In the past, my family has normally spent Martin Luther King, Jr., Day at North Coast Harbor at the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (see related blog posts below). On Monday, January 20, 2025, my wife and co-blogger, Julie, volunteered at the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel at the Cleveland History Center, while my son, Michael, and I spent the day visiting four of the museums in University Circle.
It was an unusually cold day (the outside temperature varied between 7°F and 11°F). We used drawstring bags to carry our multiple layers of winter clothing while we were in the comfortably warm museums, and then wore the clothing when we walked between the venues. At these low temperatures, the cold hurts any uncovered skin, such as our faces. Despite the extremely cold weather, was saw many families visiting the museums throughout the day.
I put this blog post together to share my photos and experiences of our visit to the following museums:
Cleveland Museum of Art
- Zygote Press
- Specialty Departments and Programs
- Picasso and Paper ExhibitionCleveland History Center
- Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel
- Cleveland History Center Exhibitions
I want to thank these museums for welcoming the community every year to visit as part of celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. I am grateful that we have such excellent, educational, and engaging museums in our community. Michael and I had a great time touring all the museums.
Cleveland Museum of Art
Michael and I started our day at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where we learned more about Zygote Press and some of the Cleveland Museum of Art's programs. We then visited the special Picasso and Paper exhibition.
Zygote Press
We first talked to Jackie Feldman, who has been the executive director of Zygote Press since February 2021. I had met her last year at the March 26, 2024, Art at Work networking event, and we recently connected on Bluesky Social. (FYI, starting in November 2024, I have noticed a huge increase in creative Cleveland people and organizations joining Bluesky social networking. I have been a member since August 2023.) Zygote Press had set up a display in the Ames Family Atrium where children could print posters that were in keeping with the theme of the day.
I first learned about Zygote Press when they were one of 21 charities receiving FREE tech solutions at Cleveland GiveCamp (see my blog post: Cleveland GiveCamp 2014 - 5th Year!). In 2017, I attended a talk by Zygote Press co-founder, Liz Maugans (see my blog post: PechaKucha Night Cleveland Rocks!! A Night Featuring Creatives at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!).
I enjoyed learning from Jackie Feldman about all the current endeavors of Zygote Press. In particular, I was not aware of their many residency programs. You can learn about their residency programs, print studio, classes/workshops/tours, gallery exhibitions, and more on their website: ZygotePress.org
Here are photos I took of the Zygote Press display at the museum:
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos, and to scan the Zygote Press QR code.
Specialty Departments and Programs
We next visited tables featuring some of the Cleveland Museum of Art's specialty departments and programs. There, I learned that through the support of the Cleveland Foundation, the museum has a new Teen Portfolio Project where youth artists can learn how to create professional portfolios.
The Ingalls Library and Museum Archives displayed rare, historic items. They mentioned The May Show, which took place at the museum from 1919 to 1993. I remembered that my cousin had his artwork displayed at the show. There was also a table of prints created by African Americans that reminded me of The Print Club of Cleveland Fine Print Fair (CMA Affiliate Group) that I have attended in the past (see Fine Print Fair blog posts). If you didn't know, check out how you can search the Cleveland Museum of Art's website to see 132 results for "Black American Artists" in "Department: Prints." Currently, the Rose B. Simpson: Strata installation is in the Ames Family Atrium.
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
Picasso and Paper
If you have not seen the Picasso and Paper exhibition, you must get yourself to the Cleveland Museum of Art before Sunday, March 23, 2025! I highly recommend timing your visit so that you first see the exhibition on your own, and then join with a docent tour. The exhibition is huge! I was very fortunate to attend the preview (which included a tour led by Curator of Prints and Drawings Britany Salsbury) before the exhibition opened to the public, but this was Michael's first visit:
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
I plan to come again with my wife, Julie, to see it with fresh eyes with her. Learn more in my blog post:
Blog Date: December 29, 2024 - "Picasso and Paper" Preview & Curator Tour - Cleveland Museum of Art
See more photos from the day in Emanuel Wallace's slideshow from his visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art:
Photos From the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at CMA
By Emanuel Wallace on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 9:50 am.
"Each year on MLK Day, several museums around the city open their doors to honor Dr. King. At the Cleveland Museum of Art, festivities included performances in the galleries and creative activities in the Ames Family Atrium."
Cleveland Botanical Garden
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN
Enjoy free Admission to Cleveland Botanical Garden on MLK Jr. Day! Visitors are invited to explore our exotic glasshouses and play in our Perennial Playspace. Be sure to stop by our tree cookie activity table from 11:00 am-2:00 pm to make a craft you can take home, participate in a community art project, and learn about how to access more benefits from plants and trees.
Monday, January 20
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Free admission
Arriving at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, we entered the Glasshouse to first travel through the dry, warm Madagascar Spiny Desert, and then to the humid Costa Rica Cloud Forest. We saw not only native plants, but also a variety of animals from the regions.
In addition to our photos of the Glasshouse, be sure to see the chameleon near the children's area -- the Perennial Playspace - and the sculptures that are on the main floor.
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Visit the Museum for free this Martin Luther King Jr. Day for a meaningful exploration of Dr. King’s legacy and his connection to science, community, and Cleveland.
What to Expect
● Visualizing Dr. King’s legacy: Reflect on Dr. King’s profound impact through a series of posters featuring his inspiring quotes and historical photographs of his visits to Cleveland.
● Special MLK-themed buttons: Collect exclusive MLK-themed buttons at three stations throughout the Museum.
● Complimentary hot chocolate: Warm up with a free cup of hot chocolate, courtesy of Levy Restaurants, in Origins Café.
