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Oct 22-Nov 29, 2020 Nina Katchadourian Monument to the Unelected Oct 22-Nov 29, 2020 ∆ Installation at moCa: Nina Katchadourian, Monument to the Unelected 2008–ongoing, 58 screen-prints on coroplast, rebar, cable. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist, Catherine Clark Gallery, and Pace Gallery ∆ Installation at moCa: Nina Katchadourian, Monument to the Unelected 2008–ongoing, 58 screen-prints on coroplast, rebar, cable. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist, Catherine Clark Gallery, and Pace Gallery Nina Katchadourian Monument to the Unelected Oct 22-Nov 29, 2020 ∆ Installation at moCa: Nina Katchadourian, Monument to the Unelected 2008–ongoing, 58 screen-prints on coroplast, rebar, cable. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist, Catherine Clark Gallery, and Pace Gallery Concurrently at moCa Cleveland: 11400 Euclid Avenue and Transformer Station : 1460 W 29th Street Artist Nina Katchadourian (b. 1968) works across various media—including photography, sculpture, video, and sound—using humor and ingenuity in service of what she calls “productive confusion.” Often working outside the studio or museum, Katchadourian has created pieces in libraries, in trees, on airplanes, and in parking lots. She has collaborated with zookeepers, musicians, United Nations translators, Morse code operators, animals, as well as her own parents. The result is a playful and poignant practice, one that pushes us to see our everyday surroundings as a site of discovery and possibility. Katchadourian’s Monument to the Unelected (2008–ongoing), is a set of lawn signs created by the artist featuring the names of every candidate who ran for President of the United States and lost. Installed outside moCa Cleveland on the corner of Mayfield Road and Euclid Avenue, and outside Transformer Station in their front lawn, Monument to the Unelected runs from October 22 to November 22, spanning the time before and after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Once the election results are official, a 59th sign with the name of the losing candidate will be added to the installation. Monument to the Unelected was originally commissioned by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art during the run-up to the 2008 presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain. During her time in Arizona, Katchadourian was struck by the proliferation of campaign signs on lawns, in vacant lots, and at busy intersections in what has historically been a swing state. “The signs struck me as a particularly American phenomenon, and one that was worthy of closer investigation,” she said. “These markers tend to crop up in the weeks leading up to an election, after which they disappear, with some of the names going on to take office and others being largely forgotten.” Shown during every presidential election since the work’s inception in 2008, Monument to the Unelected serves as a reminder of our country’s collective political road not taken. It does not reflect any particular political viewpoint or endorse any specific party, but rather articulates the transition of power within U.S. history. As a monument to those who have lost, Katchadourian’s work is an invitation to consider missed opportunities and alternative histories, all of which can inform the decisions we make today.

Jul 16-Aug 15, 2021 Aawful Aaron by Aaron D. Williams Jul 16-Aug 15, 2021 ∆ Aaron D. Williams, A Reinvented Self I , 2021, Alcohol marker and colored pencil on Bristol paper, 17” X 14” ∆ Aaron D. Williams, A Reinvented Self I , 2021, Alcohol marker and colored pencil on Bristol paper, 17” X 14” Aawful Aaron by Aaron D. Williams Jul 16-Aug 15, 2021 ∆ Aaron D. Williams, A Reinvented Self I , 2021, Alcohol marker and colored pencil on Bristol paper, 17” X 14” Presented in partnership w/ Museum of Creative Human Art and moCa Cleveland Aawful Aaron uses sports as an entry point to assist audiences in more deeply understanding anxiety and mental health struggles. This exhibition destigmatized open conversations about mental health, especially as they relate to black males. Using mainstream sports including basketball and football, and those often overlooked like chess and sword fencing, Aawful Aaron conveys a “game against anxiety” through different lenses with the intention of bringing together a multiplicity of sports fans to appreciate the nuanced ways in which we experience mental health. Presented in partnership w/ About the Artist Aaron D. Williams Aaron D. Williams More about Aaron D. Williams at instagram.com/aawfulaaron .

