State of the Art

Inside opulent vaudeville-style theaters, nestled within former industrial factories and tucked away in colorful neighborhoods, Cleveland’s world-class arts and culture scene emerges before visitors’ eyes. Whether ogling over a modern masterpiece, admiring the work of a local artist or tapping their toes to the beat, visitors will encounter boundless creativity and talent throughout their Cleveland experience.

New and Noteworthy

• On display through March 14, 2021, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s special exhibition Second Careers: Two Tributaries in African Art explores the connections between historical African art and contemporary practice. It presents objects from nine cultures in Central and West Africa that are juxtaposed with large-scale contemporary installations, sculptures and photographs. The exhibition highlights the “second careers” of historical African art as they are introduced to Western museum collections. It also examines modes of artistic production in Africa that employ mediums that once served other purposes in everyday life.
• The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s newest exhibit, It’s Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment, showcases musical and visual artists that have created art as a response to unspeakable tragedy and to promote social justice. Artifacts include Aretha Franklin’s Valentino dress worn during her first appearance at Radio City Music Hall, a jumpsuit worn by James Brown and Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” lyrics. Visitors can also experience the exhibit online with a virtual exhibit walk-through and an official Spotify playlist.
• Karamu House, the country’s oldest African American producing theater, created an ongoing series of original productions available for online streaming. The series, Freedom After Juneteenth, was developed as an artistic response to the recent murders of Black Americans through music, dance and spoken word. Each episode focuses on a specific topic, including the trauma caused by police brutality and the power of voting.
• The Cleveland Orchestra, hailed as America’s best by The New York Times, has recently brought back live performances to their home at Severance Hall. The In Focus concert series is a new, original series of digital concerts that music-lovers around the world can stream on-demand across a variety of platforms through Adella, the Orchestra’s video streaming service. The digital streaming of concerts will continue throughout the winter and spring, affording fans the ability to enjoy the complete 2020-21 season’s performances from home.
• As the nation commemorates the Women's Suffrage Centennial, ”Women and Politics” fills the Cleveland History Center with a series of permanent and temporary exhibits starting in May 2020. Presented in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, the exhibits will showcase the story of political women, from the early days of the suffragist movement to the successful fight for the 19^th Amendment, and the creation and growth of the League of Women Voters.
• Shopping for Northeast Ohio’s finest handmade goods can now be done from the comfort of home with the launch of the new Maker Town™ app. Featuring an interactive directory of local artists, boutiques and galleries, users can browse websites, search for local events and shop online for everything from jewelry and furniture to home décor and fashion.
• The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Induction Ceremony is set to take place in November, bringing rock’s greatest stars and biggest fans to Cleveland to celebrate. The Class of 2021 inductees will be announced in early 2021.

A Work of Art

• The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the only nationally recognized art museums to offer free admission to its permanent collection, which features more than 45,000 pieces of art from artists like Dali, Monet and Warhol.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland showcases an ever-changing and free-to-all collection of exhibits, ranging from photos and sculpture to audio works and video productions. Designed by renowned British architect Farshid Moussavi, the four-story building rises 60 feet from a hexagonal base to a square top and is clad primarily in mirror-finish black stainless steel – reflecting its urban surroundings and changing in appearance with differences in light and weather.
• Residing at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cinematheque is recognized as one of the country’s best repertory movie theaters, showing independent and foreign films as well as revived classics.
• Cleveland’s art scene does not stop at museums. Independent artists showcase their work at venues like 78^th Street Studios in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, SPACES gallery in the Ohio City neighborhood and the historic Transformer Station in Hingetown, which is located in a 1924 railroad substation. The Collinwood community and its emerging Waterloo Arts District offer a half-mile stretch of indie music venues, art galleries and studios, including Azure Stained Glass Studio, BRICK Ceramics + Design Studio, Space: ROCK and show-stopping metal sculptures at Waterloo 7 Studio/Gallery. Musicians, photographers, writers and other artists who reside in the neighborhood have helped transform the community into an engaging and welcoming hub of creativity.

Hitting the Right Note

• Under the direction of Franz Wesler-Möst, the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra offers pitch-perfect programs that hit the right note with visitors. The ensemble will play to limited audiences at Severance Hall for the 2021 season. Performances may also be viewed across a variety of platforms through Adella, the Orchestra’s video streaming service.
• Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1931, is known as one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world. Its elegant Georgian exterior harmonizes with the classical architecture of other prominent buildings in the University Circle neighborhood while the interior of the building reflects a combination of design styles, including Art Deco, Egyptian Revival, Classicism and Modernism. The building received the Honor Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• Founded in 1996, The Cleveland POPS Orchestra performs in different venues throughout Cleveland, taking on modern-day composers like John Williams, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Gershwin.
• Music connoisseurs can also peruse Cleveland’s wide variety of independent record stores. Visitors can sift through records spanning from new and old LPs at Hausfrau Record Shop, punk, metal and rock releases at My Mind’s Eye, heavy metal at Black Market Records, hip-hop, reggae and soul at Brittany's Record Shop and genres ranging from jazz to country and classic rock at Blue Arrow Records.

Taking Center Stage

• Playhouse Square is the country’s largest performing arts center outside of New York City, encompassing ten stages in a one-block radius. It hosts more than 1,000 performances annually including Broadway shows, concerts, ballets and comedy events.
• The Tony Award-winning Cleveland Play House hails as America's first professional regional theater company and produces more than 500 performances each year. Boasting alums like Tom Hanks and Arthur Lithgow, Great Lakes Theater is Cleveland’s classic theater company residing in Playhouse Square’s renovated Hanna Theatre.
• Located on Cleveland’s east side, the Karamu House is the oldest African American theater in the nation. Cleveland Public Theatre in the Gordon Square Arts District is a local hub for progressive theater, modern dance and edgy opera submitted by both regional and national artists.