Last Call for American Idyll: critically acclaimed exhibition ends September 8. See the show the Cleveland Plain Dealer called "a cogent, edgy look at a society that creates and discards pop stars with alarming speed."

Words About Walt's

• Jūhachiban: in the karaoke world, this word means the song you are particularly good at singing. What's your Jūhachiban? Hungry Like the Wolf or Eye of the Tiger: rise up to the challenge of your rivals: you're on a hunt down after your Jūhachiban.
• Don't Stop Believin'! Like Anne Hathaway, you'll want to "hold onto that feeling" at Walt's,Get sentimental with Journey. Or take a Sentimental Journey. Thousands of songs, hundreds of fans, one dimly lit stage. Artist Joel Armor's site-specific karaoke bar: It's all you.
• Time Magazine wrote that Daisuke Inoue, the inventor of karaoke, "liberated legions of the once unvoiced: as much as Mao Zedong or Mohandas Gandhi changed Asian days, Inoue transformed its nights." Transform your Monday Nights at Walt's, artist Joel Armor's site-specific karaoke bar.
• Hit us with your best shot. Fire away on CAC's karaoke stage. Artist Joel Armor created a site-specific karaoke bar right in the gallery as part of American Idyll. Each Monday evening the bar opens to anyone inspired to sing out loud.
• Bring a harmonica and show us how "Piano Man" is done. Presley or Costello, Jagger or Bowie, Blondie or Benetar? Pick your favorites, express yourself and move the crowd with your sweet voice.
• Be a rock star. Belt it out. Indulge your fans. In other words: Bring it! Karaoke + Monday nights = art + expression.Cash bar with specialty karaoke-inspired cocktails. Part of American Idyll: Contemporary Art and Karaoke.
  

Curated by Maiza Hixson

As a form of entertainment, karaoke has become tremendously popular in the U.S. since the 1990s. Once primarily a Japanese pastime, this leisure activity now features prominently in Western culture. Whether symptomatic of a hectic work week or a fascination with star culture, karaoke's penetration into American life has increasingly influenced contemporary artists. Looking at the role of karaoke art in the wake of reality television programs, from the Real World to American Idol, Contemporary Art and Karaoke contextualizes karaoke in popular culture and art.

Artists:

Joel Armor, Candice Breitz, Phill Collins, Mark Harris, David Herbert, Mehdi Hercberg, Christian Jankowski, Ryan Mulligan, Marisa Olson, Reid Radcliffe, Jose Versoza

Walt's Karaoke Bar opens every Monday evening throughout the run of the exhibition
Perform your favorite songs on Joel Armors site-specific stage. Armor, artist-as-karaoke jockey, explores human behavior and social interaction through this global pop cultural phenomenon. Take a break from singing for specialty karaoke cocktails at the cash bar.

Mark Harris, Mao Songs, 2006, single channel video. Courtesy of the artists.<