“Midori” Features Japanese-Inspired Fashions and an Abbreviated Tea Ceremony

“Midori” Features Japanese-Inspired Fashions and an Abbreviated Tea Ceremony

“Midori,” sponsored by the Massillon Museum, will be an evening of Japanese-inspired fashions and an abbreviated tea ceremony demonstration at the Lions Lincoln Theatre in downtown Massillon, followed by a free reception at the Massillon Museum.

The doors of the Lions Lincoln Theatre will open on Saturday, February 21, at 6:00 p.m. for the free event. Kumi Day will demonstrate an abbreviated tea ceremony at 6:30. The Fashion Student Organization of Kent State University (FSO) will model their original Japanese-inspired fashions at 7:00. The fashion students also created an original video; Kathy Guidone, art teacher at Louisville Middle School, orchestrated stage decorations.

Immediately following the fashion show, guests will be invited to walk across the street to the Massillon Museum for a reception, a display of teapots created by students in the Museum’s “Expressive Teapot” class instructed by Laura Kolinski-Schultz, and an exhibit of a man’s haori and objects used in a tea ceremony on loan from the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.

To promote “Midori,” students from Washington High School, Fairless High School, McKinley Senior High School, Glenwood Middle School, GlenOak High School, Jackson High School, Perry High School, Oakwood Middle School, Hartford Middle School, Sacred Heart of Mary School, and Louisville Middle School; Massillon Public Library Junior Friends; and Youth Manga Group at North Canton Public Library; as well as members of the Stark County Social Workers Network decorated kimono handcrafted by FSO members. The kimono display different materials—paint, fabric, sequins, beads, and more. A list of participating students and photographs of their kimono can be viewed online at www.massillonmuseum.org/kimono.html.

Prior to “Midori,” the kimono are exhibited at the Massillon Museum, Massillon Cable TV, the Massillon Club, Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA of Western Stark County, Massillon Public Library, Lions Lincoln Theatre, Kent State University Stark Campus, North Canton Public Library, Enger Auto Service in Massillon, Kent State University Fashion School (main campus), Canton Woman’s Club, and the Malone University Art Department. On the night of the event, they will be exhibited at the Lions Lincoln Theatre, where the audience will judge them. The students whose design is selected as the best will earn complimentary tickets to the "Kimono as Art" exhibition at the Canton Museum of Art. All students who decorated kimono will receive student memberships to the Massillon Museum.

The “Midori” project is funded by Arts In Stark in conjunction with the “Kimono as Art” exhibition at the Canton Museum of Art. The Massillon Museum is sponsoring “Midori” and the countywide display of original kimono. Massillon Museum Curator Alexandra Nicholis has coordinated the project with Kent State University student and FSO president, Gretchen Greenwood. The FSO organized the fashion show and the accompanying video, designed the original fashions to be presented, and created the blank kimono that have been decorated and displayed throughout the county.

For more information about “Midori” and the kimono display, contact Alexandra Nicholis at the Massillon Museum, 330-833-4061, or visit massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:

Alexandra Nicholis, Massillon Museum Curator - anicholis@massillonmuseum.org or 330-833-4061

Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525

“Expressive Art Class”

MassMu “Expressive Art Class”

The Massillon Museum will offer a a four-week adult program, “Expressive Art Class: Watercolor Painting with the Tao Technique,” beginning on Wednesday, March 4. The class will meet from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. each Wednesday with instructor Karen Elvin.

Massillon Museum classes are open to everyone. The class fee, $49 ($39 for Massillon Museum members), must be submitted along with registration information by February 27—in person, by phone (330-833-4061), or online (www.massillonmuseum.org). The Museum accepts cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call Museum Educator Jill Malusky Bacon at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:

Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061

Jill Malusky Bacon, Educator - 330-833-4061

Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525

Gilded Age Ball Introduces The Big Read

Massillon Museum’s Gilded Age Ball Introduces The Big Read

Imagine dancing the night away at a “Gilded Age Ball” on the stage of the Lions Lincoln Theatre to period music by members of the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

The Massillon Museum will launch The Big Read 2009 with a gala event on Saturday, February 28. The music will start at 8:00 p.m. and conclude at midnight, when free copies of The Age of Innocence will be distributed to all who attend. This year’s book selection, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, portrays social life during The Gilded Age—the late 1800s and the turn of the 20th century.

Tickets, $25 per person, include refreshments. A cash bar will be available. Tickets for The Gilded Age Ball are available at the Massillon Museum in person, by phone at 330-833-4061, or online at www.massillonmuseum.org. The Museum accepts cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard.

