This MOCA Isn't Coffee, and It's Coming to Cleveland

Jill Snyder gestured to a dirt lot scarred with tire marks and dotted with piles of gravel, explaining how in just a few months, that same space will be occupied by a tree-lined plaza.

Snyder, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland’s executive director, was one of about 50 people mingling and marveling at MOCA’s new house of art in University Circle during its “signing off” event yesterday. Donors and members of MOCA’s board signed the building’s stainless steel cladding with permanent marker, marking the completion of its exterior.

The building is an odd shape. It resembles a bulging Chinese takeout container, but one for a king, or maybe Batman. The outside, although black, reflects the sun and the surrounding environment, giving it a look that’s dark and edgy, yet somehow colorful and interactive at the same time. The chic exterior almost teases passersby, with windows showing off only certain segments of the museum.

The new building, at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road, opens Oct. 8, replacing MOCA’s old house in the former Cleveland Play House complex in Midtown. The move is a product of “opportunity and necessity,” said Stewart Kohl, a MOCA board member and co-chair of the building campaign. The old location “wasn’t convenient to our constituency.”

The building itself is a work of art that will complement the pieces on display. A virtual tour shows broad white staircases, Navy blue outer walls and light fixtures illuminating art on white inner walls.

The $35 million project involved a decade-long effort from brainstorming to completion, but only took 16 months to construct. More than 60 donors gave $25,000 or more, with several more contributors at lower levels.

The museum is expected to be a central fixture in University Circle’s Uptown district, a new retail and residential neighborhood.

Snyder and Kohl addressed the small crowd, which Kohl dubbed “MOC-ites.” They ranged from elderly art lovers to yellow-vested Donley’s construction workers clad in hard hats. Many ate Sweetie Fry ice cream as they stood in the sun. One woman described the move as “wonderful.”

“I love the architecture,” said Elaine Harris Green, an abstract painter who donated $10,000 to the effort. “I can’t wait to go inside and see the art.”

Kohl, who had just returned to Cleveland on a flight from New York, noted how he could see the building “clear as a bell” from the sky, which prompted some ooh-ing and ahh-ing from the audience.

“And the finishing won’t just be the bricks and mortar, but it’ll be the lights and the program and the people that this is going to generate,” Kohl said.

“This is going to become one of the most exciting corners in Ohio, if not the U.S.”

The Art of Exercise

Exercise is boring if you ask me. So I like to combine my efforts with food and culture.
That’s why my favorite weekend workout includes things like gelato and sculpture.
Here’s the routine. One a nice, sunny Saturday the husband and I suit up in t-shirts, jeans, and walking shoes. We hike from Cleveland Heights to University Circle, a round trip of about five miles. Sometimes we go through Lakeview Cemetery; otherwise we take the Mayfield Road route. There are hills to climb on the way home insuring some cardiovascular benefits. Our destination, now that it’s open once again, is usually the Cleveland Museum of Art . The renovated galleries are spectacular. The gorgeous colors on the walls and an abundance of natural light make the pieces pop. Familiar works are seen as if for the first time- very exciting. I was entranced by the 19th century marble Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance in the Neoclassical Gallery. She looked as if she might step down from her pedestal and kick up her heels at any moment.
Back to the exercise plan. Our start time corresponds with lunch, so we stop at Presti’s Bakery for stromboli and a slice of pizza. Thus fortified we continue our exertions. We head home between 3 and 4 PM, the coffee-break hour. At this point there are serious decisions to be made- should we go to Corbo’s Bakery and Cafe for cappuccino and cannoli or Anthony’s for gelato? We have done it both ways and found each equally satisfying. Arriving home me and my guy feel righteous and pleased with ourselves. The cars stayed in the driveway. Leg muscles were engaged, and we burned calories (thus balancing those we consumed) rather than fossil fuel. Local businesses were supported. Our minds were expanded. But most important of all as far as I’m concerned- I enjoyed myself and that means this is one exercise regimen I’m likely to continue.