On display May 19 – August 15, 2010
Free exhibit opening on Wednesday, May 19 from 5:00-8:00 p.m.

This will be a colorful summer at MassMu with the circus taking over our second-floor galleries. Sawdust and Spectacle: Under the Big Top in Small Town America opens on May 19 – National Circus Day! Organized by the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth and funded by the Ohio Humanities Council, this exhibit will come to Massillon from its previous venue at the Ohio Art Council’s Riffe Gallery in Columbus.

Along with paintings, drawings and prints by more than two dozen artists, the exhibit will feature posters, sideshow banners, circus toys, postcards and dioramas. The Museum’s own Immel Circus, though not part of the traveling exhibit, will be a focal point of the display. Donated to the Museum upon its move to our current location in 1994, it was unveiled to the public at the Museum’s grand opening in 1996. The miniature hand-carved circus lot replica consists of 2,620 individual pieces. Museum intern Cristina Savu, along with several other volunteers, has been working diligently to dust and clean the circus diorama in time for the Sawdust and Spectacle opening.

Join us for the opening reception on Wednesday, May 19, from 5:00-8:00pm. The Museum’s front lawn will be transformed to bustling activity center featuring clowns, balloon animals, cotton candy, dance performances by the Ananda Center, and more! Free for all ages. To follow the Immel Circus Conservation progress, visit our blog.

article by Alexandra Nicholis

The Immel Circus Gallery

The Immel Circus gallery will be closed March 1 through May 15 for an exciting renovation project and re-installation! Click here to follow the journey of intern Cristina Savu and our faithful volunteers as they conserve the circus.

Immel Circus Conservation Project
By Cristina Savu

The Massillon Museum is currently working to conserve the Immel Circus. The Museum curator, Alexandra Nicholis, and intern Cristina Savu, along with a group of volunteers, are restoring this beloved Museum attraction to its original condition through basic cleaning methods under the supervision of local conservator, Larry Sisson. The volunteers working on the project are: Deb Altimus, Bonnie Barton, Kelly Eggleston, Kara Firestone, Don Liebermann, Bobbie Muhlbach, and Jessica Shoemaker.

In March, the volunteers began the cleaning process. They started by cleaning the horse-drawn wagons around the perimeter of the circus. To make the pieces look like new again, soft sable brushes and cotton-tipped applicators are being used. So far, the results have been incredible. Pieces are once again shining. In April, a scaffolding system was set in place to help reach in the interior of the circus while minimizing the risk of damage.

The newly conserved Immel Circus will be unveiled in conjunction with the opening of the Sawdust and Spectacle exhibit May 19, 2010 at the Massillon Museum in celebration of National Circus Day.

Image above: Cristina Savu and volunteer Deb Altimus carefully remove dust from the Big Top of the Immel Circus.
Image below: Dr. Robert Immel poses with his circus in the 1990s.

Click here for more about the Immel Circus.

1907-1908 Jewel Automobile

To read more about the first
and only car made in Massillon, click here.