● Community art projects: Contribute to something bigger through interactive opportunities to share your voice and dreams: - “Share Your Dream” board: Add your own aspirations and reflections to a collaborative art installation. - Reflection Room: Step into this video storytelling space to share your community story, thoughts, or hopes. Your contribution may become part of a larger video project for our website, social media, and future community initiatives.
Monday, January 20
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Free admission
After a $150 million renovation and expansion, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History had their official ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 12, 2024. I am including here the following "First Look" video from WKYC-TV, which includes an interview with Cleveland Museum of Natural History astronomer Destiny Thomas who I met on April 8, 2024, at the "Total on the Oval" Eclipse Watch Party:
Learn more about this totally reimagined space in the following WKYC-TV article, which contains six videos about different areas of the museum:
Sneak peek inside Cleveland Museum of Natural History after $150 million transformation project: See what's new
Author: Ryan Haidet, WKYC-TV. A. Published: 8:07 AM EST December 11, 2024. Updated: 5:10 PM EST December 13, 2024.
December 12, 2024, WKYC Channel 3 YouTube videos:Behind the scenes at Cleveland Natural History Museum with NBC's Maggie Vespa
What's new at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History? Here's a sneak peek inside
Cleveland Museum of Natural History's $150 million transformation: Inside the new Dynamic Earth wing
Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Exploring their $150 million transformation project
Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Exploring the changes after their $150 million transformation
This was our second time visiting the Cleveland Museum of Natural History since its major renovations. We renewed our museum membership while visiting on Thursday, January 9, 2025. There is so much to see that on this second visit, we concentrated on the exhibition halls that we did not fully explore on our first visit:
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
Cleveland History Center - Western Reserve Historical Society
Michael and I ended the day by having my wife, Julie, give us a ride on the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel at the Cleveland History Center.
Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel
My wife and co-blogger, Julie, volunteers at the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel on Fridays, and at special events at the museum. She and my son, Kevin, are on the Board of Euclid Beach Park Now, and Kevin was recently elected as vice president of the Board. You can learn more about the today's Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Beach Park, and the historic amusement park, in my blog posts.
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
Cleveland History Center Exhibitions
The Cleveland History Center was closing at 4:00 pm on MLK Day 2025, so we didn't have a lot of time to look closely at all the current exhibitions. We did a quick walk-through to see:
Lego re-creations of scenes from the iconic holiday movie A Christmas Story.
Wild Horses: Sixty Years of Ford’s Mustang
Through May 4, 2025History in Their Hands: Black Photographers in Cleveland, Ohio, 1968 - Present
Through August 31, 2025
I am very familiar with the work of Amanda D. King, which was featured in this exhibition, since I have talked to her about her work, Shooting Without Bullets, at moCa Cleveland, IngenuityFest, MidTown Murals Project, and other venues.AMCNO: 200 Years of Medicine in Cleveland
This exhibition was to end December 31, 2024, but we were fortunate to see it on MLK Day 2025.
An interesting coincidence!! Part of this exhibition had information on The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio's work on the Sabin Oral Vaccine (SOS) campaign against polio. The day before, I had just shared on Bluesky Social that I think everyone should read the following article by Brandy L Schillace, PhD: American Ingenuity Beat the Polio Outbreak
It was also interesting to read about the history of Juno the Transparent Woman, since I remember this display from the former Cleveland Health Museum (be sure to pause my photos that follow to read the Juno description).Women and Politics: Empowered to Vote, Empowered to Lead presented by PNC
Always on viewSolidarity Now! 1968 Poor People's Campaign
Through April 30, 2025All Dolled Up: 200 Years of Dolls and Miniatures
Through April 30, 2025Cleveland National Air Races: Speedway of the Skies
Always on view
I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the photos.
Related Blog Posts
I always like to include in my blog posts a list of related posts that may be of interest to the readers of this blog post.
Normally, I go to the North Coast Harbor's Great Lakes Science Center (15 posts) and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (11 posts) for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day:
Blog Date: February 9, 2017 - 2017 North Coast Harbor Ice Fest and Free Martin Luther King, Jr., Day at Science Center and Rock Hall
Blog Date: January 24, 2018 - 2018 North Coast Harbor Ice Fest and Free Martin Luther King, Jr., Day at Science Center and Rock Hall
Blog Date: January 31, 2023 - Rockin' Science in Cleveland - Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2023
If you do a search for "Zygote Press" on sosAssociates.com, you will find five past blog posts where they are mentioned. Here are two where Zygote Press are featured:
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Also, see the section where Shooting Without Bullets founder Amanda King spoke.
Blog Date: August 6, 2014 - Cleveland GiveCamp 2014 - 5th Year!
Zygote Press Inc. is listed as one of the 21 charities which received FREE tech support over the weekend.
More related blog posts:
Blog Date: December 29, 2024 - "Picasso and Paper" Preview & Curator Tour - Cleveland Museum of Art
Blog Date: December 29, 2024 - Civic // Space: PechaKucha Night Cleveland - Volume 43 at The City Club of Cleveland
"Here is the video I took of part of Deidre McPherson's presentation at the March 26, 2024, Art at Work event"
A search for "Amanda King" will lead to six past blog posts.
Looking at the 79 past blog post tagged "University Circle," you will also see the following related tags: "Cleveland Museum of Art" (60 posts); "Cleveland Museum of Natural History" (18 posts); "Cleveland History Center" (11 posts); "Print Club of Cleveland" (3 posts); and "Cleveland Botanical Garden" (2 posts).
Read about Cleveland Botanical Garden's partner location, "Holden Arboretum" (4 posts).
Read about "Euclid Beach Park" (9 posts)
A BIG thank-you to all the museums that opened their doors to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2025. It is greatly appreciated!