Jul 7, 2023-Jan 7, 2024 ¡Juntos! (Together) Nathalie Bermudez Amelia Casiano J. Leigh Garcia Camilo Gonzalez Barragan Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) Kenron Morgan, Jr and Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz Jul 7, 2023-Jan 7, 2024 ∆ ¡Juntos! (Together) installation at moCa Cleveland, 2023. Photo: Jacob Koestler. ∆ ¡Juntos! (Together) installation at moCa Cleveland, 2023. Photo: Jacob Koestler. ¡Juntos! (Together) Nathalie Bermudez Amelia Casiano J. Leigh Garcia Camilo Gonzalez Barragan Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) Kenron Morgan, Jr and Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz Jul 7, 2023-Jan 7, 2024 ∆ ¡Juntos! (Together) installation at moCa Cleveland, 2023. Photo: Jacob Koestler. Presented in partnership w/ Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center and moCa Cleveland From Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center: ¡Juntos! (Together): A group of persons joined for a common purpose. ¡Juntos! (Together) tells the extraordinary tale of a diverse group of Cleveland Latino artists who, though strangers, embark on an exceptional journey of artistic creation for this exhibition. United by a common purpose, these individuals transcend their distinct backgrounds and unique artistic styles to collaboratively craft captivating pieces. In the vibrant tapestry of their shared Latino heritage and unwavering passion, cultural bonds form, celebrating the richness and diversity of Latino artistry and history. Through their remarkable creations, they intimately express stories of their family history and personal artistic journeys. With support from moCa staff, this cohort receives invaluable mentorship from two esteemed artists, Bruno Casiano and Ariel Vergez. These established artists and industry professionals play a pivotal role in nurturing and empowering the emerging talents, offering guidance, advice, and encouragement. Their mentorship enriches the artists' creative development, fostering an environment where artistic expression flourishes. As the residency progresses, these artists form a tightly-knit familia, sharing their unique perspectives, techniques, and experiences with one another. Every brushstroke and vibrant hue, every ounce of glue applied to their creations reflects not only their individual talents but also the profound collective spirit that emerges when Latino artists come together. Through the power of unity and collaboration, the Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center proudly presents ¡Juntos! , an exhibition that showcases the incredible artistry and unyielding spirit of these extraordinary artists. Presented in partnership w/ About the Artists Nathalie Bermudez Nathalie Bermudez Nathalie Bermudez (she/her) is a Colombian painter, digital artist, muralist, and actor who came to the United States in 2015 to pursue her career as an artist. She began painting after moving to the U.S. as a way to remain connected to her culture. Through her work, Bermudez shares her personal story and perspective of the world around us. Bermudez has exhibited work and contributed to numerous large-scale projects throughout Cleveland and has collaborated with global brands including Samsung Mobile USA and Shein. In 2022, she worked alongside Alicia Vasquez to create a mural in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. In addition to her painting practice, Bermudez is an actor. She has performed with Teatro Publico de Cleveland and from 2018-2021, was a part of the LatinUS Theater Company. She received her Associate of Arts from Cuyahoga Community College and is currently studying visual art and theater at Cleveland State University. Amelia Casiano Amelia Casiano Amelia Casiano (she/her) is a mixed media artist from the Near West side of Cleveland, OH. Formally trained as a graphic designer, she layers techniques she learned as a student at Baldwin Wallace University into her paintings and collages. Employing vibrant colors and abstract forms, Casiano expresses her personal history as a Latina growing up in America, often incorporating found objects into her work as a method of sharing her Puerto Rican heritage. She uses her own story as a jumping off point that extends outwards to highlight the interconnectedness of different cultures within her community. Casiano draws inspiration from music, fashion, and her peers to explore womanhood, emotional connectivity, and her relationship to the world around us. J. Leigh Garcia J. Leigh Garcia J. Leigh Garcia (she/her) is an artist born and raised in Dallas, TX. Following the roots of her biracial ancestry, Garcia explores the complex relationship between Texans and Mexicans—particularly, the racialization and displacement of unauthorized Latinx immigrants. Using printmaking, papermaking, and sculpture, Garcia explores her familial history while highlighting aspects of racial and generational privilege/oppression. Garcia received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and BFA from the University of North Texas. Her work is included in over 15 permanent collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL; and Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX. Garcia currently lives in Kent, OH where she is an Assistant Professor and Co-Area Head of Print Media and Photography at Kent State University . Camilo Gonzalez Barragan Camilo Gonzalez Barragan Camilo Gonzalez Barragan (he/him) is an artist from Bogotá, Colombia, where he studied film and television production at the UNITEC University of Colombia. He uses analog photography to develop his ideas and share his stories while simultaneously creating longform audiovisual projects. Gonzalez Barragan draws inspiration from film, music, and painting, using elements from these media to create work rooted in his personal experiences and dreams. Themes explored in his work include: melancholy, nostalgia, freedom, silence, loneliness, and forgetfulness. Gonzalez Barragan’s work has been published in magazines including The Paradox Magazine and Classics Magazine , and in exhibitions at Hardy & Nance Studio and the Cleveland Print Room. He currently lives and works in Cleveland, OH, where he has found inspiration in the magic of its forests, streets, and people. Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) Hugo Ivan Juarez (Alatorre) (he/him) was born and raised in his beloved Dallas, TX. He grew up with children of millionaires but mostly identifies with immigrant culture and brownness. While in high school, art class became his sanctuary and upon graduating, he created a clothing line to further harness his creative energy. These initial interests led him to study graphic design and art education, but he eventually discovered the wonderful world of printmaking. Printmaking became a vehicle for his education and in 2022, he began his academic career as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Akron. Juarez believes that artists are the most powerful people in the world and his practice consists of making friends, supporting other artists, and searching for teachers. His work manifests itself through conversation, infiltration, and teaching. Materially, he works with anything he can get his hands on. Kenron Morgan, Jr. Kenron Morgan, Jr. Kenron Morgan Jr, Founder of Art School Reject Club, is an award winning multi-media artist, based in Cleveland, OH. As the name describes, Kenron is a self taught artist. His works show a variety of characters detailing a self-expressive journey through culture, sexuality, and self. Morgan Jr. transports audiences to a world of his own creation, displaying alternate realities that suggest a reflection of something familiar. The artist’s work has been included in RTA public transportation’s Dressing the Part , Akron Hospital’s Show Me Love , and most recently, Summit Art Space’s The Twins. Morgan Jr. has received awards for his work including Dressing the Part and High & Lows. He has also had the opportunity to give back to his community raising funds for creative youth development. Marilyn Oliveras de Orti Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz Marilyn Oliveras de Ortiz (she/her) is a poet and mixed media artist, first generation born in Cleveland Ohio of Puerto Rican heritage. Her creative interests began at an early age when the women in her family gathered around the table as makers and storytellers. They made paper flowers, dolls, Capias, and other party favors for social events while sharing stories in the oral traditions of Puerto Rico. These family gatherings inspired cultural teachings and sparked Oliveras de Ortiz’s imagination in both the literary and visual arts. Her lifelong profession working in the affordable housing industry in urban communities further inspired her to write and create art that reflected and advocated for real life social issues of poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and the human instinct of survival. As one of the first arts & crafts instructors at Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, she facilitated workshops creating Vejigante Masks made of paper mâché and sharing about their historical significance during island festivals, she realized a calling for cultural preservation. Oliveras de Ortiz continues to explore methods in mask-making, using mediums including polymer clays and walnut shells. In her expansive practice, she uses photography, painting, jewelry-making, and upcycling techniques, and creates public installations for Dia de Muertos celebrations. Installation Images ¡Juntos! (Together) . Installation views at moCa Cleveland, 2023. Photos: Jacob Koestler

Jun 28-Dec 29, 2024 Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh Jun 28-Dec 29, 2024 ∆ Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, As I willed myself out of entropy, 2022 ∆ Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, As I willed myself out of entropy, 2022 Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh Jun 28-Dec 29, 2024 ∆ Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, As I willed myself out of entropy, 2022 2024 Toby's Prize Exhibition Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya presents a new body of work in his first solo museum exhibition, Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh, opening June 2024. This show expands upon the artist’s 2022 exhibition at Sargent’s Daughters entitled James Webb and the Thestral Born Without a Vertebrae , which shares the story of a vampire forced to reconstitute its body from space debris following the destruction of the last spaceship leaving an apocalypse-ravaged Earth. A work of speculative fiction, Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh collapses linear time, fueling our anxiety of the unfamiliar while demanding reflection on how histories of abuse allow for a future seepage of toxicity. Using expanded polystyrene as a building block (after all, what material other than plastic can survive the end of the world?), Montoya