At MIX Illumination, take a lantern tour of the Art Museum’s collection while learning more about Colum & Stripe, their new YP group

Over the last couple of months, the Cleveland Museum of Art has been — well, literally — mixing things up when it comes to drawing in new audiences to the museum.

The Art Museum’s First Friday MIX events take attendees on a unique trip of the museum every month. Whether it’s your first or nth time at the museum, these monthly happy hours each focus on a different aspect of the museum’s collection.

For instance, at last month’s MIX, guests could go on a scavenger hunt of the museum’s collection and solve a “mystery.” It also showcased the beautiful, brand-new atrium. After exploring the Martin Creed Half the Air exhibit, I was happy to escape the purple sea of balloons into the spacious atrium. Just hand me a gin and tonic to relax.

Bad hair day at the Cleveland Museum of Art! What a room full of balloons does to my hair.

At the Museum’s MIX: Illumination on Dec. 7, 5-9pm, dust off your holiday cardigan (mine’s getting a lot of work this year) and celebrate the season with warming winter drinks, live music and festive art activities.

After going on a lantern-led tour of the collection, relax in the MIX holiday lodge and take part in the museum’s White Elephant gift exchange (gift exchange for first 100 guests).

Advance tickets for MIX: Illumination are only $8; $10 day of event. And it’s free if you’re a member. Call (216) 421-7350 or visit clevelandart.org/MIX.

While the longtime University Circle mainstay has always been popular with younger audiences (best free date night in Cleveland, in my opinion), MIX is one part of a larger campaign to engage Cleveland’s recent college graduates and young professional crowd to the museum.

Complementing MIX is the Art Museum’s new YP group Column & Stripe. The new philanthropy group is a great way for the next generation of Cleveland’s artists, arts consumers and philanthropists to enjoy behind-the-scenes content about what’s going on at the Museum.

Members who want to get more involved with the museum also have the opportunity to sit on a committee and the Museum’s Emerging Leaders Board.

After launching at this year’s Solstice Party, they’ve been busy planning programming for 20/30-something Clevelanders. Check them out at this month’s MIX, where they’ll be sponsoring the holiday lodge with games and spiked hot chocolate.

And if you can’t make it Friday, Column & Stripes’ Holiday Party takes place on Thursday, December 13, from 6-10 p.m. If you’re a member or interested in learning more, join them for a trip to Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s tasting room for drinks and food. While tickets are free, limited space remains and reservations are required.

Membership for C&S starts at $50 per person with existing museum membership. Visit ColumnandStripe.org for more details.

Earlier in October Cleveland young professionals got a new monthly event to add to their calendars: Cleveland Museum of Art’s MIX First Fridays.

And after their first party showcased the Half the air balloon exhibit, November’s MIX turns its attention to the opening of the Museum’s stunning new atrium.

The Ames Family Atrium, along with the new Museum Store and Chef Doug Katz’s Provenance Restaurant and Café, are the latest additions to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s building expansion.

Museum guests have gotten a sneak peek at the space since it partially opened to the public in August. And this Sunday, Oct. 28 the whopping 39,000-square-foot piazza officially opens!

It’ll be the largest free public space in Northeast Ohio, bridging the original 1916 and 1971 buildings and new east and west wings with a beautiful curved glass roof.

Over 40 groups will come together on Sunday from 11am to 4pm to showcase Cleveland’s different cultures and celebrate with a day of music, dancing, art-making and other family-friendly activities.

And on Friday, Nov. 2 the Atrium will host its first public evening event at
MIX: Masquerade.

Now, in my opinion, that photo of the Atrium is reason enough to get tickets, but MIX: Masquerade has a few more tricks up its sleeve in case you need convincing.

For those who don’t get their fill of Halloween festivities earlier in the week, the Nov. 2 party will feature mysteries and ghost stories throughout the galleries from 5-7pm.

Then at 7pm, slip on a mask if you’re so inclined to get into the Masquerade spirit, as 2 DJs and an orchestra take over the Atrium.

There’s so much going on, the Museum is extending its hours until 11pm that night.

Tickets are $7 for members, $14 for non-members (yet another reason to join). Call 216.421.7350 or visit clevelandart.org/mix for tickets. Reservations are strongly suggested.

Sip a cocktail, explore the collection, dance the night away and enjoy the view!

Disclosure: I was invited to blog about MIX in exchange for attending. As always though, the choice of which events I share is my own.

