Exhibition-Inspired Performances

Each year, I strive to create a performing arts series that is as broad and wide-ranging as the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Booking performances that coincide with and highlight art on display is a great way to ensure that programming remains fresh and varied. This fall, the CMA offers a variety of music, dance, and film events directly inspired by exhibitions. Here, I highlight a few of them.

In September, step into the world of Art Deco with two dynamic programs at the museum. Rose Iron Works and Art Deco celebrates Cleveland’s contribution to the international Art Deco movement, showcasing works that embody the era’s fascination with modernity, geometry, and luxury. On Sunday, September 21, at 3:00 p.m., the Cleveland Silent Film Festival partners with the CMA for a double bill of René Clair’s Paris qui dort and Entr’acte—two experimental silent films from 1924 that share Art Deco’s exuberant, avant-garde spirit, shown with original scores performed live by pianists Philip Carli and Eric Charnofsky. Together, the exhibition and screenings explore how Art Deco’s aesthetic revolution reshaped both visual design and early cinema.

Later this month, while the exhibition In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth) celebrates the presence and meaning of wine in prints, drawings, textiles, and objects, Cleveland Ballet interprets the subject in movement with Walpurgisnacht on Friday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. Walpurgisnacht, a celebration on the eve of May Day (April 30), marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The night is known for its debauchery and involves celebrations as well as rituals and bonfires to ward off evil spirits. Although the ballet does not directly depict Walpurgisnacht, it does reflect the celebration’s sense of joyful revelry.

Then, coinciding with Juxtaposition and Juncture in Korean Modern and Contemporary Art, Country Gongbang, South Korea’s first and only bluegrass band, performs in Gartner Auditorium on Wednesday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m. While the band is an award-winning international ensemble that is recognized for its groundbreaking artistry, I find the group equally compelling for how it juxtaposes tradition with innovation, Korean lyrics with English lyrics, and Americana musical styles with K-pop sentiments. Similarly, Juxtaposition and Juncture in Korean Modern and Contemporary Art displays seemingly opposing artworks that are connected in many ways. Moreover, both the concert and the exhibition highlight how objects from the past can inspire contemporary and new artistic expressions. 

These three performances are just a snapshot of this fall’s program. Be sure to visit the CMA’s website for a complete list of performing arts events. I look forward to seeing you at one soon.