The Maltz Museum is proud to honor Black History Month with two special promotions: Free on Fridays in February and BOGO Thursdays through April 2 plus two special evening programs. On Wednesday, February 8 at 7 pm the museum will host Redlining’s Racist Effects, and on Wednesday, February 22 at 7 pm Michelle R. Smith’s Blax Museum, poetic performances by Black activist poets held inside the special exhibition gallery. Advance registrations are recommended. For more information, please visit www.maltzmuseum.org or call 216-593-0575 to register.
Special Exhibition, This Light of Ours
Visitors will be able to explore the special exhibition, This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement, featuring works by nine activist photographers who documented the clash between institutionalized discrimination and determined resistance by activists and volunteers during the mid-1960s. A collection of 150 black-and-white photos chronicle a pivotal time in American history. The Maltz Museum has added video footage, life-size installations, and material about voter suppression today. Closes April 2, 2023. Free on Fridays in February.
Interactive Biography, Rev. Moss Jr, A.I.
The Maltz Museum is the first known museum in the country to have a Holocaust survivor and Civil Rights activist as Interactive Biographies in one place. Using state-of-the-art technology, Cleveland icons, Stanley Bernath (obm) and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. have been recorded so that they can share their stories and answer audience questions in real-time, mimicking actual conversations. When you visit on Thursdays, now through April 2, enjoy Buy One Get One (BOGO) ticket promotion to experience Rev Moss and learn about the Civil Rights Movement from a primary source!
Programs at the Maltz Museum
Redlining’s Racist Effects: How Decisions from the 1930s Impacts us in the 2020s
Wednesday, February 8, 7 pm
In-person; $10 General & $5 Museum members
In the 1930s the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) was established to refinance home mortgages in default to avoid foreclosure, as well as to expand home-buying opportunities. But instead, HOLC became a key promoter of redlining, driving racial residential segregation and racial wealth that would have lasting repercussions decades later. Join Moderator Ayonna Blue Donald, former director of Cleveland’s Department of Building and Housing, in conversation with Joy D. Johnson, Executive Director of Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc.; Patrice Hamiter, African American History Archivist of Western Reserve Historical Society; and Councilwoman Stephanie Howse, Cleveland City Council Representative for Ward 7, to discuss redlining’s racist effects on Cleveland from the 1930s to the 2020s, with dialogue about building a more equitable tomorrow.
Blax Museum: Poetic Performances of Activist Poets
Wednesday, February 22, 7 pm
In-person; $10 General & $5 Museum members
Join poet and performance artist Michelle R. Smith, when BLAX MUSEUM comes to the Maltz Museum in honor of Black History Month. Showcasing notable black figures in American history and culture, this annual event — which changes venues year to year — features black artists from Northeast Ohio celebrating the art and artistry of black ancestors through electrifying presentations. Since its inception, BLAX MUSEUM has paid tribute to such heroes, icons, and innovators as Crispus Attucks, Josephine Baker, Frederick Douglass, Nikki Giovanni, Fred Hampton, Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holiday, bell hooks, Mahalia Jackson, Etta James, Henrietta Lacks, Audre Lorde, Gordon Parks, Richard Pryor, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, and many revered others through music, poetry, speeches, monologues, photography, and even stand-up comedy. Don’t miss February’s show, to be held inside the special exhibition gallery showcasing This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement.
Advance registrations are recommended to ensure seating. For more information or to register, please call 216-593-0575 or visit www.maltzmuseum.org.
