Open Access

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The Cleveland Museum of Art is proud to be an open access institution, offering the public the ability to download, share, collaborate, remix, and reuse images of public-domain artworks from the museum’s collection, as well as metadata for the entire collection—all without asking permission. High-resolution images and data related to the CMA’s collection are made available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.

What is Open Access?

Open access content (images, data, software, and documentation) is content that the CMA publishes digitally, free of charge, and without copyright and licensing restrictions. For more information about open access, visit the Creative Commons website for an  overview. Images, data, software, and documentation offered with Creative Commons Zero can be used in any application, from art making, education, digital media projects, scholarly research, and publications to data science—all without fees or restriction.  

Why Open Access?

Open access is a logical and exciting outgrowth of the CMA’s inclusive mission “to create transformative experiences through art, for the benefit of all the people forever.” The time is right to firmly bring our mission into the 21st century. With this move to open access, we have transformed not only access to the CMA’s collection but also its usability inside and outside the walls of our museum. By expanding access to the collection, we proudly contribute to best practices, both in the quality of images and the wealth of data we will release.

Read the full statement from the CMA’s director, William M. Griswold.

CMA One Minute Guides

Google Arts and Culture worked with the CMA to create a special edition of their One Minute Guides using Google’s multimodal AI model Gemini and the CMA’s API. Explore personalized guides on sculpture or Chinese art and textiles for foodies, fun seekers, color enthusiasts, and more.

A colorful oil painting of a road being repaired with thick brush strokes in shades of yellow, brown, blue, green, and white

Explore Open Access Artworks on CMA's Collection Online

Search Open Access Artworks
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Ways to Access the Open Access Collection

    Open Access Experiments

      Frequently Asked Questions

      Measuring Impact

      Since launching our open access initiative, the CMA has been asking, “How is open access making an impact?” In May 2020, in collaboration with local data science firm Pandata, the CMA launched its Live Virtual Dashboards, which update daily. Click through the tabs to see different data sets!

      A screenshot of a graph showing open access API downloads

      Half a Decade of Open Access

      Five years ago, in January 2019, the CMA launched its open access initiative, which makes available to the public high-resolution images of more than half the artworks in our collection, completely free to view, use, remix, merchandize, and more.

      Open Access in 3-D

      In September 2019, the Cleveland Museum of Art extended its open access policy to three-dimensional (3-D) images of public domain artworks from its collection. Works with available 3-D image files are linked to open access objects in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Collection Online with the 3-D icon and can be viewed and downloaded via Sketchfab.

      You can interact with the Wade Cup with Animated Script on the CMA’s Collection Online and Sketchfab page, or try it here!

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      Testimonials

      “It’s been especially exciting to watch as people from all over the globe discover and use these images in their own projects via the Creative Commons Search tool. Providing true access to digital knowledge and culture requires more than just publishing content online and calling it ‘open.’ The CMA has exhibited great leadership in this space.”

      -Cable Green, Interim CEO and Director of Education, Creative Commons

      Wikimedia

      “It’s been great to see the impact that the Cleveland Museum of Art’s open access program has had on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. [The] CMA’s open access program allows for new ways for the public to experience the breadth of the museum’s content on a truly global scale.”

      5 out of 5 stars
      -Kevin Payravi, Cofounder, Ohio Wikimedia Users Group

      3-D Content

      “The Cleveland Museum of Art’s contribution to open access cultural 3-D content cannot be understated—the quality of 3-D data being made available is matched by the transparency of messaging regarding how this data can be reused and built upon by artists and creators.”

      5 out of 5 stars
      -Thomas Flynn, Cultural Heritage Lead at Sketchfab

      Global Leadership

      “The CMA is committed to transparency and universal access, and we anticipate that other institutions around the world will undertake similar initiatives in order to engage new audiences and help bring art to life for all.”

      -William Griswold, CMA Director

      Awards

      OHtec Best of Tech Awards

      Winner: Best Community Collaboration and Innovation, Open Access Initiative

      Museums and the Web Awards

      Finalist: Behind the Scenes, Open Access Initiative 

      Media and Technology MUSE Awards

      Bronze: Research and Innovation, Open Access Initiative

      Grands Prix Awards

      Silver: Cross-Institutiuon Partnership, Launching Open Access: Toolsets and Protocols for Best Practice

      Special thanks to BlueBridge Networks' Tracy and Kevin Goodman whose love for art and culture and all things Cleveland contribute mightily to support the CMA's open access policy, helping us serve many by sharing our collection with the world, and extending our mission to create transformative experiences through art, "for the benefit of all the people forever" well into the twenty-first century.