Holocaust Survivor's Art Opens Free to Public in November

A Holocaust survivor's raw artistic journey is now available to everyone, thanks to a Cleveland museum opening its doors for free throughout November.

The Maltz Museum in Beachwood is waiving admission fees to its Boris Lurie exhibit, allowing unlimited access to a collection that remained mostly unseen until the artist's death in 2008. Lurie survived Nazi-occupied Latvia and turned his trauma into more than 200 paintings, drawings, photographs, and writings now on display through January 27, 2027.

The Ohio Holocaust and Genocide Memorial and Education Commission partnered with the museum to remove financial barriers to this important story. Executive Director Holly Hollingsworth says making the exhibition available to as many people as possible advances their mission of Holocaust education across the state.

Museum director Aaron Petersal emphasizes the urgency of preserving survivor stories as firsthand witnesses grow fewer. Personal narratives like Lurie's create powerful connections that statistics and textbooks cannot, he explains.

The exhibit titled "Nothing To Do But To Try" reveals uncomfortable truths about history while celebrating human resilience. Lurie processed unimaginable suffering through artistic expression, creating a visual testimony that speaks across generations.

The Ripple Effect

This marks the second successful collaboration between the Maltz Museum and the state commission. Their previous partnership brought "The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Łódź Ghetto" to wider audiences, proving that accessible Holocaust education changes hearts and minds.

Petersal hopes both first-time visitors and longtime supporters will leave with renewed commitment to fighting bigotry, discrimination, and antisemitism. Lurie's story grounds the inconceivable scale of the Holocaust in one person's lived experience, making history personal and impossible to ignore.

The free admission initiative encourages new audiences to discover the museum while giving returning visitors another chance to engage with this remarkable collection. Reservations opened this week for visits between November 1 and November 30.

Museum hours run Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended Wednesday hours until 9 p.m. The partnership demonstrates how public institutions can work together to ensure vital historical lessons reach everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

Free access to powerful Holocaust education reminds us that remembering the past protects our future.