October Exhibitions and Event Listings for the Cleveland Museum of Art

Events

MIX: Viva la Fiesta

Friday, October 3, 2025, 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Ticket Required

Join us for MIX: Viva la Fiesta, an evening of music, dance, and mingling that celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta, one of the most recognized Latin bands in Northeast Ohio, performs an irresistible blend of Latin dance music. DJ Chevi Red spins music in English and Spanish focusing on Latin genres and R & B. Themed food and drinks, including cocktails, beer, and wine, are available to purchase from Bon Appétit. Guests are encouraged to view art on display by Latin and Hispanic artists including Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Margolles, Báez, and Sánchez in the museum’s permanent collection galleries.

The entertainment schedule for the evening:

6:00 p.m.: DJ Chevi Red
7:00 p.m.: Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta
8:30 p.m.: DJ Chevi Red

Disclaimer: No full-face masks, heavy face paint, glitter, weaponlike props, or excessively oversize costumes are permitted. All outfits are subject to security screening. The Cleveland Museum of Art may refuse entry to any visitor whose attire does not comply with these requirements.

MIX is a 21+ event.

Chamber Music in the Galleries

Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Donna and James Reid Gallery | Gallery 217

Free; No Ticket Required

The popular chamber music concert series continues, featuring young artists from Case Western Reserve University’s Historical Performance Practice Program. Outstanding conservatory musicians present mixed repertoire ranging from the standard to unknown gems amid the museum’s collections for a unique and intimate experience.

For this performance under the direction of Jaap ter Linden, the CWRU Baroque Chamber Ensembles present a sumptuous feast: ravishing music from 18th-century France.

Program:
Couperin: “La Française” from Les Nations
Couperin: “La Sultanne”
Rameau: Pièces de Clavecin
Guignon: “Les Sauvages”

Performers:
Julie Andrijeski, violin
Andrew Hatfield, violin
Parastoo Heidarinejad, violin
Liz Loayza-Herrera, violin
Jaap ter Linden, viola da gamba, cello
Jonathan Milord, viola da gamba
Mikhail Grazhdanov, harpsichord
Danur Kvilhaug, theorbo

The views expressed by performers during this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Country GongBang

Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7:30–9:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Ticket Required

Founded in 2014, Country GongBang is South Korea’s first and only bluegrass band, pioneering a distinctive blend of contemporary bluegrass and K-pop sentiments. Singing in both English and Korean, the group crafts music that bridges cultural boundaries, carving a unique space in the global music scene.

In 2023, Country GongBang received the prestigious International Band Performance Grant from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), recognizing the band’s groundbreaking artistry. This honor led to Country GongBang’s historic 2024 US tour, where the group performed at renowned venues and festivals, including the legendary Grand Ole Opry in Nashville—making it the first-ever Korean band to grace that iconic stage.

The group’s lineup features Yebin Kim on mandolin and lead vocals, Hyunho Jang on banjo, Jongsu Yoon on fiddle, Sunjae Won on guitar, and Keeha Song on bass.

Judith Hill

Friday, October 10, 2025, 7:30–9:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Ticket Required

Gutsy and nuanced as a vocalist, Judith Hill is an accomplished songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist—and one of the few musicians who can cite Elton John, Spike Lee, Prince, and Michael Jackson among those who have sought out her talent. One of the highest-profile background singers of her generation, she got her start in the early 2000s and established a solo career in the next decade built on a discography of increasingly refined and creative albums that include the Prince-produced Back in Time (2015), Golden Child (2018), Baby, I’m Hollywood! (2021), and her recent album, Letters from a Black Widow (2024).

Letters from a Black Widow delves into her struggles after the deaths of Michael Jackson and Prince, two iconic artists who selected Hill for collaborations. After Jackson’s sudden passing in June 2009, Hill sang lead on a number at Jackson’s memorial service, putting her on the worldwide map. Her rise to fame is explored in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary film narrated by Morgan Freeman. Hill also wrote a stirring soundtrack to Spike Lee’s 2012 film, Red Hook Summer.

CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra

Sunday, October 19, 2025, 2:30–4:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Free; Ticket Required

CityMusic Cleveland is a professional chamber orchestra dedicated to making music accessible through free concerts and innovative programming, bringing exceptional performances to longtime music lovers and first-time audience members alike. This debut performance at the CMA features conductor John McLaughlin Williams and soprano Kirsten Kunkle.

Program:

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Suite from Much Ado About Nothing

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate: Ko’koomfena (Our Grandmother) **CityMusic commission / world premiere**

Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915

George Frederick McKay: Tlingit

Chamber Music in the Atrium

OPUS 216: Music of the Cleveland Composers Guild

Friday, October 24, 2025, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; No Ticket Required

Known for weaving together classical, folk, jazz, and world music traditions, OPUS 216 brings an eclectic and genre-blending approach to chamber music in Northeast Ohio. Founded in 2012 by violinist Ariel Clayton Karas, the ensemble frequently collaborates with organizations like Piano Cleveland, Cleveland Ballet, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For this concert, OPUS 216 presents a program of original music by the Cleveland Composers Guild. The guild is among the nation’s oldest new music organizations, counting more than 200 members since its founding. In recent seasons, the guild has collaborated with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Cleveland Chamber Choir, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Factory Seconds Brass Trio, and Poiesis Quartet.

The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra at 90 Years

Sunday, October 26, 2025, 2:30–4:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Ticket Required

The historic Cleveland Women’s Orchestra closes out its celebratory 90th anniversary season with a performance in Gartner Auditorium featuring mezzo-soprano Kira McGirr. The program is being conducted by Music Director Eric Benjamin.

Founded in 1935, the orchestra continuously provides performance opportunities for women musicians, showcases talented young soloists, and performs a series of free “Gift of Music” outreach concerts for various social service agencies, schools, hospitals, retirement homes, and nursing homes. Over its many years, the orchestra has performed over 500 free outreach concerts—a record unmatched by any other orchestra in the area.

For this concert, McGirr performs repertoire spanning from Baroque to contemporary. Her solo performances have included Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mozart’s “Requiem” and Coronation Mass, and Handel’s Messiah, among many other works. Debuting this season with the Lexington Bach Festival, the Heights Chamber Orchestra, the Musical Theater Project, and the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, she also returns to the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra and the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra. McGirr regularly sings with the Cleveland Chamber Choir at Trinity Cathedral.

Program:

Fanny Mendelssohn:Overture in C

Edward Elgar: Sea Pictures (featuring Kira McGirr)

Clara-Jane Maunder: “The Coast”  **US premiere**

Florence Price: Symphony No. 1

Chamber Music in the Atrium

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; No Ticket Required

The museum’s collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) continues with our popular Chamber Music in the Atrium concert series.

Featuring outstanding young conservatory musicians from CIM, these concerts present mixed repertoire ranging from the standards to unknown gems. Grab dinner from Provenance Café and join us at the tables in the atrium.

Final Weeks

Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry

Through Sunday, October 12, 2025

Arlene M. and Arthur S. Holden Gallery | Gallery 234

Free; No Ticket Required

This exhibition spotlights the rich artistic traditions of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia during the late 1800s and the early 1900s, through a display of elaborate textiles and fine jewelry in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. These works introduce the specialized skills of North African artists, both Amazigh (Berber) and Arab, Muslim and Jewish, and the diverse aesthetics of their multifaceted communities. The CMA’s founder J. H. Wade II began forming the collection during his personal travels across the region, and many works are on view for the very first time.

This exhibition is made possible with support from the Malcolm E. Kenney Curatorial Research Fund and Anne T. and Donald F. Palmer.

Rose Iron Works and Art Deco

Through Sunday, October 19, 2025

Julia and Larry Pollock Focus Gallery | Gallery 010

Free; No Ticket Required

In the early 1900s, as Cleveland experienced rapid economic growth and the expansion of its iron and steel industries, Hungarian ornamental blacksmith Martin Rose moved to the city and founded Rose Iron Works. It soon became one of the leading manufacturers of decorative metalwork in the United States. Trained in Budapest and Vienna in the Art Nouveau tradition, Rose was interested in artistic and technological innovations. In 1925, a groundbreaking international exhibition in Paris presented modern decorative arts—a style that later became known as Art Deco. Rose’s compatriot and a designer active in Paris, Paul Fehér joined the Rose company in Cleveland a few years later. Their artistic collaboration resulted in some of the best Art Deco ironwork in the country, including the celebrated Muse with Violin Screen (1930), now in the CMA’s collection. This exhibition explores Rose’s transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, focuses on his 1930s commissions, and places his work in the European context. It also emphasizes the importance of Rose Iron Works, a family-run Cleveland company that for 120 years has been adorning some of the city’s most notable buildings.

Major support is provided by the Malcolm E. Kenney Curatorial Research Fund. Additional support is provided by the Simon Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. 

On-Site Activities

The Haunted Museum Tours

Weekly on Wednesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. from Wednesday, October 1, 2025, until Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Weekly on Fridays, 6:45–7:45 p.m. from Friday, October 10, 2025, until Friday, October 31, 2025
Weekly on Saturdays, 3:00–4:00 p.m. from Saturday, October 4, 2025, until Saturday, November 1, 2025
Weekly on Sundays, 3:00–4:00 p.m. from Sunday, October 5, 2025, until Sunday, October 26, 2025

Ames Family Atrium

Free; Ticket Required

The Cleveland Museum of Art is said to be one of the most haunted museums in America. Join us for spine-tingling tours filled with eerie tales of ghostly encounters, mysterious artworks, and unexplained happenings lurking in the galleries.

The Haunted Museum Tours are on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Friday evenings at 6:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. from October 1 to November 1, 2025. Children and families are welcome. 

To schedule private tours for adult groups of 10 or more, please contact grouptours@clevelandart.org or call 216-707-2752. 

Date Night Tour: Haunted Art

Weekly on Friday, 6:15–7:15 p.m. from Friday, October 10, 2025 until Friday, October 31, 2025

Ames Family Atrium

Ticket Required

Take your date on a thrilling night at the museum! Stroll hand-in-hand through the museum’s haunted hallways as our guide reveals tales of the spooky, the macabre, and the bewitched hidden within the collection. Make this a date to remember… or scream about! Haunted Date-Night Tours will take place on October 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st. 

To schedule private tours for adult groups of 10 or more, please contact grouptours@clevelandart.org or call 216-707-2752. 

Curiosity Lab: Children’s Saturday Studios

Weekly on Saturday, 10:00–11:30 a.m. from Saturday, October 4, 2025, until Saturday, October 25, 2025

Location: Classrooms B and C, Classrooms F and G

Registration closes: Saturday, October 4, 2025

Ticket Required

Age groups: Five to seven years old and eight to ten years old

These open-ended studio classes allow young artists to engage with the museum’s collection while building idea-generation and critical-thinking skills. Each week includes an exploration of galleries, materials, and creative prompts inspired by the CMA’s collection. 

Let curiosity take over in this hands-on studio! Observe, question, and explore as you dive into experimental art-making processes—transforming wonder into works of art!

Scholarships are available. For more information, contact familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org or call 216-707-2469.

Lunchtime Lecture

Arrested Gestures: Embracing Mystery in Edmonia Lewis’s “Indian Combat”

Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Free; Ticket Required

Speaker: Elizabeth Spear, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Art History Leadership

Those acquainted with the CMA’s collection of American art may be familiar with Edmonia Lewis’s Indian Combat (1868), which the artist, who studied at Oberlin College, completed two years after moving to Rome. With its spiraling composition and gracefully interlocking figures, Indian Combat immediately calls to mind famous examples of Italian Mannerism and may also quote from sculptural precedents in Classical antiquity and the Baroque period. But what other stories did the artist embed in this artwork, and how did it find its way to Cleveland more than a century after her death? This talk examines what is known about Lewis and her work and probes some of the mysteries she left behind in this unique and captivating sculpture.

Art Up Close

Art from Central and South America

Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

North Court Lobby

Free; No Ticket Required

Explore select artworks from Central and South America in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Homeschool Day

Friday, October 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby

Free; No Ticket Required

Calling all homeschool educators, parents, and students! The Cleveland Museum of Art invites homeschool groups, co-ops, and families to unlock their creativity and connect with the CMA’s collection like never before.

