Cleveland Museum of Art, The May Show

Cleveland Museum of Art

The May Show

Gordon Barrick had a long and sustained association with the Cleveland Museum of Art May Show from its start in 1919 through 1934.

Some 40 pieces were exhibited at 14 annual May Shows during this 15-year period.

The color image to the right shows an oil painting titled "Early Snow".

"Early Snow" won First Prize in Landscape Class and the Penton Medal for Excellence at the first May Show in 1919.

"Early Snow" was later exhibited at a retrospective held during the 25th anniversary year of the May Show in 1944.

May Show History

For almost 75 years the May Show served as a forum for highlighting the vitality, creativity, and variety of the arts of Cleveland and the Western Reserve.

The museum officially organized the First Annual Exhibition of Artists in 1919.

In 1919, thirty-three categories dictated the type of art entered, with the number of categories peaking at forty-four in 1920.

The director selected jurors for the May Show during the year prior to the show.

Jurors, usually not associated with The Cleveland Museum of Art, included museum directors, curators, art professionals, professors, and artists who were experts in their media.

Some of the more famous artists who served as jurors included George Bellows, 1921; Edward Hopper, 1932; Georgia O’Keefe, 1937; and Ansel Adams, 1963.

Certain special awards also appeared during the May Show’s history.

John A. Penton offered The Penton Medal for Excellence through the Cleveland Art Association from 1919 to 1922.

The last May Show was held in 1993.

Excerpts from the "Guide to the Records of the May Show", a web publication of the Ingalls Library at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Records for the following section titled, May Show Exhibits, were located in the "May Show Database", a web publication of the Ingalls Library at the Cleveland Museum of Art.