With bands on the outdoor stage at the bottom of the grand entrance, and DJs in the region’s largest indoor space, the Ames Family Atrium, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s biggest party of the year was graced with excellent weather and an all-inclusive casual elegance that encouraged strolling and exploring, meeting diverse new friends and old, and enjoying each other’s company as hosts of one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in the world.
The annual Solstice revelry has an impeccable reputation and the 2023 edition on 06.26.2023 was second to none. Speed Talks in the galleries allowed for quick analysis and appreciation of the Museum’s world-class collection, from German Expressionism to Baroque sculpture to French tapestries and Chinese paintings.
Kicking off with the Afro-Cuban sounds of OKAN, to the Bazurto All Stars from Cartegena, Columbia, fusing African champeta, folkloric and electronic music, cumbia, vallenato, reggae, ska and even symphonic music, to La Sra. Tomasa, mixing up rock, timba, reggae, Hip-Hop, drum’n’bass, house, boogaloo, and salsa, to the closers Goldfish, an electronic duo offering elements of house, pop, jazz and African music, the massive crowd swayed and grooved in the warm night air.
Inside, under the seemingly infinite arched roof of the Atrium, DJs took turns setting the vibe for spontaneous dance parties: DJ Red-I, DJ Nuera, Selecta & DJ Mark Who? entertained while inflatable art by Bill Kennedy and LED screens by Kevin Jackson dazzled the eye.
Jackson’s titanic projections on the colossal outdoor facade of the Museum, controlled live by the artist in the same way a DJ would spin vinyl, caused whiplash as the throngs gawked back and forth between the scintillating live music on the stage in front of them, and the outrageously colorful and surrealistic projections behind them. Our guess is that heads will be spinning for days, with memories for a lifetime.
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