Cleveland Walls two

Gary Williams and Robin Robinson. Justice Peace. East 79th Cleveland Public Library.

Drove by Tuesday night, the couple were working, the concentric blue circles were up. I have seen some of their work in Glenville [click a, b, c]. It is good work, with a political message, and some applied decal work. Friday morning, i came to see progress. There was none, but three people would eventually come out. I was asked what paper i worked for. "None", i said. I was told, that i can not publish pictures till Saturday 10 a.m.. I have encountered  similar before. Some black people get anxious about a white man with a camera, but are far more polite about it than police.

CLEVELAND WALLS! International Mural Program. August 23-28, 2021. Organised by POW! WOW! Worldwide founder Jasper Wong.

Felicia Gabaldon of Oakland, and Kaplan Bunce of Kauai.   2930 Euclid Avenue.

Kate Lewis of Chicago.  3634 Euclid Avenue.

Kate still working on Monday.

Max Sansing of Chicago.  4500 Euclid Avenue.

Darius Steward of Cleveland. 1705 E. 55th Street.

Cassius patiently waiting for me.

This was a long mural, next to the elevated train track on 40th & Payne, by Dayzwhun of Cleveland.

Cleveland Walls

Darius Steward poses in front of his work at Rainey Institute on 1705 E. 55th. Steward began his mural work in 2016. This is second done with spray cans. A few days ago four sculptures of his are in the Eastman Reading Garden at the main branch of the Cleveland Library. I spoke with him near sunset on Thursday. He was very happy to talk, and was of very good cheer.

Seventeen murals are being painted this week on Cleveland's east side. Most are on major avenues, in what has been called, in the last few years, Midtown. Artists from Cleveland, and across America are working.

Earlier, i made a circuit of some other painting sites. Some painters were still active. 4415 Euclid

4600 Euclid door #1

4600 Euclid door #2 True Friends  (quoting A. A. Milne)

Tatiana Suarez of Miami Florida. Try a little tenderness.

     6107 Carnegie 

Glen Infante. Love can fix it. 7719 Carnegie

CLEVELAND WALLS! 2021, a program of POW! WOW! Worldwide 

Saint-Barthélemy

José de Ribera (‘Spagnoletto’). Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew. 1624. Cleveland.

To-day is St. Bartholomew's Day, i have posted on this before [click]. English is not strictly phonetic. The spoken word comes first, then it is written, then it is formalised, and while this is happening pronunciation may change. Now, Bartholomew used to be said near the French manner, 'Bartleme'. English changed the spelling, and the pronunciation then mimicked the spelling. 

Ribera sketched and painted Bartholomew many times. Baroque religious art often portrayed piety in torment. Of Jesus' apostles, only John died of old age. There were several subjects to choose from.

The Gospels are compact. In the second half of John's first chapter, he tells of the calling of some of the apostles. The synoptic Gospels, as John, notes Nathanael as Philip's friend; but they call him by his patronymic, son (Bar) of Tolmai.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him: and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered, and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. — John i. 45-48.

Phil: The Christ is here.
Nate: From Nazareth?
Jesus: A man of no false charm.
Nate: How do you know me?
Jesus: You were just under the fig tree.

Why a fig tree? This the reader/hearer has to ponder. First: Jesus was not around at that time with Nathanael Bartelme. Nathanael thought he was alone before Philip found him. Some shock and awe that a non present stranger knew this. Second: Why a fig tree? A fig tree and (grape) vine are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, as pleasant possessions of men in peace. Perhaps, that was his happy, and/or thinking place. Third: It is a poetic choice of words, a metaphor to be used. I knew you, when you were alone by the fig tree.

public art, and downtown Cleveland

 

Well, i posted before [click] that remodelled Red Barn Restaurants were still identifiable. This is one that has not been for some time.

They replaced the Red Barn sign.

They fancy blue carp.

caption the conversation

Beginning with the Year of the Dog 2006, a twelve year public art installation for the St. Clair-Superior neighbourhood took place. Beginning with the Year of the Rabbit 2011, Siam Cafe had them in front. After that, they acquired ones from the previous years. They have a complete set.

recent work by Wrdsmth, Euclid Avenue downtown

near downtown: brick construction, well lit, well ventilated apartments—these are going fast!!!

photographs of abandoned places #32

 Pilsener on Clark

art nouveau lettering 1914

 

Metal supports hold nothing now, previously a small roof over the entrance?

Vacant, declared City of Cleveland Landmark August 2020.

This was a well built building, with good brick work, like so many buildings in Cleveland. In different times, in this complex on Pilsener Square (West 65th&Clark), the top selling beer in Cleveland was produced. Pilsener Brewing Company began in 1892 by a brewer, Wenzel Medlin *1849-1912†, from Pilsen in the province of Bohemia. Local Bohemian Czechs ran the company until 1935.

 

In 1914, Pilsener Brewing opened this large plant on Clark. Their best selling beer they named "P.O.C.", it was never stated what this abbreviated, and people were encouraged to invent words. The most popular were Pride of Cleveland, and Pilsener of Cleveland; some rude names had the 'P' as pee or piss. Then the plague of Prohibition lingered over the land from 1919 to 1933, until Franklin Roosevelt came to office.  Duquesne Brewing bought the company in 1963 and closed the Cleveland brewery. Duquense was bought by Schmidt's, Schmidt's brewed beer in Cleveland at the old Carling's until 1984. That ended brewing in Cleveland for several years.

2021 Miscellany #13

In Cleveland's Old Brooklyn:  a business' back door, could have been "open sesame".

also on Broadview, Old Brooklyn

what is in the solution? would you drink the kool-aid?

