Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
3.5
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3.5
93 reviews
Excellent
22
Very good
28
Average
10
Poor
23
Terrible
10
dane292
Columbus, OH9 contributions
Mar 2021
absolutely spectacular building and interior space. It felt good to be there. I would have paid to just sit quietly in the space, but it was free!
I was hoping to see or experience something that would move me or make me see something from a different perspective. especially after all the fuss about excluded parties and experiences.
I admit I didn't stay for the entire film, but seeing a young kid frolicking in a garden sprayer, the slave ship water episode, and the phallic display wasn't particularly thought provoking, inspiring or presenting anything new. All have been done before.
I am glad that an artist might have gotten some exposure which he might haven't had previously.
It was more inspiring to drive through East Cleveland or Slavic Village.
Glad I came but doubt I would come back.
I was hoping to see or experience something that would move me or make me see something from a different perspective. especially after all the fuss about excluded parties and experiences.
I admit I didn't stay for the entire film, but seeing a young kid frolicking in a garden sprayer, the slave ship water episode, and the phallic display wasn't particularly thought provoking, inspiring or presenting anything new. All have been done before.
I am glad that an artist might have gotten some exposure which he might haven't had previously.
It was more inspiring to drive through East Cleveland or Slavic Village.
Glad I came but doubt I would come back.
Written 8 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N0rmalee
Bossier City, LA1,018 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
While experience was bad, parking lot right across the street supposedly took cash or you could charge it on an app you had to download. Machine wouldn’t accept coins or bills, finally somebody that evidently works for the company drove up and notified a repairman and was going to stay there and let others trying to park it was free til fixed. Went in and it’s free but all they had in there was a bunch of TVs/monitors with a chair to sit and watch something. Some voice apparently from one of the installations was just going thru what sounded like years…like 1972, 1973, on and on, made no sense.
Written 18 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
With4kids
Hiram, OH12 contributions
Dec 2022 • Solo
The Pros: Super friendly staff, free admission and in a vibrant neighborhood
The Cons: the artist deliberately designed the museum-wide exhibit with no signage so the I stumbled around with three other families trying to figure out what was going on. Overheard a boy on the massive stairs say to his dad that it was “scary here” and he wanted to leave (there was a creepy voice counting down numbers booming throughout the massive lobby) and another child said to his mom that it seemed like a fun house. I found the architecture cold and confusing.
Worth stopping in if you’re walking by but I wouldn’t plan your trip around this museum.
The Cons: the artist deliberately designed the museum-wide exhibit with no signage so the I stumbled around with three other families trying to figure out what was going on. Overheard a boy on the massive stairs say to his dad that it was “scary here” and he wanted to leave (there was a creepy voice counting down numbers booming throughout the massive lobby) and another child said to his mom that it seemed like a fun house. I found the architecture cold and confusing.
Worth stopping in if you’re walking by but I wouldn’t plan your trip around this museum.
Written 29 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patty B
Nashville, TN1,438 contributions
Oct 2022
There was hardly anything to see at this really beautiful building. We were really surprised. We were given a booklet but not much in that either.
We could not figure out the purpose of this museum. What we did like was huge hand outside !!! Thats the only thing we felt was worth seeing. That and the outside of the building which made us think we were going to see some wonderful contemporary art
inside.....NOT.
We could not figure out the purpose of this museum. What we did like was huge hand outside !!! Thats the only thing we felt was worth seeing. That and the outside of the building which made us think we were going to see some wonderful contemporary art
inside.....NOT.
Written 25 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave-Marilyn-15301
Washington, Pennsylvania262 contributions
Sept 2013 • Couples
We stayed next door at the Courtyard, and saw this amazing modern building. We had to go in and see what it was about But, when we went in and paid $12, we found almost no art. The collection is tiny. This is not an art criticism. Whether contemporary art is your cup of tea, is a matter of what you like. But there was almost nothing there. So enjoy the architecture, and forget about the art for a while.
Hopefully, the folks who donated the money to build the amazing building will donate for more art.
Hopefully, the folks who donated the money to build the amazing building will donate for more art.
Written 22 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYCleveland
New York City, NY1,532 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
The building is gorgeous, inside and out. It's worth a visit for the architecture alone.
