For the record, I'm 31.
For the latest in our "hometown" series, Kris admitted something we probably all could have claimed at some point. Me, I'm looking back fondly on my days as a little shit watching the Ohio University Bobcats win basketball games - something I did as a bigger shit most recently this past weekend. Ah, the circle of life:
Tune in this Thursday night to check my accuracy.
We're here, we're LGTBQueer.
On Thursday, I attended the grand opening of the LGBTQ Student Center on Kent State University's campus. Understated, but also truly historic, it was a coming out that was well-attended by all stripes, including the president of the university. I was glad to be there with camera and best bud in tow.
Our WORK! calendar makes it to FPO!
Amazing news! The letterpress calendar collaboration between NCZ and Cranky Pressman is featured today on UnderConsideration's amazing site, FPO. FPO - or For Print Only - is ...
... a blog dedicated to both the visual stimulus and the detailing of the development and production of printed matter: Annual reports, books, business cards, stationery suites, collateral materials, posters, packaging and anything else where ink meets substrate. A subject matter we know, love and understand. A process that, despite numerous eulogies, is still alive. Perhaps even more lively than ever as designers are tasked with producing their designs under tighter budgets and pressing concerns about the environment. By focusing on print work, we know that we will have an endless array of work to showcase as it rolls of the presses and by creating very detailed project overviews and sharing the production details of each project we can actually establish a source of both inspiration and education.
There are some truly spectacular projects featured on FPO, so to be considered alongside those is truly an honor - and one that Cranky Pressman has deservedly received before. Thank you so much, Bryony and Armin!
Case of the Mondays?
Our close friend and colleague Lauren says "Not anymore."
We see what Forbes can't.
Courtesy of Kyle Roth of Epstein Design Partners
I experienced something Friday at TEDxCLE that could never possibly be simplified to the point of meaningful commentary, either here or, definitely not, someplace like Forbes. The best proof of the impact of the event, though, wasn't felt yesterday. Or today, or even over the next few weeks, or months. It will only become apparent when those of us there take what we've experienced, the connections we've made, and channel it toward shaping the area we love to call home.
The end of the day, in fact, best summarizes the tenor of the event. With the wildly informative and inspiring lectures over and the house lights up, the mixing began. At the after party at Stone Mad Pub, you saw audience members in deep conversation with speakers. Speakers from vastly different backgrounds engaged intensely with each other. Connections being made, right before your eyes. It spilled over, of course, online later as well, when the connections and comments on Twitter began to resemble those at the after party.
There was so much to learn throughout the day. Dr. C. Martin Harris from the Cleveland Clinic led off by showcasing how computerization and online planning and recordkeeping can and will shape the future of health care. Benson Lee of Technology Management, Inc., helped shed light on the emerging technology of fuel cells and how, when applied, they can make a tremendous impact across the planet, especially in the developing world.
Even before Terry Schwarz from Pop Up City took the stage, I knew we were in for an amazing talk. Starstruck and armed with my novice's interest in urban planning, I spoke with Schwarz before the event started. She was so engaging, and her unique perspective came through when, in her speech, she perfectly analogized what can be done in Cleveland with the Japanese artistic practice of Kintsugi.
With Kintsugi, craftspeople mend broken pottery not by trying to restore pieces to their original appearance, but by healing the cracks in such a way that their repairs beautifully call attention to the affected areas. Schwarz showed how we can help Cleveland not by attempting to restore every area to its original condition, but by healing the city intelligently, and piece-by-piece though smart planning and design - as well as through shorter-term events and installations that provoke thought and shine a light on the city's potential.
Another inspiring moment came next when attorney Patrick Perotti discussed how, through legal means, unclaimed class action settlement monies can be collected and, best yet, distributed to charity. I urge you to learn more about this very important movement at Ohio Lawyers Give Back. After a video about two amazing emerging technologies, Chris Yanc showed us his advances in multi-touch technology and talked about the benefits of open-source development.
After a break, Tremont Electric's Aaron LeMieux talked about his nPower technology, which relies on kinetic energy to create electricity, both for personal and region-wide use. It was so great to see such innovation coming from Northeast Ohio. Following LeMieux was another local point-of-pride, journalist and cook Michael Ruhlman, who spoke about the importance of cooking and how the decisions we make about the food we eat - and how we eat it - shape not only our lives but also our society.
Ruhlman spoke about how cooking has led him to build meaningful, life-enriching relationships with his bread maker and the husband-and-wife team who raise the pork he eats. I know the feeling quite well, as Casey and I built so many meaningful relationships with those merchants we've met through our local farmers' market. Ruhlman also hit home when he discussed how each food choice you make now is your vote for that choice in the future. In other words, eat mass-produced, factory-farmed products now and you're voting with your wallet for more of the same.
I can't remember at which point during Danielle DeBoe's talk my mind was completely blown, but I'm positive it happened on several occasions. The ROOM SERVICE owner's discussion of living a passionate life underscored everything I have been thinking about where I'd like to take things personally and professionally. It helped reinforce the importance of knowing yourself first, and letting that knowledge dictate the choices you make. It also felt good, too, to hear from someone so enthusiastic about her city.
