CLEVELAND, OH—July 7, 2026—The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has launched a new microsite designed to expand access to Fashion & Feather, the cross-disciplinary exhibition presented in partnership with the Kent State University Museum and the Kent State School of Fashion.
Created with support from A. Calvin Design, this online content, which can be accessed via phone, tablet, or other devices, serves as a digital companion to the exhibition, offering visitors expanded ways to experience it through audio, Spanish translations, and digital access to exhibition text panels. QR-code signage providing access to the content has been installed in the Museum’s Visitor Hall and Corning Gallery.
The microsite was developed as part of the Museum’s ongoing work to make exhibition content available in more ways for more visitors. To support this effort, the Museum worked with a translator to provide Spanish-language exhibition labels and invited representatives from the Cleveland Sight Center to experience the digital content and the physical exhibition. Their feedback offered valuable perspectives on the project and helped inform how digital tools can complement the gallery experience.
“Fashion & Feather offered a meaningful opportunity to think about accessibility in a more adaptable and visitor-centered way,” said Meenakshi Sharma, Acting President and CEO. “As a pilot effort, this digital companion allows more visitors to engage with the exhibition in the way that works best for them, while helping inform how we make future exhibitions even more accessible.”
Designed as a kind of “digital twin” for the exhibition, the microsite allows visitors to access exhibition content on their own devices while moving through the gallery. Audio features support visitors with low vision, while Spanish translations help make the exhibition more welcoming to multilingual audiences. The platform also creates flexibility for the Museum, allowing content to be updated, expanded, or adapted as accessibility needs and visitor feedback evolve.
On view at the Museum through October 11, 2026, Fashion & Feather explores the beauty, complexity, and cultural significance of feathers through historic fashion, ornithological specimens, cultural objects, and contemporary student designs. Organized by species—including peacocks, ostriches, kingfishers, and roosters—the exhibition pairs feather-adorned garments and accessories from the Kent State University Museum’s historic fashion collection with ornithological and cultural objects from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s research collections.
Fashion & Feather is partly located in the Museum’s Visitor Hall, which is always free to the public. To access the rest of the exhibition in Corning Gallery, visitors may purchase a general admission ticket. The exhibition received generous sponsorship from Presenting Sponsor Mrs. Robin Heiser, Supporting Sponsor Cathy Lincoln, and Partner Sponsors Regina and Gregg Eisenberg, Dr. Michael and Mrs. Catherine Keith, Dr. Linda L. McDonald, Judith McMillan, and Park Ohio.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History illuminates the world around us and inspires visitors to engage with the natural forces that shape their lives. Since its founding in 1920, the Museum has pioneered scientific research to advance knowledge across diverse fields of study and used its outstanding collections, which encompass millions of artifacts and specimens, to deepen the public’s understanding of the dynamic connections between humans and nature. Through its Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 12,500 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A community gathering place, educational center, and research institution, the Museum is a vital resource that serves Cleveland and the nation. For more information, visit CMNH.org.
Media Contact
Samantha Guenther
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Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Office: 216.231.4600 x3432
Mobile: 440.429.2902
sguenther@cmnh.org
