Celebrate Light

As the winter solstice nears, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year, daylight grows dimmer, the air becomes colder, and many of us find warmth in light. We use more lights at home, holiday lights abound in our neighborhoods, and fireplaces exude a warm glow.

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The Cleveland Museum of Art honors the power of light through art. Visitors can explore sumptuous paintings showing a time when people lived and worked by candlelight during the night hours, such as Samson and Delilah by Gerrit van Honthorst; study a candlestick made of brass from an ancient region in Turkey; or admire the tinted illumination from a Tiffany lamp, such as the Daffodil Table Lamp’s green pool.

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In the Ruth and Charles Maurer Gallery (209)On Saturday, December 9, 2023, the museum hosts Play Day in the Ames Family Atrium, a free event where art and play connect. December’s Play Day theme is “Illuminate” and features special lantern-making activities and games for the whole family that promise an illuminating experience igniting creativity for all ages. For more information about Play Days, visit cma.org/family-play-days.

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Families and friends can also gather at the Community Arts Center (CAC) throughout the month of December for special activities celebrating light. Lanterns made by artists and community members will adorn the CAC’s community spaces and gallery, and visitors can make their own lanterns to add to a community lantern sculpture. This year, for the first time, the CAC will also host a special glow party on Friday, December 15, 2023, where lanterns, glow sticks, music, and art making will light up the center.