But where oh where is the art? I walked inside and the only things I saw on the ground level were the ticket booth, a gift shop and a snack bar. Not a work of art in sight. There's a giant commons area that was showing a sad video to an audience of exactly zero. Why not use this space as a gallery for some giant sculpture, or for a video installation?
Once we got to the galleries the exhibitions were nicely installed. (The shows were pretty but hardly cutting edge.) There were only two shows on view. Yet there were several other spaces for classrooms, children's tables and other generic sitting areas that could easily be turned into small exhibition spaces. I'm all for education at the museum. But when you have large classrooms and sitting areas showing nothing but boring videos to an audience of nobody, you have to wonder what happened to the museum's dedication to showing actual art?
Overall, the place is worth seeing for the building. But until the museum starts showing envelope-pushing exhibitions, and turns over more of its space to galleries -- not classrooms, children's drawing areas or rooms that play educational videos nobody wants to watch -- it's not worth revisiting.
But where oh where is the art? I walked inside and the only things I saw on the ground level were the ticket booth, a gift shop and a snack bar. Not a work of art in sight. There's a giant commons area that was showing a sad video to an audience of exactly zero. Why not use this space as a gallery for some giant sculpture, or for a video installation?
Once we got to the galleries the exhibitions were nicely installed. (The shows were pretty but hardly cutting edge.) There were only two shows on view. Yet there were several other spaces for classrooms, children's tables and other generic sitting areas that could easily be turned into small exhibition spaces. I'm all for education at the museum. But when you have large classrooms and sitting areas showing nothing but boring videos to an audience of nobody, you have to wonder what happened to the museum's dedication to showing actual art?
Overall, the place is worth seeing for the building. But until the museum starts showing envelope-pushing exhibitions, and turns over more of its space to galleries -- not classrooms, children's drawing areas or rooms that play educational videos nobody wants to watch -- it's not worth revisiting.
Written 23 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LeahK123
Lakewood, OH117 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
The outside of the building is interesting. When you walk in you see an impressive design on the one wall but that is the best part. It is down hill from there. I feel like the stairs take up a large part of the space and I am sure it is intentional since they lead to a dead end at the top and you can look over to see all of the stairs. The best part was looking out the window and seeing one of our favorite places to get lunch. We looked at and experience the few displays but did not see the point. The first Saturday of every month is free so that would be the only time to go check it out. It is not worth the $9.00 for admission on any of the other days.
Written 5 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
margaret m
Hudson, OH22 contributions
Mar 2013 • Friends
After months of looking forward to the new MOCA, I was sorely disappointed by this museum. While the exterior adds a fascinatingly different look to its new University Circle location, the interior is just another trendy mass of dull gray concrete. Where we thought windows should be to open a novel view of the area, instead there were gray slab walls. Boring!
While I was fascinated by the art pieces present , I really felt cheated by how few were on display.
If visitors to C-Town want to see great architecture, arrange for a tour of the Peter B Lewis building on CWRU campus. And for art, The Cleveland Museum of Art remains the pride of Cleveland.
While I was fascinated by the art pieces present , I really felt cheated by how few were on display.
If visitors to C-Town want to see great architecture, arrange for a tour of the Peter B Lewis building on CWRU campus. And for art, The Cleveland Museum of Art remains the pride of Cleveland.
Written 30 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
10thdoctor
cleveland1 contribution
This is a great place to see the most contemporary artists exhibitions if you happen to be in Cleveland. The staff are always friendly and well educated, the store is unlike any other and the museum is free on Fridays.
Written 29 December 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brendan S
Arlington, VA2,151 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
MOCA has a very distinctive design - somewhat resembling a spaceship- befitting a contemporary art museum. It has four levels and the dominant architectural feature is stairs.
It’s a very small museum with very little space devoted to art. There’s an art-free lobby with a gift shop, a library nook, creative areas for adults and children, and two small galleries of art. One gallery had a half dozen individual sound booths; the other had a dozen mostly freestanding installations with limited explanations. It would be hard to spend more than a half hour viewing the art. The $9.50 admission fee is a lot for such a tiny collection on display.
It’s a very small museum with very little space devoted to art. There’s an art-free lobby with a gift shop, a library nook, creative areas for adults and children, and two small galleries of art. One gallery had a half dozen individual sound booths; the other had a dozen mostly freestanding installations with limited explanations. It would be hard to spend more than a half hour viewing the art. The $9.50 admission fee is a lot for such a tiny collection on display.
Written 26 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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