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Parade the Circle. Photo by David Brichford, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
An unparalleled visual extravaganza and one of the signature events of the summer in Northeast Ohio, Parade the Circle features floats, dancers, live music, stilt-walkers, giant puppets, colorful costumes, vibrant characters, handmade masks and much more. For more than a quarter of a century, Parade the Circle has signaled the arrival of summer in Northeast Ohio.
Parade the Circle begins at noon this Saturday, June 10, but guests are invited to participate in interactive hands-on activities offered by local organizations in Circle Village, located in the field inside Wade Oval, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Circle Village includes tents filled with activities, entertainment, food, giveaways and more. Stop by to learn more about a variety of area nonprofits and community organizations, many of which are participating in the parade.
This year’s parade theme is Collage. During the afternoon, the Cleveland Museum of Art offers a self-guided “collage” tour through the museum’s permanent collection galleries. Through the tour, guests will learn about the origins of collage; from the invention of paper in 200 BC to examples of 10th-century Japanese calligraphers and the illuminated manuscripts of medieval Europe. From the French word coller, “to glue,” the term collage was coined by Cubist pioneers Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in 1912. Taking it beyond a technique, Braque and Picasso used collage to create Cubism and revolutionize modern art. Learn more by picking up a Collage tour brochure in the CMA’s Ames Family Atrium.
“This year's Parade theme, Collage, a collection of often disparate elements collected and altered to create a vision, works in multiple ways, referencing both a 2,000-year-old technique for making art and the quixotic manner in which Parade itself comes together,” says Robin VanLear, longtime director of Parade the Circle. “We hope the theme will inspire visitors to take our Collage tour of the CMA collection. This brief tour highlights objects that span 800 years of art making and includes some of our most recent acquisitions.”
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If you’re hoping to attend this year’s Solstice at the Cleveland Museum of Art, you’d better have already purchased your tickets. Now in its ninth year, the annual music festival is almost as well known for its early sell-outs as it is for being Cleveland’s hottest nights of the summer. Solstice 2017 takes place on Saturday, June 24, from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m.
"Solstice is the night we pull out all the stops by squeezing an entire music festival into the museum, with international groups going simultaneously on two stages late into the night,” says Tom Welsh, director of performing arts for the CMA. “Everything really comes to life, from the galleries to the atrium to the south terrace. It's our celebration of summer – art and music, electric and stylish."
Solstice features live music from international musicians, bands and DJs from around the world on two stages: the South Terrace Stage is located just outside the museum in the Fine Arts Garden and the Atrium Stage is located inside the CMA’s gorgeous glass Ames Family Atrium. This year’s lineup includes Batida, Bayonne, Botany, Dam-Funk, Pedrito Martinez Group, RAM and Third Coast Percussion. Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the night.
No ticket? Consider a membership to the CMA to be notified early next year. In the meantime, you may still be able to find tickets through secondary markets. (We
warned you!)
(Cleveland Museum of Art) 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
