Periodical Supplement to Cleveland Jewish News, June 20, 2025
NORTHEAST OHIO | arts | music | performance Spring/Summer 2025
INSIDE
6 On Deck
Don’t miss these upcoming openings and current events throughout Northeast Ohio
8 Local art galleries face shifts due to economy
Take a look at how mom-and-pop local galleries are surviving
12 These museums scored an ‘A’ – for accreditation
What is accreditation worth and why is it so important?
18 Regional museums are worth the trip
The nearby art scene is worth a drive
22 Diamond Delight Beachwood Arts Council, a Northeast Ohio gem, celebrates 60th anniversary
24 Local Spotlight: Eileen Dorsey Studios
Eileen Dorsey paints nature scenes by stroke of luck
26 Events Calendar
Spring, summer and fall arts events around town
29 Listings
Local listings for museums, galleries, theaters and more
31 Curator Corner
“Reliquary Series 5: Bald Faced Hornet” by Eli Betchik
On the cover
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still (#21), 1978, gelatin silver print, ed. 2/3, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of Rubell Museum, © Cindy Sherman.
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Lawrence Schiller, Marilyn Monroe in the lming of Something’s Got To Give, 1962
ON DECK
Don’t miss these upcoming openings and current events throughout Northeast Ohio
By Bob Jacob
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
14th annual Solstice | June 21
One of Cleveland’s most anticipated summer events which combines music, art, dance and projections, Summer Solstice features performances by international bands on the museum’s outdoor south terrace and nationally recognized DJs in the Ames Family Atrium.
This year, Solstice’s main stage features live music sets with brass instruments and horn sections. Audiences can sonically travel the globe visiting New Orleans, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain and more. The evening kicks off with a second line march by Cleveland’s own Da Land Brass Band, followed by performances by Balkan Paradise Orchestra (Spain), El Laberinto del Coco (Puerto Rico) and Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico). Kevin Jackson, renowned for his innovative and captivating VJ sets, projects original, vibrant content onto the museum’s facade. Projection mapping, lighting displays and additional decorations electrify the CMA on this energy-filled night.
In the museum’s Ames Family Atrium, guests can dance the night away at It’s a Vibe: Solstice Atrium Takeover, a one-night-only edition of the extremely popular monthly It’s a Vibe dance party hosted every first Saturday at the Foundation Room inside House of Blues Cleveland. Featuring DJ sets by Sound on Tape, Corey Grand and Knyce, this special Solstice affair blends music, style and culture into an elevated nightlife experience.
Solstice attendees can enjoy the CMA at night, explore the grounds, visit its permanent collection galleries, enjoy flash talks by museum staff and experience portions the exhibition, “Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow.”
The sold-out event will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight. According to the museum’s website, additional tickets may become available on June 16. Visit the website to learn more.
Cleveland Museum of Art is at 11150 East Blvd. in Cleveland. clevelandart.org/events/solstice-2025
BOSTON MILLS ARTFEST
June 27-29; July 5-6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHAMBERFEST CLEVELAND
Season 13: June 11 to June 28
ChamberFest 2025 blends baroque brilliance, modern imagination and romantic exuberance. ChamberFest Cleveland pulls out all the stops with this season’s opening celebration. Bach’s Concerto for Two Keyboards balances technical brilliance and emotional depth, with its rich layers and skillful interplay. With the composer at the piano, The Lotos-Eaters evokes a dreamlike realm with haunting harmonies and shifting textures, inspired by Tennyson’s poem based on a story from Greek mythology. Finally, the irrepressible youthful spirit of the Octet for Strings by Mendelssohn, written when the composer was just 16 years old, and beloved for its exquisite melodies and lyrical beauty.
Locations are Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, Church of the Saviour, Cleveland Heights, Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music, Federated Church, Chagrin Falls, The Heights Theatre, The Hermit Club, Playhouse Square District, Harkness Chapel, University Circle, CMA Community Arts Center (Pivot Center), Reinberger Chamber Hall and Severance Music Center.
chamberfestcleveland.com/lost-and-found
The Boston Mills Artfest is an annual tradition in the art community nationwide. This fine art show, now in its 51st year, consists of a two weekend event from June 27 to June 29 and July 3 to July 6.
Each weekend is unique to itself featuring 150 artists, totaling 300 artists over the two weekends of shows. The show features a national reach pulling in artists from about 35 unique states across the country every year. The Boston Mills Artfest is nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park and explores over a dozen unique mediums and works by some of the most talented artists across the country. There’s also craft beer and wine, food, live music and a garden space.
The event is set against the stunning backdrop of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, perfectly located between Cleveland, Akron, and Canton.
Boston Mills Ski Resort is at 7100 Riverview Road in Peninsula. BMArtfest@vailresorts.com
Guests at the 13th annual Soltice dance in front of the museum in 2024. Photo courtesy of Bob Perkoski
Artistic Directors Roman Rabinovich, Diana Cohen and Franklin Cohen
Attendees enjoy a day at the Boston Mills Artfest. Photo courtesy of Boston Mills Artfest.
AKRON ART MUSEUM Bicentennial Celebration
The Akron Art Museum recognizes Akron’s Bicentennial through exhibitions and events that celebrate the city’s rich artistic legacy. By showcasing works from its collection that highlight connections to Akron and the local community, the museum offers a deeper look at the region’s creative contributions. Currently on view, “A Growing Conversation: Artworks From Our Collection” showcases a diverse selection of works from the museum’s collection. As part of the exhibition, 23 pieces with strong ties to Akron and Summit County are specially highlighted with custom labels that share their local connections. Featured artists include Frank Werner, a painter known for his expressive abstract works; Mark Mothersbaugh, a multifaceted artist and musician best known as a founding member of DEVO, whose visual art explores themes of technology and consumer culture; and Janet Macoska, a celebrated rock-and-roll photographer who has captured legendary musicians such as Gene Simmons of KISS. Also featured are Julius Faysash, whose paintings often depict regional landscapes and industrial scenes, and John Sokol, a poet and visual artist recognized for his literary-inspired portraiture. Virtual visitors can explore these works in a digital gallery on the Akron Art Museum’s Museum Guide on the free Bloomberg Connects app.
CANTON MUSEUM OF ART
Akron Art Museum is at 1 S. High St. in Akron. akronartmuseum.org
“The Riverbed Is A Cradle: Fiber Art of Michele Wentling” | Through July 27
This body of work is an intimate portrayal of human relationship with the land. Rooted in the Northeast Ohio landscapes of Wentling’s childhood, these handwoven pieces and poems pull at the tensions of feeling connected to the ecology of a place while recognizing how the land and culture have been heavily marked by industrial capitalism. Sites like the Cuyahoga River, woods on the W&LE Railroad property and Sugar Creek appear through memory and material. Through processes of handweaving, botanical dyeing and papermaking, Wentling conjures craft traditions that diminished during the rise of industrialization. Using yarns dyed with both native plants and pollutants, woven pieces represent a material history of the region. They carry reminders of fire, oil and steel – memories of humans’ past relationships with the land. They also gesture toward the possibility of repair, of reconnecting with places once sacrificed or neglected.
Michelle Wentling grew up in rural Northeast Ohio, where her family has worked in the rail and steel industries. In 2018, she moved to Salt Lake City to study at the University of Utah. She has a background in environmental humanities and is interested in the connections between craft, ecology and community. Wentling works at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and is learning how to weave on a Macomber loom passed down from her late grandmother Maxine. Canton At Museum is at 1001 Market Ave. N. in Canton. cantonart.org
MALTZ MUSEUM
“Lessons from the Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward” | Through Aug. 3
The Maltz Museum’s new travelling installation, “Lessons from the Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward,” looks back on the horrific event – the deadliest attack on Jews in this country.
The collection offers an intimate look at what happened during the synagogue shooting at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, the Pittsburgh community’s response and the hope for the future.
Lessons from The Tree of Life places the 2018 attack, which left 11 worshippers dead, in the context of American antisemitism. The installation features a selection of artifacts that highlight historic roots of antisemitism and a curated selection of objects from the more than 10,000 items that were left outside the Tree of Life building or mailed to Pittsburgh in the months after the attack.
Items on view as a part of the installation include gifts from the Cleveland area such as a collage made by students of afterschool programs at Trinity United Church of Christ in Wooster, a commemorative quilt,and a watercolor painting created by a member of Kol Halev, a reconstructionist Jewish congregation in Cleveland. Among the objects on display from the Pittsburgh community are a prayer book with bullet holes from the attack, and the now-viral drawing depicting the late Fred Rogers grieving the shooting.
For tickets, call 216-593-0575 or visit www.maltzmuseum.org.
The Maltz Museum is at 2929 Richmond Road in Beachwood. maltzmuseum.org
The BF Goodrich Company, Akron
From the series “Great Lakes Industrial Survey”
Lee Friedlander (1934-present). Photo courtesy of Akron Art Museum
“The Riverbed Is A Cradle, These Railcars a Lullibye,” woven art by Michelle Wentling.” Photo courtesy Canton Museum of Art.
The “Lessons From The Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward” exhibit. Photo courtesy of Maltz Museum.
Local art galleries face shifts due to economy
By Lydia Kacala
Art galleries across Northeast Ohio are being impacted di erently by the uncertainty laced throughout the economy, with some seeing declining sales and others reporting that they haven’t seen any changes just yet.
According to online art marketplace, Artsy.net, arts professionals and lawyers seem to be in agreement that artworks might be exempt from tari s, but confusion on the issue still lingers. The confusion comes from a fact sheet published by the White House on April 2 that claims articles listed under 50 USC 1702, which includes artworks, photographs and posters, “will not be subject to reciprocal tari s,” Artsy reported.
To learn more about how local galleries are being impacted by tari s and other changes in the economy, Canvas spoke with five galleries scattered throughout Northeast Ohio.
CONTESSA GALLERY
Contessa Tscherne, founder and co-owner of the collector-oriented Contessa Gallery in Woodmere, says the economy is a factor in the operations of her gallery, which also has locations in Southamption, N.Y. and Palm Beach, Fla., but it’s not a driving force.
“I believe that the evolution of the art market is shaped by its ability to respond to the global narrative,” Tscherne, a Cleveland resident, says. “I see a remarkable shift with female artists gaining recognition and influence. This isn’t just a passing trend; it reflects a true desire for diversity and representation in the creative world. As these talented women earn acclaim and their work appreciates in value, they challenge the traditional dynamics of the market, that has historically favored male artists.
“This change encourages collectors to diversify their portfolios, looking for pieces by women artists that o er not just visual pleasure but also real investment potential. In addition, the growing prominence of female artists aligns with broader societal movements, advocating for gender equality and representation. Art has a uniqueness of reflecting and shaping culture, and this growing recognition serves as a commentary on important contemporary issues, attracting collectors who appreciate art that resonates with relevance and
meaning.”
Tschernee finds that her collectors approach the art world in times of economic uncertainty as though its an “investment vehicle,” she says.
“In today’s complicated financial landscape, art has become a powerful alternative investment,” she says. “Unlike traditional stocks, which can be unpredictable, art o ers a tangible asset that has consistently appreciated over time. By investing in the right pieces, collectors not only have the potential for greater returns, but also support the artist and movements they’re passionate about. It’s a win-win, both financially rewarding and culturally enriching.”
While shifting toward more hard assets, collectors are looking for artists with proven track records, she says.
“Collectors are increasingly attracted to blue-chip artists with proven track records, especially in a market that often feels unpredictable,” Tscherne says. “Investing in artwork from these established artists provides a reassuring sense of stability. These pieces aren’t just decorations on the wall; they represent a legacy and a value that appreciates over time. I strive to curate collections that not only resonate emotionally, but also set a gold standard in the industry.”
KOEHN SCULPTORS’ SANCTUARY ON GREEN
Since Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary on South Green Road in South Euclid doesn’t open again until the fall, the true impacts of the economy won’t be seen for a couple of months for Victoria Koehn, who co-owns the gallery with her husband, Norbert Koehn, she says. However, she has some items stocked that she didn’t pay tari s on.
“I bought a lot of items pre-tari , so I’m not paying tari s on a lot of the many tari s,” Koehn, a South Euclid resident, says. “I have a lot of carry-over, so there’s no tari on my current inventory. And, I’m not going to know how people are spending until the fall.”
Koehn isn’t facing problems with sourcing items for her gallery, which include sculptures from the studio and items from around the world, but they are becoming more expensive, she says.
“Everything’s available,” she says. “Prices have gone up.
Tscherne
Norbert Koehn
Whatever brings you to University Circle, stay in the heart of it all and be a part of History in the Making.
Our special packages include Romance Package, Tour de Circle, Ready to Rock.
For more information go to www.gliddenhouse.com
CIA’s 2025 Alumni Exhibition, Holding Up the Mirror, seeks to explore our present moment, reflecting the various ways artists imagine new paths forward for humanity while holding space for truth, change and collective care.
Roulet-Hernandez
Family Curator
Maria Seda-Reeder
Exhibition Dates June 20–August 8
Opening Reception June 20, 6–8pm
Reinberger Gallery 11610 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 cia.edu/reinberger-gallery
reinbergergallery@cia.edu 216.421.7407 @reinbergergallery
College of Art + Design
Tariffs are applied. Some things are going to be more expensive. That’s it in a nutshell.”
She says she is approaching her busy season as she normally would, wanting to continue to bring joy to the community.
“I’m going business as usual,” Tschernee says. “We are a Christmas shop. We bring gifts from all around the world. We bring happiness and joy to everybody, and that’s what I want to continue to do.”
FOOTHILL GALLERIES OF THE PHOTO~SUCCESSION
Michael Weil, owner and artist at Foothill Galleries of the Photo~Succession in Cleveland Heights, is no stranger to navigating complicated situations brought on by forces outside of his control at the gallery. In 2020, the gallery grew quiet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Weil worked to connect with his audience over Zoom and other online formats, he says.
“I think we did a decent job of that, having never heard of Zoom prior to the pandemic, and then learning what Zoom was and the opportunities to have artists speak about their work to an online, virtual audience,” Weil, a Cleveland Heights resident, says. “And then by 2022, we were back up and running at a more traditional, normal flip.”
He says, however, that the works shown at the gallery haven’t been specifically focused on social or economic issues, as the shows tend to be more focused on certain artists.
“For the most part, the work that we’ve shown has been work that artists, fine artists, have been creating, of course during whatever experiences in their lives and in the community’s lives (that) were going on,” Weil says. “But, most of the work has not been explicitly confronting economic or social hardships. We have had images by artists of protests that have gone on in town, but we didn’t have a show specifically dedicated to that.”
Going forward, small businesses and galleries will have to figure out how to continue the work they do while being sensitive to challenges communities are facing during “a really volatile economic marketplace and life experience,” he says.
“Fortunately, we have a number of wonderful galleries in Northeast Ohio, wonderful arts institutions that will continue to provide us these opportunities to see the talent of artists in our community and to experience that despite the hardships and uncertainty that we’re facing,” he says, adding that supporting local artists is essential to “our lives and souls.”
ARTISANS’ CORNER GALLERY
In September, Artisans’ Corner Gallery in Newbury Township will celebrate its ninth anniversary. Recently, sales at the gallery have been down, however, the owner is starting to see a shift in buying habits at her gallery.
“I think people have been leery about spending their extra money because I don’t think there’s much extra money going around right now, but I know things are starting to pick up,” Monica Glasscock, owner and framer at the gallery, says.
Over the years, she has seen the gallery grow, even through
other times of uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she says.
“It’s been a steady growth process here because there’s really no other art galleries in Geauga County, I don’t think,” Glasscock, a Newbury Township resident, says. “There’s a couple, like the Fairmont Center for the Arts, but not an actual every day, open art gallery. And, hosting shows and doing all these events is a way for me to get people to come in here and then see the talented local artists work.”
She says hosting events has given her opportunities to continue to advertise the gallery, as well as provide a fun space for those that attend the events.
“It’s an opportunity for somebody to be in the gallery, enjoying themselves, sitting around,” Glasscock says. “And, as they’re sitting here, they’re able to view all the beautiful things because this place is jam-packed with very talented local artist’s work.”
DISTRICT GALLERY
Karen Chaikin, owner of District Gallery in Shaker Heights, says she opened the gallery about 5½ years ago and has seen it grow to have a roster of about 70 local, national and international artists. The gallery has continued to grow “despite the economy,” she says.
“What we found is that you don’t have to go to New York (City) or Chicago or L.A. to buy really great art,” Chaikin says “We have it.”
The gallery hasn’t seen a decline in business, as they’re “busier than they’ve ever been,” she says.
“Perhaps it’s because we continue to grow our roster of artists and we’re really working on having events that bring people in,” Chaikin, a Shaker Heights resident, says. “We also do a lot with the community.”
While she hasn’t seen a decline at the gallery, she is keeping it at the front of her mind and paying attention to changing trends, she says.
“I worry about it every day because I, of course, I’m a worrier, but I have to be truly honest, (there’s) no (change),” she says. “Not at this time. I have my eyes wide open in the event that that does happen, but to date, I have not seen it translate into our sales or what I hear clients saying.”
ON VIEW
What: Contessa Gallery
Where: 28699 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere Website: contessagallery.com
What: Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary on Green Where: 1936 S. Green Road, South Euclid Website: sanctuaryongreen.com
What: Foothill Galleries of the Photo~Succession
Where: 2450 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights Website: foothillgalleries.com
What: Artisans’ Corner Gallery
Where: 11110-6 Kinsman Road, Newbury Township Website: artisanscornergallery.com
What: District Gallery
Where: 3393 Tuttle Road, Shaker Heights Website: district-gallery.com
Victoria Koehn
Chaikin
Weil
Loganberry Books Annex Gallery
13015 Larchmere Blvd Shaker Heights, OH 44120 www loganberrybooks com gallery@logan com 216 795 9800 Alice, manager
SHLOMO KATZ MASTER PRINTMAKER
with Jane Glaubinger, Ph.D Curator of Prints (retired) Cleveland Museum of Art
Wednesday, July 16 | 9:30 am
Jane Glaubinger will discuss the techniques used by Shlomo Katz in creating his renowned screenprint portfolios.
OPEN HOUSES & CURATOR TALKS
Join us to learn more from exhibit curator, Matthew Garson about Shlomo's legacy.
Tuesday, June 24 at 6 - 8 pm Sunday, July 13 at 1 - 3 pm
Sunday, August 10 at 1 - 3 pm Sunday, August 24 at 1 - 3 pm
Curator talks on Sundays are at 1:30 pm and on Tuesdays are at 6:30 pm
All events will take place at Roe Green Gallery
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building 25701 Science Park Drive, Beachwood
To register, please visit JewishCleveland.org/ events
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY
These museums scored an – for accreditation
By Bill Motchan
There are 33,000 museums in the U.S., but only 3% of them hold a special designation: accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. For a half-century, these elite museums have passed a rigorous test to earn the AAM seal of approval. Those institutions – which now number 1,099 – include several Northeast Ohio.
Jon Fiume, Akron Museum of Art director and CEO, explains the basics of accreditation.
“There are a variety of topics that we have to report on, including leadership, strategic planning, collection stewardship, educational programs, finances and the overall perception of the institution in the community and the overall culture of the institution,” Fiume says.
Accreditation is a significant accomplishment that requires a lengthy process of self-analysis and peer review, according to Katherine Solender, interim director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College.
“The AAM recognizes a museum for demonstrating excellence and operating in accordance with the best practices in the field in terms of operational e ectiveness, curatorial rigor, collections stewardship, educational impact and community engagement,” Solender says. “It is the way museums demonstrate collectively, as a profession, that they are self-regulating and truly accountable to the public.”
Just being accepted into the accreditation program doesn’t guarantee a successful outcome. That’s when the real work begins, according to Kelly Falcone-Hall, president and CEO of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood.
“It’s an 18- to 24-month process that involves a comprehensive self-study,” Falcone-Hall says. “You get a visit with peer reviewers, and then you’re evaluated by a 12-member commission.”
Falcone-Hall understands the AAM accreditation process well because she is also a peer reviewer. She cautioned that even the re-accreditation process isn’t a slam dunk.
“One of my assignments is to evaluate a museum seeking re-accreditation,” she says. “They still had to do a pretty exhaustive self-study. I go with another peer reviewer for a three-day site visit. Then our report and the self-study and our findings go to the accreditation commission.”
The accreditation process benefits a museum, even if it doesn’t attain the right to display the AAM weave design logo, which symbolizes excellence.
“We said from the beginning, if we never get accredited, we’re going to be a better organization because we have taken these steps to improve all of these areas of our operation,” Falcone-Hall says. “Even a small museum with limited resources can take the AAM Pledge of Excellence.”
‘A’
Guide To Some Northeast Ohio Accredited Museums
Akron Art Museum
1 S. High St. Akron, OH 44308 akronartmuseum.org
Akron Art Museum is a modern and contemporary art facility. It opened in 1922 as the Akron Art Institute. The museum covers 20,000 square feet of gallery space holding works produced since 1850. It evolved from its origins as a volunteer organization to emphasize fine art and design following World War II. In 1980, the museum’s name change signaled a new beginning and move to a renovated historic downtown structure. The 1899 former old post office remains the museum home today. Some favorite works in the museum’s collection include Roy Lichtenstein’s “Modern Room” lithograph and Cindy Sherman’s “Untitled #93” Ektacolor print. Akron Art Museum credits one benefit of AAM accreditation as its ability to borrow significant pieces of artwork from other institutions.
Falcone-Hall Solender Fiume
At Oberlin College
87 N. Main St. Oberlin, OH 44074
amam.oberlin.edu/art/collections
Allen Memorial Art Museum has been an integral part of Oberlin College for more than 100 years. The museum is often admired for the quality, breadth and depth of its collection, formed largely by a commitment to interdisciplinary teaching. The museum engages Oberlin College and the community by valuing critical inquiry, creativity, knowledge of the past and the material history of human achievement. Allen Memorial Art Museum was re-accredited in 2023. The AAM accreditation is also reflective of Oberlin College, the museum’s parent organization. According to Allen Memorial leadership, the museum’s exhibitions, programming, and teaching enhances the Oberlin education experience and creates value for the communities the college serves.
The museum noted five “must see” works:
• The Afro-Portuguese Saltcellar by the Foliage Master
• Altar in a Carrying Case (Christ on the Mount of Olives) by Jacopo Ligozzi
• Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene by Hendrick Ter Brugghen
• View of Venice: Ducal Palace, Dogana, and Part of San Giorgio by Joseph Mallord Wil-liam Turner
• Self-Portrait as a Soldier by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Cleveland Museum of Art
Main Museum
11150 East Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44106 clevelandart.org
Community Arts Center
2937 W. 25th St., Cleveland, OH 44113
Transformer Station
1460 W. 29th S. Cleveland, OH 44113
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval Drive Cleveland, OH 44106 cmnh.org
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a century-old institution that explores evolution that originated in a two-room downtown building. The 375,000-square-foot exhibit space still houses specimens from its first collection, which was known as the Ark. Last December, the museum officially reopened after a $150 million renovation. The striking architectural design of the museum is warm and welcoming. Inside, the exhibits and reimagined exhibits are designed to teach visitors something new every time they walk through the space. The goal of the museum is to teach science and make it fun. Some of the groundbreaking exhibits include a digital aquarium wall and an earthquake simulator. Another popular feature is the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium and the Ralph Mueller Observatory. The popular Pink Floyd-inspired multi-media presentation, “The Dark Side of the Moon,” returned to the planetarium in late May and runs through Aug. 31. A regional focus is also evident throughout the museum. The Ames Family Curiosity Center focuses on specimens representing the Great Lakes region and northern Ohio.
To read more about the $150 million transformation, visit shorturl.at/e94UD.
The Cleveland Museum of Art includes 63,000 pieces of artwork. Major collections provide a wide range of works representing African art, American painting and sculpture, Chinese art, contemporary art, Egyptian and ancient Near Eastern art, European painting, Greek and Roman art, Japanese art, Korean art and medieval art. The museum is considered one of the nation’s top art museums. It opened in 1916 and gained an international reputation for excellence shortly thereafter. The museum doubled in size when an addition was constructed in 1958. Another wing was added in 1971, which contained special exhibition galleries, classrooms and the Gartner Auditorium. In 2012, the museum was re-accredited by the AAM. The Takashi Murakami exhibit features works from a Japanese artist known for his unique style that examines the cultural energies of contemporary Japan—anime, manga, and the otaku culture that grew around these popular art forms –against the backdrop of Japanese traditions. Takashi Murakami uses his art to interpret historical events and their lasting effects, such as the end of World War II, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibit is on display through Sept. 7.
Allen Memorial Art Museum
Holden Forests & Gardens
Cleveland Botanical Garden 11030 East Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44106 holdenfg.org
Holden Arboretum 9550 Sperry Road Kirtland, OH 44094
Holden Forests & Gardens is the 12th-largest public garden in the U.S.
The Cleveland Botanical Garden primary feature is the 17,000-square-foot Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. It replicates a Madagascar desert and butterfly-filled Costa Rican rainforest. The glasshouse includes unusual plants like the “upside down” baobabs, with branches that look like tree roots. There are 350 exotic plants and 50 different butterflies, birds, reptiles and amphibians within the glasshouse habitats. The Cleveland campus also includes eight individual gardens, each featuring a specific type of plant life.
The Holden Arboretum is a sprawling 3,600 acres of natural property with gardens, trails, and lakes. It features the Kalberer Emergent Tower and Murch Canopy Walk. The Holden Arboretum covers 3,500 acres, including 200 acres of gardens and collections. They include the Arlene and Arthur S. Holden Jr. Butterfly Garden, the four-season Display Garden, the Eliot and Linda Paine Rhodo-dendron Discovery Garden, the Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden, the Myrtle S. Holden Wildflower Garden, and the Henry Norweb Jr. Tree Allée (a walkway bordered by trees). The arboretum is also home to a 15,000-square-foot greenhouse and research facility that conducts a nationally recognized study of plant sciences and the environment.
Western Reserve Historical Society
Cleveland History Center 10825 East Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44106 wrhs.org
Kent State University Museum
515 Hilltop Drive
Kent, OH 44242-0001
kent.edu/museum
Kent State University is ranked among the top 25 fashion schools in the world and was named the best fashion school by Vogue Magazine. Kent State University Museum also emphasizes fashion and design. It is dedicated to the collecting, exhibiting, interpreting and preservation of fashion and decorative arts. The museum’s eight galleries feature works by some of the world’s top designers. The museum opened in 1985 with 4,000 costumers and accessories and 1,000 pieces of decorative art. It is considered one of the most comprehensive collections of fashionable design from the 18th century to current day. Currently, the museum is featuring “The Hepburn Style: Katharine and her designers.” The exhibit follows costume designers who dressed Hepburn, the Hollywood fashion icon. The exhibit runs through Sept. 28.
The Western Reserve Historical Society is the steward for American and Northeast Ohio history. The society is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Its mission is to inspire people to discover the American experience by exploring the history of Ohio. The institution has 39 historic structures that have been donated to Western Reserve Historical Society over the last 150 years. Seven of those structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A popular experience is riding the restored Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel. The Western Reserve Historical Society encompasses 250 acres, and a restoration and storage facility in Macedonia. It is one of the largest regional historical societies in the U.S. Properties include:
• The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum with 170 antique automobiles and 12 aircraft
• Hale Farm & Village, a living history museum that explores 19th-century life through 32 historic structures and gardens
• Loghurst in Canfield, a vintage farmhouse
• Holsey Gates House in Bedford, a Queen Anne-style house built in 1893
• Shandy Hall, a 17-room home built in 1815
• Cranz Farm, an 18th-century six-building farm in Peninsula
• The library, a collection of 5 million items, including 250,000 books, 25,000 newspapers and 340,000 images
William Sommer (American, 1867-1949) House on the Hobson (Schlater) Estate, 1913-1914 Oil on board, 20 x 26 inches
Regional museums are worth the trip
By Abigail Preiszig
While traveling to an art museum in a booming metropolis can be exciting and educational, visiting regional museums and art spaces can provide guests with unique experiences that are just as valuable.
According to professionals working in the art realms of Akron, Canton and Youngstown, these regional spaces can supply artists and patrons with art, culture and community at the local level.
“For any community, it is imperative to have cultural resources close to home, rather than having to drive an hour or two,” Claudia Berlinski, director of the McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, says. “As a regional museum, we have the opportunity to engage and collaborate more directly with our community and local organizations.”
These community spaces make education, arts, culture and history accessible by creating opportunities to see, relate and experience art in new ways, Christy Davis, curator of exhibitions at the Canton Museum of Art, says.
“Museums, especially small regional museums, offer unique opportunities to learn more about specialized topics and connect with your local history and environment,” she says. “Through taking classes, attending events and supporting programming provided by these organizations, you can maintain and grow the vitality and value of your community.”
Classes, events and programming by these regional art spaces may also benefit future artists and arts supporters as well as existing local artists, says Natalie Grieshammer Patrick, director of artist resources at Summit Artspace in Akron.
Regional museums and art spaces contribute to the success of area artists by creating attainable spaces to develop their practice, refine their artwork, gain access to important resources and connect with the community, she says.
“Smaller organizations that focus on serving local artists are catalysts for those artists to propel their careers,” Grieshammer Patrick says. “… We are also engaged in the educational landscape for children and consider our organization an important pipeline to future artists and arts supporters.”
Canvas takes you inside five standout regional art museums and spaces, sharing the highlights that make them summer destinations.
THE AKRON MUSEUM OF ART
1 S. High St., Akron akronartmuseum.org
Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Gallery admission is free every Thursday. Adult general admission is $12. Senior general admission is $10. Student general admission is $8. Children 17 and under are free.
The Akron Art Museum is Akron’s own museum, Matthew Hribar, its social media and public relations associate, says.
The museum’s mission is to invite all people to enrich their lives through modern and contemporary art and brings world-class exhibitions as well as highlights local and regional talent.
“We provide a localized cultural access point and provide a place for appreciation,” he says. “… Our goal is to provide a space where Akron-locals and Summit County can explore art, learn more about themselves, and reflect on the history, identity, and values of self and community.”
The Akron Art Museum will host events like the free outdoor concert series, “Downtown@Dusk,” from July 10 through Aug. 7 and Family Days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 29 and July 20.
Exhibitions on view this summer include “15 Years of
Summit Artspace. Photo by Heather Meeker
The Akron Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of the Akron Museum of Art
Picturing Books,” exhibiting works by children’s book illustrator Oliver Je ers, and “The Vastness Beyond Vision,” featuring an array of abstract photographs by William Richards (1917-2004), both on view through July 27. “She Said, She Said: Contemporary Women Artist,” on view through Aug. 17, features 37 artists with artwork dating from the late 1960s to present, and “Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees),” an installation by Petah Coyne, will be on view through May 3, 2026.
THE BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART
524 Wick Ave., Youngstown butlerart.com
Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Monday. Free admission.
The Butler Institute of American Art possesses collections of American art from the Colonial Period to today that inspire scholarship and a general pride in America’s visual arts heritage, according to the museum website.
Its overall programming further serves to enrich cultural life locally and throughout Ohio and the nation through quality educational programming, including instruction in the creation of visual art, the website says.
Summer programming includes art classes for all ages in its studio spaces, yoga classes and a free Film on Art program every Tuesday at noon. Additionally, it hosts themed days such as Sensory Sunday for the neurodivergent community, Stroller Art for infants 24 months old with a parent and caregiver, Young Friends Adventure is for children ages 2 to 5 years old with a parent or caregiver and Senior Art & Learn is for adults 55 and older.
Exhibitions include “Russell Maddick: Visions of a Changing Landscape” on view through June 29, “Good Vibrations: The Prints of Victor Vasarely” on view through July 20 and “Color Into Form: Abstractions From the Permanent Collection” on view through Dec. 31.
CANTON MUSEUM OF ART
1001 Market Ave., North Canton cantonart.org
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Monday.
Canton Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Canton Museum of Art
The Butler Institute of American Art. Photos courtesy of The Butler Institute of American Art
Free admission every Thursday and the first Friday of every month. Adult admission is $8. Senior, student and veteran admission with valid ID is $6. Children 12 and under are free.
The Canton Museum of Art connects community members of all ages with the techniques, materials and stories of the art and artists in its galleries through its classes and exhibitions, Davis says.
Canton art summer exhibitions, on view through July 27, include an original exhibition, “Apeiron: The Eco Art of John Sabraw,” highlighting the artistic talents and eco-activist e orts of artist John Sabraw, who creates pigments from sediment found in acid mine drainage to remediate the damage left from abandoned coal mines in Southeast Ohio; “This Riverbed is a Cradle,” featuring the fiber art and weaving of Michelle Wentling, with storytelling and poetry to connect with the artwork; and “Art and Activism from the CMA Collection,” featuring art and artists who created art with the purpose of speaking out against a variety of causes throughout their career.
MCDONOUGH MUSEUM OF ART
525 Wick Ave., Youngstown academics.ysu.edu/mcdonough-museum-of-art 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Free admission.
While the McDonough Museum of Art features artists from all over the country as part of its annual programming, its focus during the summer months is on local and regional artists including youth’s arts, Berlinski, the museum director, says.
“I think the focus on regional and local artists is a major feature of our programming that fills a void larger museums aren’t consistently able to fill,” she says.
Through July 19, it will feature the work of Youngstown State University alumni, Ronald Jason Van Hoose and Je ey S. Piper, local high school art teacher Mike Egan and the artwork of youth involved with the Inspiring Minds organization.
“All three maintain a vibrant studio practice locally with a busy exhibition schedule,” Berlinski said. “Inspiring Minds is a community organization with chapters throughout the U.S. with two locally, in Youngstown and Warren.”
SUMMIT ARTSPACE
140 E. Market St., Akron summitartspace.org Noon to 7 p.m. Friday. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. All exhibitions are free.
Summit Artspace’s primary programs are providing exhibitions to local artists at all points in their careers and of all abilities, Grieshammer Patrick, the director of artist resources, says. This includes a ordable studio space for artists to work out of, artist professional development programs and community events to help connect the public to artists.
“Summit Artspace acts as an important steppingstone by providing programs and tailoring our exhibitions to meet the needs of emerging artists,” she says. “In regard to the public, our space o ers the unique opportunity of direct engagement with artists and their work. Visitors have the ability to see works in progress and hear artists’ stories firsthand.”
Five new summer exhibitions curated around the theme of the Akron Bicentennial will open from 5 to 8 p.m. July 11 and the art space has several calls for local art open, including juried shows as well as a call for proposals for solo and group exhibitions.
The Butler Institute of American Art
Photo courtesy of The Butler Institute of American Art.
The interior of McDonough Museum of Art
Photo courtesy of McDonough Museum of Art
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still (#21), 1978, gelatin silver print, ed. 2/3, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of Rubell Museum, © Cindy Sherman.
Photo by Jaclyn Hale
Photo courtesy of Summit Artspace / Jaclyn Hale
Clotilde Jiménez, Victor’s Secret, 2016. Mixed media collage on paper. 30 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City). Beverly Semmes, Rhonda Lavonda Yolanda Chiffonda, 1995. Organza and crushed velvet, 32 feet long (each).
Diamond Delight
Beachwood Arts Council, a Northeast Ohio gem, celebrates 60th anniversary
By Noell Wolfgram Evans
There is a time-honored trope in the movies of a group of plucky residents coming together to put on a show and save some community fixture. Sixty years ago, a variation on that idea played out in Beachwood. And we’re still benefiting from their e orts today.
The Beachwood Arts Council is in the midst of celebrating its diamond jubilee. For 60 years, the organization has been supporting the arts community in Beachwood and beyond. Artist and board member Carolyn Frankel says she believes there is a simple reason for the longevity of the BAC.
“Art has the power to unite us,” she says. “It’s the soul of a society.”
It all started on Oct. 25, 1964, when several Beachwood parents organized a fundraiser. The proceeds of that artisticfocused festival went to support the Beachwood High School PTA. This was the seed from which the Beachwood Arts Council grew.
The success of that first event convinced the group that Beachwood had an interest and appreciation for the arts that really hadn’t been explored or harnessed up to that point. So they explored ways to meet that need.
“Those first members saw an arts organization as a way to create a sense of community,” Paula Rollins, BAC president, says.
Those first proto-council meetings were held in members’ homes, which was borne of necessity, but also provided opportunities for true community input around what people wanted to see next. By 1968, the foundation had been laid and they became an o cial nonprofit.
The group was given space inside of the original Beachwood Village Hall, where it stayed until 2007 when the organization moved to its now familiar home in the Beachwood Community Center.
Rollins says that the BAC’s support of the arts has been possible thanks to a true “partnership” with the city.
“They have always been so supportive,” she says. “Everything has been in-kind, including the use of the community center.”
In that spirit of partnership, the BAC has provided the city with permanent art installations, including the sculpture Family Suite which was installed on Richmond Road in front of city hall in 1991
Frankel
Aurora High School senior Lauren Baka won first place with her charcoal artwork, “Persona” at the 29th annual Ileen Kelner Juried High School Art Show, hosted by the Beachwood Arts Council. Submitted photo
A TRUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The BAC is more than a space that exhibits work. It also holds workshops for adults and children, hosts musicians as part of its Sunday Sounds series and organizes tours to expose people to di erent types of art throughout the broader community. It visited local galleries, museums, artist studios, and recently toured Lake View Cemetery. While there is generally a small cost for o -site activities, most of the events that take place at the BAC are free.
“We are located in Beachwood, but we really represent all of Northeast Ohio,” Rollins says. “I think Cleveland is such a wonderful cultural city. We try to take these opportunities to bring people closer to it.”
Of course, if you do want to sit and enjoy a work of art, the BAC hosts four full shows a year. Two of those shows feature professional artists, one dedicated to local talent and the other to those with a national profile. An art exhibit committee selects those to be exhibited from a group that has been nominated, applied, or suggested. The process has resulted in exhibits of paintings, mixed media, pottery, illustration and more. The shows not only provide an opportunity for the community to experience new artistic styles, they also provide a unique opportunity for artists to experience the response their work elicits.
“I love explaining what’s behind my paintings, so one of my favorite things about showing my work at the BAC is seeing someone have that ah-ha moment when they finally realize what a painting is all about,” Frankel says.
Rollins adds, “We are always looking for ways to o er new artistic opportunities to a range of di erent people. We have a diverse population in our community and it’s important that we try and promote our programming accordingly.”
To illustrate that point, she calls out the recent rakhi bracelet making workshop that was held in February in honor of the Hindu celebration Raksha Bandhan.
CELEBRATING YOUNG ARTISTS
While two of the BACs yearly shows are dedicated to professional artists, the other two celebrate those just starting to explore their artistic talents.
The Beachwood Schools K-12 Art Show provides an opportunity for students in the district to perhaps have their artwork shown for the first time in a setting other than their parents’ fridge.
“The BAC is very encouraging. It helps give artists visibility,” Frankel
says. “It’s a necessary organization that can foster local creativity.”
For over 20 years the BAC has also hosted the Ileen Kelner Juried High School Art Show. That show is open to students who attend one of the 25 area high schools. The most recent show, which wrapped in March, featured nearly 100 pieces. In 2018, this traditional exhibition was renamed in honor of Ileen Kelner, past president of the BAC.
The BAC also is the custodian of the The Si and Shirley Wachsberger Arts Scholarship Award. This is a $1,000 scholarship supported by the Wachsberger and the BAC and provided to a young artist on a rotating basis in the performance, visual, or musical arts.
FINDING NEW WAYS TO CONNECT THE COMMUNITY
All of the art at the Beachwood Art Gallery isn’t hanging on the walls. You’ll fi nd some of it tucked inside of a box right outside the side door. There, visitors will fi nd a delightful Free Little Art Gallery where anyone can pick up an artistic treasure for their home and aspiring artists can leave a piece of their own to share with the community. It’s a way to get to what Rollins sees as one of the goals of the organization -“You have to experience art to become an artist.”
“We need more venues like this,” Frankel says. “I think every city should have an arts council.”
The interactive “Free Little Art Gallery” designed by Leah Gilbert, Lili Bosler and Arlyne Bochnek, invites visitors to place their own art or take a piece of art in the miniature gallery. Photo courtesy of Beachwood Arts Council
By Lydia Kacala
Eileen Dorsey, an Old Brooklyn resident, has spent over the past 15 years painting nature scenes in her studio at 78th Street Studios at 1300 W. 78th St. in Cleveland. However, in her early years as an artist, painting wasn’t even on her radar.
Before discovering her love of paint in college, she made art with colored pencils and markers – “the basic materials,” she says. A graduate of Kent State University, Dorsey began attending art classes at the university in her second year, where she took her first painting class.
“I didn’t really paint a lot when I was in high school just because I didn’t have the materials,” she says. “But, there was something about that class that changed things for me.”
As the class progressed, she found that she was falling in love with the medium, she says. While she was naturally gifted in the arts, she also found confidence through the class.
“When you’re working in a setting with other students and you can see how everyone else is painting the same thing di erently, you kind of get a sense of your place – if you have skills or not – and it gave me a confidence that way,” Dorsey says. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I actually can do this.’”
Dorsey says she uses vibrant purples and blues in the works she creates today, which were colors she also used in artworks in college. She recalls one instance where, while creating a still life painting, she was the only student using more vibrant colors and some students were confused as to where she found the inspiration to use them, saying the colors “are there,” but others couldn’t see them.
“I remember students asking me, ‘Where did you get those colors?” she says. “They’re there, I’m just saturating them.”
After her art classes ended, Dorsey wanted to continue working in the arts and pursuing an art degree – she has a bachelor of fine arts, she says. In order to begin sharing her work with larger communities, she slowly started to break out of her more introverted shell and meet new people at shows.
She says while there isn’t a “manual to being successful or getting your work out there,” it’s more di cult to do it on your own.
“You need to meet other artists so you can get information about shows (and the) possibility to (do) collaborations,” she says. “It’s harder to succeed, I think, if you’re doing it all on your own.”
When she was first looking for an art studio, 78th Street
Artist Eileen Dorsey paints vivid nature scenes using oil paints in her studio at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland. |Canvas photos / Lydia Kacala
Studios, owned by Daniel Bush, didn’t exist, she says. The space – a warehouse – only had about five businesses and Bush told her if he got two artists to sign on, then he would start building studio spaces.
Dorsey was one of the first two to sign on, choosing her studio based on blueprints, she says. The studio, located on the first floor of the space, shares a wall with one other studio, something she was attracted to because she enjoys listening to music and didn’t want to disturb her neighbors.
At the beginning, 78th Street Studios would hold quarterly art walks, and Dorsey wanted to have her studio space open for her first one, so she got her key the morning of her first art walk on Jan. 15, 2010. When she got her keys, she went to open the door and realized she didn’t have a doorknob – a problem that was quickly fixed. She was able to get into her studio as people began filing in for the art walk.
“No one walked in the studio,” Dorsey says. “There was maybe three people that came through my space. It was a di erent experience. No one came down to this floor for years. It was dark and dank and kind of creepy looking, but now it’s probably one of the most lively levels.”
Now, 78th Street Studios hosts its Third Friday Art Walk every month, where the galleries and artist studios are open for community members to walk through exhibitions and events which aided in Dorsey breaking through her shell and getting more involved with the arts community, she says.
“Every month, I was open and I was forced to talk to people, and I was forced to talk to people about my work, which is personal,” Dorsey says. “... Every year for 15 years, so that’s a lot of experience talking to people about my work.”
She says no matter her personal connection to the piece,
there is a layer of vulnerability when it comes to showing someone else your work. However, as time went on, she grew to be less worried about the reactions people may have to her work.
“Whether it is with an actual personal story that has to do with something dramatic in your life or it is just your interpretation of nature, you’re putting yourself out there and you risk yourself getting negativity or positivity,” she says. “I was worried about that more when I was younger.”
The Third Friday Art Walks also factored into her confidence as she was able to put pieces she felt less sure about in the back of her studios and gauge how people might react to them, Dorsey says.
“I’m much older now, so I feel more confident than I did,” she says.
The growth in confidence in her abilities and her work have led her to not let others’ opinions of her works or their feedback a ect her work, she says. However, she finds she can be influenced by something and not realize exactly where the inspiration came from until later.
“I really try hard not to let the ideas of others influence me too much, but it’s impossible not to be influenced,” she says. “I mean you could go to a museum, look at a bunch of artwork this year and then four years later you’re making something, and then four years after that you realize, ‘Oh, I chose those colors and that pattern based o of seeing that and it was deep in my brain and just coming out in a di erent way.’”
Murals by Dorsey can be found scattered around Old Brooklyn and on state Route 43 heading into Kent.
She is planning for an art tour, where she will travel around the U.S. and go to di erent art fairs – the first of which is the Ann Arbor Art Fair from July 17 to July 19 in Michigan.
“Branching Out” (2020). Oil paint on canvas, 5-by-8 feet.
Events Calendar
June-August Rock Hall Live shorturl.at/MzwE9
June 2-22 Gates Mills Music and Ideas Festival: By Leaps and Bound encorechambermusic.org/FESTIVAL
June 14 Circle Village tinyurl.com/5fjr7xau
June 18 Cleveland Institute of Music’s Cleveland Wind Trio holdenfg.org
June 21 Outlaw Music Festival shorturl.at/UfeHb
June 26-28 Tri-C JazzFest tri-c.edu/jazzfest/
June 27 Keith Urban: High and Alive World Tour livenation.com/events
June 28 Larchmere PorchFest larchmereporchfest.org
July 5-6 The Cleveland Orchestra Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone tinyurl.com/yp99dw7p
July 11 Luke Bryan: Country Song Came On Tour livenation.com/events
July 12 Kent Blues Festival kentbluesfest.com
July 12-13 Music in the Valley-Folk and Wine Festival tinyurl.com/2uut3h2c
July 16 Roots of American Music featuring Apostle Jones holdenfg.org
July 19 Lakewood Summer Meltdown lakewoodalive.org/event/lakewood-summer-meltdown
July 26 Reggae on the River tinyurl.com/urdzt8zn
August 2 The Isley Brothers cainpark.com/events
August 6 Roots of American Music featuring Sam Hooper Group holdenfg.org
August 19 Andy Grammar Monster Tour 2025 cainpark.com/events
August 22 The Black Keys: No Rain, No Flowers livenation.com/events
August 23 Black River Blues Reggae Fest tinyurl.com/3zhe4jh9
Events Calendar
June 14 Cleveland Museum of Art Parade the Circle clevelandart.org/events/parade-circle
June 17 The Golden Age of Shlomo Katz Art Exhibit beachwoodartscouncil.org
June 21 Solstice 2025 Cleveland Museum of Art clevelandart.org/events/solstice-2025
June 21 Wildwood Arts & Wine Fest shorturl.at/gc2pc
June 28 BAYarts Art & Music Festival bayarts.net/events/annual-art-music-festival
June 28-29 and July 4-6 Boston Mills Artfest shorturl.at/KAZpL
July 11-13 48th Annual Cain Park Arts Festival cainpark.com/arts-festival
July 12-13 Youngstown Summer Festival of the Arts sfa.ysu.edu
July 19 Willoughby ArtsFest willoughbyartsfest.com
July 20 Art in the Park Medina medinacountyartleague.com/artinthepark
July 26-27 Akron Art Expo akronartexpo.com
August 2 Lakewood Arts Festival lakewoodartsfest.org
August 3 Chardon Square Arts Festival chardonsquareassociation.org/events/arts-festival
August 6 Art of Fashion: Christian Siriano clevelandart.org/events/art-fashion-christian-siriano
August 23-24 Hudson Art on the Green hudsonsocietyofartists.com/art-on-the-green
August 29-31 Made In Ohio Art & Craft Festival madeinohiofestival.org
September 13 Waterloo Arts Fest waterlooartsfest.org
September 13 Rocky River Fall Arts Festival tinyurl.com/3n6cbrs2
September 14 Berea Arts Fest bereaartsfest.org
September 20 FireFish Festival firefishfestival.com
September 20-21 Tremont Arts and Cultural Fest shorturl.at/wkmAm
October 2-5 Stan Hywet Ohio Mart stanhywet.org/ohio-mart
May 30-June 15 Clue: On Stage cvlt.org/show-item/clue-on-stage
June 14-15 All City Musical’s Newsies tinyurl.com/y2n5mmsh
June 17-July 6 Hamilton playhousesquare.org/events/detail/hamilton-2025
July 11-August 10 A Chorus Line beckcenter.org/shows/chorus
July 15-August 3 Kimberly Akimbo playhousesquare.org/events/detail/kimberly-akimbo
July 16-19 BorderLight Theatre Festival borderlightcle.org
July 17-20 Beetlejuice Jr. cainpark.com/event
July 25-August 16 Freaky Friday cvlt.org/show-item/freaky-friday
August 12-17 Beetlejuice playhousesquare.org/events/detail/beetlejuice-1
October 11 MOMIX: Alice tinyurl.com/34wu73tc
June 14 Taste of River tinyurl.com/mv9w58x6
July 12 Uncorked Cleveland uncorkedwinefestivals.com/uncorked-cleveland
July 20 Taste of Tremont experiencetremont.com/featured-events/taste-of-tremont/
August 1-2 Vintage Ohio Wine Festival visitvintageohio.com
August 14-17 Little Italy Feast of the Assumption littleitalyfeast.com
August 24-25 Cleveland Garlic Festival clevelandgarlicfestival.org
August 29-September 1 Cleveland Taco Fest tacofestcle.com
August 29-September 1 and September 5-6 Cleveland Oktoberfest clevelandoktoberfest.com
PERFORMANCE FOOD / DRINK
June 14 Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest juneteenthcle.com
June 27-28 Ohio Scottish Games and Celtic Festival ohioscottishgames.com
July 4 Light Up the Lake downtowncleveland.com/holiday-celebrations
July 18-20 Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival clevelandirish.org
August 5-10 Cuyahoga County Fair cuyfair.com
August 21-23 Please Don’t Destroy: LIVE grogshop.gs/calendar
August 24 One World Day clevelandculturalgardens.org/one-world-day
August 28-September 1 The Great Geauga County Fair geaugafair.com
August 30-September 1 Cleveland National Air Show clevelandairshow.com
October 7-12 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival chagrinfilmfest.org
MUSEUMS
Akron Art Museum akronartmuseum.org
Allen Memorial Art Museum amam.oberlin.edu
Canton Museum of Art cantonart.org
Cleveland Museum of Art clevelandart.org/home
Cleveland Museum of Natural History cmnh.org
Great Lakes Science Center greatscience.com
Hale Farm and Village wrhs.org/plan-visit/places-to-visit/hale-farm-village
International Women’s Air and Space Museum iwasm.org/wp-blog
The KSU Museum kent.edu/museum
Lake Erie Nature and Science Center lensc.org
The Maltz Museum maltzmuseum.org
Massillon Museum massillonmuseum.org
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland mocacleveland.org
Museum of Illusions moicleveland.com
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rockhall.com
USS Cod Submarine Memorial usscod.org
The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve artistsarchives.org
The Butler Institute of American Art butlerart.com
The Children’s Museum of Cleveland cmcleveland.org
The Western Reserve Fire Museum and Education Center wrfmc.com
78th Street Studios 78thstreetstudios.com Bonfoey Gallery bonfoey.com
Cleveland Institute of Art cia.edu/reinberger-gallery District Gallery district-gallery.com
Fiddlehead Gallery fiddleheadgallery.com
The Galleries at CSU artsandsciences.csuohio.edu/galleries
Koehn Sculptors’ Sanctuary On Green sanctuaryongreen.com
Lee Heinen Studio leeheinenstudio.com
LemonChrystal Artist Sanctuary lemonchrystal.com
Loganberry Books loganberrybooks.com
M. Gentile Studios mgentilestudios.com
Negative Space Gallery & Studio facebook.com/Thinknegativespace
Neue Auctions neueauctions.com
Robert Hartshorn Studio & Gallery hartshornstudios.com
Tricia Kaman Studio/Gallery triciakaman.com
Valley Art Center valleyartcenter.org WOLFS Gallery wolfsgallery.com
ART GALLERIES
GALLERIES
CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART
11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland P: 216-421-7000 : cia.edu : @cleinstituteart
CIA’s Reinberger Gallery features emerging and established national artists and hosts popular exhibitions by faculty, students and alumni, and CIA’s Cinematheque is one of the country’s best repertory movie theaters, according to The New York Times. Learn more and view upcoming programming at cia.edu/exhibitions and cia.edu/cinematheque.
CONTESSA GALLERY
SOUTHAMPTON | PALM BEACH | CLEVELAND 28699 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere P: 216-382-7800
M. GENTILE STUDIOS
1588 E. 40th St., 1A, Cleveland
P: 216-881-2818
: mgentilestudios.com
A personalized art resource for individuals, collectors and businesses. We offer assistance in the selection and preservation of artwork in many media. Our archival custom framing services are complemented by our skill in the installation of 2D and 3D artwork in a variety of residential and corporate settings.
SPACES
2900 Detroit Ave, Cleveland 44113 P: 216-621-2314
: SPACEScle.org
: @spacescle
: @spacescle
SPACES is a resource and public forum
E: info@contessagallery.com : contessagallery.com
Founded in 1999, Contessa Gallery is a Fine Art Dealers Association Member (FADA) featuring a variety of artists, including blue-chip, established, and emerging artists, and art acquisition counsel to collectors, museums and institutions. Contessa Gallery is built on three main principles: passion, integrity and education. The gallery continues expanding its clientele and reputation through its exhibitions at its locations and participating in prestigious art fairs such as Art Basel-Art Miami, Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, and Southampton Fine Art Fair. At the philanthropic level, Contessa Gallery seeks to make a difference in the community by contributing time, expertise, sponsorship, and educational programming for museums and arts organizations.
LEE HEINEN STUDIO
12402 Mayfield Road, Cleveland P: 216-469-3288
Photo courtesy of Rustin McCann, 2024 for artists who explore and experiment. We commission new, issue-responsive work from artists at all career stages, create educational initiatives to foster an informed citizenry and distribute grants beyond our exhibitions and residencies to support bold artistic practices in Cleveland and beyond.
Hours: Wed–Sat, 12–5 p.m.
VALLEY ART CENTER
155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls P: 440-247-7507
: valleyartcenter.org
Valley Art Center is the hub of the visual arts in Chagrin Falls! VAC offers classes for all ages and in every medium including painting, jewelry design, drawing, clay and more. VAC also presents five gallery exhibitions annually and the iconic Art by the Falls outdoor art festival in June each year.
E: leeheinen@saatchionline.com : leeheinen.com : facebook.com/leeheinen
As I frequently do, I have called on my “Sisters” 30”x 40” oil on canvas by Lee Heinen daughters as models. For me, this painting represents the joy and leisure of summer. To see more of my prints or oil on canvas paintings, call to visit my Little Italy studio or check Saatchi online.
LOGANBERRY
13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights P: 216-795-9800
: loganberrybooks.com
Loganberry Books Annex Gallery features a monthly rotation of local artist exhibitions, with an opening reception on the first Wednesday evening of the month.
Holbrook Carter (American, 1904–2000) Night Garden, 1972
on scintilla , 21.5 x 21.5 inches
23645 Mercantile Road, Beachwood P: 216-721-6945
: Wolfsgallery.com
: @wolfsgallery
: @wolfsgallery
Visit WOLFS’ 15 galleries exhibiting many hundreds of artworks representing myriad styles and periods. Tour our generous space Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Buying and selling fine art in Cleveland since 1975.
Fifteen galleries exhibiting many hundreds of artworks representing myriad styles and periods.
23645 Mercantile Road, Beachwood, Ohio | 216-721-6945
Listings are provided by Canvas advertisers and as a courtesy to readers.
WOLFS GALLERY
Clarence
Acrylic
STAGES
BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
FRIENDS OF CANVAS
BOSTON MILLS
17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood P: 216-521-2540 : beckcenter.org
Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood produces professional theater and arts education for theater, music, visual art, dance and creative arts therapies, for all ages, all skills, and all abilities. If you see “One” singular sensation this summer, see the musical “A Chorus Line.” Tickets at beckcenter.org/shows/chorus
MUSEUMS
THE ARTISTS ARCHIVES OF THE WESTERN RESERVE
1834 E. 123rd St., Cleveland P: 216-721-9020
: ArtistsArchives.org : Facebook.com/ ArtistsArchivesoftheWesternReserve
July 17 – Sept. 20: The AAWR invites you to our Annual Members Exhibition for 2025. Help us Painting by Adrian Hardin celebrate the depth and breadth of NEO artists represented by our artist members. Admission is always free and gallery open hours are Wed. – Fri. from 10 a.m. –4 p.m., Sat. 12-4 p.m.
MALTZ MUSEUM
7100 Riverview Road, Peninsula P: 800-875-4241
: bmbw.com/artfest : facebook.com/BMBWOhio
Nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Boston Mills Artfest is a nationally recognized tradition in the art community. Featuring nearly 300 artists traveling from 34 states across the country, this prestigious fine art show is happening June 27 to June 29 and July 3 to July 6.
CLEVELAND ISRAEL ARTS CONNECTION
Jewish Federation of Cleveland E: israelarts@jewishcleveland.org : jewishcleveland.org/israelarts
The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection features the finest in Israeli film, documentary, theater, dance, music, visual art and literature. For updates, visit jewishcleveland.org/israelarts. Please join the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Facebook page for additional opportunities to experience Israeli arts.
CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
: cuyahogalibrary.org
2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood P: 216-593-0575 : maltzmuseum.org
The Maltz Museum introduces visitors to the beauty and diversity of heritage in the context of the American experience. It promotes an understanding of Jewish history, religion and culture, and builds bridges of appreciation and understanding with those of other religions, races, cultures and ethnicities. It’s an educational resource for Northeast Ohio’s Jewish and general communities.
MASSILLON MUSEUM
: Branch locations: cuyahogalibrary.org/branches Cuyahoga County Public Library has 27 branches and serves 47 communities across the county. Our Mission: To empower individuals and communities by providing opportunities for all to read, learn, create and connect. Our Vision: We envision a thriving and inclusive Cuyahoga County where all residents benefit from and are inspired by Cuyahoga County Public Library’s innovative resources, services and programs.
121 Lincoln Way East, Massillon P: 330-833-4061 : massillonmuseum.org : facebook.com/massillonmuseum
Juxtaposed: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future (through Oct. 12); Maxmillian Peralta: Flat Affect (June 21–August 3); Canton Artists League: Into the Water (through July 6); Saving Face: Salvaged Negatives of Henry Clay Fleming; and nine additional art and history galleries. Unique Drew Ippoliti, “Ice Bucket 01”, handbuilt ceramics with slips, glazes, stains, and wax, 2025
shop, new TWilite Café, and sensory room. Free admission.
Listings are provided by Canvas advertisers and as a courtesy to readers.
CURATOR CORNER
‘Reliquary Series 5: Bald Faced Hornet’ by Eli Betchik
By Lydia Kacala
The Cleveland Institute of Art sees students interested in making a career through art pass through its doors every day. Some are fresh-faced and new to the school, while others are walking out for the very last time to continue putting art into the world on their own terms.
The school will showcase art from former students at its 2025 Alumni Exhibition from June 20 to Aug. 8 at its Reinberger Gallery. In the exhibit, attendees can find “Reliquary Series 5: Bald Faced Hornet,” a mixed-media piece looking at the viewers relationship to beauty, by Eli Betchick, a 2021 graduate and jeweler.
At Reinberger Gallery, Nikki Woods, CIA’s director of exhibitions and galleries, worked with Maria Seda-Reeder, who is serving as the exhibition’s visiting RouletHernandez Family curator, on the exhibit. In an interview with Canvas, Woods speaks about the piece and its impact on the viewer. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Canvas: What makes this piece noteworthy?
Woods: The combination of art historical reference, stunning craftsmanship and grotesque material – real hornet carcasses –create a compelling work both visually and conceptually. You often see more “desirable” insects – such as butterflies, moths and beetles – used as subjects or inspiration for decorative motif, but here we see a less desirable insect, or pest, elevated to divine reverence. I see this work in dialogue with the Cleveland Institute of Art’s strong lineage for daring craft, and it reminds me of the work of renowned metalsmith and CIA alum William Harper, who also enjoyed the tension of objects that could be both beautiful and grotesque.
What personal response does the artwork evoke?
Woods: I’ve always been fascinated by reliquaries, which are elaborate containers that house the bodily remains – fingers, skulls, fragments of bone – or objects a liated with important, and often religious, figures. As objects of reverence, these enclosures are beautifully decorated, encrusted with jewels and gilded in gold. Like the medieval reliquaries it references, this work evokes in me a sense of intrigue and revulsion. What does it mean to elevate the hornet to the realm of the divine? What does it say about the nature we choose to preserve and the nature we choose to eliminate because we think it is ugly or disturbing? I think the artist is asking the viewer to examine their relationship to beauty and how that reflects our perception of the world.
How do the mediums used to create the piece influence the viewer’s response?
Woods: The artist’s use of real bald-faced hornets and hornet larvae alongside delicate and fine materials such as glass, gold and silver create a gruesome and refined visceral tension. The hornet’s nest in this context becomes a suspended sculptural artifact, a kind of sarcophagus for the dead hornets that remain. There’s a tenderness to how the object is handled in the artist’s deft hand that I think fosters a sense of empathy within the viewer.
What else can you tell us about the artist?
Woods: A 2021 graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Eli Betchik is a prolific and thoughtful maker who works out of her Cleveland studio. Much of her work treads similar territory, highlighting the beauty in the otherwise overlooked or undervalued natural world, frequently incorporating found insects, arachnids and other macabre specimens and art historical references.
What happened in the art world recently that might have influenced it?
Woods: For centuries, artists have been fascinated by and made countless works relating to the subject of death and the natural world. It will always be a relevant subject of fascination for both artists and viewers. Contemporarily, I think the artist brings up interesting questions about man’s relationship to nature and our responsibility to care for the environment and hold dear all living things. As concerns about climate change and global warming are ever-present, the work reminds us that insects inhabited the world far before humans and begs the question: What is our role in stewarding the world we inherited?
“Reliquary Series 5: Bald Faced Hornet,” Eli Betchik, 2025. Glass, copper, sterling silver, gold, hawthorn wood, bald faced hornets, bald faced hornet nest. 2 feet x 11 inches x 11 inches. Photo courtesy of Eli Betchik
Woods
M. Weiss Foundation
and Chuck Fowler Fran and Jules Belkin