Cleveland Museum Of Art

TO PROVIDE A COLLECTION OF ARTWORK REPRESENTING ACHIEVEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS AND CIVILIZATIONS, PAST AND PRESENT, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC.

CURATORIAL, CONSERVATION, REGISTRAR AND LIBRARY THE ORGANIZATION, SECURITY, PRESERVATION, RESEARCH, AND PRESENTATION OF OUR COLLECTIONS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE WORK OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION, CURATORIAL, EDUCATION, LIBRARY, DESIGN, AND EXHIBITIONS STAFF. OUR COLLECTIONS ARE ON VIEW IN STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES AND WITH GALLERY SPACE THAT ALLOWS FOR THE DISPLAY OF MORE WORKS FROM OUR COLLECTIONS THAN EVER BEFORE. NEW EXHIBITION SPACES FURTHER AUGMENT OUR ABILITY TO CONNECT AUDIENCES WITH WORKS OF ART. IN ADDITION TO COMPLEMENTING THE COLLECTIONS, THE SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS PRESENTED AT THE MUSEUM EXTEND INTO THOSE HISTORIC PERIODS, GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, OR MEDIA THAT ARE ABSENT FROM OR NOT WELL REPRESENTED IN OUR COLLECTIONS. COLLECTING CENTRAL TO THE MISSION OF THE MUSEUM IS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVATION OF ITS ART COLLECTION. THE COLLECTION IS CONSIDERED A SELECTIVE SURVEY OF THE HISTORY OF ART PRESENTED WITH WORKS OF THE HIGHEST AESTHETIC QUALITY AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. PARTICULARLY NOTABLE IS THE MUSEUM'S COMPREHENSIVE, DISTINGUISHED ASIAN ART COLLECTION AS WELL AS ITS ANCIENT ART, MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN ART AND PRE-COLUMBIAN HOLDINGS. CONSERVING IN THE MUSEUM'S CONSERVATION LABS, YOU WILL FIND CONSERVATORS WITH SPECIALIZATIONS RANGING FROM PAINTINGS TO SCULPTURE, ANTIQUITIES TO CONTEMPORARY ART, AND MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS TO TAPESTRIES TO ASIAN FOLDING SCREENS. THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE ACADEMIC BACKGROUNDS THAT INCLUDE ART HISTORY, STUDIO ART, AND CHEMISTRY AS WELL AS ADVANCED EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE CONSERVATION OF ART AND HISTORIC COLLECTIONS. THEIR MISSION IS TO STUDY, PRESERVE, AND CONSERVE THE WORKS OF ART IN CLEVELAND'S COLLECTION AND THE WORKS OF ART TRAVELING HERE FROM OTHER MUSEUMS AND COLLECTORS AROUND THE WORLD. USING SIMPLE HAND TOOLS AND MICROSCOPES AS WELL AS HIGH-TECH TOOLS SUCH AS X-RADIOGRAPHY AND INFRARED REFLECTOGRAPHY, THESE CONSERVATORS WORK WITH PATIENCE AND PRECISION TO EXAMINE ARTWORK AND PERFORM A WIDE RANGE OF CONSERVATION TREATMENTS. WALKING THROUGH THE CONSERVATION SUITE ON ANY GIVEN DAY, YOU MAY FIND A CONSERVATOR CLOSELY EXAMINING A UNIQUE 15TH-CENTURY ENGRAVING, CAREFULLY MOUNTING A 6TH-CENTURY EGYPTIAN COPTIC TEXTILE FOR DISPLAY, WORKING ON AN IMPRESSIONIST'S MASTERPIECE TO BRING IT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO ITS ORIGINAL STATE AND ARTIST'S INTENT, OR PREPARING A FRAGILE PORCELAIN VASE TO TRAVEL WITHIN THE BUILDING OR ACROSS THE WORLD WITHOUT HARM FROM MOVEMENT OR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES. TODAY, AS PART OF THE MUSEUM'S RENOVATION AND EXPANSION PROJECT, THE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT WORKS IN A RECENTLY OPENED 18,000-SQUARE-FOOT SUITE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART LABORATORIES. IT IS ONE OF THE FINEST SPACES IN THE COUNTRY FOR ANALYSIS, STUDY, AND CONSERVATION OF MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. LIBRARY THE MISSION OF THE MUSEUM'S LIBRARY, INGALLS LIBRARY, IS TO SUPPORT THE MUSEUM'S CURRENT AND FUTURE COLLECTIONS, RESEARCH, EXHIBITIONS, PUBLICATIONS, LECTURES, PROGRAMS, AND ACTIVITIES. THE ARCHIVES' MISSION IS TO PRESERVE RECORDS THAT DOCUMENT THE ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES OF THE MUSEUM, AND TO ADMINISTER THE MUSEUM'S RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. ALL LIBRARY MATERIALS, EXCEPT THOSE IN THE REFERENCE COLLECTION, ARE HOUSED IN CLOSED STACKS. WHEN THE MUSEUM OPENED IN 1916 THE LIBRARY CONSISTED OF JUST 600 VOLUMES, MOSTLY ACQUIRED THROUGH DONATION. THE COLLECTION GREW SLOWLY AT FIRST, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ESSENTIAL REFERENCE TEXTS. AS FUNDING AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT INCREASED, THE LIBRARY DEVELOPED INTO THE CENTER OF MUSEUM RESEARCH. SINCE REACHING 100,000 ITEMS IN 1979, COLLECTION GROWTH HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. FURTHER MILESTONES FOLLOWED QUICKLY, AS THE VOLUME COUNT TOPPED 200,000 IN 1995, THEN 300,000 IN 2000 AND 400,000 IN 2005. THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN 500,000 VOLUMES. TODAY, THE LIBRARY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MUSEUM'S IDENTITY. COLLECTIONS REMAIN A DYNAMIC AND CONSTANTLY EVOLVING RESOURCE FOR OUR VISITORS.

