Northeast creatives are stepping into the limelight at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s satellite location on the Near West Side. The museum announced Tuesday three special exhibits featuring local artists throughout the year at Transformer Station.
“We've always thought of Transformer as a place where we can experiment, present the work of emerging and mid-career artists, but also showcase both the artists and the arts organizations that are in Cleveland,” said Todd Mesek, chief marketing officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The first show, “Love is Resistance,” kicks off on Valentine’s Day and features the work of students, faculty and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Art through April 6. The artists are responding to works in the museum’s collection related to resistance.
“We look at this as a way to not only, you know, showcase local artists, but to create this connection between the collection that we have, this world class collection, and artists that are working today,” Mesek said.
The Feb. 14 opening night celebration includes musical performances by Kill the Hippies, Ritual Sin and others.
Another exhibit, “CMA Artists at Work,” spotlights the talents of some of the 450 people who work at the museum and also create their own art from June 6 to Aug. 3.
The museum has shown staff work in the past, and this is an opportunity to restart the tradition after a pandemic hiatus, Mesek said.
The final exhibition presents four Cleveland-area artists working in photography, sculpture, painting and other media. Amanda D. King, Charmaine Spencer, Erykah Townsend and Antwoine Washington were awarded fellowships with financial and professional support in 2022 as part of FRONT. The triennial contemporary art exhibition sunset last year due to difficulties raising funds for the festival. The artists’ fellowships will conclude with the “FRONT Fellows Show,” Sept. 12 – Dec. 31.
Like the Cleveland Museum of Art’s main campus in University Circle, admission to Transformer Station is free. Some special musical performances are ticketed. Transformer Station is open Thursdays through Sundays, 3-9 p.m., starting Feb. 15.
Transformer Station’s original building dates back a century and once powered street cars on Detroit Avenue. Renovated and repurposed as a contemporary art space by Fred and Laura Bidwell, the museum partnered with the art collectors for 10 years before assuming ownership and management of Transformer Station in 2023.