transforms moCa’s Lewis Gallery into the interior of this last spaceship, complete with a celestial soundtrack that draws us into the darkness of the unknown. Mythical, shape-shifting creatures known as Nahuales that hatched aboard the vessel during an eon of astral travel hang from the spacecraft’s ceiling. Hovering in antigravity yet tethered to the ship’s architecture, their eternal home serves as both captor and protector. These Nahuales are a part of the artist’ cast of characters, cohabitating with their vampiric guardian and the spacecraft’s mainframe, which itself is a sentient being, the beating heart that fuels the vessel throttling through space. Made from detritus of capitalist consumption, vestiges of the sentient, and materials that teeter on the edge of abjection, Montoya’s alchemical creatures feed off each other. They are stand-ins for the human body, used to explore how violence erases and eradicates communities of color. In this future apocalypse, processes of decay, regeneration, and shapeshifting for protection and survival graft new meaning upon our understandings of an “ecosystem.” In addition to the exhibition, Montoya is designing a suite of activities for audience engagement and creating his first publication (available in Fall 2024). He is the third recipient of Toby’s Prize, a biannual award sponsored by philanthropist Toby Devan Lewis (1934-2022) and created to advance the work of emerging artists through exhibitions and publications. This exhibition is presented through Toby’s Prize, a biennial award made possible by Toby Devan Lewis. About the Artist Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya (b.1989 in Parral, Mexico) is based in Mexico City. Montoya received his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020. Montoya creates sculptures that are fantastic beings centered around anthologies and social issues concerning border culture, abjection, adaptation, and mestizaje. Montoya’s practice is aided by Speculative Fiction, Nahualismo, Sci-Fi, and the labor of his family. His work hybridizes and creates parallels between land, the human, and the animal as a way to investigate the process in which violence eradicates, erases, and erodes communities of color. Upcoming exhibitions include Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo de Barrio (New York, NY) and a solo exhibition of new work at ICA San Diego (San Diego, CA). Recent exhibitions include an untitled group exhibition at Artists Space (New York, NY), Perhaps the Truth at Ballroom Marfa (Marfa, TX), La Casa Erosionada at Anahuacalli Museum (Coyacan, MX), James Webb and The Thestral Born Without a Vertebrate at Sargent’s Daughters (New York, NY), and were-:Nenetech Forms at MOCA Tucson (Tucson, AZ). Installation Images Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, Skinchangers: Begotten of my Flesh. Installation views at moCa Cleveland, 2024. Photos: Tom Little

Jun 27, 2025-Jan 4, 2026 Erykah Townsend "Happy" Holidays Jun 27, 2025-Jan 4, 2026 ∆ Erykah Townsend, Memorials , 2025 (detail). Vintage handmade and manufactured ornaments collection, wire, 32 x 37 In (81.28 x 93.98 cm). Courtesy of the artist. ∆ Erykah Townsend, Memorials , 2025 (detail). Vintage handmade and manufactured ornaments collection, wire, 32 x 37 In (81.28 x 93.98 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Erykah Townsend "Happy" Holidays Jun 27, 2025-Jan 4, 2026 ∆ Erykah Townsend, Memorials , 2025 (detail). Vintage handmade and manufactured ornaments collection, wire, 32 x 37 In (81.28 x 93.98 cm). Courtesy of the artist. “Happy” Holidays , the first solo museum exhibition of multimedia artist Erykah Townsend, explores how consumerism shapes Christmas. Rather than a joyous time, this season can create high expectations and financial stress, especially for those with limited means. Townsend blends humor with earnest reflection to examine Western commercialism and how shopping and spending have consumed Christmas. Drawing on, art history, pop culture, allegory, and advertising, Townsend satirizes and critiques the holiday “one-upmanship” that happens during this time. This focused study extends Townsend’s ongoing exploration of commercialism’s influence on our lives. As she states, “I use pop culture as a medium itself - exploring the spaces it fills in our lives and questioning how real is the imaginary." Townsend began developing “Happy” Holidays during her 2022 moCa residency. She received her BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2020. moCa AIR is supported by Margaret Cohen & Kevin Rahilly. “Happy” Holidays is supported by The Satellite Fund, administered by SPACES and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program. About the Artist Erykah Townsend Erykah Townsend , also known as E.T., is a conceptual artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Her art boldly confronts and questions the role of pop culture in our lives. She states, “I use pop culture as a medium itself—exploring the spaces it fills in our lives and the inquiry of how real are the imaginary." Through reflective and humorous narratives, Townsend references art history and critiques consumerism and western culture, using characters, cultural icons, and objects as allegories for her criticism. In addition, her work includes elements from their original sources, providing the audience with a fresh and sentimental encounter. Townsend received her BFA in painting from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2020.

