- [Narrator] Production of Applause on Idea Stream Public Media is made possible by the John P. Murphy foundation, the Kulas Foundation, and by Cuyahoga County residents, through Cuyahoga arts and culture.

(upbeat music) - [David] Coming up, an artist from New York City makes a lasting impression on the residents of Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood.

Plus, the art of the macaron is on display in North Canton thanks to the passion of this pastry chef, and stick around for an Emmy winning performance by the Tri-C jazz Fest all stars, featuring the music of Grammy winner, Christian McBride.

Welcome, it's great to have you back for another round of Applause.

I'm Idea Stream Public Media's David C. Barnett.

The Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland has had more than its fair share of hardships in decades past.

Now, the community there is being recognized in a new way, through the creativity of a New York based artist who's set her focus on preserving its history and celebrating its present.

Abigail DeVille builds her immersive sculptural installations around the forgotten or untold stories of people and places, uncovered through her extensive research on the cities in which she creates her works.

- Now, some people see a neighborhood and they see architecture or see a building or a structure that's like to be cherished or venerated or given historical preservation or to be saved, but not actually like looking at the humans that are occupying that space, or living in that space, or thriving in that space, and being community and family with one another.

- [David] During several visits to Cleveland and prior to the start of the Front Tri-Annual of Contemporary Art, DeVille was drawn to the Fairfax neighborhood, particularly because the poet Langston Hughes lived there, during his teenage years.

- We're across the street from Karamu theater.

He had a relationship with Karamu when he was a teenager.

And, so there was like a...

There's a really rich connection between those two.

I was fixated on that because he kept in touch with this place that helped foster his talent or his creativity, right?

- [David] In Fairfax's Quincy garden, just steps away from the historic Karamu house, nationally known for producing Black theater, is the first exhibit in DeVille's two part installation.

Her work is inspired by the dream keeper.

Hughes's 1932 collection of poetry for young people.

13 figurative sculptures rise up from the garden each inspired by a Hughes poem.

Her materials, found or discarded objects once used in everyday life.

And, now, given new meaning in the context of history.

- Abigail doesn't work with fancy stuff.

She gathers things from the world around her, often discarded things, and recreates them, reimagines them, reassembles them into this sort of amazing sort of imaginary world that both represents the reality of communities that she cares about, but also the aspirations of those communities.

- I think it's because material is so charged, right?

Like, there is so many different kinds of layers of history within the specific material.

And, so they may make you think of like a grandmother, or an aunt, or like a favorite food, or like a smell from your childhood.

I feel like it's a democratized way to like trick people into larger conversations - [David] Deville connected with several neighborhood residents whose personal accounts of living here helped her reconstruct the history of the area.

- I think throughout this whole process, I've been really sensitive to the space that I'm in and the history that has contributed to like the physical formation of it, how it looks, how I'm perceiving it as an outsider, and I can't ever know what's actually going on here, but I can be sensitive to the conversations that have already happening prior to my arrival.

So, it was really beautiful actually to hear the retelling of all of the places that existed and the stories, and the people in the streets, yeah.

- [David] Each resident had the option to have a plaster cast created of their face, which would later become part of the artwork in Quincy Garden.

- Well, I've been in this neighborhood, off and on, since I was three years old, which is quite some time ago.

A lot of people question why I decided to stay here and I have an undergrad in urban studies and I've always felt that you have to invest in where you live.

- This was a quote unquote neighborhood.

I define neighborhood historically is one in which your neighbors all knew you, they knew your family, they knew your aunts and uncles probably, knew your grandparents.

Neighborhoods are extremely different now for they're almost extinct.

- What I loved about it was the history and the people who were here before me, the important figures you had, like the Langston Hughes', you had like the the Carl and Lewis Stokes, and the history of it has always caught my attention.

So, that was my thing, just to learn more about the culture and the history of where I come from in order for me to know where I want to go.

- Well, I mean, it's a physical representation of people who lived in a specific time and place.

So, just because it captured their likeness, already that is historicizing them.

- You don't think of yourself as a iconic figure in the neighborhood.

And, if somebody is going to do that, that image is gonna be there for perpetuity.

