The Cleveland Museum of Art

Extraordinary art. I try to visit a few times a year from Columbus, and recently took a group to the Monet/​Matisse Garden show. The knowledge and love for the art is so apparent in their staff, though the security guards are always snapping/​borderline contemptuous at someone. The knight/​armor room is insane, and they have William Michael Harnett’s «Memento Mori», which I love. Definitely a place to go to people watch in the atrium, or to soak in beautiful art for a few hours.

My mom has been toting my brothers and me to the art museum since we were kids, and I definitely took it for granted. But now that I’ve seen more of the world, I realize what a gem we’ve got in Cleveland!
It’s a beautiful public space outside– the Wade Lagoon is not to be missed for a stroll– especially when the magnolias are blooming in the spring.
And after the newly renovated indoor atrium was completed a few years ago, not only did the exhibit space expand, it turned this space into an amazing event space.
I love coming to the museum just for a stroll, and I never tire of the FREE permanent collection. They also attract amazing exhibitions that sometimes have a cost associated with them– most recently, I LOVED the Monet to Matisse Garden exhibition– there’s still time (it ends in January 2016)! Go see it!
The museum has also done an amazing job with programming in recent years. From the once/​month MIX events, to the crafting nights, to the classes offered for aspiring artists of all ages, to the big annual bashes, like Solstice, this museum knows how to leverage its space and institutional presence for BIG community building.
If you haven’t been to the CMA, don’t wait another day.

The absolute WORST.
I have never been treated so rudely and brashly before at an area meant for tourists.
My boyfriend and I decided to visit this museum since it was for free and with it’s really high score. Less than five minutes into entering, I was fumbling around my purse to take out my phone to take a photo of one of the statues and there was a packaged, SEALED snack in my bag that shifted around.
Immediately some portly, mustachioed Caucasian security guard huffed and puffed his way towards us and said, «NO FOOD IN THE GALLERY». We explained to him that we were not eating it and that we just wanted to take a photo and that the food was sealed.
My boyfriend and I turned around to go back to the statue, but LO AND BEHOLD this man was right behind us and yelled, «GET OUT OF THE GALLERY».
I was utterly shocked and appalled at the lack of courtesy and common decency that this man employee had. There was no «I’m sorry.», «Please», or «Excuse me».
For a place that is meant for tourists and visitors this form of treatment and behavior was completely unacceptable.
I will NEVER visit this museum again and I will advise my friends and family from doing so as well.

A beautiful FREE museum with a gorgeous indoor façade and loads of ancient artifacts. For the small fare of parking ($ 8 for 2 hours), you have access to over 5 galleries, including Egyptian and Syrian gems. It is beautiful to see the Syrian culture preserved, considering that their country is currently being destroyed by ISIS. Museum’s such as the Cleveland Museum of Art are historical landmarks, that preserve culture, despite the tragedies occurring overseas. It was awesome to learn about the Syrian culture, and roam through the galleries (I get geeky about these things, shh!). The Silent Poetry exhibit incorporated loads of digital artifacts with a touch screen monitor linking a piece of interest to similar pieces (yay for museums using technology!). The Sphinx and Pyramids gallery was by far my favorite. The staff knowledgeable about the space, and pieces, and incredibly passionate as well. The restrooms, were beautiful (and clean, Woo!) and for a Saturday afternoon, it was not as congested as I had anticipated. If you find yourself in Cleveland with some time to spare, check out the Museum. It is on a beautiful spacious campus of a few acres, perfect for a stroll. Do it. Do it!

I have nothing but fabulous things to say – many of which were already stated in past reviews.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is hands down one of the best in the country, and whether you go solo, with a partner, or a group, you are bound to discover and embrace everything that the museum has to offer.
From it’s eclectic collections, including the current exhibit: Painting the Modern Garden – Monet to Matisse to their Renaissance pieces all the way to the armor exhibit, there is something for everyone to fall in love with. Whether or not you’re an avid art lover or a person interested solely in casual visits around the city, CMA offers a plethora of fun things to do, see, and even eat at their deliciously remarkable café.
While the museum is always free, there are certain exhibits such as the current Monet in which you must pay; however, the small fee is worth the priceless experience.
I spent 4.5 hours this past Sunday, and already am planning a second trip in the upcoming weeks to satisfy my eagerness to immerse myself in everything that is THE Cleveland Museum of Art.

We visited the museum to see the exhibit Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse. We had the good fortune to enjoy a doscent guided tour and the doscent was wonderful. She was knowledgeable and communicated very clearly and spoke casually to the group. The tour group was provided wireless headsets and because of these, we were able to hear her very well and she di not have to talk very loudly at all. The guided tour took about an hour.
The exhibit was very expansive and was contained in an entire level of the museum. Although I though I knew a fair amount about the Paris and Giverney impressionists, I learned quite a lot and benefitted by the experience.
We also enjoyed a small Chinese art exhibit that looks to be a permanent installation.
We had a nice lunch at the on-​site Provenance Café and found that too to be well run and enjoyable.
We parked at meters located near the museum entrance, but there is also available underground parking that could be more convenient than the meters since the meters were limited to two hours and because of that, I had to refeed the meters before we finished seeing the sites at the museum.

There’s no better deal around if you’re a CWRU student. But even if you’re not a student, even if you’re not from Cleveland — in fact, as long as you’re a functional human being the general exhibits are free. Discounted prices for the special exhibits as a student of any kind, and free admission if you have the privilege of going to Case. Just go to the ticket desk and reserve a time in advance!
The Museum of Art is MUCH bigger than I anticipated, and encompasses pretty much any type of art you can think of. Ancient to modern, paintings to weapons, African to Asian, there’s a niche for all of them. It took me two days to wander through everything at a moderate pace, stopping to read descriptions of things I was interested in. Even so, I feel like I could still go back and ponder the galleries several more times before feeling like I’d seen everything. As an added bonus, you can take pictures (no flash!) freely of the permanent exhibits! In fact, they have their own phone app, ArtLens, that provides additional interactive content on many of the pieces when you snap a photo of it.
I went to see the currently running Monet to Matisse exhibit on Impressionism and was very pleased at how much effort was put into the educational aspect. Coming in with virtually no art history knowledge, I felt like the exhibit was curated so that anyone could come in and enjoy the art and understand a little about the background of where it was coming from. There was enough space in each room for all the visitors to walk around comfortably without having to be too quiet, and the docents were friendly and non-​overbearing.
The central indoor courtyard of the museum seems to be a gathering place for events and activities, including wedding receptions. The overall design is simplistic in a relaxing way, with a few galleries containing surprising flourishes (checkout the Rotunda and Armory!)
All in all, the museum was a peaceful way to spend several hours over a weekend, well-​kept, and full of activities for both young and old. I didn’t feel out of place at all by myself amongst the art students and families, and will definitely be bringing friends and relatives in the future!

Definitely one of the best places to take visitors. I’ve eaten at the Provenance Café several times since my last review, and it’s as good as it looks. Don’t miss the free water station on the far side of the cash registers.
I have to highly recommend this place for small children. They have so many family events, and a fantastic interactive play area. I have cherished my mornings here during the Stroller Tours (free. twice a month on Wednesdays). It’s so nice to be able to do something meant for adults without fearing that your baby is annoying everyone. Most other places we go that are actively welcoming babies are geared for the babies.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is a place you MUST VISIT if you find yourself in Cleveland. If even if you are not a fan of art/​art museums, you can’t but help appreciate the architecture of this beautiful building. The grounds and surrounding area are also magnificent.
I really enjoyed seeing Rodin’s «The Thinker» on the south side of the building. I also loved the Monet’s, and the section with all of the armor.
The museum is home to art going back from hundreds of years before the birth of Christ to the 1990s…
They have a section for children to learn about art as well as an area that shows movies and hosts concerts. They appear to have events on Friday nights with music, cocktails and appetizers.
They have a nice café that offers everything from tandoori grill items to hamburgers, pizza and mac and cheese. They also have sit down restaurant that offers a full bar.
I ended up getting a cured meat flatbread pizza that came with side of argula with a lemon dressing. The pizza was ok.
Admission to the museum was free. There was a fee to see the special exhibit.
They also have a very nice gift shop and coat check available.
Plan on spending a few hours admiring the art work. It will be well worth your time!

What a gem! Free admission (although parking starts at $ 8 for non-​members). So many collections and I’ve loved taking my elementary and preschool age kids to introduce them to art and reinforce different things they learn about at school.