Canstruction® Opening Night Is Open to All

Canstruction’s® first annual Massillon area design/build competition spotlights hunger and showcases Stark County’s best designers. The gala opening will be held on Thursday, June 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The casual after-work event will be the first opportunity to see six incredible oversized sculptures created completely from canned goods. The public is invited to attend; no reservations are required. The party is free, but guests are encouraged to bring cans of food for donation to help feed the area’s hungry. Refreshments will, of course, be served.

Six teams of five members guided by architects, designers, and engineers will unveil sculptures they have built from thousands of cans of food. Size and shape of the cans as well as label colors will determine what products will be used to build works of art.

Winners will be announced at Thursday’s opening. The Canstruction® sculptures will remain on exhibition through Sunday, June 28.

Fishers Foods is the major sponsor for Massillon’s Canstruction® project. Organized by the Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce and the Massillon Museum, Canstruction® is expected to gather thousands of cans of food for the Akron/ Canton Food Bank and the Massillon Salvation Army. Competing teams will provide their own canned goods for building materials. They challenge exhibit visitors to fill food barrels at the Museum to add to the hunger relief effort. Collection barrels will also be located at the Massillon Public Library and Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce.

Canstruction® bills itself as “the most unique food charity in the world.” A foundation of the Society for Design Administration (SDA)—an affiliate of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Canstruction® is held in selected cities throughout North America. Since its inception, ten million pounds of food have been donated to aid in the fight against hunger.

The local committee, co-chaired by Sanderson and Shearer, includes architect Jeff Day and designer Yvette Otterman of Harris/Day; Museum staff members Jill Malusky Bacon, Chris Craft, Scot Philips, and Sandi Thouvenin; Captain Tawny Cowen-Zanders of the Salvation Army’s Massillon headquarters; and Margy Vogt of Margy Vogt Visions.

For information about the competition, call Christine Shearer at 330-833-4061 or Bob Sanderson at 330-833-3146, or visit massillonmuseum.org or canstruction.org.

Media Contacts:

Bob Sanderson, Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce President - 330.833.3146 / cshearer@massillonmuseum.org

Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061 / bob@massillonohchamber.com

Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525 / vogt@sssnet.com

Please consider sending a photographer during build-out on Wednesday, June 3, 3:00 to 8:00 p.m.

There should be some great visuals once the sculpture starts to take shape.