Jan 27-Jun 11, 2023 Nina Chanel Abney Big Butch Synergy Jan 27-Jun 11, 2023 ∆ Nina Chanel Abney, Dance 1 , 2022. Collage on panel. Paper size: 57 1/2 x 39 3/8 inches. Framed size: 59 x 40 7/8 x 1 3/8 inches. ∆ Nina Chanel Abney, Dance 1 , 2022. Collage on panel. Paper size: 57 1/2 x 39 3/8 inches. Framed size: 59 x 40 7/8 x 1 3/8 inches. Nina Chanel Abney Big Butch Synergy Jan 27-Jun 11, 2023 ∆ Nina Chanel Abney, Dance 1 , 2022. Collage on panel. Paper size: 57 1/2 x 39 3/8 inches. Framed size: 59 x 40 7/8 x 1 3/8 inches. Nina Chanel Abney uses a unique language of coded icons, numbers, and figures in paintings and collages that communicate urgent messages about resistance, love, and hope. For this exhibition, she debuts a new body of work presented in two shows, one at ICA Miami, Big Butch Energy , and one at moCa Cleveland, Big Butch Synergy . The series explores and celebrates expressions of Black masculine women and those who resist hetero- or cis-normative gender roles. In moCa’s multi-space presentation, Abney will create a site-responsive monumental artwork on the museum’s ground floor and a new series of gallery-installed large-scale paintings that all teem with her bold, pictorial language and characteristically impactful expressions. Lead support for Nina Chanel Abney: Big Butch Synergy is provided by Joanne Cohen & Morris Wheeler. Additional support provided by The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. About the Artist NIna Chanel Abney Nina Chanel Abney Nina Chanel Abney (b. 1982, Chicago) strives to signal narratives that speak to topics on politics, heritage, race, sexuality, and celebrity. The figures in her works typically appear as heavily stylized, graphic, geometric shapes against vivid backgrounds overlaid with symbols and patterns. Known for her frenetic, large-scale paintings, Abney has recently been commissioned to transform the Lincoln Center’s new David Geffen Hall’s façade in New York, drawing from the cultural heritage of the neighborhood previously known as San Juan Hill that comprised African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Puerto Rican families, which she similarly did recently for a public mural at the new Miami World Center inspired by Overtown, a historic Black neighborhood in Miami. Her first solo exhibition debuted in 2017 at Nasher Museum of Art, North Carolina, and subsequently toured to Chicago Cultural Center; Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the California African American Museum; and the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York. Recent exhibitions include The Gordon Parks Institute (2022), The Art Gallery of New South Wales (2021), ICA Boston (2020), The Contemporary Dayton (2019), The Norton Museum of Art (2019), and Palais de Tokyo (2018). Her work is in the collections of MoMA New York, The Rubell Family Collection, The Brooklyn Museum, Bronx Museum and the Burger Collection, Hong Kong. Exhibition Materials ▶ Gallery Guide ▶ Videos

Tonight, Mar 16 only. Enter for a chance to win an original Vera Twins painting. Must be present at moCa Cleveland to win. Vera Twins Art Raffle First name Last name Email Phone Submit Enter onsite by QR before 10:45PM. Artwork raffle details: In person QR raffle entries when doors open at 9PM. Must be present during the artist talk for a chance to win. Raffle entries end at 10:45PM. Original artwork valued at $3,500.

