The Museum of American Porcelain Art (MAPA) took over a mansion in South Euclid that used to house the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library before the library built a more appropriate space for the branch. Fortunately, the beautiful Telling Mansion was repurposed when MAPA founder Richard Barone, a South Euclid native who used the library as a child, purchased it to showcase the collections of porcelain he’d acquired.
MAPA has been one of the area’s hidden treasures, but its profile should increase a little with its upcoming partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Cleveland Alumni Chapter. That group is planning to host a gallery show there June 5-27, featuring the work of CIA alumni and faculty. Although the focus will be on ceramics, it will include work in all media. It will open with a reception on June 5 and close with a juried festival market on June 27, a day of art and conversation that should bring many people into this intriguing museum for the first time.
The CIA alumni chapter has put out a call for submissions with a deadline of April 4. If you have a connection with CIA, either as a student or faculty member (including adjuncts), go here for more information about submitting.