# CMA Art MCP > Explore 60,000+ artworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art directly through your agent. Use this MCP to search collections by keyword, find visual matches to existing pieces, and pull detailed records on creators and past exhibitions. ## Overview - **Category:** knowledge-management - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** art-history, museum-collection, open-access, curation, cultural-heritage ## Description Need deep art history research without digging through endless museum catalogs? This connector gives you direct access to over 60,000 artworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Instead of navigating complex public APIs or jumping between dozens of gallery pages, your AI agent handles it all. You can filter the entire collection by department, technique, specific artists—even identifying works by underrepresented communities. Need inspiration? Use image similarity search to find pieces that look like what you’re currently viewing. The system also keeps detailed records on every creator and past exhibition, so you're always connected to context. It connects directly through Vinkius, making museum data available in your workflow whether you're working from Claude, Cursor, or any other compatible client. ## Tools ### get_artwork Retrieves the full record for one artwork using its accession number or Athena ID. ### get_creator Pulls a specific creator's detailed profile and associated works by their unique ID. ### get_exhibition Gets the record for a single, specified exhibition using its ID. ### get_may_show_creator Retrieves information specifically about artists who participated in the museum's annual 'May Shows'. ### search_artworks Searches the entire collection of artworks using multiple filters like keyword, department, or technique. ### search_creators Finds matching creator records across the museum’s database. ### search_exhibitions Searches for details on specific past or current exhibitions by name or date. ### search_may_show_creators Finds artists who were involved in the museum's 'May Shows' series. ### search_similar_artworks Performs an image search to locate artworks that are visually similar to a provided image. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Search for Impressionist paintings in the Cleveland Museum collection. ``` **Response:** ``` I've searched the collection using `search_artworks`. I found several notable Impressionist works, including pieces by Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot. Would you like the details for 'Water Lilies' (1915.634)? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get full metadata for artwork with accession number 1953.424. ``` **Response:** ``` Using `get_artwork`, I've retrieved the record for 'The Crucifixion'. It is a 14th-century tempera on wood by an unknown Florentine artist, currently located in Gallery 204a. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Find information about the creator 'Vincent van Gogh'. ``` **Response:** ``` I've used `search_creators` to find Vincent van Gogh (ID: 1048). He was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter (1853–1890). The museum holds several of his works, including 'The Large Plane Trees'. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search the full collection Find artworks using keywords, departments, techniques, or specific artist groups. ### Identify visually related art Upload an image and find pieces from the museum that look similar to it. ### Retrieve detailed creator profiles Get biographies, associated works, and historical data for thousands of artists. ### Look up specific artwork metadata Pull the precise record—including accession numbers and dimensions—for a single piece. ### Track exhibition history Search for details on both current and past museum shows. ## Use Cases ### A student needs background images for a paper. The student asks their agent, 'Find CC0 quality art from the 19th century.' The agent uses `search_artworks` to narrow results by department and date, delivering high-quality image options directly. ### A designer needs visual inspiration for a client pitch. The designer uploads a reference photo and asks the agent to find matches. The agent runs `search_similar_artworks`, providing several historical pieces that capture the correct aesthetic tone. ### An art history professor needs source material for a lecture. The professor asks, 'What artists were featured in May Shows between 1950 and 1960?' The agent uses `search_may_show_creators` to compile the list of relevant creators. ### A researcher needs full provenance details for a single piece. The researcher supplies an accession number. The agent runs `get_artwork`, pulling every associated detail, including dimensions and copyright status, into one report. ## Benefits - Instantly filter the entire collection. You don't need to browse hundreds of pages; just ask your agent to use `search_artworks` to find all Impressionist works by a certain artist or technique. - Go beyond text search with visual discovery. Use image similarity search to find artworks that match a mood board, rather than relying on descriptive keywords. - Build out research profiles easily. You can run `search_creators` and then use `get_creator` to pull full biographies for your sources without leaving the chat window. - Keep track of context with exhibition data. Use `search_exhibitions` to see what was shown in a given period, making it easier to contextualize an artwork’s history. - Verify technical details instantly. Need to know the exact dimensions or copyright status? Just run `get_artwork` on the accession number for precise metadata. ## How It Works The bottom line is you can use your agent to query massive cultural databases without ever touching complex API calls yourself. 1. Subscribe to this MCP in the Vinkius catalog. 2. Your AI client connects automatically; no API key is needed for public access. 3. Ask your agent a question about art history or an artwork, and it performs the search against the museum's open data. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I find visually similar artwork using search_similar_artworks?** You upload an image to your agent, and it executes `search_similar_artworks`. The tool then queries the collection database to pull back pieces that match the visual style or composition of your input image. **Can I get detailed information about a creator using get_creator?** Yes. You provide the creator's unique ID, and the agent uses `get_creator` to retrieve their full biography and a list of all associated works held in the collection. **What is the difference between search_artworks and get_artwork?** `search_artworks` runs broad queries, letting you filter by keyword or department across many pieces. `get_artwork` is precise; it pulls the complete record for one specific piece using its unique accession number. **How do I search for exhibitions that happened last year? Use search_exhibitions.** You use `search_exhibitions` and provide the date range or name of the exhibition you're interested in. The tool returns details, including dates and participating works. **Do I need an API key for search_similar_artworks?** No. The MCP connects to the museum’s open access API, so no private keys are required for running image similarity searches through your agent. **How do I get all the technical details, like copyright status, for a single piece using `get_artwork`?** Run `get_artwork` to pull comprehensive metadata. This retrieves critical information about one specific item, including its precise dimensions, accession number, and current copyright standing. **What is the best way to find artists who participated in the museum's 'May Shows' using `search_may_show_creators`?** You use `search_may_show_creators`. This tool filters results specifically for creators involved in those annual exhibitions, making it much more targeted than a general search of all artists. **Can I filter my art search using specific departments or techniques with `search_artworks`?** Yes, `search_artworks` supports deep filtering. You can narrow your results by department, technique, keywords, or even by specific artist demographics. **How can I find artworks that are currently on view in the museum galleries?** You can use the `search_artworks` tool and set the `currently_on_view` parameter to true. This will filter the results to show only pieces you can see in person at the museum. **Can I find visually similar artworks using an image file?** Yes! The `search_similar_artworks` tool allows you to provide a local file path to an image. The server will then return artworks from the collection that share visual characteristics. **How do I get the full biography and details of a specific artist?** Use the `get_creator` tool with the specific creator's ID. It will return their full biographical record, nationality, birth/death dates, and associated artworks.