For those who simply wish to watch and those who need to brush up on their waltz and fox trot steps, skilled ballroom dancers will be on hand to demonstrate and instruct. “We hope that many area people who have taken up ballroom dancing as a result of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ will plan to attend the ball,” said Gretchen Schrantz, a Museum volunteer who is chairing the event.

“Costumes and period clothing are encouraged, but certainly not required,” said Massillon Museum Executive Director Christine Shearer, who leads The Big Read project. “Many of the staff and committee will be in ball gowns and tails,” she said. “That means there will be enough Victorian flavor to set the atmosphere and make anyone comfortable who wants to come in costume. But we know that many guests will prefer to wear contemporary clothes.” Museum events often invite costumes, but there is always an easy mix of styles.

The Big Read will be a month-long celebration of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, funded by a competitive grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Massillon Rotary Foundation has provided additional funding to purchase copies of the book for classroom use. 2009 marks the second year the National Endowment for the Arts has granted funding for the Massillon Museum’s ambitious participation in The Big Read—a national initiative to help Americans return to reading for leisure.

The Big Read, the largest federal literature program since the W.P.A., is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The Big Read brings together partners across the country to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment.

For more information about western Stark County’s Big Read project, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org or www.NEABigRead.org.

Media Contacts:

Christine Shearer - Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061

Margy Vogt - Massillon Museum PR Coordinator - 330-844-1525

History Group To Meet

Massillon Museum History Group To Meet

The Massillon Museum’s History Discussion Group, “Massillon Remembers,” will talk about “Wish You Were Here” (postcard collecting) at its monthly session at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3, at the Museum. Participants may tell about interesting cards they have sent, received, or collected and are encouraged to bring postcards to help illustrate their stories. Chris Craft moderates the discussion.

The History Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 10:00 a.m. until noon to chat casually about a pre-announced topic, usually a narrow segment of Massillon history. The March session will be “So Long, Cod Liver Oil!” (home remedies); April will cover old-time radio; and the May topic will be favorite or unusual pets and animal experiences.

The “Massillon Remembers” group is free and open to everyone; new participants are welcome at any time. Some people come to every session; others attend when the topic is of particular interest. No reservations are required.

Coffee and sweets are available for a donation in the Fred F. Silk Community Room, where the group meets, or participants may wish to get a specialty coffee and a muffin in the Chit Chat Coffee Shop on their way through the Museum lobby.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio 172), in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.


Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Chris Craft, History Group Moderator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525

Chit Chat Coffee Shop Opens in the Massillon Museum

Chit Chat Coffee Shop Opens in the Massillon Museum

The Chit Chat Coffee Shop has moved to the Massillon Museum lobby. Owner Wensdy Suarez has reconstructed the warmth of her popular place at the heart of the downtown, where she will be at the center of community events and the Museum’s activities.

Visitors will find the Chit Chat’s furniture: cushioned chairs, high tables in the park-side windows, and a comfortable leather seating area in the front windows. Wireless internet service invites visitors to stay for a while. In the spring, outdoor seating will be added to the patio area.

The rich aromas lure Museum visitors to the Chit Chat, where four varieties of brewed coffee, latte with intriguing names like snowball and gingersnap, cappuccino, five kinds of Chai tea, fresh fruit and green tea smoothies, and iced drinks add an extra dimension to a Museum visit. “We serve the best mochas in town,” says Suarez. “And we can meet anyone’s special needs: decaf, sugar free, fat-free, soy, carb-free, Weight Watchers, lactose intolerant.”

For the first few weeks, the Chit Chat is serving baked goods such as muffins, bagels and cream cheese, Italian cream cake, double layer fantasy fudge cake, and deluxe turtle cheesecake. Soon the menu will include light lunch fare: soup, salad, and sandwiches.

Suarez says that her goal is to have every person leave feeling better than when he arrived. She tries to make customers feel like family. Her passion for coffee and service keeps customers coming back. “I don’t want anyone to walk out of my door with a bad experience,” says Suarez.

Customer Butch Hose says she succeeds. “This is great ambiance, he said. “You can sit in this comfortable couch and watch what goes on in the city. There’s always someone to talk to.”

Another regular customer, Bob Santos, says that Suarez retained all the flavor and atmosphere of the Chit Chat without skipping a beat. “In fact, I like it better here because parking is easy and it’s larger and more open,” he said, “but all the same people are here.”

