It was one great weekend. Favorite OWE fest ever, regardless of the weather. Above is some of the video D. shot during festival.

Toledo’s Historic Old West End Association

Last month was 2010’s first Gallery Loop, presented by The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.

Approximately fifteen (15) Toledo galleries opened their doors to the public with free bus shuttles linking them all together. The venues were packed with area folk enjoying arts, entertainment, yummy nibbles and wine. Chilly weather did not keep people away!

There was something for everyone. Like the beautiful diorama above…

…or this curious piece.

I enjoyed the tiny dresses crafted of paper floating in this corner.

Keep an eye open for the next Gallery Loop, as they happen twice a year.

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo | 419-254-ARTS (2787)

Friday night was the Quest for Fire opening at The Toledo Museum of Art’s Community Gallery.

The show featured works from Toledo-area artists that reinterpreted art in the permanent collection of the museum. The above is based upon this piece of art.

The gallery was packed with guests enjoying the really fantastic show, curated by Jerry Gray of Bozarts Gallery (which I’ve posted about a couple times over the past year) and Kerry Krow.

It was great to see how local artists re-think and re-mix works from greats like Picasso and Rosenquist.

Mediums include painting, photography, sculpture and digital works. Many of the artists are exhibiting additional personal works for context, providing a glimpse of where they are coming from.

This show is up through May 2nd, so I highly suggest you check it out (if you weren’t one of the many in attendance this weekend) as a gentle reminder of how much talent this great city has to offer. Congrats to Jerry Gray, Kerry Krow, and The Museum staff for allowing this to happen.

The Toledo Museum of Art | FREE | 2445 Monroe Street | (419) 255-8000

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo’s spring fundraiser was last Saturday.

There was a huge bar in the middle of the main room, yummy bites to eat from Myles Baker Street (and I spotted pizza later in the night), live bands all night (including a local fave-Kentucky Khrome)…

… acrobatics performed by lovely people painted up…

…and, some pretty cool artworks up for auction.

Toward the end of the night, guests started to jump on the trampoline… at least until they were scolded. Alcohol and trampolines don’t mix. YouTube should have taught you that!

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo

This past Friday was the opening night of Har Simrit Singh’s one-man-show at Bozarts Gallery, downtown.

The gallery was packed with people nibbling food, drinking wine, and enjoying some really great artwork.

The works were a mix of portraits and fine lettering with strong color choices, in a nice flat graphic style.

You can check it out for yourself at the closing party on Saturday, March 27th, from 6pm on. Sometimes the closing parties at Bozarts are even more packed!

Bozarts Gallery | 151 S. St. Clair | Downtown in the Warehouse District

The gallery is across the street from the Erie Street Market’s parking lot.

Friday night was a blast! We started at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Glass Pavilion for a wine tasting. After a flight of 4 wines and some tasty cheese, we wandered around the building.

The TMA plays host to live glass blowing all the time. And the wine tastings are going on every Friday, for weeks in a row. Check out the calendar. The house was packed with familiar and unfamiliar faces… all enjoying a wonderful piece of Toledo’s cultural pie.

Our next stop was Space 237 Gallery for the unveiling of Toledo’s Urban Forest Project, another wonderful AIGA Toledo project.

The attendance was impressive, as were the banners designed by a sliver of Toledo’s talented graphic designers. By mid-April these 50 banners, promoting the environment, will be scattered about Downtown Toledo thanks to support from the AIGA and The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.

And once the banners come down, they will be made into tote bags and sold to benefit the Arts Commission of Toledo’s Young Artists at Work program. Good deal, all around.

Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | Old West End | (419) 255-8000

Toledo’s Urban Forest Project | Downtown Toledo

UPDATE! There is a fantastic video about the Toledo Urban Forest Project filmed at the opening by Toledo.com and viewable here.

On Friday we enjoyed a stroll through The Toledo Museum of Art before dinner (Mac & Tong’s). The TMA is home to a great permanent collection, including Josef Albers…

… curious African masks, and much more.

The museum also plays host to some epic international exhibitions. Currently there is some Dale Chihuly in the Glass Pavilion, award-winning illustrations from children’s books, typographic-charged works in Word Play (including an Ed Ruscha who is one of my all-time faves), and LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel (runs from through January 3rd).

The TMA extends open hours on Friday until 10pm for their FREE “It’s Friday!” programming. Check the calendar for tours, live music, etc.–it’s a great date night and the cafe is open until 7:30 on Fridays in case you’re feeling peckish.

The Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | 419-255-8000

This weekend began with an opening party at The Bozarts Gallery for the “B” Collective. It’s the first group show at this new-ish Downtown spot.

The “B” Collective works include paintings, drawings, ceramics, and mixed media by Adam Russell, Har Simrit Singh, Yusuf Lateef & Kelly Lever.

The show runs through Saturday, October 17th–when there will be another party for the closing. Bozarts was started by local artist Jerry Gray and I think he’s done a really great job with the space.

After leaving the gallery we drove by the Art Tatum Memorial at the Arena to see it at night, finally. The changing lights inside the Arena are pretty nice.

Last night, we met up with friends at the Ottawa Tavern for drinks and a few bands. The closing band was The Falling Spikes, a Velvet Underground cover band complete with a girl drummer ala Mo Tucker and projections while they played. Well done.

Bozarts  Gallery | 151 S St Clair Street | (419) 464-5785

Ottawa Tavern | 1815 Adams Street | (419) 275-LIVE

Both Saturday and Sunday, house tours will be featuring beautiful historic homes. Also to enjoy: an art fair, live entertainment on a stage at Woodruff, children’s activities, food, and of course yard sales.

More information is available on the Old West End Association’s site.