ART ACQUISITIONS THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS MAGNIFICENT ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD. CENTRAL TO THE MISSION OF THE MUSEUM IS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVATION OF ITS ART COLLECTION. THE MUSEUM'S HOLDINGS OF WORLD ART ARE INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED AND A GREAT SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR THE CLEVELAND COMMUNITY AND MUSEUM FIELD, EACH YEAR DRAWING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS FROM THE REGION AND BEYOND. THE GROWTH OF THE COLLECTIONS IS GUIDED BY A PHILOSOPHY THAT FAVORS QUALITY OVER QUANTITY AND PRIVILEGES THE SINGULAR OBJECT OVER BROAD COVERAGE IN ANY GIVEN FIELD. THE MUSEUM'S ENDOWMENT HOLDS ONE OF THE LARGEST ACQUISITION FUNDS OF ANY ART MUSEUM IN THE COUNTRY. EACH YEAR, THIS FUND PRODUCES INCOME UPON WHICH OUR CURATORS, DIRECTOR, AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES DRAW TO ACQUIRE NEW WORKS OF ART, THUS ENSURING THAT OUR COLLECTIONS REMAIN A DYNAMIC AND CONSTANTLY EVOLVING RESOURCE FOR OUR VISITORS. APPROXIMATELY 300 WORKS OF ART ARE ACQUIRED PER YEAR.

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART'S EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS TEAM CREATES DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING, THOUGHTFUL CONTENT, AND MEANINGFUL COLLABORATIONS THAT TEACH, INSPIRE, AND SUPPORT VISITORS AND THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION, FEEL A CONNECTION TO IT AND, ULTIMATELY, ENHANCE THEIR LIVES THROUGH ART. IN THE GALLERIES THE MUSEUM OFFERS A NUMBER OF WAYS TO CONNECT WITH ART AND EACH OTHER. THE ARTLENS APP ALLOWS VISITORS TO LEARN ABOUT THE ARTWORK ON THEIR OWN, OR VISITORS CAN TAKE A FREE TOUR LED BY TRAINED DOCENTS. VISITORS CAN ALSO HANDLE GENUINE WORKS OF ART FROM THE EDUCATION ART COLLECTION IN OUR ART CARTS, AND PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES LIKE SCAVENGER HUNTS ON OUR FAMILY DAYS CALLED SECOND SUNDAYS. IN THE STUDIO OUR ARTISTS TEACH CLASSES FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. WE OFFER CLASSES FOR OUR 'LITTLEST LEARNERS' BEGINNING AT 18 MONTHS, FOR ADULTS, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN. IN THE CLASSROOM, THE MUSEUM'S CONNIE TOWSON FORD TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER SERVES EDUCATORS WORKING WITH VARIOUS GRADE LEVELS, DISCIPLINES AND AUDIENCES. THE CENTER OFFERS A VARIETY OF WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR EDUCATORS. IN THE COMMUNITY VISITORS CAN EXPLORE THE MUSEUM PROGRAMS AT LOCATIONS AROUND NORTHEAST OHIO AND ONSITE AT THE MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM IS COMMITTED TO PUBLIC ARTS EDUCATION AND HOSTS MANY EDUCATIONAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING FAMILY DAYS, SCHOOL TOURS, INTERGENERATIONAL STUDIO ARTS CLASSES AND THE DISTANCE LEARNING AND ART TO GO PROGRAMS. ANNUAL COMMUNITY ARTS FESTIVALS INCLUDE: SPRINGTIME'S PARADE THE CIRCLE, THE AUTUMN CHALK FESTIVAL AND A WINTER LIGHTS LANTERN FESTIVAL.