News + Read more at Forbes Tuesday, August 6, 2024 By DeMarco Williams "Another area attraction that’s no one’s opening act is Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. This beautiful building famously avoids having permanent exhibits; instead, the roster of works regularly changes throughout the year." Previous Next

Getting to Know: Aram Han Sifuentes Getting to Know: Aram Han Sifuentes Artist residency Dec 2021-Dec 2022 Left: Aram Han Sifuentes As the inaugural participant in moCa's new Getting to Know You Residency, AramHanSifuentes will be collaborating with the museum on multiple projects throughout 2022. These include leading virtual and in-person workshops, creating activities for moCa's Creative Tool Boxes, and developing new exhibitions in the museum. The Getting to Know Residency is generously sponsored by Margaret Cohen and Kevin Rahilly, with additional support from Char and Chuck Fowler. About the Getting To Know Residency In January 2021, moCa launched a new residency called Getting to Know, designed to support a non-local contemporary artist working in social practice in a long-form project with moCa and our community that allows for repeat engagement, extended exploration, and the development of new work. Getting to Know artists have included Chicago-based fiber artist Aram Han Sifuentes (2021-22) and Brooklyn-based Finnegan Shannon. Related Exhibition ▶ Aram Han Sifuentes: Who Was This Built to Protect?

Jan 28-Jun 5, 2022 J.J. Adams Flowers in Temporary Hands Jan 28-Jun 5, 2022 ∆ J.J. Adams, Booker (by the creek) , 1959. Courtesy the artist's family archives ∆ J.J. Adams, Booker (by the creek) , 1959. Courtesy the artist's family archives J.J. Adams Flowers in Temporary Hands Jan 28-Jun 5, 2022 ∆ J.J. Adams, Booker (by the creek) , 1959. Courtesy the artist's family archives J.J. Adams’s Flowers In Temporary Hands explores the role that privilege and race play into an assemblage of any one identity. With four distinct iterations–an artist book, video performance, sound, and sculptural landscape–Flowers In Temporary Hands abstractly layers images as language, culling from a steeply personal and concealed post generational memory. Through a staircased soundscape, the audience is guided into a layered installation of images mounted on a labyrinthine chain-link fence, an echo of the artist’s most significant detainment as a teenage child. Flowers In Temporary Hands addresses legacy through photographs from Adams’s estranged grandfather’s archive, pages from Adams’s teenage journal while institutionalized, and newly produced poems that reflect on the artist’s past state of mind. All come together to reveal a striking but not uncommon portrait of a boy whose narrative of self has been mostly shaped by their single white mother. A series of tender gestures paired with visceral critical inquiry, Flowers In Temporary Hands reminds us that identity, just like history, is both contingent and incomplete. This series of stories has been built from a myriad of people, places, and moments in time. About the Book J.J. Adams’s first publication, Flowers In Temporary Hands , pairs images with language to establish a symbolic universe that mixes personal memory, loss, and desire. Composed of three sections that address different periods in the artist’s life, Flowers in Temporary Hands acts as a timestamp to closure. In The Toothpaste Diaries , Adams shares pages of their journal: a collection of drawings, collages, and writing created during a defining moment of teenage incarceration. These richly layered pieces are juxtaposed with works from the Gregory Adams Archive . This collection of black and white photographs taken by the artist’s estranged grandfather document his own collegial life, from the playing field to the classroom. Poignantly capturing two distinct moments in time, The Toothpaste Diaries and the Gregory Adams Archive are threaded together by Boys Like Us: Part One , a series of formatted and densely layered poems that reflect on J.J. Adams’s past and the construction of family vs. identity. J.J. Adams’s Flowers In Temporary Hands is organized by Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo) as part of Toby’s Prize, a biennial award made possible by Toby Devan Lewis. About the Artist Jesse Hoffman Jesse Hoffman (b. 1989, San Francisco, CA) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, CA. Hoffman’s practice is rooted in the examination of the transitional passages of self-acceptance, belonging, and image over time. With a background in performance, still life photography, and commercial set design, Hoffman uses the archive, the object, and the portrait as form. Hoffman’s work lays bare the complication inherent in identity, emphasizing the poignant resilience and fugue in image/world making.

