Open Access
SHARE. COLLABORATE. REMIX.
What will you do with the CMA's Open Access Initiative?
As of January 23, 2019, the Cleveland Museum of Art is an Open Access institution, using the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation for high-resolution images and data related to its collection. This means the public now has the ability to share, collaborate, remix, and reuse images of many as 30,000 public-domain artworks from the CMA’s world-renowned collection—all without asking permission. In addition, portions of collections information (metadata) for more than 61,000 artworks, both in the public domain and those works with copyright or other restrictions, are now available.
Explore the Open Access collection:
Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for details on Open Access at the Cleveland Museum of Art. For more information, read the press release and director's blog post, and watch the video of the launch event.
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.
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 that update daily. Click through the tabs to see different data sets—currently we measure engagement from our Collection Online, API, and Wikipedia. Check back soon, as we plan to add data on more of our partner repositories. It's exciting to see the exponential effects that Open Access has had on the reach of the museum's collection!
Create Transformative Experiences through Art
For developers interested in accessing and downloading metadata and images:
API
GitHub Repository
Discover More Details
Image and Data Services
Image and Data Services Request Form
Frequently Asked Questions
In the News
Awards
2019
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
Open Access launch event sponsored by MCPC:
