02/07/25 - 02/07/25
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Celebrate Black History Month in University Circle! Enjoy special programs and activities throughout the month to honor Black History. Learning about and being inspired by influential Black figures, both historical and modern, is an excellent way to honor the legacy and impact of their accomplishments all year round.
Please contact the individual museums and institutions for more information on these events.
The Cozad-Bates House is the only pre-Civil War home remaining in University Circle. A new interpretive center highlights this area’s history as a center of anti-slavery activism and honors those seeking freedom through indoor exhibits and outdoor installations.
Saturdays, Noon - 4:00 p.m. | FREE
This evening’s Black History Month program features Linking Legacies, an ensemble comprising multiple generations of African American classical artists that honors classical works by African American composers with deep ties to Northeast Ohio. The group is performing in front of Amy Sherald’s He was meant for all things to meet.
Friday, February 21 | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | FREE
Celebrate Black History Month with guided tours highlighting Black artists in the museum’s collection. The museum celebrates African American Heritage Month in February and all year round.
Sundays, 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00 p.m. in February | FREE
The pavilion depicts stages of the slave passage to the new world with its polished black granite sculptural walls which create a sensation of compression, tension, and apprehension. The Door of No Return is the sandstone portal addressing the notion of unknown transition. The Infinity Fountain echoes the illusion of the tranquility of the Atlantic Ocean as seen through the actual Doorway of No Return.
Open Daily | Dawn to Dusk | FREE
Join us as we partner with the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame to celebrate Black entertainment in Cleveland. Explore iconic memorabilia, including stagewear from legends of R&B like Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and the O'Jays, along with rare photographs and artifacts from Leo’s Casino and the Rhythm & Blues Legends collection. This event highlights Cleveland’s rich contributions to music history. Celebrate the R&B Hall of Fame’s dedication to preserving this legacy and meet founder Lamont Robinson for a signing of his new book, Music and Entertainment Memories of Black Cleveland. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening honoring Cleveland’s contributions to the music industry.
Thursday, February 21 | 5:00-9:00 p.m. | $
The African American Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society was established in 1970. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and make accessible historic documents, photographs, memorabilia, art, and artifacts pertaining to African American life, history, and culture in Northeast Ohio. The collection includes manuscripts, photographs, microfilm, and newspaper collections. Museum artifacts are specific to the African American experience and cover a wide range of topics and categories of primary importance to the body of Black history.
This exhibit honors Mayor Carl B. Stokes and his brother, Congressman Louis Stokes, and is built as a continuation of their legacy of leadership, advocacy, and action.
The stories of the political careers of Carl & Louis Stokes illuminate and define broader issues in African-American and American urban history. While the exhibit celebrates the achievements of Carl and Louis Stokes, it also uses their experiences to reflect on and explore topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, social and economic disparity, and the rise and importance of heroes and exemplars.
Dates & Times Vary | Included in Admission
Back in the Dayz is the third annual Black History Month exhibition organized by the Cleveland Institute of Art's Black Scholars and Artists students. The exhibition will showcase a series of artworks that respond to the theme of “nostalgia” and what that looks like through the memories of Black personhood.
Friday, February 7 through Friday, February 28 | Times Vary | Free
The Linking Legacies project features multiple generations of African American classical artists performing and living in Ohio, and honors classical compositions by African American composers with deep ties to Northeast Ohio. Linking Legacies celebrates the legacy of these composers by featuring performers with personal connections to the institutions where they trained, and to the composers themselves.
Thursday, February 20 | 7:00-8:30 p.m. | Free
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