CLEVELAND, OH.- As the Cleveland Museum of Art looks toward its next century, a new exhibition honors the artists, audiences, and creative communities that have shaped its past while looking ahead to the future. Lake Effect: Artists from Cleveland Now, a juried exhibition, celebrates the region’s rich artistic legacy and the museum’s enduring role as a place of inspiration, connection, and discovery. This free exhibition is on view from July 9 through December 6, 2026, at Transformer Station, 1460 West 29th Street, in Cleveland’s Hingetown neighborhood.
“Earlier this year, the CMA invited artists from the greater Cleveland area to submit their art for a group exhibition,” said Nadiah Rivera Fellah, curator of contemporary art. “The response to this call was itself testament to the Museum’s history and ongoing vitality: We received 1,700 submissions from 950 artists, reflecting a region rich in artistic excellence and vision.”
From this remarkable pool, a panel of jurors selected 66 artworks, forming an exhibition that honors the breadth of creative voices shaping Cleveland today. The selected artworks collectively map a contemporary landscape shaped by local histories, global currents, and the unique cultural ecology of Northeast Ohio.
Diverse in media and perspectives, the artworks selected include painting, photography, prints, works on paper, sculpture, fiber art, jewelry, and video. The Lake Effect jury sought to reflect the rich diversity of artistic practices across the Cleveland metropolitan area, bringing together artists of varying backgrounds, generations, career stages, perspectives, and mediums to represent the creative community as holistically as possible.
“This exhibition offers an opportunity to discover artists whose work may be unfamiliar, while also revealing the remarkable creative talent that exists within our own circles—among friends, colleagues, neighbors, and fellow community members,” said Fellah. “By bringing these voices together, we hope to deepen appreciation for the breadth of artistic practice across the region and to strengthen the connections between artists and the communities they help shape.”
Participating Artists: Marty Ackley, Keegan Adams, Elisa Albrecht, Leslye Discont Arian, Karen D. Beckwith, Eli Betchik, Melissa Bollen, Davon Brantley, Leigh Brooklyn, Timothy Callaghan, Yiyun Chen, David Kendrick Chittock, Kristen Cliffel, Donna Coleman, Doriyan Coleman, Gianna Commito, Ajha Dean-Phillips, Billy Delfs, Avery Duff, Meryl Engler, Charles Gray, Toby Griffiths, Ilynn Guldman, Melissa Harris, Bettyann Helms, Heather Higham, Matthew Holland, R Kauff, Teresa Kiplinger, Phil Kline, Stanka Kordic, Shufeng Kuang, Maria Laureno, Jennifer Leach, Jordan Lee, Janice Lessman-Moss, Hannah Levengood, Amy Lewandowski, Yu Liu, Nicole Maye Luga, Mike Meier, Anthony Mitri, Nicolette Moyer, Paul O’Keeffe, Jenniffer Omaitz, Frank Oriti, Kristina Paabus, Maxmillian Peralta, Allison Polgar, Darice Polo, Maiya Ponsky, Shawn Powell, Bellamy Printz, Ty Rex, Katy Richards, Eric Rippert, Michael Boyd Roman, Brian Sarama, Glen Schreck, Kelle Schwab, Jacob Smith, Heather N. Stout, Judy Takács, Zack White, Chi Wong, and Nikki Woods.
