By Nadiah Rivera Fellah, CMA’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art

New Histories, New Futures, CMA’s newest contemporary exhibition which is now on view at Transformer Station, tackles the concepts of time and perception as told by three contemporary Black artists who engage with historical revisionism. Each artist engages with the exhibition’s premise from the perpectives of the past (Johnny Coleman), present (Antwoine Washington), and future (Kambui Olujimi).

Let’s take a walk through this exhibition and explore how each artist’s work coincides with the main themes of the show.

By Maddie Armitage, Studio Programs Manager

Fireworks have long been a festive July tradition for children and adults alike. They are a spectacle that usually continues through the rest of the month (somewhat unfortunately for most furry members of the family). We are used to admiring the variety of colors and shapes bursting into the night sky. But fireworks were not always so intricate; in fact, the creation of fireworks was unintentional.

It is widely believed that the first fireworks were developed in Liuyang, China, around 200 BC. At that time, natural firecrackers were made of bamboo stalks. When thrown…

Steal away to Paris, France, this summer at the Cleveland Museum of Art to enjoy the sights and sounds of the small pleasures and modest acts of life found among the family gatherings, gardens, and city streets depicted in the paintings and prints in Private Lives: Home and Family in the Art of the Nabis, Paris, 1889–1900.

This show focuses on four Post-Impressionist artists who were members of the Nabis brotherhood: Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, and Félix Vallotton. The Nabis derived their name from the Hebrew word, meaning “prophets.” …

By Clovis Westlund, QYou Ambassador for the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Jared French, a 20th-century American painter, first exhibited Evasion in 1947. Since its acquisition by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2012, moments examining this piece continually punctuate my visits to the museum. With its modest size and stark appearance, French’s illustration of a quiet, enduring shame entrances me as a representation of the universal queer experience.

With a dichotomy between visibility and invisibility, as well as a layered composition, Evasion bears a striking resemblance to prominent Surrealist works, such as René Magritte’s The Menaced Assassin. Unlike…

Parade the City is a reimagination of the annual Parade the Circle. It coincides with the opening of the CMA’s Community Arts Center, the new home of the community arts program which hosts Parade the Circle, Chalk Festival, Winter Lights Lantern Festival, and Studio Go. For Parade the City, local artists collaborated with community groups throughout Cleveland to create eight celebratory art installations across the city.

One of the art installations is the Extended Family Underground Railroad quilt, which commemorates Juneteenth, by artist Sue Berry in collaboration with Extended Family.

Located in the PIVOT Center of Art, Dance & Expression in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood of Cleveland’s near west side, the CAC houses the Community Arts staff and education outreach program. The community arts program hosts programs including Parade the Circle, Chalk Festival, Winter Lights Lantern Festival, and Studio Go. It’s aimed at creating arts experiences for audiences of all ages throughout Greater Cleveland by offering artmaking activities and events that encourage community and artist collaboration and highlight connections with the museum’s collections.

The CAC’s bare white walls and halls have been transformed into lively and colorful spaces filled with a…

By Marisa DeMaria, CMA Student Guide

The CMA Student Guide Program is the museum’s undergraduate training program. Students participate in the program for 2–3 years and are given a variety of research and educational projects to draw connections between art and its relevance to our lives today. The current cohort is comprised of four students who have each authored an essay surrounding the themes of diversity and open-mindedness in relation to artworks in the CMA collection.

The galleries we wander through are soft-spoken and still, yet they invite us to be contemplative, creative, and meditative. The quiet, open space allows…

By Paula Jackson, CMA Gallery Teacher and Illustrator

As a working artist and a new gallery teacher, I’ve had the privilege of being immersed in the expansive collection the Cleveland Museum of Art has to offer. Part of my role as a museum’s educator has included scouring the ends of Collection Online database and the important task of presenting diverse artists and perspectives to students.

Born in Japan and immigrating to the heart of Ohio at the age of four, I’ve always been drawn to making things with my hands. However, it was hard to find depictions of people who…