It certainly is an honor.

There's no question about it.

- [David] The companion installation to the dream keeper is located in the sculpture center.

Now, there, salt takes center stage as a nod to the salt mines located deep within Lake Erie, and into its inherent function as a preservation agent, to preserve, not only history, but also the present.

Visitors can wander through a labyrinth of salt mines that Deville created from scrap materials found throughout the city and ponder the question, who are the dream keepers in Cleveland?

- Still thinking about the potential of dreams not being able to die.

And, so if that takes, like if that is the form in which we're having this conversation and something that is eternal and passed down like a dream, or a spark of a dream, or a kind of a passion, it's like a seed that's being planted in the future.

So, thinking about that book, or that form, or his words as seeds, that I'm just like kind of tending to in the garden at Quincy and then using to have conversations with community members here and now, and maybe, through all of these conversations, there's healing in that.

And, there's, I think there's probably also there's healing in recognition.

- [David] The dream keeper in two parts is on view at the Sculpture Center located near University Circle and in Quincy Garden in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland through October 1st.

Columbus artist, Lea Gray, transforms paper into intricate sculptures that mimic the natural world.

Recently, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens took notice.

- I can actually go all the way to my childhood, even when I was five, You know how you asked the proverbial question of like, oh, what are you gonna be when you grow up?

I always said, I'm gonna be an artist.

I always knew, even when I was five years old, that that's what I was gonna be.

And, so it just kind of took off from there.

And, it was like, whatever I could dabble in, it was pastels or whatever I can get my hands on, it was sewing or painting.

It just, it kept going.

And, so I decided to go to art school, which was the Columbus College of Art & Design.

And, then I got into origami, which also became another obsession, paper being the medium was something I really enjoyed working with, the meditative processes, the rhythmic kind of repetitive things.

And, so from there, I think I just got bored, and instead of continuing to create other people's designs and those geometric shapes, I decided to move on to something more expressive, which was paper flowers.

And, that was about eight or nine years ago.

My grandmother, growing up, always had lots of plants in our house.

And, I think just seeing that and being around that, it was kind of like an inspiration for me.

And, so having lots of plants myself and also going outdoors in nature, I'm always drawn in and it's always the little things.

It's the meticulous little details, the magic behind nature, the spirit of nature, that's what I am inspired by.

The paper is always card stock for plants.

And, then for flowers, it's always an Italian crepe.

So, there's two separate kinds of papers that I use From that, I use a carbine blade cutting machine, which is the cricket, everybody knows it as a cricket.

And, I have two of those.

I also have a glove forge laser that I use for some of the more precise things.

So, I'll have all the shapes cut out in very variegated sizes.

So, it'll range from a large to a small, and from that point, I shape and sculpt with my hand, I glue it together, assembling it.

And, then, from that point, the paint is really where all the magic, the alchemy lies.

It's the process of combining all kinds of different sprays, hair products, and different things to kind of make that magic come out of a piece of paper, make it look real, as real as possible.

I got connected with Franklin Park Conservatory about four or five years ago.

They reached out to me to do some classes.

So, we've known about each other for quite a while and fast forward all the way 'til now.

I think they were looking for somebody to open up that space and kind of bring something new in there and came across my work and I've come quite a bit of distance from four to five years ago anyway.

So, it was, it was perfect.

And, honestly, I'd been wanting to be in there anyways and was trying to figure out who to talk to, to get into that space.

So, to get that phone call, to get that email, was like a big deal to me, because I, still, I'm very honored, and excited, and amazed.

Really, what I'm trying to do is remind everybody that there is nature out there.

There is something to be looked at and appreciated.

And, a lot of times we forget about it.

We move on in our worlds.

We walk around and we're just sort of like in the mundane or in the, the process of our lives of... And, it's just something to be appreciated.

There's magic and there's energy.

There's something about it that is good for us on many levels.

And, so what I'm trying to get everybody to do is kind of look a little bit closer, find that magic, find the light coming out of the dark, I'm inviting you to actually get a little bit closer and just appreciate.

Mostly, what the reaction is exactly what I'm going for is, wait a minute, is this real or is this, and as you get closer, and you get drawn in, that's when it's sort of turns into what it actually is is the paper.

