Previews and Reviews

TEN BANDS FOR TEN DOLLARS October 25 Now that Arts Collinwood is running the formerly Waterloo Café (you didn’t know? You have been informed.), every penny you spend there will go to Arts Collinwood programs. Eat in the café, keep the art center rockin’. Getting the takeover underway needs a little jump start, so we’re holding a little fundraiser (repetition deliberate). Come to the café on Sunday, October 25, 1-11 p.m., hand over $10 and you’ll get a hotdog and a beer and all the music you can listen to. (Yes, of course you can also buy more. Lots more.) You can also enjoy the lively gallery show of Gary and Laura Dumm’s cats and comics; then you can stroll Waterloo and visit all the other galleries and shops.The Café at Arts Collinwood  15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500, www.artscollinwood.org. Gallery hours are Thur/Fri 6-9 p.m.; Sat/Sun 1-5 p.m., and whenever the Café is open. 

ART ENDEAVOR - A PUBLIC ART/WORKSHOP SALON  October 17 & 24 On Saturday, October 17, artist Dan Rothenfeld will talk about creative ways to help Collinwood develop a vibrant identity as a "walking community."  This will inspire you (Dan is very creative) to develop a proposal,  and come back to present it on the following Saturday, October 24. Both gatherings will be at the Arts Collinwood gallery, 7-9 p.m., with wine and cheese to keep your strength up.Arts Collinwood, 15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500. 

A VISIT TO WATERLOO We took Miles’ visiting Anglo-French neuroscientist cousin to Waterloo on Wednesday, and noted the following.The hummus at the Café at Arts Collinwood is now golden with turmeric.It’s hard to know whether to describe Laura Dumm’s cats as beautifully decorative (such intricate patterns) or extremely funny. Loved them all, and they come painted on extremely useful boxes (old love letters, jewelry, a secret stash of your private indulgence) as well as canvas. Miles was greatly taken by the Some Cats Are . . . series of nine little prints of cats in various moods (only $20 unframed, $30 framed – great gifts for cat lovers).I approached Gary Dumm’s side of the gallery more cautiously (not a comics fan, especially of the grotesque genre, but love graphic novels) but found a lot to like. Golf in Japan, for instance – samurai with club; the US Middle-class Memorial in Beijing; and especially the Warhol and Hitchcock portraits. Gary wields a skilled brush as well as a pen (or whatever cartoonists draw with). Arts Collinwood  15605 Waterloo Road, 216-692-9500, www.artscollinwood.org. Gallery hours are Thur/Fri 6-9 p.m.; Sat/Sun 1-5 p.m., and whenever the Café is open.Down the street at Waterloo 7, we found little hand-made books (blank journals and such) by Colleen Fitzpatrick, who uses recycled paper and packaging -- $30. And a truly delightful raven-with-skull by Lynne Dufenetz, whose diversity can be surprising. Waterloo 7, 16006 Waterloo;  Waterloo Seven and Wunderkind are closed on Mondays; open 2-8-Tue, 2-8-Wed, 2-8-Thu, 2-10-Fri/Sat, 1-6-Sun. Phone 239-293-95458.The coolest piece of Spook art at LowLife is the dollhouse massacre scene (I’m a sucker for dollhouses). LowLife Gallery, 16101 Waterloo. Thursdays: 6p.m.-10p.m., Fridays: 6p.m.-11p.m., Saturdays: 5p.m.-11p.m.. 

ARTS COLLINWOOD THANKS JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS Arts Collinwood (and undoubtedly the others of the Neighborhood Arts Alliance) are grateful to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village for their help-neighborhood-arts shopping weekend. Besides graciously accepting a flood of donated instruments and art supplies, the store donated 20% of designated sales to Neighborhood Arts. J-B is one of the few remaining indie bookstores, it’s community-conscious, and on the rare occasions when I buy a book other than at a thrift shop, that’s where I’ll go. Partnerships between local businesses and local arts groups are good for neighborhoods. 

CALLS TO ARTISTS Appreciation Night For The Mother Ship November 20 The artists and merchants of Waterloo invite artists to donate work for a Beachland Ballroom Appreciation Night on November 20. Donated pieces will be displayed in Waterloo stores and galleries, with bags for depositing purchased tickets.  To contribute in any way, contact Debbie Gulyas (Blue Arrow Records and This Way Out) at pete.debbie1960@sbcglobal.net, or Jerry Schmidt (Waterloo 7 and Wunderkind) at sculptor1121@yahoo.com.The Shoparooni Art Bomb (December 4 - January 1)

Shoparooni is looking for giftable art and handcraft from local designers and artists. The work will be shown in a gallery setting, but this is not a gallery show. No one will be giving your life-size self-portrait to granny for Christmas (not for Chanukah, either); Shoparooni is looking for jewelry, clothing, prints, ceramics, candles, soaps, plush, knits, bags, stencil art, reclaimed vintage, and other handmade or small run goods. Get more info and keep up to date on the shop’s event page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165495586416.

A few guidelines: Stuff looks better when there's lots of it. Don’t bring only one or two of anything. Feel free to help set up your display – Marlee and her crew aim to promote artists as well as sales. Holiday shopping during a recession is hard -- the under $10 and under $20 pieces are everyone's best friend. If you submit product photos with your pieces, it will make Shoparooni smile, and they'll be able to list it on their website!

Shoparooni, 15813 Waterloo Road, http://www.shoparooni.com, 216-383-3633