About CMA

: The Cleveland Museum of Art means many things to many people. To the residents of Greater Cleveland, it is a beloved civic asset, a place where the community’s greatest aspirations find expression, and a backdrop for many a wedding photo. The museum is a major force in the regional cultural and intellectual community, helping to keep Northeast Ohio a vibrant center of learning and artistic endeavor. As one of the nation’s top museums, “the Cleveland” has long exhibited leadership in acquisitions, presentation, and education, and its curators have originated many groundbreaking exhibitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned the world over for the extraordinarily high quality of its holdings (which are in constant demand for loan exhibitions) and for both the intellectual rigor and the public spirit of its daily activity.

Exhibitions

Art and Power, plus Friedlander opens at CMA: Two free, new exhibitions open March 1 and will be on view until May 31 at CMA.

Art and Power displays 60 central African sculptures whose original purpose was to mediate between the human and spirit worlds. For centuries, the Luluwa, Chokwe, Songye, and Luba peoples of the Central African savanna have produced power figures which were adorned or filled with ingredients that were imbued with specific spiritual powers.

In most traditional form, these works are small and nonfigural and used in the context of the family—any manner of container might be used to carry the special substance. But as power was consolidated among kingdoms and chiefdoms over the course of the 19th century, larger and more ambitious sculptures were developed to serve entire communities. As works of art designed to carry power, they acquired dual function, embodying both spiritual and political qualities.

From small, abstract containers to large and elaborate figures carved and decorated with great refinement, the exhibition presents a compelling array of these beautiful and fascinating works of art, many of which have never before been exhibited in the United States.

The other exhibition, Friedlander, is dedicated to photographer Lee Friedlander and his work since the 1960s. While Friedlander’s name may not be a household word, his photographs are widely familiar as iconic representations of common American experience. Born in 1934, he gained fame in the early 1960s with off-balance street photographs that evoke the complexity the modern world. Explore Friedlander’s witty and unblinking view of everyday American life in this expansive exhibition that gathers some 375 photographs plus special edition books and portfolios to trace a five-decade career.

Always working in series, Friedlander mines what he calls “the American social landscape,” beginning with a layered view of city streets—shop fronts, ads, televisions, and cars. This central theme is supplemented by subjects including portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and studies of people at work.

This body of work stands as one of the major achievements in 20th-century art, combining astute observation and graphic verve to present a compelling vision of contemporary America.

Both of the exhibitions are open to the public during regular museum hours, and tickets are free.

Events

Central African Art and Power On Screen, plus Friday Night First Runs continue at CMA: Complementing the Cleveland Museum of Art's current exhibition titled Art and Power in the Central African Savanna is a film series called Central African Art and Power on Screen. Admission to each of the four movies is $8, CMA members $6, seniors 65 & over $5, students $4, or one CMA Film Series admission voucher.

The Black Balloon
Friday, April 24, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 26, 1:30 p.m.

Back by popular demand in April is Harvard beats Yale 29-29. This was one of last winter's most popular films at CMA. Admission $8, CMA members $6, seniors 65 & over $5, students $4, or one CMA Film Series voucher.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
Wednesday, April 29, 7 p.m.

 

Events Calendar: For a complete listing of upcoming CMA events visit:

http://www.clevelandart.org/events/chronological.aspx

Parade the Circle:
Expressions of art, dance and culture will be plentiful at University Circle on Saturday, June 13 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. when the 20th annual Parade the Circle takes place.

Presented by The Cleveland Museum of Art, Parade the Circle offers a welcoming atmosphere and place for all to express their love of the arts.

With no price for admission and appropriate for all ages, the public can visit and appreciate the vibrant culture that continues to thrive in Cleveland. At Noon, the parade will commence at the Cleveland Museum of Art and proceed in a counter-clockwise circle along Wade Oval Drive and East Boulevard.

Visitors are also welcome to participate in many hands-on activities sponsored by University Circle organizations in University Circle Inc.’s Circle Village.

A highlight of this year’s Parade the Circle is the return of several memorable pieces from years past. Returning works include:

• The Rhino (1990)
• Romare Bearden puppet (1996)
• Faith Ringgold puppet (1996)
• Spiral Man and Windmill puppet ensemble (1996)
• The Firebird costume (1997)
• Diva puppets (2000)
• Knight puppet (2004)
• Quixotic Quiddity – The Quiddities (2007)

Guest artists from across the United States and Canada will be in attendance. Several guest artists from Trinidad and Tobago, including Veanne Bonas, Kelvin Keli Cadiz, Nkhruma Potts and Rudolph “Murphy” Winters join the American artists in sharing their exquisite work and enviable talents with Parade participants and visitors.