The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

A square-oriented black-and-white photograph depicts a woman with a dark skin tone from the chest up. She sits at a desk, looking down at papers held in her hands. Her dark hair is styled in braids gathered atop her head. She wears a striped jersey with the number 23 on our right. Papers rest in the foreground. To our left, a coat hangs on the wall in the blurred background.

Cynthia, Upstairs

1992

Melissa Shook

(American, 1939–2020)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 14.9 x 15.2 cm (5 7/8 x 6 in.)
The Julius L. Greenfield Photography Acquisition Fund 2025.185.16
© Kristina Shook and Estate of M. Melissa Shook
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

It is estimated that over 5,000 people experience homelessness in Cuyahoga County annually.

Description

Melissa Shook’s portraits and interviews of women in homeless shelters arose from her experiences volunteering at women’s shelters in Boston. In 1992, two Cleveland social service agencies, the Federation for Community Planning and Cleveland Health Care for the Homeless, invited her to photograph women in Cleveland shelters. Her images reveal the challenges these women face, their resilience and determination to rebuild their lives, and the societal and personal cost of homelessness.
  • ?–2025
    (Miyako Yoshinga Gallery, New York, NY), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    June 9, 2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Cynthia, Upstairs|url=false|author=Melissa Shook|year=1992|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.185.16