Friday, April 13, 2012

Cleveland Arsenal Award Winners Announced

Northeast Shores is pleased to announce the 2012 winners of the Cleveland Arsenal award. The Cleveland Arsenal is a new program designed to honor the achievements of individuals who are sharing their love of Cleveland on a grassroots level, singing the praises of our city’s unique neighborhoods, including North Shore Collinwood. These are all individuals that have shown a strong dedication to this great city and are actively changing people’s minds about Cleveland’s future.

The Cleveland Arsenal is a new program being offered as part of the Artists in Residence initiative, a two-year effort to make North Shore Collinwood an even better neighborhood for artists to live and work, organized by Northeast Shores and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture.

The 2012 winners of the Cleveland Arsenal award are Sam Allard, Daniel Brown, Valerie MayƩn, Gina Prodan and Rick Stockburger.

Sam Allard is a journalist and fiction writer from the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. He is the editor of Whiskey Island literary magazine and a book critic for the Plain Dealer. He loves Cleveland for its culture and courtesy, its spunk and pluck, the small-town aromas and big-city sports. He is a fan of the city’s microbrews, gardens and artists.

Daniel Brown is a Cleveland native and recent graduate of DePaul University in Chicago. He is currently participating in a year of service at Saint Martin de Porres High School in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Daniel loves Cleveland for its vast potential, its neighborhoods and its never-say-die mentality.

Valerie Mayen is a fashion designer, David Bowie advocate and a shop owner. She has lived in Cleveland for nearly 11 years after time in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Corpus Christi. While running her locally -made clothing store Yellowcake in the Gordon Square Arts District, Valerie also heads a budding internship program and a developing sewing workspace for other designers.

Gina Prodan runs the popular Unmiserable Cleveland blog and is an urban cycling-enthusiast and triathlete. She is a web developer at Case Western Reserve University by day and an all-over Cleveland adventurer after work. Gina has volunteered with Cleveland literacy programs for the past decade and is a fan of the city’s entrepreneurial spirit, shops, restaurants and neighborhood movements.

Rick Stockburger is co-creator of Saving Cities and a former Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Army. He was also the audio engineer for the highly-anticipated documentary Red, White and Blueprints. Rick’s love affair with Cleveland started at an early age ingrained in him through his father’s love for the Browns. He can often be spotted at Harland’s Pub on E. 185th Street.

Each of the five recipients of the honor will receive $1,000 to support their grassroots marketing of Cleveland neighborhoods, including potential marketing of Northeast Shores’ artist support programs. Award recipients will also participate in a series of educational meetings to increase their interaction with local civic marketing organizations, such as Global Cleveland, LiveCLEVELAND! and Positively Cleveland. Northeast Shores plans to offer the program again in 2013.

For more information about the Cleveland Arsenal or about the Artists in Residence program, contact Northeast Shores at 216.481.7660, ext. 27, or sbeattie@northeastshores.org.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Artists in Residence Loan Program Announced

Northeast Shores is announcing another support program for artists living and working in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, as well as artists who would like to relocate here.

Through a unique partnership with NoteWorthy Federal Credit Union and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, we are pleased to announce the Artists in Residence loan program. This new loan product supports artists looking to create art space in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood. This program covers space conversions that might be difficult to finance through a commercial lender, such as a musician wanting to soundproof a rehearsal space or a painter who wants to convert their garage into a studio.

Each of the program partners are working to make this kind of space conversion easier for artists to complete. Northeast Shores provides participants with access to free space ownership coursework and works with them to develop a personalized financial plan. The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture is providing 25% collateral on every Artists in Residence loan, making it easier to complete a project without taking on a second mortgage or additional credit card debt. NoteWorthy Federal Credit Union is a locally-based national credit union that has been serving the financial needs of the arts community for decades. Their understanding of the artist community’s needs makes the lending process a friendlier process for participants.

Artists in Residence loans are available to artists of all backgrounds and all disciplines (craft, dance, design, literature, media, music, theatre and visual art). The program is focused on investments in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, so applicants should have access to space in the neighborhood or be in the process of obtaining space there. The loans have flexible repayment schedules and interest rates starting as low as 5.6% APR.

These loans are just the latest offering of our Artists in Residence program, a two-year initiative to make the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood an even better place for artists to live and work. Northeast Shores is also rehabbing houses for artists so they can have the dream home they always wanted, helping them launch their own storefront businesses and distributing $100,000 in small grants giving to support their neighborhood arts projects.

If you are interested in applying for an Artists in Residence loan, or would like more information about our broader efforts to support artists, contact Northeast Shores at 216.481.7660, ext. 27, or sbeattie@northeastshores.org.