for many years. 

Sadly, her identity was lost at some point and she became the “Squaw” to go with the Indian statue that was exhibited in the high school lobby before moving to storage. The tag tells us that she was discovered in the basement of the Board of Education Office, brought to the library, and restored by the Piqua High School Art Club. It was during the restoration they discovered her identity. 

There is a lot to unpack here. First of all, the library inherited several pieces of artwork when the old school closed. That’s how they have so many interesting things to enjoy. 

Second, she’s beautiful. I have read that Henri Chapu was a classical sculptor who explored bringing elegance and naturalism to his work. This piece was especially popular among the nineteenth century French who were fascinated by Joan of Arc.The original marble statue can be viewed at Musee d’Orsay in Paris along with other works by this artist. 

It’s worthwhile to note here that the Caproni Brothers were famous for their work manufacturing plaster copies of classical and contemporary statues. These pieces were largely created for educational purposes to give people access to art and antiquities they otherwise might never see. They are mostly found at major universities and other places with more wealth. To have one in a local high school was kind of a big deal and it’s still a big deal to have access to this piece today. 

I’m thrilled that she was kept safe all those years but, golly wow, what abuse and neglect she endured. Hundreds of years before Piqua, Ohio was a place to find on a map, Joan of Arc died at the age of 19 after overcoming gender roles to become the defender of France. She’s a patron saint of France. It seems like we should remember her name, tell her stories, honor her significance and not call her “Squaw.”

Luckily, she’s out amongst the living today and in a place that will keep her safe. I’m hoping the librarians tell her tales, encouraging young girls and women to be the hero of their own stories.

Hounddog’s Pizza

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I recently tried to have lunch at Hounddog’s Pizza in Columbus, Ohio. A friend says they have the absolute best pizza around and they even have some good meatless options so my mouth was watering by the time we arrived. Tragically, they were closed when we were there so I’ll have to return another day.

Meanwhile, I did snap this photo in their parking lot. Anyone with a fabulous piece of art like this is worthy of a second trip!

Want to drool over their menu? Click here.

Roman Elvis?

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Is it just me or does he look a little like Elvis? I am ashamed to say that I have no useful context for this picture. It’s a close up of a relief on a larger piece at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I snapped the picture because he resembled the King of Rock and Roll but didn’t think to photograph the card that talks about it.  Luckily, Google Image Search came to the rescue with a few basic details.

It’s from a sarcophagus made of Greek marble. Did you know that sarcophagus is the Greek word for “flesh-eating” and is now used generically for coffin? 

Note the somewhat curled lip and sort of pompadour hairstyle. He looks very Elvis-like to me and as though he could break out into a rousing chorus of Burning Love any minute now. This piece is magnificent in detail and massive in size. It’s certainly a focal point in the museum’s Roman room. I guess you could say it’s the rockstar of the Romans. 

Speaking of Elvis Presley, he died on this day in 1977. Incidentally, it was the day my parents brought me home from the hospital. I have always enjoyed his music and the shock waves he sent through pop culture across the world. The ‘68 Comeback special was my favorite era but I also really liked his early music and style before Colonel Tom Parker got ahold of him. 

If you’ve never been to his Memphis home, Graceland, it’s worth a visit even if you aren’t an Elvis fan. It ain’t the Cleveland Museum of Art but it’s a fun little slice of the extravagant, over-the-top life of one our most famous people.

When A Teacher Makes A Difference

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When I was a college student back in the late nineties, I had the good fortune to score a job in my college library. The woman who hired me happened to be my first boss and we’ve stayed in touch over the years. Sometimes Terri and I even venture out of the virtual world and into a restaurant as we did last night.

College was good for me in many ways. It brought me out of my shell, exposing me to people who are different than me or who think differently than me. This is important for anyone who grows up surrounded by people who all look the same, who sound the same and who all have shared interests and world views. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Plus, I had license to learn about topics that my public school education hadn’t covered. I took some psychology, sociology and even an anthropology class along with my english and history classes. I also discovered an appreciation for art history thanks to one particular educator who had a knack for breathing life into primitive cave paintings, grand cathedrals and obscure statues that one may never encounter independently.