And, that's the moment where it breaks away that illusion.

And, you're like, and it's exciting, because at first, you really did think that it was plants.

And, I've had a lot of people come around to, like when I'm doing an art sale and they're asking me, why does the title of your company say Paper Blooms?

What does that mean?

And, I'm like, it's all paper.

And, then that was the moment where they're like, I thought these were real, and it's exciting for me, because that's what I'm trying to do.

And, that's part of the challenge.

And, the fascination with creating my work is trying to get as close to nature as possible to build upon that illusion.

And, that's what keeps me going - [David] Standing seven foot one in hair and heels, she's the tallest drag queen in Cleveland, but there's a lot more Veranda Lanai than that.

On the next Applause, we meet Northeast Ohio's queen of drag performance and some of her friends, plus we honor the lives lost in Dayton's Oregon district three years ago this month with art.

And, we share a stirring performance by the Cleveland orchestra inspired by a hike along the California coast, all that and more on the next round of Applause.

It's time for a tasty treat as we serve up the French confection known as a macaron.

A pastry chef in North Canton is making a colorful assortment of these sweet morsels for all to savor.

- When COVID hit, and almost everybody in the restaurant industry got displaced out of work, I knew I needed to find a way to take care of my family.

And, this is the only thing that I really know that I'm passionate about.

And, in the past, the only thing stopping me was working 16 hours a day in restaurants.

So, I had no excuse but to learn something new.

(upbeat music) Hi, I'm Seth Trissel.

I'm the founder of Passion at Midnight Macarons out of North Canton, Ohio.

I started cooking right out of college and I would dabble in desserts, because I love pastries, but it was something we would just kind of of do in our downtime.

So, I started watching YouTube videos on baking and I watched another one, and another one, and I failed, and I failed, and I failed again.

And, then by batch 74, we stumbled upon a batch that I was actually proud to say, hey, this kind of resembles food.

So, we started up with COVID.

A lot of people were quarantined at home.

So, I wanted to make something that was special, something that was fresh, and something that we could personally take care of delivering to their home.

So, oftentimes, we'll bake food and we'll announce, via social media, what flavors we have ready for that day.

And, I think the quickest we've ever sold out was 48 minutes after it came out of the oven.

We've also gone up to Cleveland and torched creme brulee for people.

Where can you get a creme brulee literally torched on your doorstep?

We did start out of our kitchen out of necessity and it still works to this day.

I can work outta my home.

I can spend time with my son.

I can start and stop whenever I want within reason.

It's nice to be in charge of your own life.

So, we have a very thorough process in which we make our macarons.

We sift almond flour.

We sift powdered sugar.

We measure that out to a four to seven ratio.

We will whip egg whites.

We crack about 600 eggs a week.

Once you have your egg whites whipped into a meringue, we'll add a little bit of sugar to them.

And, then we'll take that mixture, add a little bit of color, whichever color we prefer to do that day, whether it's strawberry, or lemon, or garlic bread, even, and then we will add the meringue to our dry ingredients.

We'll let it on macaron batter sit for anywhere between 35 minutes and an hour and a half, we bake them, let them cool down, we'll decorate them with our cookie makeup, and then we'll pack them up, and we will ship them out to the farmer's markets or deliver them right to your door.

- It's so good.

- I'm not doing this to get rich.

I'm doing this because I'm passionate about food.

Passion is in our name.

I want to give people a chance to enjoy something that's not mass produced and shipped.

in bulk to a point where it loses its soul.

You can taste when somebody actually takes their time, and makes something, and crafts it, and if six hours go into a dessert, and they enjoy it, they're not gonna get that anywhere else.

- [David] Whether it's macarons, lavender or maple syrup, Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs are making it.

Discover more at arts.ideastream.org.

They're dancing outside of Dayton in Beaver Creek, Ohio, thanks to a choreographer known for his compassion.

He's created a safe space for children with disabilities so they can shake their tail feathers as members of the Quest Special Forces Dance Team - Dance means the world to me.

I've been dancing all my life.

It took me a while to get involved into the studio form of it.