“I’m looking forward to the outdoor seating,” customer Craig Sampsel said. For now, he loves the windows. “You can sit anywhere and see outside.”

The Chit Chat is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The shop can be reached by phone at 330-833-0795.

The Massillon Museum and the Chit Chat Coffee Shop are located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Wensdy Suarez, Chit Chat Owner - 330-833-07895
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525

MassMu Initiates Lower Level Lobby Display Series

MassMu Initiates Lower Level Lobby Display Series

Now Massillon Museum visitors can see another changing display space. Museum educator Jill Malusky Bacon has transformed two table cases and the wall backdrop in the lower lobby into a small thematic display area. She has first focused on clocks, calendars, and celebrations, marking the beginning of the new year.

One case includes a wall clock, pocket watches, a sun dial, railroad watches, and ladies’ timepieces from the Museum’s permanent collection—accompanied by famous quotations about time. The backdrop features calendars and a look at how they have evolved. The second case, representing celebration, festively displays glassware—a decanter, wine glasses, a mug, Massillon-made beer bottles, and a bottle bearing a Cabbut’s Whiskey label from the Home Liquor Company in Massillon. Images of Massillonians celebrating at parties and parades as well as international celebrations create the backdrop.

New to the Museum, Malusky Bacon invited her parents, Jack and Joanne Malusky of Medina County, to help her with the display so they could see the scope of the Massillon Museum’s collection and bring laypersons’ vision to the project.

“These seasonal displays represent a style different from the rest of the Museum,” explains Malusky Bacon. “The objects are not interpreted in the traditional way. They are not necessarily shown in social context with labels listing dates, use, and previous owners.” She hopes that this style of display will help viewers see objects in new ways. The intimate space will enable the Museum to show smaller objects that could be overwhelmed in its larger gallery spaces.

Second-floor permanent collection galleries change regularly. Right now, visitors can see the Curiosity Cabinet display, the Paul L. David Sports Gallery, a pioneer kitchen, a timeline of Massillon and Massillon Museum history, and Bob Graber’s opera house model. “The Greatest Generation”—the most recently installed second-floor exhibition— encompasses objects and images representing the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Art and artifacts surrounding The Immel Circus change, but the circus itself is on permenant exhibit.

The current main gallery show, the Stark County Artists Exhibition, will continue through February 8, 2009. First-floor exhibitions change at least five times each year.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Chit Chat Coffee Shop in the Museum lobby is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Ample free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061, or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Fowler Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director – 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Museum Educator – 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator – 330-844-1525

“Generations Collage” Workshop

“Generations Collage” Workshop

The Massillon Museum will offer a one-day “Generations Collage” workshop on Sunday, February 15, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

In conjunction with the Museum’s current exhibition, “The Greatest Generation,” instructor Karen Elvin will help each participant create a collage to honor a favorite person, using watercolor, ink, and photographs. People of all skill levels are welcome.

The $15 fee ($10 for Massillon Museum members) includes instruction and materials (except personal photographs) for the project.

Massillon Museum classes are open to everyone. Advance registration with payment must be made for this workshop by February 10—in person, by phone (330-833-4061), or online (www.massillonmuseum.org). The Museum accepts cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call Museum Educator Jill Malusky Bacon at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Educator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Club New Fukasuki

Escape your winter doldrums with an exotic night at…
Club New Fukasuki
Saturday, January 24th - 7-11 p.m.

The Massillon Museum will be transformed into a
Tokyo-Style Nightclub!

With Japanese Bento Boxes, Cash Bar, and Dancing and Entertainment by
BLOODLINE
(featuring Kevin and Hilary-James DiSimone)

And don't forget to dress the part if you wish...
in your own version of
"Funky Japanese Street Fashion"
(Think '80's, Punk, Harajuku, Hello Kitty, Pokémon...)

Valet parking available!

This will be a unique, fun evening! Don’t miss it!

Tickets
$25 per person in advance /$30 at the door
call 330-453-1075/www.kimonoexibit.com


Massillon Museum
121 Lincoln Way East
Massillon, OH 44646
330.833.4061
www.massillonmuseum.org

“Do the Mu!”—Celebrating Black History Month

“Do the Mu!”—Celebrating Black History Month

On Saturday, February 7, the Massillon Museum will be illuminated with the words and sounds of Africa. Halim El-Dabh will educate and entertain visitors through African storytelling and drumming. Born in Egypt in 1921, El-Dabh is University Professor Emeritus of African Ethnomusicology at Kent State University, where he continues to teach African Cultural Expressions. A well known artist and musician, he performs around the world, and has received honorary doctorates from Brandeis University, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Kent State University.