The CMA exhibit ”Half the air…” is one way Cleveland’s art institutions are mixing it up right now (Credit: David A. Brichford)

A bit of blogkeeping: You have until 11:59pm on Thursday, 10/4 to enter my giveaway for two tickets to the CCFA Movie Gala at the Capitol Theatre. Also, check out WhyCLE’s giveaway for a second chance to win. Good luck!

When you think of classical or traditional art, it can be easy to think stuffy and boring. Wrong! Many of Cleveland’s traditional arts institutions are mixing it up with new events designed for younger audiences (or young in spirit).

Here’s a trio of upcoming events, in particular, that I’m looking forward to enlivening my week with:

CMA’s first MIX – this Friday, Oct. 5

MIX at Cleveland Museum of Art

Starting this Friday, Oct. 5, the Cleveland Museum of Art is unveiling a new monthly series for the first Friday of each month.  Like last year’s Buyers’ Remorse party, the MIX First Friday Happy Hours will feature after-work drinks, live music, and a look at a different part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection from 5-9pm.

The first MIX celebrates the re-introduction of CMA’s contemporary art galleries. Toast the end of the work week with a cocktail, music and more (a little bird tweeted me that @ClevelandPoet may be reading some poetry during it).

Plus, meet the artists from the DIY: Photographers & Books exhibit and the museum’s new acquisition Martin Creed’s Half the air in a given space.  

I’ve been excited by Half the air‘s concept since reading about it earlier last month. At the museum now through November 25, Creed’s work is comprised of thousands of purple balloons filling the East Wing’s glass box gallery. You can walk through the space and let your inner kid out as you interact with the balloons in this breathtaking glass bubble.

If you can’t make it this week, save the date for next month’s MIX on November 2 – more details to follow but what I’ve heard so far sounds very cool.

Each MIX event is free or discounted for members and only $12 for non-members. Reservations are recommended at ClevelandArt.org/MIX

After-party at Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7

Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7

The Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7 series is also back with its first performance of the 2012-2013 season this Friday, Oct. 5. I attended my first Fridays@7 concert a couple years ago and it ranks high on my list of favorite events at the Cleveland Orchestra.

Since 2009, the Fridays@7 series has turned the Orchestra’s traditional concert hall experience on its head. Each performance includes a one-hour Cleveland Orchestra concert, followed by world music parties in the lobby of Severance Hall.

It always ends up being an electric evening of music – ideal for first-timers to the Orchestra or frequent guests who want to spice up their concert experience.

This Friday’s concert starts at 7pm – so you could make it a night of art by visiting the Museum at 5, and following it up with the Orchestra after.

The concert will feature a variety of sounds such as a poetic ballet piece by Ravel and some of Mendelssohn’s best-loved orchestral melodies juxtaposed with the Cleveland premiere of a work by Stewart Copeland (drummer and founder of The Police) and a large procession of world percussion.

You can purchase tickets for this Friday’s concert here. A subscription for the full series (December 7, January 18, and May 24) is also available.

Ballet in Cleveland wants to bring this classical art form back to the city – you can help on 10/11

Ballet in Cleveland @ Alex Bistro

While Ballet in Cleveland is an organization fairly new to the Cleveland arts scene, its focus is on returning classical ballet to the city. Founded by Jessica Wallis, a local dancer and teacher of dance, Ballet in Cleveland organizes performances and ballet-centered programming to introduce new audiences to the art.

Their next event is Oct. 11 at Alex Bistro in PlayhouseSquare from 5:30 to 8:30pm. The evening will feature free food, a delicious ballet-themed dessert and a cash bar with bartender Danny Murray creating ballet-inspired cocktails.  A pair of specially designed decorator pointe shoes and other prizes will be raffled off that evening to raise money for Ballet in Cleveland’s mission.

Guests at the event will also get to see the Cleveland premiere of Ballet in Cleveland’s new video “Mah City,” presented by Wallis and featuring choreographer Maria Puglisi and the University of Akron’s Terpsichore Dance Club. Members of  the dance company will be on hand for a meet and greet at the premiere.

You can learn more about Ballet in Cleveland in this recent article on Cool Cleveland and keep up-to-date at facebook.com/BalletInCleveland.

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Just because it’s traditional or classical doesn’t mean art needs to be boring, and this trio of organizations proves it through a range of fun programming designed to inspire. How do you like to “MIX it up”?