At the Cleveland Museum of Art:
Dutch Treat
When Rembrandt in America opens at the Cleveland Museum of Art this Sunday, it will be the largest collection of the Dutch master's paintings assembled in America in a century. It presents a comprehensive history of the painter's reception and interpretation in the States, and illuminates how collectors' desire to own a Rembrandt fueled research into his work. Curators exhaustively gathered works from museums and private collections across the country to assemble a timeline of the artist's career. Possibly one of Rembrandt's earliest finished works, "The Operation (Touch)," dates back to around 1624, and represents a more colorful time in the artist's career, before chiaroscuro. Also included are a number of important portraits from his early career in Amsterdam as one of the city's most sought-after portrait painters. And, of course, there are three of his most celebrated, painstakingly detailed self-portraits; a specimen from 1659 is pictured. Tickets for the exhibition are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and $7 for children five and older. The exhibition will be on display through May 28 at 11150 East Blvd. in University Circle. Call 216-421-7350 or go to clevelandart.org for more information. — Joseph Clark
Arts Collinwood: Sanity Check. George Kocar uses his colorful paintings to comment on a crazy world, filled with instant celebrities and political strife. A gallery talk with artist Douglas Max Utter happens Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Through March 3 at 15605 Waterloo Rd. Call 216-692-9500 or go to artscollinwood.org.
Artists Archives of the Western Reserve: Adele Marihatt Memorial and Retrospective. The versatile Swiss-born painter is internationally known for her ability to fuse poetry, mathematical equations, and even hieroglyphs in her works. Through Feb. 25 at 1834 E. 123rd St. Call 216-721-9020 or go to artistsarchives.org.
Augusto Fine Arts Gallery: Cuba on Paper: Limited Editions by Contemporary Cuban Master Artists. This exhibit introduces Cleveland to the works of Cuba's premier printmakers. A reception is set for Feb. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. The exhibit continues through April 20 at 1305 West 80th St. Learn more at 216-548-9798.
Breakneck Gallery: Valentines? ... Schmalentines. Bitter singles and jaded duos are invited to gripe in style with this exhibition of cynical reflections on Valentine's Day. Through March 3 at 17020 Madison Ave. in Lakewood. Call 216-767-5610 or go to breakneckgallery.com.
Cleveland Artists Foundation: Paradise Lost. Painter August F. Biehle Jr. captured the pastoral grace of Zoar and the enthusiasm of the Modernist movement. The works in this exhibition are drawn from 25 years of his career and show his growing familiarity with both his subject and the genre. The show continues through March 10 at the Beck Center, 17801 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood. Call 216-227-9507 or go to clevelandartists.org.
Galeria Quetzal: Land of Color: Latin American Textiles. Presented in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art's Textile Arts Alliance, this exhibition showcases the fiber arts of 16 countries alongside those of local artists working in the styles of Latin America. Also: Marise Designs, featuring pre-Hispanic-style jewelry from a contemporary artist. Through March 16 at 12400 Mayfield Road. Call 216-421-8223 or go to galeriaquetzal.com.
Gallery at the Old Stone Church: What's in Our Attic. A collection of archival holdings from Old Stone Church's rich and varied history Through Feb. 28 at 1380 Ontario St.; to learn more, call 216-241-6145 or visit galleryatoldstone.com.
The Holden Arboretum: Pollination: Up-Close. Erie, PA-based photographer Dave Heberle takes close-ups of local flowers and insects with the hope of inspiring suburbanites to see the natural world anew. The exhibition runs through March 9 at 9500 Sperry Rd., Kirtland. For more information, call 440-946-4400 or go to holdenarb.org.
Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery: Cleveland School 2012. Works by William Sommer, Frank Wilcox, and other practitioners of the Cleveland School are on display through April 7 at 1305 West 80th St. An opening reception is set for Feb. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. Call 216-631-6719 or go to kennethpaullesko.com for more info.
Kokoon Arts Gallery: Nature Revealed. This exhibition features an intriguing mix of historic and contemporary depictions of natural environments and the wild creatures that inhabit them. Meet some of the artists on Feb. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. The exhibit continues through April 28 at 1305 West 80th St. Call 216-832-8212 or visit kokoonarts.com.
Kollective Gallery: Nerd Works. Housed in the vacant storefront next door to Kollective Gallery is an exhibition of recent sculptural works by artist Dana L. Depew. Produced from reclaimed signage and video installations, the pieces are based on that life-changing movie, Revenge of the Nerds. Through March 30 at 1904 South Taylor Rd., Cleveland Hts. Call 216-862-0799 for more information.
Legation, a Gallery: Duplicities. Sculptor and installation artist Derek Gelvin seeks to provide "comic relief" from the anxieties of contemporary life. Emerging artist Jim Leach creates original scenes to inspire new stories that viewers can share. Through Feb. 19 at 1300 D West 78th St. Call 216-650-4201 or visit 78thstreetstudios.com.
Mezzanine Gallery: Winged Camel Metalworks. Husband-and-wife jewelry and decorative-arts makers Malcolm and MaryAnn Owen present recent works in metal, many of them one of a kind, and the "library series" of tiny figures in silver perched on custom clocks. Through Feb. 28 at 2026 Murray Hill Rd. Call 216-721-4992 or find them on Facebook.
