Sunday, November 16, 2008

ALL THINGS CLEVELAND

ALL THINGS CLEVELAND
A little sensitive, are we? Asterisk Gallery proprietor Dana Depew conceived a show of self-deprecating humor about Cleveland and branded it with clear parody - a riff on the white oval stickers once used to indicate where a car came from when it crossed some international border. Lately those stickers have been appropriated for every promotional cause under the sun, including the Cleveland Plus campaign, which placed the abbreviation CLE+ in the little white oval. Depew's answer was CLE-, which didn't go over well with the Greater Cleveland Partnership; it sent a cease-and-desist letter to the little Tremont gallery. As a result, Depew has issued a disclaimer, ensuring anyone who might be confused that GCP and Cleveland Plus don't have anything to do with the art show, called All Things Cleveland. Depew assembled approximately 35 artists whose work represents "the continual grief and despair we feel each and every day, the adverse effect our sports teams have on our mental state, our bleak and depressing outlook on life, etc, etc. All the good things." The show opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. and continues through December 6. There will be a live polka band (with members dressed as Superhost), sauerkraut and kielbasa, and lukewarm POC beer. Asterisk is at 2392 Professor Ave. in Tremont. Call 330.304.8528 or go to asteriskgallery.com.