Garden City Dreams: Shaker Heights and the Van Sweringens

January 15, 2026 | 7-8:30pm | Shaker Library | REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Join Makialani Kanewa-Mariano, Education & Outreach Manager at the Shaker Historical Society, on January 15 to explore how the innovative Garden City Movement inspired the Van Sweringen brothers to develop Shaker Heights, Ohio’s first planned garden style suburb. Discover how their vision blended nature, architecture, and modern infrastructure into a model of early 20th-century community design that continues to be studied, admired, and celebrated today.

Presented in partnership with the Shaker Heights Public Library, this talk will be held on January 15, 2026 from 7:00-8:30pm in the Shaker Library’s Boulevard and Fernway rooms as part of the America250-Ohio celebration of Ohio’s Firsts and Originals. This is a free event, but registration is required: givebutter.com/gardencitydreams

Brought One Dark Night Exhibit Opening

More information coming soon!

In a letter to an old friend, Jemima Mousseau described herself as one of three Menominee children taken at night to the North Union Shaker Village in Warrensville Township. Her remarkable life, uncovered through new historical research, reveals themes of movement, resilience, and the fluid nature of identity in 19th- and early 20th-century Ohio.

Brought One Dark Night will open November 2025 and share Jemima’s story in depth for the first time. The exhibition is supported in part by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

What if...Why not? — September 27, 2025 - February 15, 2026 

Cleveland artist Chi-Irena Wong invites viewers into a playful and absurd world where the illogical becomes ordinary. Through humorous “what if” scenarios—like grocery shopping in claw machines, wearing shoes as hats, or dining on lint-burgers—her work challenges perceptions of what is normal and what is absurd. Layered with quirky details and whimsical characters, the pieces reward active looking, sparking discovery and delight. Wong’s fantastical worlds encourage us to question our own reality with humor and curiosity, leaving space for joy, laughter, and the invention of our own silly possibilities.

What if...Why not? opens September 27 during AppleFest and will be on view through February 15, 2026. This exhibition is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

Brought One Dark Night — January - April 2026 

In a letter to an old friend, Jemima Mousseau described herself as one of three Menominee children taken at night to the North Union Shaker Village in Warrensville Township. Her remarkable life, uncovered through new historical research, reveals themes of movement, resilience, and the fluid nature of identity in 19th- and early 20th-century Ohio.

Brought One Dark Night, on view November 2025 through April 2026, shares Jemima’s story in depth for the first time. The exhibition is supported in part by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.