Enrich your students’ creative, academic, and collaborative skills with interactive, age-appropriate, hands-on experiences that bring your community together for an unforgettable experience related to your learning goals!

Interact with museum educators to bring art to life through Art Up Close by examining authentic artworks. Or try your hand at creating your own art with a special Open Studio in CMA’s classrooms!

Play Day: Fuse, Fasten, Forge

Sunday, October 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; No Ticket Required

Play Days at the CMA are free opportunities for families to be creative and curious and connect through art together. Events include music, storybook readings, games, and art making for the whole family. Each event has a theme that relates to an exhibition, artist, or artworks in the CMA’s collection.

Celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of metalworks.  Whether you’re shaping, stamping, or fusing, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Discover the magic of metal artistry and forge unforgettable memories with your family!

The Robert P. Madison Family Distinguished Lecture in African and African American Art

Play Day: Fuse, Fasten, Forge

Sunday, October 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; No Ticket Required

Play Days at the CMA are free opportunities for families to be creative and curious and connect through art together. Events include music, storybook readings, games, and art making for the whole family. Each event has a theme that relates to an exhibition, artist, or artwork in the CMA’s collection.

Celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of metalworks. Whether you’re shaping, stamping, or fusing, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Discover the magic of metal artistry and forge unforgettable memories with your family!

The Robert P. Madison Family Distinguished Lecture in African and African American Art

Architecture Dissolves into Ritual: Re-Enchanting a Modern Nigeria

Sunday, October 12, 2025, 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Free; Ticket Required

Speaker: Adedoyin Teriba, Assistant Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College

Join Adedoyin Teriba as he investigates how, in the 1890s, formerly enslaved people from Brazil, the United States, and Sierra Leone—along with wealthy people in Lagos who liked Western styles—used architecture and material culture to try to “civilize” people in Southwest Nigerian kingdoms. This talk also explores how, in the 1960s, local priests, priestesses, and artists pushed back by promoting their own traditions and beliefs. Dr. Teriba demonstrates how these local religious leaders and artists created new masquerades, ideas of immortality, and even new words—drawing inspiration from the European-style buildings introduced by the settlers. 

Art Up Close

Art from Central and South America

Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

North Court Lobby

Free; No Ticket Required

Explore select artworks from Central and South America in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Material Matters Gallery Talk

Conserving a Chokwe Throne

Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Ticket Required

Speaker: Beth Edelstein, Senior Conservator of Objects and Head of the Objects Conservation Lab

Have you ever wondered how artworks in the CMA’s collection are cared for? Join CMA conservators and technicians for guided tours of the galleries. Investigate artists’ materials and processes and learn about how the museum preserves artworks for the future.   

Join the museum’s senior conservator of objects, Beth Edelstein, as she discusses the examination, documentation, and conservation of a newly acquired Chokwe throne. Learn about the role of the conservator in the acquisition process and the decisions involved in a conservation treatment. 

CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra

Sunday, October 19, 2025, 2:30–4:00 p.m.

Gartner Auditorium, Suzanne and Paul Westlake Performing Arts Center

Free; Ticket Required

CityMusic Cleveland is a professional chamber orchestra dedicated to making music accessible through free concerts and innovative programming. Since its inception in 2004, CityMusic has built partnerships with communities across Northeast Ohio, bringing exceptional performances to longtime music lovers and first-time audience members alike. 

CityMusic is committed to representing the full diversity of the canon, showcasing well-known composers alongside newly commissioned works and overlooked historic treasures. Programs intentionally highlight pieces by BIPOC composers and women, groups historically underrepresented in music. By presenting music of diverse composers and performing contemporary works that fuse classical and popular styles, CityMusic aims to make concerts relevant and exciting for all audiences.

For today’s debut performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art, CityMusic is joined by conductor John McLaughlin Williams and featured soprano Kirsten Kunkle. 

Program:

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Suite from Much Ado About Nothing

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Ko’koomfena (Our Grandmother) ***CityMusic commission / world premiere***

—Intermission—

Samuel Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915

George Frederick McKay, Tlingit

More information about CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra can be found on the organization’s website (opens in a new tab).