Someone else enthusiastic about Cleveland was Wrath Arcane's Sean Bilovecky, who discussed how his menswear (and soon-to-be for women, too) label has grown from humble beginnings to great heights. I need to be wearing some of his work, and fast. And closing the day was Dana Myers from Myers Motors, who showcased his electric vehicles and discussed how they can shape the future of smart transportation. An informative end to a special day.
When you soak it all up - some great recaps and photos here and here - you realize that there is just so much important work going on right here in Northeast Ohio. Not just important to the area, but with potential to change the world. It's heartwarming and beyond inspiring to see how much brainpower there is in our own backyard and how motivated everyone is to see their home become a better place.
And that's something those behind that Forbes article could never appreciate. There's nothing miserable about creative, enthusiastic people working together. There's nothing miserable about local businesses becoming vital members of their communities. There's nothing miserable about hope for something better. As Terry Schwarz pointed out, there's hope for this area, because if there weren't, people wouldn't be here and working so hard to turn it around. To focus only on the negative negates that important work.
Any mention of TEDxCLE, further, would be incomplete without mention of its two tirelessly devoted planners, Hallie Bram and Eric Kogelschatz, who delivered a perfect experience. We had the pleasure of meeting them for dinner a few weeks ago, and you'd be hard-pressed to find two people more interested in championing Cleveland than them. You put on a flawless program Friday, and I'm already looking forward to not only next year's TEDxCLE, but also what you two will do next for the area. I know I speak for everyone there when I say thank you for such a moving, impressive day.
Nothing miserable except your story.
Awesome illustration by Mikey Burton!
As you may have seen, Forbes has published a story about what it dubs "America's Most Miserable Cities" - and has named Cleveland #1 on the list. What's more, three other cities region-wide are on the list, including Canton (#9), Akron (#12), and Youngstown (#18). Four others, if you expand the region to include #15 Toledo. The story, predictably, has drawn the ire of people and organizations from every corner and demographic around here, and appropriately so.
The story's lede - as ledes in stories like this invariably tend to be - was lazy and uninspired. (In case you're wondering, I'm not linking to it. You can find it and, frankly, I'd rather not drive any more traffic their way.) In five short sentences, Kurt Badenhausen mentions the Cuyahoga River catching fire, the 1978 city default on its debts, Cleveland's underperforming sports franchises, and the nickname "the Mistake by the Lake."
We're told that the city's soaring taxes, high unemployment, bad weather, public corruption and bad sports teams - seriously - are responsible for the ranking. We then learn the factors making up Forbes's "Misery Measure", including unemployment, commute time, crimes and - again, seriously - success of the area's sports teams. Because a down year for the Indians ranks right up there with those losing your job, or home, or both.
Truth be told, Cleveland does have its share of problems. So does every city. Look around, times are tough. But there are equally tough, creative people out there working on solving these problems - and Cleveland is no exception. When I drive into the city each day, I see as many signs of progress as I see signs of trouble. The situation is only miserable if you arrive with preconceived, stale notions and write about the city from a very high altitude.
Which is why journalistic grenades like this have so little worth. This story solves nothing, proposes no solutions. It reinforces negative stereotypes and ignores grassroots progress. The work is far from complete, believe me, but this story is a needless distraction. Any positive effect it could have had as a wake-up call has been outweighed by the vast outrage it has generated.
It's not sound qualitative research, nor is it sound investigative journalism. It's much easier to establish vague, even ludicrous factors by which to compare cities than it is to sit down with actual Clevelanders in an effort to collect thick descriptions of their experiences as residents of Northeast Ohio. Yes, foreclosures and joblessness are bad, but life and happiness can't be so easily categorized as it has here.
To show you how using categories to rank cities can be a gross oversimplification, let's delve into the newly designed Northcoast Zeitgeist Least Awesome Cities list. Deciding factors include days of the year that the skies are overcast, sunniness and warmth of summer, and potential for natural disaster. When we plotted the stats, our clear winner was San Francisco. A real hellhole, there.
On another level, leave the criticism of this area to people actually living in this area. When it's local and more locally informed, it can be constructive. When it's neither of those things, it makes you look like a bomb-tossing jerk.
Great news!
We found out earlier this week that two of our three entries in the Detroit Institute of Arts/Let's Save Michigan poster design contest were selected to move on to the finals. Two out of 60 finalists (chosen from more than 300 submissions) is music to our ears. Best yet, the voting process is democratic. If you feel like throwing some support our way, you can vote - easily - for our posters here and here.
Kent: City on the Grow
We love Kent. With one rather forgettable exception, we've called it home since 2004, and have loved every minute of it. It's a small town, but everything you need is within reach. It's a remarkably cosmopolitan city filled with unique, friendly and genuine people. Everywhere you turn, there's some sort of community event charming your face off. And now, everywhere you look, the great downtown is sprouting green chutes of development.
Best yet, officials from both the city and Kent State University realize that the path forward must come as a partnership, that a strong city makes for a strong university - and vice versa. Officials from both groups are helping spearhead big projects intended to develop portions of Kent's downtown that had been previously languishing - and parts of the university closest to those downtown areas.
