CLEVELAND — In honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, institutions and organizations around Cleveland are hosting special programming on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Events include musical and theatrical performances, film screenings and hands-on art events.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
The museum and its galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with activities and performances from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Van Taylor Monroe, an artist who became a viral sensation in 2008 with a pair of his hand-painted, customized sneakers featuring Barack Obama, will make a special appearance. Guests can see his work and also design a hat you can wear, or a paper shoe template inspired by the civil rights movement.
Guests can enjoy a mix of gospel, jazz and funk music by local band Hubb's Groove at the Ames Family Atrium.
Visitors who stop at the museum can download the ArtLens App to take a self-guided tour of artworks by African American artists currently on view.
More info here.
The Great Lakes Science Center
The science center will offer free admission to all guests on Monday, Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The science center will offer live demonstrations, hands-on science activities and interactive science exhibits. Movies in the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater will be discounted for the event. Adult tickets will be $8.95 and youth tickets will be available for $6.95.
RELATED: Great Lakes Science Center offering free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
More info here.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The museum will have free general admission from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 20. Curators will be available outside their labs to show specimens that are usually not on display to visitors. Guests can enjoy $1 mini shows in the Shafran Planetarium.
More info here.
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, featuring three special programs, including a sermon by Rev. Otis Moss, a performance by the Evelyn Wright Quartet and a documentary film screening of “Soundtrack for a Revolution: Freedom Songs from the Civil Rights Era.”
More info here.
MLK Day at Severance Hall
Severance Hall is opening its doors for a day of free music and community engagement. The day includes performances by The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. The orchestra is also collaborating with Case Western Reserve’s Dr. Mark Lomax II to present a composition telling the story of the Afrikan diaspora from pre-colonial Afrika into an Afro-futuristic vision.
Other family-friendly events include the “I Have a Dream" Wall in the Smith Lobby on the ground floor, line dancing and entertainment in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer.
Severance Hall will be open from noon to 5 p.m.
More info here.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock Hall will offer free admission to the hall for special events including live performances and film screenings. Visitors can explore the history of musicians that stood at a crossroads of a revolution in music and culture.
Events start as early as 10:30 a.m. More info here.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., every guest who donates $1 or more to the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland Inc. on MLK Day will receive discounted same-day $10 admission to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. In addition to scheduled sharks and scuba talks, staff will highlight African Americans who were influential in the fields of marine science and scuba diving through a “Search for Greatness” Scavenger Hunt.
More info here.
The Cleveland Botanical Garden
Visitors can get free admission into the Cleveland Botanical Garden from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission gets guests into the 17,000-square-foot Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse.
More info here.