Below is a Google Map of the parade route on Saturday:

While I was in the garden today D. attended an opening for new works of Dan Hernandez at that Madhouse gallery. He’s kindly written the below for us:

Tonight I swung by Mad House’s new gallery (in uptown) for Dan Hernandez’s opening. They are showcasing his recent works.

I’m constantly blown away by the artistic output of Toledoans and it’s always exciting to discover new artists. I first saw Dan’s work at Artomatic 419, and was excited to see more.

This show is not to be missed! Hernandez mixes pop culture on so many levels–it’s an inspiration to see someone local making work very suitable for a national stage.

Do yourself a favor and check out Mad House’s new spot. They are a fantastic design agency that has truly invested in Toledo. Their new gallery is instantly one of the best in the city and they deserve your support!

Thank you, D., for the post! And thanks to Madhouse for creating a great space for local art of note.

Dan Hernandez at Madhouse Gallery | 1215 Jackson Street | (419) 873-0538

D. and I pulled the bikes out Friday afternoon and rode downtown. The city was full of activity, including a MudHens game.

We closed the night with a couple manhattans… at Manhattan’s.

Saturday was the second Artomatic 419! weekend for ‘09, so we spent our day with several hundred fellow Toledoans enjoying local visual and performing arts.

Artomatic has been a complete success… so do come out next Saturday for the final day (May 2nd).

Post-Artomatic activities included dinner at the Oliver House, more bike riding, and cocktails with friends on the back patio of Wesley’s.

D. started his Sunday with a visit to the Toledo Bicycle Co-op!

They have a gazillion bikes ready for you to claim and ride away with.

Next up…

The Ice Cream Social!

Thanks to everyone who came out, supported a great local business, and enjoyed some ice cream! I had a really great time celebrating the 1st birthday of this little Toledo blog with all of you.

… and this entirely pleasant dog! An extra special thanks to Marcia and co. at Lickity Split!

A few hours later had us enjoying R.’s birthday BBQ in the Old West End. A popular dish was the red hot sausages, but they frightened me a little so I declined.

All said and done, it was a great Toledo weekend–we have so many more to come!

Manhattan’s | 1516 Adams St | (419) 243-6675

Artomatic 419! | 201 Morris St | 419-254-ARTS (2787)

Wesley’s | 1201 Adams St | (419) 255-3333

Toledo Bicycle CO-OP | 2272 Collingwood (St. Mark’s Episcopalian Church) | (419) 386-6090

Lickity Split | 2021 Glendale Ave | (419) 382-3285

This Saturday was the opening weekend for Artomatic 419! so we spent a good deal of the day at the building looking at the work, listening to performances, and catching up with friends.

This year’s Artomatic 419! location is in the old “Blade Printing Co.” building. This huge space is filled with photography, painting, sculpture and ceramics, along with art cars, performance art, sketch books and installations.

Works are hung salon-style on the walls (many of which were constructed by volunteers in previous weeks). At the end of the day aprox. 1,500 visitors walked through the doors–fantastic turnout! Don’t miss the next Two (2) Saturdays of FREE art and entertainment.

We took a break later in the day for a bite to eat at The Oliver House, next door. The restaurant was quite busy so we ended up sharing our table with E., and his friends P. + B.–which was nice because the conversation was great, as was the food. I ordered an absolutely delicious white pizza and these curious little fried balls of sauerkraut which were great to share with the table.

The night was capped off with cocktails at Wesley’s on the back patio. Happened into a reader that emailed EnjoyingToledo.com last year, while she was still living in New York. And now she lives down the street in the Old West End. Small world!

In closing… Artomatic is great, the white pizza delish, and new friends wonderful.

Artomatic 419! | Two Saturdays remaining: April 25th and May 2nd

The Oliver House | 27 Broadway | (419) 241 – 1253

Saturday was the last scheduled day to hang work for Artomatic 419! We spent the afternoon with I-don’t-know-how-many fellow local artists, putting finishing touches on our respective works.

This Saturday the event opens to the public, FREE of charge. It will be the first Saturday of Three (3)–April 18th, 25th, and May 2nd–full of arts and entertainment. Check the online schedule for the poetry, music and dance happenings!

This year Artomatic is downtown, next door to the Oliver House (Maumee Bay Brewing Co.), so you can have dinner and a drink and make a day of it!

Visit Artomatic 419!’s online home here.

This Saturday night was The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo’s annual “Mix UP” party which has been a hit every Spring for as long as I can remember (in my relatively short time in Toledo).

There was a good deal to see, experience, and taste at this event. We walked past fire breathers and jazz onto a tantalizing spread of food, incredible art being auctioned off, dancing people, a large-scale “photo booth”, and open artist studios on the upper floors of The Secor Building in downtown.

It was a veritable who’s who of Toledo, but if you missed it no worries. Simply attend next year’s party as this weekend set a strong precedent for years to come. As in the music was fantastic. The food was totally yummy and flowing. The art exhibited on the first floor, along with the open studios upstairs, was really great. And the energy was bonkers.

The Mix UP! | Presented by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo

Last Friday night started out with pizza from HomeSlice, downtown. Next, we headed uptown to the Ottawa Tavern. They were hosting a benefit party for this year’s Artomatic 419! — which is going to be epic.

The entertainment for the night was “Desire”, a group of chicks and a DJ that really know how to get down — Motown, R&B, and all. After a couple drinks we scooted down the street to meet up with friends at Wesleys, which is the same as it’s always been.

It’s Friday again! Where did the week go?

HomeSlice | 28 S Saint Clair St. | (419) 724-7437
Ottawa Tavern | 1817 Adams St. | (419) 725-5483
Wesley’s | 1201 Adams St. | (419) 255-3333