If you spend any time pining away for the future of Cleveland, you really need to get out more. In this week’s Fresh Start, experience the future in art, design and innovation as it exists in the minds, hearts and hands of Cleveland’s future generations. Then help one of the region’s largest hunger relief centers with more than a thousand of your closest friends. And when you’re through, check out a world-class trumpeter as he debuts with our world-class Cleveland Orchestra. You might even squeeze in a bit of the country’s leading satirist with a regional connection. Cleveland offers more than meets the eye, but really, how much more of an eyeful do you need?

Spring Sprang Sprung

Hey artsy types, here’s a double-play for your spring: The Cleveland Institute of Art’s Visual Arts & Technologies Show is going on right now, and features amazing works from CIA’s art and design students, including innovative products, transportation and communications designs and interiors. If sculpture, drawing, printmaking and painting are your preferred medium, then look to the parent show, the campus-wide CIA Spring Show exhibition, which starts next week. The two unique exhibitions span four locations, with the Peter B. Lewis Building of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and Reinberger Galleries at The Cleveland Institute of Art serving as anchor locations. Bonus: Both exhibitions are free. It’s a chance to see what the future of art (and Cleveland’s role in it) is – and can be. Learn more at the CIA’s website.

The Answer on a Silver Platter

The fact that Cleveland Food Bank’s Market Under Glass event benefits the annual Harvest for Hunger campaign should be reason enough to attend, but consider this: how often do you get the chance to hang out with 1,200 of your closest Cleveland pals at The Galleria at Erieview, enjoying delectable food, libations and good company for an equally good cause? We thought so. The festivities begin Thursday, April 22 at 6PM, and include live entertainment, a Continental Airlines–sponsored silent auction and raffle, and more than 50 food and drink purveyors. Call 216-738-2046 for more information.

Boutique Botti

The Tri-C JazzFest winds down this weekend, but there’s still plenty for jazz fans. If that 11-day marathon wasn’t enough for you, squeeze in the pairing up of trumpeter Chris Botti and the world-famous Cleveland Orchestra during the orchestra's Celebrity Series gig. The Sting sideman delivers popular songs, jazz and classical favorites, including works from his PBS broadcasts and recent Boston Pops performances on Saturday, April 24. If it’s anything like the recent Pink Martini/Cleveland Orchestra pairing, it will be fantastic – and probably sold out come showtime.

… and Don’t Forget Your Corduroy and Denim

We know that Wednesday nights can be a drag, but not when David Sedaris is guiding the way with his satirical world view. Kent State University’s most celebrated wordsmith delivers his gospel from the EJ Thomas Hall stage in Akron this Wednesday, April 21.

The first day of baseball season always represents the official start of summer to me. For the record, I've never been to a home opener where it's actually been warm, so it's not the weather playing tricks on me. It's the first glimpse of that impossibly green grass that gets me to believe winter's grip has, at long last, loosened. It is finally safe to go forth and grill things.

Opening day is magical for other reasons, too. The winning doesn't matter yet (though the whining starts in earnest), and the ballpark is packed. Young fans are seeing their first game, and older ones are settling into a seat with a scorecard and freshly sharpened pencil for the tenth or twentieth or fortieth season running. Everyone is in a good mood. For one day, it's just good to be back in that beautiful park, hot dog in hand and sun (hopefully) on your face.

On Monday, the Cleveland Indians lost the home opener by a score of 4-2 in extra innings. By the top of the tenth, fans had begun to trickle out. It was, as it turned out, a bit too soon for shorts and sandals; people got cold and headed for the exits, but the holiday mood lingered. A news crew approached a man walking past the team shop and asked to interview him, but he declined. "I can't," he said, the joy evident in his voice. "I called in sick today!"

To see a few a scenes from the home opener, check out the OhioAuthority photo gallery for this story by clicking on "Photos" in the navigation at the top of this page.

If there’s one thing binding this week’s Fresh Starts together, it is imagination and exceptional creativity. Maybe you’re the kind of “end user” who wants an insider’s understanding of the technology and innovations that alternately abet and upset. Or perhaps you’re wondering how to combat the human toll from a devastating virus. Want to lessen your own toll on the planet, but have no idea where to start? We’ve got that, too. Even if all you want to do is “blow the winter stink off” with some hot jazz stylings, Cleveland’s got your dance card covered.

Hack the Planet!
“Hacking the subconscious mind,” is a social engineering catchphrase describing peoples’ vulnerability to subliminal, external influence. We don’t pretend to know all of the ins and outs of Dale Carnegie-esque Jedi mind tricks, but we all know something about computers and the similarly-attuned missions of their hackers. The weekend-long Notacon Computer Hacker Convention delves into that shadowy world, pairing creativity and community with technology and counterculture starts Friday, April 16 at the Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square. The largest of its kind in the Midwest, Notacon spends equal time covering tech innovations, nerdcore hacker culture and “black hat” system cracking. It’s a spellbinding, Trojan horse of a learning experience, aimed at all levels of interest and experience. Not sure it’s for you? Check out their Freeview on Thursday, April 15 at 7 pm and score a handful of rapid fire presentations previewing Notacon’s topics and talkers.

