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5 things to do in NEO: Short films in Cleveland, tattoo fest and more

Two judges sit at table filled with tattoo designs featuring women and animals.
Carl Murray
/
Villain Arts
A table of tattoo designs from the 2024 Villain Arts Cleveland Tattoo Arts Festival.

Take a workshop about maple sugaring in Middlefield, or check out festivals in Cleveland dedicated to tattoo art and short films this week.

Ink art

The Cleveland Tattoo Arts Festival celebrates a variety of art forms involving the body starting Friday in Cleveland. Local and national tattoo artists offer their services alongside shows from contortionists, sword-swallowers and circus stars. Prizes are given out daily for tattoos inked at the festival, housed at the Cleveland Convention Center through Sunday.

Short films

Cleveland’s Short. Sweet. Film Fest. returns to Atlas Cinemas in Shaker Square, featuring over 200 short films by local, national and international filmmakers. From horror to sci-fi to comedy, film screenings run through Sunday. An exhibition of games by up-and-coming developers debuts on Saturday. The festival culminates in a screening and awards ceremony for the entries and winners of the Short. Sweet. Film Competition. on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Maple sugaring

Learn everything about maple sugaring at Sap’s-a-Risin’ from the Geauga Park District. Gather sap from the sugarbush with a horse-drawn sled, watch the sap boiling process and enjoy maple syrup-based treats. The event runs from noon - 4 p.m. Sunday at the Swine Creek Reservation in Middlefield.

Akron Soul Train

Four new artists-in-residence arrive at Akron Soul Train in Downtown Akron with an opening reception Friday at 5 p.m. Devon Brantley presents a series of self-portraits about grief and the concept of purgatory, Matt Kurtz plays a percussion piece meant to accompany the 2024 total eclipse and Elyse Morckel and Denzel D. Washington premiere “Wanderlust Blue,” a dance film about the insatiable human urge for exploration. The exhibits remain on view until April 5.

A walk through Italy

Enjoy a free concert by the Cleveland Chamber Choir highlighting the work of Jewish Renaissance composer Salamone Rossi, featuring selections of Jewish choral music, secular pieces written for the Court of Mantua and Renaissance-style dances. Catch the show Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood or Sunday at 4 p.m. the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River.