Jan 30-Aug 2, 2026 Homing Instinct Letting Go of the Shore Jan 30-Aug 2, 2026 Homing Instinct Letting Go of the Shore Jan 30-Aug 2, 2026 Homing Instinct: Letting Go of The Shore is a 26-minute multi-screen film installation by New York-based filmmaker Lydia Dean Pilcher. It is based on a short story of the same name by Cincinnati-based author Dani McClain, published in the anthology Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements . Presented on a continuous loop, this immersive story focuses on human resilience in the face of climate crises. Set in a near-future world of rising sea levels, it follows two friends, Raven and Paloma, as they decide how to respond to a federal order to evacuate coastal regions within 30 days and permanently relocate elsewhere. For Pilcher and McClain, confronting fossil-fuel dependence and resource depletion requires not just policy change, but new narrative approaches to inspire connection and transformation. Weaving together reality, dreams, and the metaphysical, Homing Instinct draws upon science fiction and Afrofuturist concepts and integrates dance, poetry, and striking visual design (shaped by art director Syou Nam Thai) to convey the emotional weight of facing change and trusting the unknown. It also reminds us that we are not part of nature, but nature itself. Lead support provided by Dick & Doreen Cahoon Community partner: ThirdSpace Reading Room About the Artists Dani McClain DANI McCLAIN McClain reports on race, parenting and reproductive health. Her writing has appeared in outlets including "The New York Times," "TIME," "The Atlantic" and "Harper's Bazaar." Her work has been recognized by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and she has received a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism. McClain is a contributing writer at "The Nation." She was a staff reporter at the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" and has worked as a strategist with organizations including Color of Change and the Drug Policy Alliance. Her book, "We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood," was published in 2019 by Bold Type Books and was shortlisted in 2020 for a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. She was the Cincinnati Public Library's writer-in-residence in 2020 and 2021. Lydia Dean Pilcher LYDIA DEAN PILCHER Pilcher is a two-time Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated producer. She is founder of the New York-based production company Cine Mosaic, working in the international landscape of cinema and multicultural storytelling. Before transitioning to writing and directing, she produced more than 40 feature films and series working with directors including Mira Nair, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Wes Anderson, Barry Levinson, George C. Wolfe and Kathryn Bigelow. Her director credits include the World War II female spy thriller "A Call to Spy" and the climate narratives "Radium Girls" and "Homing Instinct." She works with the UNFCCC initiative Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action and is a leader in the film and television industry promoting climate storytelling in entertainment and media. Pilcher teaches Climatic Change: Storytelling Arts, Zeitgeist and Our Future as an interdisciplinary course at the Columbia University Climate School in collaboration with the School of the Arts.

designExplorr designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshops Feb-May 2024 moCa Cleveland is partnering with designExplorr and Dr. Jacinda Walker to demonstrate the power of design to a new generation. Explore how a professional designer approaches problems, designs solutions, and find out what a career in design might look like. It’s time to unlock your creative potential—the world needs your ideas! In these workshops developed by designExplorr, Dr. Jacinda Walker—facilitator, and founder of designExplorr—will help you design and create something from your own imagination. Join us across select Saturdays from Feb-May 2024. Family Fun on moCa Saturdays supported by PNC About designExplorr DesignExplorr is a social impact organization aiming to address the diversity gap within the design profession by expanding design education and raising awareness among community partners. DesignExplorr accomplishes this mission through collaborating on educational youth programs, coordinating diversity-building initiatives, and connecting stakeholders to resources. Find out more at designexplorr.com and Instagram . Related Events: ▶ designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshop Sat. Feb 17, 12-4PM ▶ designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshop Sat. Mar 09, 12-4PM ▶ designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshop Sat. Mar 30, 12-4PM Offsite at designExplorr Experiential Learning Center 3800 Euclid Ave. ▶ designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshop Sat. Apr 13, 12-4PM ▶ designExplorr Design Learning Challenge Workshop Sat. May 11, 12-4PM