Art Up Close

Knights at the Museum

Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Armor Court 210A Armor Court

Free; No Ticket Required

Discover and engage with the artistry and technology of 16th-century Renaissance armor.

Celebrations: My Very First Art Class

Weekly on Friday, 10:00–11:00 a.m. from Friday, October 31, 2025, until Friday, November 21, 2025

Location: Classrooms B and C

Ticket Required

Registration closes: Friday, October 31, 2025

Young children and their favorite grown-up are introduced to art, the museum, and verbal and visual literacy in this playful program. Each class features exploration in the classroom, a gallery visit, and art making. Wear your paint clothes! New topics each class.

Age group: Two to four years old, accompanied by a parent or guardian

Fees and registration: Cost per session (four Fridays) for adult/child pair $115, CMA members $95

Scholarships are available. For more information, contact familyyouthinfo@clevelandart.org or call 216-707-2469.

Art Up Close

Dragons, Snakes, and Lizards: Reptiles in the Education Art Collection

Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

North Court Lobby

Free; No Ticket Required

Join us on Halloween to explore scaley creatures in art that slither, slink, and scurry from across the globe.

Taste the Art Tours

Sundays Through November 30, 2025, 2:15–3:15 p.m. and Wednesdays September 10–November 26, 2025, 5:45–6:45 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; Ticket Required

Explore the rich history of food and drink in art with a guided tour of In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth)—an exhibition celebrating wine in European prints, textiles, and objects from 1450 to 1800—plus other culinary-themed works in the CMA collection. 

Enhance your experience at Provenance Restaurant: Enjoy a Chef Douglas Katz menu inspired by the exhibition on Wednesday evenings after the tour, or savor brunch before the tour on Sundays.

To schedule private tours for adult groups of 10 or more, please contact grouptours@clevelandart.org or call 216-707-2752.

Sensory-Friendly Saturday

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 9:00–10:00 a.m. 

Free; No Ticket Required

Sensory-Friendly Saturday events offer adaptations to meet diverse sensory-processing needs every third Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Guests on the autism spectrum, people experiencing dementia, and those of all ages who have intellectual or developmental disabilities are invited to participate in a calming museum experience with less stimulation in a section of the museum’s galleries before they open to the public—reducing crowds, noise, and distractions.

Guests can explore the galleries at their own pace and share this time and space with open-minded members of the community. 

Things to Know While Planning Your Visit

  • All guests must pass through metal detectors at the museum entrance.
  • Attendees are encouraged to bring adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, walkers, and noise-reducing headphones and technology. The Cleveland Museum of Art also offers a limited number of wheelchairs.
  • The museum store and café open at 9:00 a.m. on these Saturdays. 
  • Sensory-Friendly Saturday events are free. Parking in the CMA garage is $14 for nonmembers and $7 for members.
  • Once participants enter, they are welcome to stay for the day. The museum opens to the public at 10:00 a.m.

Art and Conversation Tours

Tuesdays, 10:15–10:45 a.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; Ticket Required

Join us for 30-minute close-looking sessions, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. on Tuesdays. This program offers a focused look at just a couple of artworks, versus the traditional 60-minute public tours of the museum’s collection.

Daily Guided Tours

Tuesday–Sunday

Ames Family Atrium

Free; Ticket Required

Public tours are offered daily at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Art and Conversation Tours are offered at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Date-Night Tours

Fridays, 6:15–7:15 p.m.

Ames Family Atrium

Free; Ticket Required

Explore the evolving world of romance with Dating Through the Ages, a unique tour tracing the art of courtship across centuries. From the elegance of ancient Greek vases capturing subtle flirtations to medieval carvings telling tales of chivalric love, this tour offers a glimpse into how courtship rituals have shifted over time. Experience the allure of Rococo paintings, where opulent attire and coded gestures hinted at romantic intentions, and learn the dating dynamics of Victorian England. Each piece tells a story of love and desire, offering a cultural journey through the art of attraction across civilizations and eras.

The museum also offers daily guided tours and Art and Conversation tours.

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