Cleveland’s IngenuityFest 2010 is Friday through Sunday, which features work from the best visual and performance artists in northeast Ohio.

The weekend-long festival, located beneath the Detroit Superior Bridge, presents an all-ages experience that “pushes boundaries, creating a unique festival experience that draws and celebrates diversity, and involves the audience as both spectator and participant,” according to its website.

IngenuityFest 2010 will host 80 exhibits with work from hundreds of artists and will include the best in local music and the latest in food and technology.

“The fact that IngenuityFest brings together art and technology is interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing how they work in harmony,” said Alita Petras, amateur photographer and IngenuityFest participant. “I’m really excited and honored to be a part of it.”

The main attraction of the visual art portion of the festival will be a giant working waterfall coming off the Detroit Superior Bridge and into the Cuyahoga River entitled “The Lifeline Waterfall,” created by Kidist Getachew and Michael Lehto.

Several major colleges in the area will present selections of art from their current students. These exhibits include works from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Baldwin-Wallace College and the College of Wooster. A large selection of work will also come from students from the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Music will be separated between six stages spread throughout the concourse and will showcase the a wide range of music including rock and roll, jazz, folk, hip hop and world as well dance performances. Two main stages will be set up to accommodate the bigger acts, while three smaller stages will showcase the smaller ones. There will also be a cafe stage with acoustic acts performing hourly.

The crowd will also get a sneak peek into the future with different presentations from high-technology firms showing off their latest developments in technology including a waterfall swing, an interactive kaleidoscope, global warming ice skating and a digital graffiti wall.

Sandwiched between the different showcases will be a food area where vendors will serve up a variety of food and beverages. It will also be a place where local restaurants can sample out their food in hopes to win new customers.

Although IngenuityFest has been around for six years, this is the first year it will be in the fall. This year organizers decided to push it back to take advantage of the back-to-school excitement.

“By moving it into the fall, we hope to attract more college kids,” said Paula Grooms, executive director of the festival. “There will be tons of food, beer and music to attract the kids in their teens and 20s.”

Admission is free all weekend with the hours ranging from 5 p.m. through 1 a.m. on Friday, noon through 1 a.m. on Saturday and noon through 5 p.m. on Sunday.

A full schedule can be found at IngenuityFest’s official website: www.ingenuitycleveland.com.

Contact Max Hayden at [email protected].