Love Is Resistance

Tags for: Love Is Resistance
  • Art Show
Friday, February 14–Sunday, April 6, 2025
Location: Transformer Station
Free; February 14 Performance Sold Out
Candy heart with the words "What Next" written on them

WHAT NEXT, 2015. Angus Luke Walser. Digital frame animation

About The Event

Opening the CMA’s 2025 Transformer Station Exhibition schedule is an exhibition showcasing the art of Cleveland Institute of Art | College of Art + Design (CIA) students, faculty, and alumni. Curated by CIA faculty and Reinberger Gallery staff, the exhibition features artists’ responses to artworks from the CMA’s collection that engage with the concept of resistance from an art historical perspective.

Opening Night: February 14,2025

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the Love Is Resistance exhibition opening and performance explores the concept of love as a radical act—one that centers passion, care, knowledge, and community as creative tools to challenge oppressive systems rooted in hate, fear, division, and unjust ideologies. The exhibition calls for building a better world by understanding past histories and approaching one another with persistent care in the face of uncertain futures. 

Community Welcome

February 14, 4:00–6:00 p.m. 

Free; No Reservation Required

We invite artists, family, friends and community members to come see Love is Resistance firsthand. No reservations are required.

Musical Performances (Sold Out)

February 14, 7:00 p.m.

Free; Ticketed event

Beginning at 7:00 p.m., live musical performances from regional artists begin, amplifying the exhibition’s themes.

Limited space is available for these free performances, and reservations are required

Opening-night performances include the following:

  • Minority Threat (Columbus) 
  • Kill the Hippies (Cleveland)
  • Ritual Sin (Cleveland)
  • Private Prisons (Cleveland)
  • John Wiese (Los Angeles / Cleveland)

This exhibition is organized by the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA). The works on view were created by CIA students, alumni, and staff, and the presentation was curated by the CIA. Transformer Station, a venue of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), is a vibrant center for the visual and performing arts that hosts exhibitions and programs organized by the CMA or by other institutions, providing a space for experimentation in a manner most impactful for the community.