Premier Exhibitions Inc. has signed a deal to bring an educational showcase about the human body to East Fourth and Euclid Avenue. "BODIES . . . The Exhibition" will open June 5 and run through October in a ground-floor space across from the Corner Alley.
View full size"BODIES . . . The Exhibition," which features preserved bodies like this dart thrower, will open in June in a space along downtown Cleveland's East Fourth Street.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The newest tenant on East Fourth Street won't be searing steaks, frying frites or dishing out duck breast.
Rather, this upcoming addition to downtown Cleveland's restaurant row aims to serve up a meal for the mind.
Premier Exhibitions Inc. has signed a deal to bring an educational showcase about the human body to East Fourth and Euclid Avenue. "BODIES . . . The Exhibition" will open June 5 and run through October in a ground-floor space across from the Corner Alley.
About the exhibition
Starting June 5, "BODIES" will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets will be $22 for adults and $14 for children ages 3 to 12, though a variety of discounts are available. For more information, visit BodiesCleveland.com.
Premier, a publicly traded company based in Atlanta, has started construction for its 14,000-square-foot exhibition, which will feature real bodies that have been dissected and preserved. The company is one of several players in the body-show business. The last such display in Cleveland was in 2005, when a competing show called "Body Worlds 2" spent five months at the Great Lakes Science Center and attracted 270,000 visitors.
These popular body exhibitions have caused controversy over the source of the bodies, how they're preserved and the idea of putting human remains on display to make a profit. The remains in the "BODIES" show come from Dalian Medical University Plastination Laboratories in China.
The bodies have been preserved through a process in which the water and fat are replaced with acetone, then silicone. The exhibits also includes organs, body parts and displays about the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory and circulatory systems.
"This exhibit is really about the human body, the beauty and complexity of it," said John Zaller, a Cleveland Heights native and Premier's vice president for creative and design. "We create an environment in which people can learn more about their bodies, in a way that answers their questions and helps them understand how they can take a larger role in taking care of their bodies."Zaller said Premier chose to bring "BODIES" to East Fourth because of the street's central location and historic buildings. The exhibition space, once occupied by a sandwich shop and clothing stores, sits next to the House of Blues, a few steps from major restaurants and a short walk from Progressive Field, Tower City and downtown office towers.
"We felt that this was the right time for us to be in Cleveland," Zaller said. "It's a great time of the year downtown, there's a lot of activity there, and an exhibit of this type has not been in the market for five years.
"I'm aware of what a gem Cleveland is, so I'm really excited to bring this exhibition to my city."
East Fourth developer and landlord Ari Maron said the "BODIES" show will be a destination. A temporary exhibition is a new type of tenant for the restaurant-dominated street, but Maron said "BODIES" fits with his family's goal of attracting "world-class" occupants of any type.
"It's a great opportunity to bring people downtown and have them visit lower Euclid and have them visit East Fourth Street," said Joe Marinucci, president and chief executive officer of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.