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Made in America: Functional Art in Early America

Adults

Enjoy a hands-on exploration of colonial art by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Cleveland Museum of Art comes to you! Interact with authentic works of art from around the world and across 5,000 years of human history. We focus on objects as primary source material, witnesses to history that participants can handle and examine. Guided by their curiosity and wonder, participants make observations, form connections, and generate questions, while museum educators share information about each object. This is not a lecture; it's a conversation. We want to know your thoughts and ideas! Discussion is highly encouraged!

Colonial life was not easy. European colonists often had to make do without things they once considered essential such as tools, plates, and spoons. As they worked to establish their homes, they had to get creative. Sometimes this meant reusing materials and transforming an object's use into something else. Other times it meant making improvements on technology. The objects in this program invite participants to imagine American life during the 1700s and 1800s and the resourcefulness of settlers as they established their world.