Students today are encouraged to train their focus on the classes that will aid in their future job. This seems so short sighted because there’s more to life than work and through learning we become better rounded, more productive members of society. Those art history classes have benefited me in more ways than I can count.

The waitress had just removed my plate when the door swung open and my former Art History Professor Dr. Ken Breidenbaugh came into view. He and Terri had worked together for many years so those two had some catching up to do. I’m not sure he remembered me but he was the picture of manners and interested in what I’m doing these days. 

Dr. Breidenbaugh was a force to be reckoned with in the classroom. He wove together technical art criticism with stories of the artists, world history, local history and relevant topics that were on his mind. While I benefited from his classroom instruction, I was fortunate to occasionally encounter Dr. Breidenbaugh at work as well. He often reserved giant art history books for his students to use as reference and would stop at the circulation desk for his own business as well. I always looked forward to his visits. 

He encouraged his students to travel and explore. He encouraged us to study what is familiar and draw lines between the contemporary world and times past. 

Growing up in a rural area, there wasn’t a lot of exposure to art and live performance during my school years. Dr. Breidenbaugh recognized that many of his students hadn’t traveled, hadn’t seen live performance or classic architecture and needed a nudge to go see what exists outside the small bubbles that most of us occupy. He encouraged us to look beyond the classes we needed for our jobs and to embrace things that would simply bring us joy, knowledge and excitement about the world. 

Life is more than work, he said.

He encouraged his students to seek out art and architecture where we could. He’s the reason I wanted to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous home, Fallingwater, in Pennsylvania. He’s the reason I get excited at the sight of a church spire and why I can hardly wait to see what’s around the next bend in an art museum.

My life is richer and more beautiful because of the tools he gave me for viewing the world and for instilling in me a desire to go out and see as much as I can.

I wish I had the presence of mind to say all of that to Dr. Breidenbaugh last night. Instead, I squeaked out something about thinking of him every time I visit a museum. That statement is true but it represents just a fraction of what I carry with me from his teaching. 

I hope that he got the gist and understands what it meant to learn from him. 

Is there an educator who made a difference in your life? If you’re lucky, there were a few. Tell them, if you get a chance.

Visiting Monet In Cleveland

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This long weekend found me headed to points north. There’s a Monet exhibition happening at the Cleveland Musuem of Art and my fella and I were meeting friends to see it. While there, of course we had to explore beyond the Monet. Even if you don’t like or know anything about the art, this is an incredible place to visit just for the variety of it all.

The Monet exhibition is five pieces including including three late period paintings that are borrowed from the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris. The showstopper though is a six foot tall Monet that was purchased by the museum in the sixties. At fourteen feet wide, this painting is the centerpiece of the show and probably the centerpiece of any room the museum chooses to display it in. 

The walls in that room are a rich eggplant and the light dramatic so it’s the perfect place to showcase the beautiful pastels that Monet mastered so beautifully. 

I took a few art history classes in college but do not pretend to understand art at all. I do know what’s pretty and what I like and Claude Monet, the Frenchman who gave the world Impressionism, created countless paintings that I think are beautiful. His work and that of other Impressionists is so different than anything that came before that they’re easy to spot. It’s also easy to understand why the French art establishment despised these paintings. They were considered unfinished and amateurish. They defied convention. 

He often revisited the same subject matter, painting the same scene several times. Each of these paintings was different, of course, because time of day, changing seasons and consequential changing light made the view look different. I’m clearly no Monet but I love to walk in the same places and photograph the same things to see how changing light each day influences appearance. I relate to the idea that a rich understanding of a place comes with careful study under all kinds of light.

I like the softness of Monet’s work and that moving away and moving closer reveals something new. Stand close to see the paint strokes and the way the colors melt together into something indistinguishable. Move further away to see how those colors and brush strokes work to reveal a scene. 

It’s possible that the real reason I like Monet and the Impressionists so well is that the way space and light can change the artwork is similar to how time and distance can change our perceptions in life. When you’re too close to a situation, it’s easy to focus on the flaws. Step away and the big picture reveals itself to be something greater and often better than you expected. 

Isn’t it funny how a spin around a room full of paintings can change how you view the world? When in doubt, step back to see the big picture. I promise you won’t regret it.

Want to see this exhibition? Admission is free but you only have until August 11. Click here for full details.