We just, it cost a lot of money back then, and we just really didn't have the funds to enroll me into a dance studio.

So, as I got older, I decided to choose the career of dance, and go to college for it, and get a degree in dance and business.

I dance all the time.

It takes care of everything for me, mentally, emotionally everything.

When you dance, something does happen to your brain.

It releases happiness, I think - [Narrator 2] The way Richie sees it, happiness is a gift to be shared.

And, with that, his life took a turn.

- I had a dance studio inside a Dayton mall and there was a a student that would go by like mall walkers.

And, he was in a wheelchair.

Every time the music was playing, and they would go around, he would get up out of his wheelchair and he would come into the dance studio just for a little bit to dance, because it was moving him and he just felt it.

And, I started to look at that and realized like maybe there's not a lot of opportunity out there for kids on the spectrum to dance, and be a part of a studio, and grow, or be a part of a dance team.

So, that's when I decided to focus on the special needs community - [Narrator 2] That focus made a real difference for kids like Garrett Harp.

- Garrett's been going to Quest for almost two years now.

It's really just a great place for him.

He got reacquainted with his friends that he's known for years through high school and grade school.

It's just a place where he can just let loose, which is really important, 'cause he's in a structured day, usually between job training, life skills, and it's just a place for him to just let his hair down.

- And, he just is the biggest joy in class.

He has so much fun and all his friends are here.

I just love watching him perform and dance.

- Yeah, cheer, cheer, cheers.

See?

- [Narrator 2] Mary McDaniel and her mother, Margo, are always looking for artistic opportunities - Like, okay, chickadee.

- We found out about Quest Special Forces, and we went out, and watched it once, and signed up right away just because it's the style that she enjoys, the style, the atmosphere, the friendliness.

- My dance team, he was so supportive.

Sometimes, I just stand there at first, until I say, to myself, see it and be it.

And, I will start doing the dance.

I just immediately just do it.

- She dances with her heart on her sleeve.

She shows all her best moves all the time.

She's an amazing student.

Learning how to work with kids on the spectrum, it's different.

It helps you grow as an instructor.

It helps you grow as a choreographer and a person.

Make sure you kinda just bend your knees just a little bit when you're doing that, okay?

Ready?

Let's practice.

Five, six, seven, go.

Each student is different, but you learn from working with them.

- He is just the best.

I have...

I've never ever seen somebody so in tune with every kid in the class, so down to earth, nothing bothers him.

He's just a good soul.

- Anybody that's on the spectrum, anybody that has any disabilities is more than welcome to join Special Forces.

It gives them an opportunity to be a part of a dance family that's open to everybody in the community.

- [Narrator 2] Because, whoever you are, when you really feel the music, it can change everything.

- Sometimes, my heart is telling me that I am broken, and I just need to start doing something, and I will start doing the dance.

And, that's when I will just dance to my content.

- Everybody needs an outlet and just a connection with people, having friends that they can come and dance with, and have a good time with.

This experience has changed me, mentally, and emotionally, and all around, it's something that it's hard to explain, but it's given me life.

It's given me hope that everybody in this world can be accepted for who they are and they can also be a part of what everybody else is doing.

It's a beautiful thing, a magical moment, and it's something that you can't buy at the store.

You gotta like be here and you gotta have an open heart to it.

You'll see that the blessings are there.

(jazz music) - [David] Before the curtain closes on our show, here's an Emmy winning performance by the Tri-C Jazz Fest All Stars, featuring Christian McBride on the bass and a trio of Northeast Ohioans, Dan Wilson on guitar, Jerome Jennings on drums, and Dominic Faronacci on trumpet.

This is McBride's tune, the Shade of the Cedar Tree.

(jazz music) Ladies and gentlemen, the Tri-C Jazz Fest All Stars, I'm Idea Stream Public Media's David C. Barnett.

As the quartet provides our traveling music, I wanna thank you for joining us and invite you back for the next round of Applause.

- [Narrator] Production of applause on Idea Stream Public Media is made possible by the John P. Murphy Foundation, the Kulas Foundation, and by Cuyahoga county residents through Cuyahoga arts and culture.