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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
Major support is provided by Akron Children’s.
Tags For: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
- Special Event
- Featured
Monday, January 19, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location: ATRM Atrium
Ames Family Atrium
Ames Family Atrium
Free; No Ticket Required
About The Event
Preserving the Past, Shaping Our Future
Join us on Monday, January 19, when the Cleveland Museum of Art opens its doors for a free daylong celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Explore how the moving passages of Dr. King’s writings and speeches shed light on the museum’s collection and create a work of art inspired by his legacy.
This year’s theme centers on reflection and the importance of preserving history and legacies—through art, performance, oral history, objects, and our communities themselves.
Guests are invited to experience the exhibition Renaissance to Runway for FREE. No tickets are required. Visitors are admitted into the exhibition throughout the day on a first-come, first-served basis.
Art Stories
Ames Family Atrium
Storytime with Hassan
11:00–11:30 a.m.
Storytime with Hassan is an interactive storytelling experience in the tradition of the griot.
Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers featuring Barbara Eady
1:00–1:30 p.m.
Experience the power of the African Oral Tradition with the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers. Through dynamic storytelling, CABS brings history, culture, and community to life.
Special Performances
Ames Family Atrium
3:00–4:00 p.m.
Poetry Performance
Michelle R. Smith
Musical Performance
Sonaria Choir
Dance Performance
10K Movement
Remember Love Recovery Project
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join us to make a mini flag to depict our history of protest, care for one another and a contemporary issue that you want to amplify through artmaking today. To affirm all human dignity and worth, the Remember Love Recovery Project uses art and education to destigmatize addiction by making "Recovery Flags;" your flag will extend our history of solidarity and determination for human connection and care.
Photo © Kate Bennis
Community Tours: Voices on View
Experience guided tours that explore meaningful connections. Investigate how artworks can express powerful messages while engaging in conversations with community partners and educators.
The Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers
1:00–1:30 p.m.
Join us at the Cleveland Museum of Art for storytelling with Barbara Eady, cofounder of the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers. Families are encouraged to listen carefully as Barbara guides us on a literary journey inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Members of the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers use the art of storytelling to teach, to bring laughter, to entertain, and to tell their stories that depict the experiences of Africans and African Americans throughout the diaspora, past, present, and future. They pass the stories on. Learn more about the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers on the organization’s website at clevelandstorytellers.org (opens in a new tab).
Photo courtesy of Barbara Eady
Cleveland Classical Guitar
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society provides the youth of Cleveland an opportunity to learn how to play the guitar and reap the positive benefits associated with music education.
University Circle Inc: CircleLink Shuttle
A free shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. between select institutions. Hop on and hop off at any of the listed locations! The CircleLink Shuttle (opens in a new tab) continues its regular daily service throughout the district.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at the CAC | Celebración del Día de Martin Luther King Jr. en el CAC
Join us at the Community Arts Center for a special day of public programming, outside regular open hours. In celebration and honor of Martin Luther King Jr., participate in art making, see live performances, and engage with local artists and partners!
All education programs at the Cleveland Museum of Art are underwritten by the CMA Fund for Education. Principal support is provided by Dieter and Susan M. Kaesgen and Gail C. and Elliott L. Schlang. Major annual support is provided by Brenda and Marshall Brown, Eva and Rudolf Linnebach, Medical Mutual of Ohio, the Edwin D. Northrup II Fund, Shurtape Technologies, and the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation. Generous annual support is provided by an anonymous donor, Gini and Randy Barbato, the M. E. and F. J. Callahan Foundation, Dr. William A. Chilcote Jr. and Dr. Barbara S. Kaplan, Char and Chuck Fowler, the Giant Eagle Foundation, Linda Harper, the late Marta and the late Donald M. Jack Jr., Susan LaPine, Bill and Joyce Litzler, the Logsdon Family Fund for Education, Sarah Nash, Courtney and Michael Novak, William J. and Katherine T. O’Neill, the Pickering Foundation, William Roj and Mary Lynn Durham, Suzanne Cushwa Rusnak and Jeff Rusnak, Ellen and Lowell Satre, in memory of Dee Schafer, Betty T. and David M. Schneider, the Sally and Larry Sears Fund for Education Endowment, Roy Smith, Paula and Eugene Stevens, the Trilling Family Foundation, Jack and Jeanette Walton, and the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art.