MOCA: Sculpture. Nationally recognized artist Ursula von Rydingsvard exhibits monumental-scale wooden sculptures emulating organic forms. Also: 8501 to 11400 [On Moving]. MOCA concludes its final season at its current home with an exhibition of new works and interactive projects from Brandon Juhasz, Ben Kinsley, and Corrie Slawson. Through March 31 at 8501 Carnegie Ave.; call 216-421-8671 or go to mocacleveland.org.
Mastroianni Arts: Sacred Pulp: Two Dead Smiths + Two Live Smiths. Steven B. Smith, Tremont's assemblage artist, poet, and "fotographer," shares his family's evocative and provocative multimedia collages. Smith and his wife, artist Lady K, will host a poetry reading March 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. Through March 31 at 2688 West 14th St. Call 216-235-6936 or go to mastroianniarts.com to learn more.
Reinberger Galleries at Cleveland Institute of Art: 66th Annual Student Independent Exhibition. Organized and curated by students, this exhibition features student artworks that have been juried by a trio of nationally recognized artists. An opening reception is set for Feb. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. Through March 17 at 11141 East Blvd. Visit cia.edu for more information.
Rotten Meat Gallery: I just don't know anymore. Malcolm Barrett fuses the methods of traditional painting with guerrilla stencil art. Through Feb. 24 at 1814 East 40th St., Suite 4B. E-mail [email protected].
Spaces: Speculative Models. Baltimore artist Marty Weishaar fills the gallery with bridges, airplanes, and toy car tracks to create a microcosm of crumbling infrastructure. Also: Cuyahoga Fugues Revisited. Nine years after her first Spaces residency, Guggenheim Fellow Margaret Cogswell returns to create a series of drawings and a mixed-media installation inspired by her time with the Cuyahoga. Also: It's All Yours: Posture Pointers to Make You Prettier. Printmaker and artist-in-residence Christi Birchfield builds an installation that meditates on the relationship between the ephemeral and the making of art. Through March 30 at 2220 Superior Viaduct. Call 216-621-2314 or visit spacesgallery.org.
The Sculpture Center: Familiar Machines. Lauren Yeager and Scott Stibich recombine mundane household devices into fantastic but functional machines. Also: Linda Ding: Still Life. The CIA grad uses sculpture and installation to reveal the behavior of interior spaces. Through Feb. 25 at 1834 East 123rd St. Call 216-229-6527 or go to sculpturecenter.org.
Tregoning & Company: Evolution. James Massena March's paintings explore spatial relationships and color. Also: Raw Materials. Photographer Allen Lowry reorients our perception of construction sites by shooting them from extreme and dizzying angles. Through February 28 at 1300 W. 78th St. Call 216-281-8626 or go to tregoningandco.com.
William Busta Gallery: From Inside My Outer Space. Julie Weitz weaves together abstract painting and photographs of unclothed torsos to assert the body's materiality. Through March 18. Also: I'll Be Your Mirror. Christi Birchfield experiments with tools and techniques to achieve abstraction and moments of self-awareness. Through March 17 at 2731 West Prospect Ave. Call 216-298-9071 or go to williambustagallery.com.
Zygote Press: Collected Gems II. Members and friends of Zygote Press share items from their collections. Included are works by Bridget Riley, Reginald Marsh, Holly Morrison, and William T. Wiley. Through Feb. 18 at 1410 East 30th St. Call 216-621-2900 or go to zygotepress.com.
River Gallery: New Photography. Jessica Malone's image transfers combine evocative gestures with eerie tableaus. Mark Inglis catalogs urban glass architecture. Chad Gordon and Dan Morgan offer visions of winter. Through March 24 at 19046 Old Detroit Rd., Rocky River. Call 440-331-8406 or go to rivergalleryarts.com.
Wasmer Gallery at Ursuline College: A Journey of Education and Empowerment. Ursuline College and H.E.L.P. Malawi recreate an African open-air marketplace to present photographs, paintings, and authentic fiber art from that African nation. Through March 30 at 2550 Lander Road, Pepper Pike. Call 440-449-4200 or go to ursuline.edu.
Willoughby Hills Community Center Art Gallery: To Abstraction. Well-known Cleveland photographer Michael F. Nekic is joined by mixed-media artist Martha L. Germano in a show that aims to shine a fresh light upon the faces of abstraction. Through Feb. 27 at 35400 Chardon Rd., Willoughby Hills; call 440-918-8730 or visit willoughbyhillsgallery.org.
Zygote Press: Collected Gems II. Members and friends of Zygote Press share items from their collections. Included are works by Bridget Riley, Reginald Marsh, Holly Morrison, and William T. Wiley. The show runs through Feb. 18 at 1410 East 30th St. Call 216-621-2900 or go to zygotepress.com.
Solon Center for the Arts: Ryn Clarke Photography Exhibition. A sequence of woodland photographs taken over a year tells the story of the creative destruction of the seasons. The show runs through March 2 at 6315 SOM Center Road. For more information, call 440-337-1400 or go to solonohio.org/index.aspx?nid=257.
Seiberling Gallery: Life on the Towpath. The Cuyahoga Valley Photographic Society embarked on a one-year project to document life on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Capturing the resource in all its natural glory, the resulting exhibition is on display through Feb. 25 at 1403 West Hines Hill Rd. in Peninsula. Call 330-657-2909 or visit conservancyforcvnp.org for more information.
