FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLEVELAND, OH — August 25, 2025 — Ingenuity Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that fosters creativity and innovation at the intersection of art, technology, and community, is thrilled to announce IngenuityFest 2025: Forging the Future, taking place September 26–28 at IngenuityLabs, Ingenuity's year-round headquarters and creative incubator, located at 5401 Hamilton Avenue in Cleveland. Agents of Ingenuity Memberships, GA tickets and weekend passes are on sale online now.
This year’s festival theme, Forging the Future, celebrates Cleveland’s deep industrial roots while casting a bold look toward tomorrow. With a dynamic blend of art, industry, and imagination, IngenuityFest 2025 will showcase hands-on experiences, electrifying performances, and immersive exhibits that bring together makers, dreamers, and doers of all stripes.
“We’re thrilled to present IngenuityFest 2025, celebrating the beauty and innovation wrought from Cleveland’s industrial roots,” says Executive Director Emily Appelbaum. “Like glass from a crucible or steel from a forge, wonderful things emerge from heat and pressure, and I think this is emblematic of Clevelanders, past and present, who are shaping the future through civic action, ideation and collaboration.
The festival follows a year of major growth, with nearly 100,000 square feet of new creative space activated in the St. Clair–Superior neighborhood—offering artisans of all kinds a place to dream, dare, and do.
“In challenging times, we turn to art and innovation to lift us up and push us forward—and we’re proud to close our 20th anniversary season with that spirit of growth and resilience,” added Appelbaum.
What to Expect at IngenuityFest 2025
This year’s festival invites guests to get hands-on with time-tested tools of yesteryear from blacksmithing to glassblowing to machining, as well as experience the technologies of tomorrow. Festival Villages include returning favorites like the sustainability-focused IndusTREE Alley and Mechanique Biotique, the immersive Dream Destinations, and Makers Mecca, showcasing local artisans and entrepreneurs. New exhibits and installations will also explore the intersection of creativity, craftsmanship, and community.
Headlining Acts and featured exhibits include the fully immersive Tesseract Stage featuring live projection from visual artist Kevin Jackson and legendary techno DJ Juana, hailing from Chicago and boasting a career spanning underground clubs and celebrated venues from Berghain to Fabric to LuxFrágil. With additional sets from BRAND, Chris Eff, Justin Hartman, JohnDoethe1, Lo-Fila and an exploration of live violin mixed with vocals presented by Manow Violin with Abbey Studor, the stage brings danceable beats and technological surprises. Additionally, Tesla Orchestra performs daily, and 10k Movement will host a 2-day streetdance showcase complete with demonstration battles and more.
Additional Art-Tech exhibits include the new Ingenuity STEAMshop, featuring a landscape of large-scale light-and-sound immersive sculptures by Animation & Inflatable Artist Xacto Mundo; multimedia artist Ed Morra; and soundscape artist bBob Drake, whose large-scale pipe organ installation “Organism” will surround audiences with original compositions.
International Installation Artist and Engineer Gazelle Dasti will debut NewClear Neural, an audience-participatory sculpture which invites guests to step inside an 18’ stainless steel human bust, driving an LED light array in the cranium by a people-powered merry-go-round. Colorado-based Story Portal will delight guests with an interactive mechanical set that invites guests to spin a yarn, tell a tale, and join in for a sing-along or interactive acoustic set.
Ingenuity will welcome back The Dock stage, sponsored by the Panza Foundation and styled as a larger-than-life boiler room, hosting punk, rock and hip hop favorites from Jinari Kemet & The Black Jackets to Raderall, Will Cherry, Nature Nvoke, Lake Philly, What’s His Face, Cowboy Princess Brigade, Anya Van Rose, Tetraviolet and many more. Roots of American Music will host Music Meadow, headlined by Black Voltron, with Sly Vixen, The Brakes feat. Esther Fitz, Bent String, Hot Club of Cleveland and Sam Hooper Duo, The Mars Express, and Slideways, among others. Musician and visual artist Christa Ebert (Uno Lady) will host the Crystal Palace and showcase excerpts of a newly debuted work, Arbor Aria, alongside immersive video and musical guests including Slugg, Theresa May, Blue Yuma, Flute Salad and many more. SOPHii APPSOLUTELii of Black Widow Management Productions, Trash Unreal, Cleveland Comedy Fest and Kingpin Productions will round out programming in the Ingenuity Cabaret, with daytime sets featuring music, poetry, spoken word and raucous evenings with variety acts ranging from drag kings & queens to clowns & robots.
The Ingenuity DREAMshop, curated by Rebecca Groth, will feature experimental performances from butoh and modern dance to 1-woman shows, and visual artist and curator Bobbi Reagins will present Black Kaleidoscope: Looking Beyond, an extension of her annual Black Arts Showcase.
A Family Village with workshops and maker activities for all ages; interactive exhibits exploring the tools, trades, and technologies shaping our future from corporate partners like NASA and Lincoln Electric; sustainability exhibits; a dozen food trucks; beverages by Goldhorn Brewery and Watershed Distillery and more than 50 artisan vendors round out the offerings.
Ticket Details
Regular day passes are $15 and weekend passes are $25. Or, purchase a VIP Agent of Ingenuity membership and receive an invite to a Friday night VIP reception at IngenuityFest, plus VIP tickets to the annual Ingenuity Bal, Flannel & Finery Holiday Party and more! Memberships start at $150 (single) or $250 (pair). Both tickets and memberships can be purchased online.
Additional Information and photos can be found in the 2025 Promotional Toolkit.
Community Involvement
IngenuityFest 2025: Forging the Future is presented with major support from Gund Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, Ohio Arts Council, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Swagelok, Thompson Hine, Case Western Reserve University, Turner, Gilbane, and many other generous donors.
Partnership opportunities for Cleveland businesses of all kinds are still available. Ingenuity's unique space is quickly filling with site-specific installations, team-led projects, school groups, nonprofit exhibitors, and local business sponsors that bring the event to life. Potential partners can reach out to the team by emailing [email protected] for more information.
Ingenuity hosts free community arts workshops Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays, from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. until the festival. In-house expert builders or “Ingeneers”, work alongside community members to build the large-scale installations that make IngenuityFest so unique. Attendees can develop new skills, and meet fellow artists and creatives of all backgrounds by joining Ingenuity’s Facebook Group and email list for updates.
Each year, hundreds of volunteers help make IngenuityFest happen and ensure the event runs smoothly. These volunteers choose shifts in areas including art support, gate and greeters, sustainability, and other logistical positions. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt and weekend pass to the festival! People can sign up by filling out Ingenuity’s online form.
Ingenuity also hosts a unique artist residency program through the IngenuityLabs Incubator! Build in your own dedicated work space all season leading up to IngenuityFest, and learn about opportunities to stay long into the future! Learn more and apply on the organization’s website.
About Ingenuity Cleveland
Ingenuity Cleveland is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ignite the creative spark where the arts, entrepreneurship, and technology meet. Through year-round programming and its flagship event, IngenuityFest, the organization activates underutilized spaces, supports local artists and innovators, and fosters inclusive community engagement throughout the Cleveland region. Find out more at ingenuitycleveland.org.