Raphaela Platow, the Alice & Harris Weston Director at the Contemporary Arts Center, caught us up on the latest happenings at the CAC this fall and beyond. From a fascinating pop culture assortment to admission changes to being the subject of your very own storytelling experience, this fall at the CAC is not-to-be-missed.

Which exhibition(s) are you most excited for this fall?

I am really thrilled about Mark Mothersbaugh's Myopia, (which) includes documentation and music from his DEVO days: prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, rugs and video animations; performances; newly-produced musical and sculptural installations; and most notably, a lifelong series of postcard-sized works which will be exhibited in its entirety. It is a vibrant exhibition that is the epitome of the artist's amazing, multifaceted artistic brain.

Which performance are you most excited for this fall?

(I am also really thrilled about) our performance with Jens Lekman. Jens seeks to turn your personal stories into song. Following a public call for story submissions, a diverse collection will be chosen with selected storytellers sitting down with Jens to share their tales of love, fear, and secrets. From there, Jens and his band will assemble the details of each conversation and quickly construct a pop song related to the shared moment. Once written, the songs will be immediately recorded and released online to the masses, each one serving as a celebration of the moments that shape us, and the world. This approach to song making is really intriguing to me.

Which exhibition do you think will be the most popular among the general public?

Mark Mothersbaugh. Popular music, movies and art collide in his exhibition Myopia. This retrospective by the Akron, Ohio-born Mothersbaugh combines art and music from the early 1970s through the present day. Well known as a founding member of the popular band DEVO, Mothersbaugh has been a prolific artist since before the band’s inception, and continues to produce work that makes the case for his position as an important figure in contemporary culture.  There are more than 30,000 works in the Mark Mothersbaugh exhibition!

Is your organization trying anything new this fall?

We are working hard on making CAC free of admission for the next three years! One lead gift comes from The Johnson Foundation, and 50 individuals under and around 40 will provide the second lead gift as a group. It's amazing that a group of younger individuals care so much about CAC and the city that they give from their heart to provide the opportunity for all people to experience the best of contemporary art for free.