Jackie Curtis and Ritta Redd, Alice Neel, gallery 229A

As somebody who is queer, the American dream to me is the ability to live as visibly queer and be accepted by society. Legislation has oppressed LGBTQ+ people, but I think we are getting closer to the dream of equal opportunity.

For me, this painting is the most literal representation of being proudly and visibly queer. Both subjects display aspects of gender nonconformity, existing in that space between male and female. These people are proud to be themselves in a way we don’t see in a lot of traditional portraiture. Through the actions and lives of individuals like those in the portrait, queer Americans are getting closer to achieving the ability to be open and visible and proud of our identities.

Fountain of Blood, Malangtana Ngwenya, gallery 229A

I’m attracted to these strong, vibrant colors. The people are a combination of demons and creatures surrounded by paint drippings simulating blood. People may think this is evil, but I have read about the artist, so I see a person who experienced injustice and colonization in his country—a loss of cultural traditions. There’s a similar history in my country too. I really sympathize with this artist because he took a big risk.

I came here from Guatemala in 1977. Many people come here because of instability and persecution, so part of the American dream is safety. You can work, go to school, have a family, and settle down. But another part of our American dream is to celebrate our traditions and culture safely.

Marilyn x 100, Andy Warhol, gallery 229A

The American dream means a lot of things for me. The keyword is freedom. It’s about being able to choose what freedom looks like for you, because it looks different for everyone. Early in this country’s history the idea of Manifest Destiny—to expand the nation across the continent––became an American dream. Then the dream morphed into fame and fortune. 

Many people want their face to be recognizable. Marilyn Monroe is such an icon. In this painting, she almost looks like an emoji. I think a lot of Americans want to be that level of iconic. In our capitalist system, people dream of fame and fortune because that guarantees security. Many of us will never see anything like what Marilyn had, but it’s what people aspire to.

Mirror, Paul Fehér, gallery 228B

For me, the American dream means being able to make choices, pursue our goals with hope, support ourselves and our loved ones, and express our cultural identities, free of persecution and liberated from oppression.

Mirror was created during the Great Depression, a time when many of the immigrant communities represented in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens were facing great hardship. Paul Fehér, a Hungarian immigrant, no doubt knew what they were experiencing. This piece speaks to their tenacity and says that beauty can shine through our darkest times. The human spirit creates against all odds.

Merging Emerging, Audra Skuodas, gallery 228A

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer. I’ve achieved that! I write daily and I’ve interviewed amazingly interesting people. That’s not to say there aren’t more goals to achieve, more books to write, or more interesting people to talk to. For me, the American dream is striving for something that never really ends. It’s a work in progress.

I like this painting because the composition is structured but unlimited along its borders. To me, the defined shapes in the middle represent goals or dreams. The unrestrained edges mean there is enough room to morph those goals or dreams, and to figure out how they could look different for you on a different day. The painting is open to possibility, and the American dream is about possibility.

Gamin, Augusta Savage, gallery 226B

The American dream means you get to live the life you want for yourself and for your family. It means you getto enjoy the life you have been given, explore it, and do things you’d like to do. I know folks living the American dream that are poor and rich. They’re both living their American dream because they’re happy.

I picked this piece because it’s me when I was nine. If you saw a picture of me, you would say, “That’s Felton!” This object speaks to the American dream of that kid— being wide-eyed to the world thinking I someday can be the American dream. This is a young person with their whole life ahead of them to find that dream.

Muse with Violin Screen, Paul Fehér, gallery 226A

I love this screen made by an immigrant artist in Cleveland. It’s industrial yet artistic with organic shapes and floral motifs. The use of European aesthetics reflects the rise in immigration at the time, particularly in industrial cities like Cleveland. A woman, reminiscent of musician and actor Josephine Baker, functions as a muse, representing people who didn’t have the same access to opportunities associated with the American dream; she inspired the designer, becoming an archetype of possibility.

The American dream is a subjective ideal about the potentiality present within American society. It’s supposed to be accessible, but that’s not always the case. Even today, inequities prevent everyone from realizing their own dreams. I strive to help my students embrace their inherent potential to turn their own dreams into realities.

In the Waves, Paul Gauguin, gallery 222

For me, this painting is about strength and overcoming barriers. There’s this female figure, a little curvy like me, about to emerge from some adversity. If you are a woman, a person of color, or have disabilities or just anything that isn’t mainstream, the American dream was not created with you in mind.

My mom was a teen mom of two trying to make it as a single Black woman. She instilled in us a strong work ethic. You do your job well, have good values, and follow the rules, and then you could achieve the American dream, and I did that. There are so many obstacles and challenges depending on who you are, the color of your skin, your gender, who your mama is.

A Home in the Wilderness, Sanford Gifford, gallery 206

The American dream has evolved over the years. Before, it was very standard, but it has changed to become about doing better for my community and passing down my culture and heritage through education of where we came from.

I see this painting in two ways—as nice and tranquil, but also destructive. There’s a secluded cabin on the lake, which appeals to me greatly because my reservation in South Dakota is desolate and horrible. I love nature, the trees, and mountains, but we don’t have that there. At the same time, it is also hurtful, because I see the encroachment of the White man. They just came in here and cut down all these beautiful trees to make themselves a house.

Fifth Avenue, Childe Hassam, gallery 208

The American dream is the ideal visualization of success in America. I’m a fourth-generation American. My great-grandpa lived in New York. He was basically a New Yorker even though he came from Europe. Many people entered through Ellis Island, and it was their first impression of America. New York represents everything American—it’s chaotic and busy, but everyone still wants to be there.

I was drawn to this painting because there are a lot of people, but you can’t see each one individually. It represents that in America, the ideal is to be part of the bigger whole. I love how everyone is gathering, how chaotic it is in New York, but how beautiful it is because everyone is part of a community.

A Woman’s Work, John Sloan, gallery 208

The American dream is an ideal, not a promise. It gives you opportunities and pathways, but you must put in effort; nothing’s guaranteed. I think many of John Sloan’s paintings show working people, alluding to an American caste system, which, in a way, persists. The mega-wealthy are unrestrained while the poor are still condemned.

This woman is working hard, using her own hands and gumption. She might have family or be solitary, but she is self-motivated. She could be a recent American immigrant who may not speak English well and/or is having to start over. Either way, she’s excelling and pressing forward. We don’t know her backstory but can see she’s building the best life with the resources available to her.