It’s the 3rd Thursday in May and we’re ready to get outside, feel inspired and finally enjoy some warm weather.
Fortunately, this past winter— paired with bouts of bizarre midwestern weather— didn’t force Toledo creatives into hibernation. Instead, they’ve been organizing events like the Glass City Film Festival, inviting pedal-powered beasts to town, writing poetry, creating art and making music.
See what spring brings during the second Art Loop of the year: Film Loop.
Held on the third Thursday of the month, The Arts Commission’s Art Loop shows off more than 30 creative spaces offering special events, art demonstrations, drink and food specials, plus much more. Plan your own self-guided tour by viewing the map and taking advantage of the two TARTA bus lines that connect at three different stops, offering rides all evening long for $1.25.
We think you should stop by Bleak House Coffee for the opening of Toledo School for the Arts instructor Lydia Horvath’s solo show, the House of Dow for live music and a 25% off sale, but we also have more suggestions.
From 5:30-9pm on Thursday, May 18, explore downtown Toledo with these hand-selected, free-to-attend Loop stops:
1) UNDISCLOSED 2017 Pre-Preview
Toledo School for the Art’s (TSA) annual fundraising exhibit, Undisclosed, invites 100 local artists and TSA students and alumni to bring their unique style to a 12”x12” panel, signing only the back of the canvas to preserve anonymity. During the upcoming June 22 fundraiser, 100 guests, who bought $100 tickets, will have a chance to take home the works.
Whether or not you’re attending the fundraiser, The Art Supply Depo will offer you a sneak peek of the works. Stop in and see how anonymous artists have turned 100 uniform panels into incredibly diverse pieces of art. The pre-preview will stay at the Depo for another week, before heading to TSA for a June 15 Loop preview and the June 22 fundraiser.
5:30-9pm. The Art Supply Depo, 29 S. St. Clair St., 419-720-6462. artsupplydepo.com
2) Big Poetry Night in the Glass City
Join PRIZM Creative Community and MC Jonie McIntire for an evening of poetry with featured wordsmiths Adrian Lime, Ash Pendell, Tom Barden, Jodie Summers, Cindy Bosley, Lisa Hossler, Stephanie Lehr, Sandra Gill, Lorraine Cipriano and Don Cellini. An open mic will follow.
5:30-8:30pm. Seagate Center, 1 Seagate. 419-931-8731. Myprizm.com
3) Nature Morte, by Joanna Manousis
See the opening exhibition of Nature Morte at River House Arts in the Secor Building, featuring a selection of glass, bronze and mixed media works from Joanna Manousis. The British-born artist, now living in Toledo, has received international recognition. Upcoming in June, Manousis’s work will be showcased in Young Glass, a major international competition and exhibition at the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark and in August, she will have a piece included in the British Glass Biennale.
See a sampling of her impressive, emotional works during tonight’s opening of Nature Morte, on view through June 17. While you’re in the gallery, you might even get a chance to hear The Gene Parker Quintet, playing as part of the Toledo Jazz Orchestra Bistro Series.
6-9pm. River House Arts (inside the Secor Building), 425 Jefferson Ave., 419-441-4025. River-house-arts.com
4) “The Spirit of the Animals is in the Wheels” visits Toledo
Head over to Tony Packo’s At The Park to see some real hound dawgs— kinda, sorta. Packo’s and Toledo.com have partnered to bring fantastic, sculptural aluminum bikes to Toledo. The three bikes, shaped as a pangolin, a bison and a bear, were made by Juan Martinez, a Detroit metal artist and Dave Eggers, an artist, writer and founder of 826 National, to support 826michigan.org, a free after-school tutoring program in Detroit, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.
See the bikes, playfully titled “The Spirit of the Animals is in the Wheels,” at Packo’s in the Park, or when they are mobile and pedaling around downtown, during the loop. Catch them during Bike Day at The Farmer’s Market on Saturday, May 20, and during The King Wamba Parade during the Old West End Festival at 10am on Saturday, June 3.
5:30-9pm. Packo’s At The Park, 7 S. Superior St., 419-245-1111. facebook.com/PackosAtThePark
5) Glass City Film Festival Kick-Off Event(s)
Ah… the meaning of the name: Film Loop. The Glass City Film Festival is going to kick-off early with an entire line-up on Thursday Loop events, before Opening Night on Friday, May 19. Head’s up: I’m totally cheating by calling this one event.
First, head over to Fleetwood’s Tap Room for the GCFF Kick-Off. At 6pm, enjoy a screening, followed by a Q+A, of the 2016 GCFF short film Pursuit (12 min.), directed by James Aponte and created at the University of Toledo. If you want something a little less heady, opt for outer space at 7pm. Fleetwood’s will show the pinnacle of quality films, the beloved adventure-hero epic first released 21 years ago: Space Jam (1 hour, 40 min.). Will Michael Jordan beat alien monsters with a slam dunk? Let’s just say aliens can’t jump.
6-11:30pm. Fleetwood’s Tap Room, 28 N. St. Clair St., 419-724-2337. Fleetwoodshensville.com
Screaming for more screenings?
From 5:30-6:30pm, see the TSA Chamber Ensemble perform scores from you favorite movies and “Spanish ABC Rap,” presented by the Ohio Theatre & Windows to the World, at the Toledo Lucas County Main Library.
From 5:30-9pm: Wesley’s will offer film screenings and sell tickets to GCFF; Maddie & Bella will show the b-movie cult classics, Plan 9 from Outer Space and The Lost World; Gathered Glassblowing Studio will provide glass demos, music by Old State Line and display awards made from GCFF.
From 7-9pm, catch the Toledo School for the Arts Film Festival at Handmade Toledo.
When it’s all over
Head to The Attic on Adams, host of the GCFF after-parties, and catch Violent Bloom and Luxury Flux, playing at 9pm.
