The feast and the famine - Cleveland Design Competition Winners Reception

I honestly had no idea what to expect as I was attempting to discover the 78th Street Studios. I was searching for the 2008 Cleveland Design Competition Awards Ceremony in which I would not only get to hang out with B. Fink and M. Christoff a bit (the competition's organizers) but I would also get to see all 55 entrants to the competition based in Cleveland with the premise of promoting design solutions for local problems/issues. I pulled into a rather full parking lot, a beehive of activity, with flashlight armed parking directors motioning each new entering vehicle to a predetermined parking location. I was first amazed by the spectacle and remember thinking to myself as I found the public entry to the building that I was personally amazed that so many people were interested in design in the city. There had to be over 200 cars in the lot. I was sure the line at for the adult beverages, a staple at any reception, would be a rather tedious adventure. I lamented being 15 minutes late.

I became slightly confused when entering the large gathering space that the Competition reception had taken to be its temporary home for the evening. The boards suspended as if by magic in a labyrinth shaping the path and progress of the onlookers, providing slight nooks in the center of collective spaces for congregation and discussion and leaving a large area up front, undoubtedly for the awards presentation itself. The food table was vacant. The beverage table as well. In fact there looked to be about two dozen guests milling around where the boards were suspended intently studying the proffered designs. Where were the people to which belonged all the cars?

Bingo in the basement was the offered reply. I admit I was heartbroken. What more could any design oriented denizen of this town ask for? Free food and beverage (there was a suggested donation), some sharp conversation and a free show should be enough to bring out even the most cynical artist on the crisp night. Should be.

I admit, the gathering swelled in size. I couldn't offer a reasonable estimate as I was near the back and was more interested in looking for spelling errors in the presentation boards than attempting a reasonable head count. There were well over a hundred that showed up by the time the ceremony got under way which in some way made my heart feel warmer, or it was the wine and food from Luxe.

Regardless of whether or not anyone in this town cared, the Cleveland Competition was in some respects, a rousing success. It garnered international attention for a second time for our fair burg, got some local talent involved (which was nice to see some local honorable mentions with the international winners) and even gave some alternative insight to the rather complicated problem of Lake access from a auto-centric town (yes, we decided to barrier ourselves from our lake on both the east and west sides in order to fulfill the high priority of highway access).

I am already looking forward to next year's offerings and hope that my schedule will be of such that I can take part in a greater manner than just drinking their wine and eating their cheese. Congratulations to the Cleveland Design Competition folks.