Beyond Haring and Mapplethorpe
Launched by the Cleveland Institute of Art seven years ago, the ArtCares partnership between the CIA, the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, and MOCA Cleveland has been simply outstanding. Back in 2003, CIA student Tony Bowden wondered aloud what he could do to help conquer HIV/AIDS and bring about awareness through art. Today, ArtCares trains focus on the toll that the human immunodeficiency virus has taken on the art world. Their stylish, annual reception and auction ArtCares 2010 hits Saigon Plaza in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood this Saturday, April 17. The event features original, contemporary art works created and donated by local and regional artists – not to mention resplendent vino and nosh –with all proceeds benefiting the Taskforce and their fight against HIV/AIDS. Call 216-621-0766 ext. 270 for tix/info.

It’s Not That Easy Being Green…?
Apologies to Kermit the Frog for the pun, but as EarthFest celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day this week, being green has never been easier. The Earth Day Coalition proves it every year with their fest; the 2010 edition runs this Sunday, April 18 from 10 am to 5pm at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. More than 160 different environmental exhibits offer “climate change solutions” ranging from green home improvement and local/organic food, to clean transportation and more. Live music and plenty of family fun rounds out the day; regular zoo admission scores access to everything that Ohio’s largest environmental education event offers. You’ll have fun and come away with a ton of ideas on lessening your carbon footprint. And that spring in your step? Better than ol’ Kermit’s. Just sayin’.

And All That Jazz… Literally
You’re enlightened, we know. Telling you the Tri-C JazzFest that starts Friday is worth experiencing is like preaching to the choir, right? This year’s lineup is particularly intriguing, with luminaries like Ramsey Lewis, Patty Austin, Charlie Haden, Brenda Russell, Cleveland’s own Joe Lovano, the Shaw High Marching Band and an Allen Theatre concert presentation by The Roots making this year’s A-list. Now really, who couldn’t use a little bit o’ ?uestlove’s drumming? It’s like butter. It makes everything bettah.

Spring is a feast for the senses. Our cloud-adjusted eyes recalibrate with regular sunshine, wiping brushstrokes of color across everything in our path. Ears perk up with songs of morning birds in threadbare trees and kids walking home from school. We smell-touch-taste the world around us, as it awakens and blooms from wintersleep. Do your plans for this week celebrate the new? The exciting? Do they shake the cobwebs free? Complement your sun-peaked awareness? Maybe you need one (or more) of the OA Fresh Starts this week.

Brighten the Corners
Outside, things are looking better and brighter by the week. But what are you doing to bring that spirit indoors? The 100+ artists from Northeast Ohio showcasing at the three-day ArtMart at Spaces Gallery have the answer. This exhibition-sale features everything from paintings, photography, prints, to sculpture, jewelry, handbags and more, with all participating artists and attendees supporting the Superior Viaduct organization. Several hundred people are expected at Spaces’ ArtMart this weekend, most frontloading a “meet-and-mingle” Opening Reception this Friday, April 9 from 6 to 9 pm. Enjoy art of all varieties, great music, and delicious food from nearby restaurants while perusing cool art, accessories and home creations. It’s been said before but bears repeating: Spaces is Cleveland’s single most adaptable visual art location; the folks behind it are dedicated to locally-produced, quality art and creative exploration. This event is a great entrée for newcomers to the gallery.

Fusion Energy, Minus the $10 Billion
You don’t need a Large Hadron Collider or an air ticket to Geneva to get closer to a Big Bang. The Cleveland Play House’s venerable FusionFest offers an explosion of staged works (theatre, music, dance) starting this Friday, April 9 and running late into the month. The drama Bill W. & Dr. Bob opens the fest, offering insight on the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron. A Soldier’s Tale/Catch and Release promises to be a highlight, offering the dizzying collaboration of CPH, the Cleveland Orchestra and GroundWorks DanceTheater, all inspired by a Vonnegut libretto. For the ultimate geek-out, there’s the return of Charles Ross’ One-Man Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which boils down Frodo, Gandalf, Rivendell, the Black Gate, Aragorn and Mordor “in 3600 seconds.” This will be the last FusionFest at the current location at East 85th and Euclid, so don’t miss it.

Once in a Lifetime*
Opportunities like this one don’t come along very often: 81-year-old composer, conductor and pianist André Previn performs at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall for their Mixon Masters season finale this Friday, April 9 at 8 pm. Superfluous gushing really isn’t necessary here – Previn’s half-century of creativity and impact on classical music, opera, jazz and film scoring is axiomatic. A Knight of the British Empire, Previn composed for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studios during its halcyon days. He has received honors from the Kennedy Center, the Royal Academy of Music and won the Gramophone’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Previn’s An Evening of Jazz features long-time collaborator, bassist David Finck. The New York Times called him a “stylistic chameleon whose language is conservative and eclectic, he writes to the technical strengths and musical personalities of the soloists who commission him.” To wit, we probably won’t see the likes of Previn – or a performance like this one – again. Maybe ever.

*Editor's note: Unfortunately, the Previn concert for April 9 has been cancelled. OhioAuthority will provide information about a rescheduled concert as soon as details become available from Cleveland Institute of Music. Tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date.