Graffiti/stencil artist, Wrdsmth, came back into town and applied 19 of his works onto walls, in just over a week.

Colavito and the Feast

David Deming. Rocky Colavito. 2021. Cleveland.

Yesterday, on Rocky Colavito's 88th birthday a dedication party was held for him and his new statue. Since Colavito played for the Indians, it is hard to make an argument that any player since has been so liked by Clevelanders. 

Frank "Trader" Lane was general manager for several teams. In seven years for the Chicago White Sox, he made 241 trades. He caused havoc in his several stops. For Cleveland he traded away Colavito to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn in April 1960. Cleveland was not pleased. In December Kuenn was sent to San Francisco. In January, Lane left. Lane earlier in St. Louis tried to trade Stan Musial, when it became public, the team's owner intervened. Lane, apparently, was not interested in fan appeal. Colavito still had good years, he played for five other teams. No where was he appreciated as much as in Cleveland. He would play for Cleveland once more, coach for Cleveland, and speak during televised games.

Cleveland baseball park has several statues of retired ball players. One for Colavito was not accepted, he is not in Cooperstown's Hall of Fame. The statue joins Christopher Columbus in Tony Brush Park, on Mayfield and Random. Bedford has a statue of Elmer Flick[click], he was from there and played for Cleveland before they were Indians.

fire escape at former Chiesa San Giovanni

Cleveland's biggest church festival is that of the Assumption of Mary celebrated at Holy Rosary. John has Karma (in a shirt), and Cassius.  All three sites are very near each other.

Alan Cottrill, sculptor of Zanesville

Alan Cottrill. John Glenn, astronaut. 2021. Zanesville.

There is a second one visiting the state house in Columbus. Glenn was a local boy, from nearby Cambridge and New Concord.

Indian on roof of Alan Cottrill's sculpture studio. Glenn is further left on sidewalk, and is not pointing here. There is a long line of bronze statues on the sidewalk leading to the entrance. Inside the studio are displayed other finished works, and current work is being done. The work is worth seeing, and the suggested admission is very modest. 

 

Cottrill *1952 began sculpting in 1990. Perhaps, his most famous commission is Thomas Edison in Statuary Hall in the nation's Capitol.

Sheep with hockey skates, there are two others in front but unshod.

close up, detail of horse

Memorial of the war dead from Muskingum County in World War II, and Korean Conflict. This is by the court house. To bring home the loss of life, each helmet has the name of a man from the county who died in the wars.

what can be done with clay

Vasehenge. Zanesville. 2008.

Years ago, Sawyer's (later bought by GAF) made view-master stereoscopic viewers and reels. Each real had 7 pairs of color film. Some were sold in one reel, and some in 3 reel packets. The Ohio package had Zanesville's Y Bridge. That bridge is behind the vases.

When Ohio was filled with the country's greatest concentrations of certain industries, Zanesville was so in pottery. Most of southeastern Ohio was abundant in coal and clay. Bricks, pipes, pots, and all sorts of ceramics were made. People advertised their closeness with the industries. Ohio has the Crooksville Ceramics, and East Liverpool Potters.

 

There was a public art project in which tall, painted vases were scattered through the city. Here there was a circle of vases. There are sixteen left, and four empty pedestals. Some have deteriorated to the point of no return. The only maintenance has been done by hornets. A foto taken in stitched panorama makes the vases line up in a single line, a neat view.

Intact sidewalk mosaic in front of an abandoned car lot is next to the street that leads to the Y bridge. The vases sit on what must have been a part of car sales business.

St. Nicholas Catholic Church 1898, front view

The street that runs past the front is very busy, it is part of state routes. The hill street on the side is not. In a compact downtown, near the courthouse there are several century old churches of elegant design. Slightly further way is the second Catholic church, built in Romanesque style that distinguishes itself from the others. Inside are a few very tall stained glass windows.

The other church, St. Thomas Aquinas 1842, is English Gothic and now unavailable for entrance. The roof trusses are damaged.  Mass is being celebrated across the street. Decision is pending with the bishop, unfortunately that is not good news. Catholic bishops in the US have garnered too much power. They behave as unaccountable business administrators, and sole proprietors.

St. Thomas has Belgian windows made, and buried in Belgium during the First World War. It is a Dominican parish, and has some Dominican saints portrayed in glass. Of course, there is Aquinas. There is also Dominic, accompanied by a torch bearing hound. I really wanted to see that window. August 8 is St. Dominic's Day.

St. Nicholas Catholic Church, side view

tympanum St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Columbus discovers America

 

sculpture at Ohio State Newark

Gary Lee Price *1955 is a sculptor. Amongst his works is a series of "Great Contributors". Ohio State's branch campus at Newark has ten of them in a ringed circle, and one by a parking lot. They added Harriet Tubman this year. Checking his catalogue, Mark Twain is not (yet) there. There is a central pond with a spouting fountain there, and three sculptures (two are kitschy, but pleasant) by Seward Johnson *1930, 2020†. Downtown Newark has sculptures by the two, also.

"I am not afraid. I was born to do this." — Joan of Arc

These bench statues welcome people to sit. It was a hot sunny Wednesday when these fotos were shot, and the bronze was hot. College students are not that reflective, and ignore the works. Case Western Reserve Cleveland has a lot of sculpture on campus, and it is mostly abstract; as is the nearby Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospital. A big difference between the realistic, and abstract sculptures is the former one can appreciate the artful hands that created the figures, the latter is cold and sterile.

Only Shakespeare was in the shade. [foto by John]

Some other Price works there are "Circle of Friends" with Cassius and Karma joining inside the circle.

Kid's bike waiting for playing rider.