An organization that supports and spotlights Cleveland's artist-entrepreneurs is growing. which launched in 2004 with its annual get-together, is tripling the size of its year-round location at the in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood.
In expanding the current 40,000-square-foot , prospective tenants will enjoy an increased suite of services that encompasses studio space, partnership opportunities, and workshops on marketing and grant writing.
鈥淲e landed on a unique niche as a big, loud, dirty space for curiosity and creativity,鈥� said Ingenuity Cleveland executive artistic director Emily Applebaum. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 helped us figure out how to be complementary to other makerspaces that exist in town."
Described by Ingenuity Cleveland as 鈥減art residency, part accelerator,鈥� the incubator program will double its 24-artist roster in concert with the expansion, said Applebaum. Tenants have access to tools and shop space, with time in the 鈥渓ab鈥� culminating in onsite exhibits during IngenuityFest.
Space at the incubator is available to artists, startups and entrepreneurs of all stripes. High demand for Ingenuity Cleveland鈥檚 services, alongside the re-tasking of artisan spaces as housing or , motivated the group to build out its current location, said Applebaum.
鈥淲e looked at other spaces when factoring in partnerships with local ,鈥� Applebaum said. 鈥淲e realized that we wanted to stay right where we are and return to a plan for growth, expansion and permanence.鈥�
A benefit for the community
Ingenuity Labs will continue to be affordable for artists, as the expansion is more a refresh than a complete overhaul, added Applebaum. For example, the organization will revitalize the former fourth-floor offices of Osborn Manufacturing 鈥� a 鈥淢ad Men鈥�-style amalgamation of glass and wood that will ideally inspire a new set of artist-entrepreneurs. Ingenuity Cleveland has set a two-year timeline to bring the space to full capacity, though the arts group is ready to begin placing new tenants immediately.
, owner of a dance company that has put on performances at IngenuityFest, Hale Farm & Village, and the Cleveland Metroparks, currently utilizes the downtown incubator to sharpen her creative process, she said.
鈥淓ach day we鈥檙e rehearsing, designing costumes and building set pieces 鈥� all the logistics of creating a performance,鈥� said Ajayi. 鈥淥n the back end, there鈥檚 administrative work and lots of grant writing, fundraising and research.鈥�
While Ajayi generally works from the Hamilton Collaborative鈥檚 third floor, she uses the entirety of the building as a performance space so visitors can engage with the art form as they see fit. Past programs at the Sulpher Springs picnic area in Cleveland Metroparks鈥� South Chagrin Reservation had a similar aesthetic of integrating dance into the natural environment, she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 constantly thinking of what the experience is for both the performers and audience members,鈥� Ajayi said. 鈥淏ringing attention to the space, and the choices we make in that space, are informing the way we think about these constructs. How do we bring a more vibrant use to spaces that may have been forgotten or overlooked?鈥�
With no true centralized facility available for Cleveland鈥檚 dance community, Ajayi views the soon-to-be-expanded incubator as a potential epicenter for her chosen genre.
鈥淩ight now, we鈥檙e spread out and there鈥檚 not this natural hub where we鈥檙e running into each other and seeing what everyone is working on,鈥� said Ajayi. 鈥淚f we had several studios in this space, and they were used more frequently, it would benefit the dance community.鈥�
A neighborhood connection
Ingenuity Cleveland in 2004 by James Levin and Thomas Mulready to bring attention to the variety of art and technology within Northeast Ohio. Launched as IngenuityFest along Cleveland鈥檚 Public Square, the festival moved in subsequent years to other iconic Cleveland locations before settling in St. Clair-Superior in 2016.
Over the years, Ingenuity Cleveland added events like the . Lectures, workshops and hackathons put further attention on a maker landscape that, in recent years, saw the loss of creative space when Mayor Justin Bibb announced the relocation of Cleveland鈥檚 police headquarters to the ArtCraft building at Superior Avenue. An expanded arts hub can be a talent attractor similar to whatArtistic Director Emily Applebaum enjoyed when she lived on the East and West coasts, she said.
鈥淲hen people from those places come into our space, they always say they had no idea that Cleveland had places like this,鈥� said Applebaum. 鈥淭his feels like you鈥檙e in San Francisco or Los Angeles.鈥�
Creative cross-pollination is among the organization鈥檚 core values 鈥� a vibrant network funded through partnerships with regional clients and stakeholders, Applebaum noted.
Although Ingenuity Labs does not have the high-tech pedigree of, for instance, the makerspace at Case Western Reserve University, the facility nonetheless exists at the intersection of innovation and education, said Applebaum.
Collaboration is a key aspect of the incubator model, said Ben Smith, a Slavic Village-based composer, producer and 鈥渆lectronics tinkerer鈥� whose collects and records stories of Clevelanders living in underserved neighborhoods.
Stocked with frozen treats along with analog recording equipment, Smith pilots his refurbished mail delivery van into communities often overlooked by the region, he said. Residents will rap, sing or simply speak their minds, with Smith providing storytellers a vinyl 45 record produced in his truck.
鈥淚鈥檓 not just sharing stories, but getting them in front of people or corporations that can help,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淚nstead of blanket procedures like sending cops to the area, maybe (listeners) can send in mental health advocates or provide activities for bored kids.鈥�
Smith stores his rolling studio at Ingenuity Labs, a practical advantage further boosted by the multitude of ideas the facility percolates. Growing the space will give Smith a direct line to even more neighborhoods eager to share their tales, he said.
鈥淢ore space means more artists, and more artists means more collaborations,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淢ore collaborations means more opportunities to get into the community... Ultimately, I want to use the space to make sure I help every person I can to get their voice out.鈥�
Applebaum, the Ingenuity official, said the expansion can bring light to the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood as much as to the organization itself.
鈥淲e are all feeling that this is the east side鈥檚 time,鈥� said Applebaum. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen tremendous redevelopment on the West Side, and what鈥檚 happening in St. Clair-Superior feels like the timing is right for striking while the iron is hot. Having this huge creative engine as a central player feels connected and relevant to what鈥檚 happening.鈥�
