I went to Tremont for the “Art Walk Experience,” but we enjoyed a good walk in the working class neighborhood of brick alleyways and houses two deep. People sat on porches listening to the Beatles on their stereo, beer-drinking men on porch stoops said hello, and dressed-up professionals and art lovers wandered amongst the Victorian painted ladies mixed with smaller German-village-style brick homes in the shadows of the many churches, including Iglesia Espana. Front yards overflowed with flowers, one with tall sunflowers, other homes trailing vines from window boxes. In Lincoln Park, a ballet was performed on stage for the people who arrived with lawn chairs and children for a free show. It’s easy to just wander in Tremont.
But we were there for the monthly 2nd Friday Art Walk, held between 6 and 10 PM, during which time the many galleries and studios stay open late and many of the galleries feature music and performance art. Our eyes were intoxicated by the art being sold in the gallery Eye Candy. I loved the color, the movement, the excitement in the shop, all the beautiful flowered tiles, glass jewelry, bright ceramic-topped tables. I’d have to start over in my decorating, or would I? The ceramic vase in subdued gray with a tree imprinted on it would fit into my less-than-lively decorating scheme.
Next we went to Banyan Tree, which felt different, less fully-outfitted than Eye Candy, less to look at, but the beautiful leather-patched stool, the paintings of flowers on the walls, the separate room with jewelry and clothing had some good finds. I bought a fun bracelet for $20, a nice, inexpensive find.
That gallery differed by many dollars from the next gallery we went into, Piccadilly’s Fine Art Gallery, an upscale gallery with still-life and very real paintings of wine bottles, landscapes of European streets, streets/homes of light, shadows and sun, starting at $2000, works by modern masters. Some patrons were like us, just curious, others were serious art world shoppers.
Tremont is known for its restaurants. While walking, I scoped out the menus of the restaurants people say you should go to in Tremont—Fahrenheit, Fat Cats, Parallax, Sage Bistro, and Lolita. The Treehouse’s outside wall mural proclaiming “What a lovely day for a Guinness” piqued our curiosity, and inside we found the kind of bar we like and our 23-year-old daughter and her friends drinking cocktails with floating vodka-soaked pineapple slices. We chatted a while, then bid the young and beautiful crowd good-bye and headed into the darkening streets, the sounds of voices, cicadas, music, and cars an interesting mixed-up assortment.
Scoops looked like it was doing well selling ice cream, but we resisted, going on to Curio Antiques furnishings, a shop of curios at the corner of Tremont and Jefferson. These sorts of places should be called Curios shops, not “antique stores” as they commonly are, because most of the time they are not—items from the 1960s are not antiques and garage-sale finds are not either. Yes, I could see that old couch in my living room, but I didn’t buy it; I will if it haunts me. The shop was filled but not overflowing with vintage furniture, collectibles, books, and hand crafted tables.
We noted as we walked to the car how many policemen were walking the streets and patrolling in cars. It’s a safe place to be. The bridge we passed under to get to I-90 was lighted underneath with the national flags of Germany, Czech Republic, Lebanon, China and a dozen other nations painted on the fat pillars. It was a reminder of the roots of our city, our city made of immigrants, a true melting pot.
I love that.
In addition to the Art Walk in Tremont the 2nd Friday in September, a city-wide consortium of art, called the Gallery Hop, takes place on the September 16th and 17th. It’s a city wide show from Tremont to Little Italy with transportation provided by trolley. Little Italy and Tremont in one night? Can we stand the excitement generated by that?
Visit the Tremont Art Walk website at http://www.tremontartwalk.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com (:divend:)