Ask anyone involved, though, and they'll agree that the lynchpin to every proposed development is the completion of a multimodal transportation facility downtown. The facility, more glamorously named the Kent Central Gateway, would help spur downtown growth by being many things to many people. Part parking garage and regional bus hub, the Gateway would also be located along the city's bike/hike path and incorporate community space and retail. What's more, it would be a green building with a solar roof and geothermal heating.
Two renderings of the Kent Central Gateway
Well, would became will last week when community stakeholders learned that the Kent Central Gateway project will become a reality thanks to a $20 million TIGER grant. This piece of amazing news was immediately seen as nothing less than seismic by those close to the redevelopment. Said John Drew, general manager of the area's regional transit authority, "Having been born and raised in Kent, Ohio, this has been the most exciting thing to happen in Portage County in my lifetime."
Dave Ruller, Kent's ass-kicking city manager - and fellow blogger - said, "What we are able to do now is finish what was started when this vision was born eight years ago. ... This award is the tipping point for all the projects planned to revitalize Kent. This will stimulate $60-million worth of new investment in Kent, both public and private." Said Lester Lefton, president of Kent State, "This sets into motion all of the other development projects planned for downtown Kent, like the proposed hotel and conference center. The Kent Central Gateway project provides public access and parking. ... This is a huge, transformative event in the life of Kent, the university and Portage County."
Lefton, in his statement, touched on another key - and much-needed - part of the redevelopment: the hotel and conference center. That project (now, like many others, rather likely thanks to momentum spurred by the TIGER grant) will being both meeting places and a place-to-stay to downtown. This is important because, as of now, visitors to Kent are left without a single downtown hotel option, and are instead forced to stay away from the city.
A third key part is a $40 million Fairmount Properties development that would bring more than 150,000 square feet of retail, office and residential space downtown and already boasts several commercial tennant commitments. Overall, you've got the potential for hundreds of millions of investments in Kent and hundreds if not thousands of jobs created. In other words, a reborn downtown tied strongly to a reborn university. I dare stimulus-haters to tell Kent residents how this government grant won't bring a massive benefit - and jobs - to the area.
A rendering of downtown Kent
We're not just Kent boosters, though, and not just blind supporters of development for development's sake. This area needs this, and I'm very happy to report that all of the major stakeholders in the projects believe that the design and tenant considerations will only amplify - not water-down - what's wonderful about Kent. It is promised that Kent will stay weird and will retain its own character. We're fortunate that Ruller, central to the town-gown partnership in his role, is as ardent a supporter of smart development as he is.
It's news like this that makes us remember why we love our city so much. In Kent, you've got a great plan, and you've got forward-thinking leaders working together to make that plan a reality. We can't wait to see the shovels hit the dirt and, of course, promise to help capture each important steps as it happens.
Niececoast Zeitgeist
We took a trip to see our new niece, Mia Jane, this weekend, and captured unequivocal evidence that she is, in fact, the cutest little peanut anyone's ever seen:
Super sweet.
In my sweetest of sweet dreams, I live in a turquoise house where French macaroons pour from the ceilings and I wear felt Mary Janes while I harvest multicolored zinnias for a living. At night, a litany of small origami songbirds tuck me into a giant nest-bed woven from cherry blossom branches, Neko Case's hair, recycled cashmere yarns. To me, it's only a dream, but I feel somehow like it might be the real life of Amy, the marvelous style maven behind my new favorite blog, sweet sweet life. Okay, it's probably not her real life, but her happy aesthetic leads me to believe that, if that place exists, she has a set of keys to it. Seriously, take a look at her flickr! faves.
Our modest cottage was lucky enough to be the latest home to be included in her Do come in! feature and I have to say, we're humbled. She has showcased some seriously beautiful, very real homes on her blog. Colorful furniture, fantastic artifacts, creative use of space and gardens to die for! Her blog is an example of how (despite the mixed messages that one luxury furniture store may send us) beautiful DESIGN really is WITHIN your REACH, everyone's reach, you just have to know yourself and own it!
Telling time in the Lone Star State
Here's calender recipient Jennifer Sukis striking a pose and representing Austin rather well:
Happy Presidents Day
An appropriate find from this weekend:
Hey, it's that guy!
Inspired by this amazing site, Casey and I got to work:
Always open the box.
It had already been a pretty productive day of junking when I stumbled upon this little box:
Great, right? But why stop at the outside? I had to follow one of the cardinal rules of uncovering treasures: Always open the box. Turns out it was a game! First came this:
Great color, right? But when I looked below that, I found these:
Tabbed, red, and black.
Sticking with the same palette as the Arrow Staples, we've got the Herald Square Index Tabs:
There's so much to love in this tiny package, just as with the staples. The rounded strength of "Herald Square". The "Standard Quality" seal. The illustration of the tab. A lot to learn, in a tiny space. And, best yet, the tabs were still there, especially the three most important letters:
Follow the arrow.
Another well-crafted find, captured by Casey:
