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The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Refurbished North Lobby Reopens Today, Enhancing the Visitor Experience and Creating New Educational Opportunities

Tags for: The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Refurbished North Lobby Reopens Today, Enhancing the Visitor Experience and Creating New Educational Opportunities
  • Press Release
Tuesday November 26, 2024
Digital signage in the museum lobby reads "Today at the CMA"
A 20-foot-long, state-of-the-art video wall highlights the full spectrum of the museum’s daily offerings in the newly renovated Horace Kelly Art Foundation Lobby.

Contact the Museum's Media Relations Team:
(216) 707-2261
marketingandcommunications@clevelandart.org

New Exhibitions and Programs Celebrate the Newly Renovated Space

CLEVELAND (November 26, 2024)— The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announces the reopening of the Horace Kelley Art Foundation Lobby and the Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby, the museum’s main entrance on East Boulevard and the lobby area on the museum’s lower level. The newly renovated spaces represent the final elements of the museum’s renovation and expansion project begun in 2005 and optimize both entrances. 

“We are delighted to welcome visitors in our newly renovated lobby spaces,” said William Griswold, director and president of the CMA. “By enhancing the visitor experience, we are making the museum more accessible and wayfinding more informative, and we are ensuring that more space is available for students to learn through a wide range of enriching experiences with art.”

The museum inaugurates the new renovations with expanded educational and performance programs, including student- and community-curated installations of works of art from the CMA’s historic Education Art Collection and the announcement of the 2024–25 Performing Arts Series in Gartner Auditorium.

In conjunction with the reopening of the lobby spaces, the CMA debuts the KeyBank Information Center, named in recognition of KeyBank’s recent gift in support of education; the Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center, which names the performing arts spaces on the upper level at the CMA and recognizes their gift to support the performing arts; and the Helen Champney Cole Womens Council Office, which honors a generous gift made by the Helen C. Cole Charitable Trust in celebration of her longtime support of the museum and her service as a past chair of the Womens Council.

Enhancing the Visitor Experience 

A lobby with two glass cases on either side. In the middle there is a wall that reads "Curious, wondrous things."
The Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby are reconfigured as a welcoming center for school groups and other large tours, complete with a dedicated reception area and coat check.

Horace Kelly Art Foundation North Lobby

As visitors step into the Horace Kelly Art Foundation Lobby—the CMA’s principal north entrance—a 20-foot-long, state-of-the-art video wall highlights the full spectrum of the museum’s daily offerings and provides visitors with a prominent, easy-to-read guide to daily tours, new exhibitions, and other programs and information related to their visit. The video wall features real-time updates on exhibitions, events, tours, and more. Visitors will also notice new LED lighting, a reconfigured coat check, modifications to the pavement to create less slippery and safer surfaces, and streamlined security systems. A new service area has been created in the Ames Family Atrium, where visitors can book tours, ask questions, and obtain other information. 

“Our two guiding principles with these renovations were to address our visitors’ needs and to respect and preserve our Marcel Breuer building’s historic, architecturally significant design,” said Griswold. “I am happy to say that the designs we are unveiling accomplish both of these important goals.”

Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby

The newly renovated Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby on the lower level welcomes school groups and highlights works from the Education Art Collection (EAC) in four new glass cases. Each installation was cocreated by educators, artists, and community members for audiences of all ages. The displays change a few times each year, reflecting the ideas, voices, and vision of the community. 

A collection within the museum, the curious, wondrous things in the EAC spark wonder, ignite curiosity, and tell stories. The EAC comprises about 10,000 authentic works of art from across time and around the world. Working with museum educators, audiences can handle, study, and curate these objects.  

The redesigned space enables the CMA to realize an important ambition articulated in its strategic plan: to welcome 100,000 pre-K through grade-12 students annually.

Funding for this capital project was spearheaded by board chair Ellen Stirn Mavec, through a leadership challenge gift from The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation. The Chair’s Challenge for the lobby renovation was met with principal support from Jon and Jane Outcalt, with major support provided by James and Susan Ratner and the Sauerland Foundation. The museum also received principal support from the State of Ohio capital budget. Dieter and Susan M. Kaesgen and the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art were also generous contributors. 

 

Performing Arts Series

Gartner Auditorium, the museum’s premier space for performances, concerts, and events, reopens with a robust offering of original music from around the world. Spanning classical and contemporary music, global music traditions, dance, and film, the series complements special exhibitions and illuminates the permanent collection. The lineup of the 2024–25 Performing Arts series includes the following:

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About the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts and is a leader in digital innovations. One of the top comprehensive art museums in the nation, recognized for its award-winning open access program and free of charge to all, the Cleveland Museum of Art is located in the University Circle neighborhood with two satellite locations on Cleveland’s west side: the Community Arts Center and Transformer Station. 

The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs, and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit cma.org.