The Cleveland Museum Extends it Reach with a New Annex in Ohio City

This is not exactly news to many people but it was news to me.

If you dig around on the blog, you can see I've been somewhat negative about The Cleveland Museum's very ambitious-almost dangerous efforts to supersize itself-while in my opinion doing nothing to better integrate itself into the city.

My feeling about this plan to create an annex on Cleveland's West Side is totally different. Wow! nice.

I love the comments from the Bidwell's about the annex becoming much more of a place for experimentation.

"The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Foundation announced on September 16, 2011 a collaboration that will bring additional exposure for contemporary art to Northeast Ohio and for the first time in its history expand aspects of the museum's programming and exhibitions to dedicated space outside of its University Circle campus. Titled the Transformer Station, this new arts venue takes root in a former transformer station built in 1924 at 1460 West 29th Street in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood."

Up until a short while ago one would not have guessed from it's institutions that Cleveland is home to a good number of very important contemporary art collectors. In the next few years that will be totally changed, with the opening of the new Cleveland MOCA, The Transformer Station Gallery; Spaces Gallery and expanded Cleveland Museum contemporary galleries and of course The Akron Art Museum.

Resignation of Important Cleveland Museum Board Member Creates Doubts at a Critical Time

A few years ago, I posted about the huge expansion of The Cleveland Museum of Art, which had caused the museum to tap into the interest from funds set aside for acquiring art.

Let's hope everything works out, but the loss of a major board member, who had already given $5 million to the institution raises new concerns. The Plain Dealer has a long in depth story detailing some of the history.

From The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"The loss of a generous donor - Horvitz and his family have contributed more than $5 million to the museum’s expansion and renovation - also raises questions about how the museum could have alienated someone with the potential to do more for it in the future.

The timing is troubling, too. While the museum has raised $230 million for the expansion and renovation, it still needs an additional $120 million to pay off its debt, a huge sum for any institution in Cleveland."