February’s “Do the Mu” will focus on African-American culture to commemorate Black History Month. A new program at the Massillon Museum, instituted by Museum Educator Jill Malusky Bacon, “Do the Mu” is free and open to all. Participants may drop in any time between noon and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, for a special talk and an arts activity. No pre-registration is required.

On the first Saturday of every month, the public will be invited to “Do the Mu!”—free activities for families at the Massillon Museum. The March "Do the Mu!" will focus on Victorian style in conjunction with The Big Read and the selected book, The Age of Innocence.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free. For more information, call the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Educator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Studio M: Linda McFarlin Adds Re-enactors

Linda McFarlin Adds Re-enactors and Period Food to Reception

The Massillon Museum will feature illustrations and portraits by artist Linda McFarlin in Studio M from January 23 to March 1, 2009. Her show, “Living History: A Collection of Portraits,” will be a realistic depiction of Native Americans, mountain men, longhunters, militia, and skilled crafters of the period from 1700 to 1860. Several costumed historic re-enactors will mix with guests at the opening. To accent the historic nature of the evening, McFarlin will serve period food and sassafras tea.

The exhibition will open on Friday, January 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the Massillon Museum's Fred F. Silk Community Room. The public is invited to view the artwork, meet the artist, and enjoy refreshments. As always, a visit to the Massillon Museum is free. No reservations are necessary.

McFarlin has developed educational components and invites area school teachers to contact her at 419-281-6563 to learn about programs related to this exhibit. Teachers may also contact Alexandra Nicholis at the Massillon Museum, 330-833-4061, for more information.

The McFarlin exhibition may be seen from January 23 through March 1 during regular Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., except when the Silk Room has been reserved for private functions. A call to the Museum office can confirm that the exhibit is available for viewing: 330-833-4061.

Studio M was initiated to strengthen the collaboration between the Museum and the community by showcasing the artistic talents of local, regional, and national artists. Exhibitions are selected by jurors from proposals submitted by artists. Brochures containing guidelines and an application are available by contacting the MassillonMuseum at 330-833-4061 or www.massillonmuseum.org.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org. To learn more about the artist, visit www.pinemanorgallery.com.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061 or cshearer@massillonmuseum.org
Alexandra Nicholis, Massillon Museum Curator - 330-833-4061 or anicholis@massillonmuseum.org
Linda McFarlin, Artist - 419-281-6563 or pinemanor1@aol.com
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525 or vogt@sssnet.com

MassMu Initiates Lower Level Lobby Display Series

MassMu Initiates Lower Level Lobby Display Series

Now Massillon Museum visitors can see another changing display space. Museum educator Jill Malusky Bacon has transformed two table cases and the wall backdrop in the lower lobby into a small thematic display area. She has first focused on clocks, calendars, and celebrations, marking the beginning of the new year.

One case includes a wall clock, pocket watches, a sun dial, railroad watches, and ladies’ timepieces from the Museum’s permanent collection—accompanied by famous quotations about time. The backdrop features calendars and a look at how they have evolved. The second case, representing celebration, festively displays glassware—a decanter, wine glasses, a mug, Massillon-made beer bottles, and a bottle bearing a Cabbut’s Whiskey label from the Home Liquor Company in Massillon. Images of Massillonians celebrating at parties and parades as well as international celebrations create the backdrop.

New to the Museum, Malusky Bacon invited her parents, Jack and Joanne Malusky of Medina County, to help her with the display so they could see the scope of the Massillon Museum’s collection and bring laypersons’ vision to the project.

“These seasonal displays represent a style different from the rest of the Museum,” explains Malusky Bacon. “The objects are not interpreted in the traditional way. They are not necessarily shown in social context with labels listing dates, use, and previous owners.” She hopes that this style of display will help viewers see objects in new ways. The intimate space will enable the Museum to show smaller objects that could be overwhelmed in its larger gallery spaces.

Second-floor permanent collection galleries change regularly. Right now, visitors can see the Curiosity Cabinet display, the Paul L. David Sports Gallery, a pioneer kitchen, a timeline of Massillon and Massillon Museum history, and Bob Graber’s opera house model. “The Greatest Generation”—the most recently installed second-floor exhibition— encompasses objects and images representing the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Art and artifacts surrounding The Immel Circus change, but the circus itself is on permenant exhibit.

The current main gallery show, the Stark County Artists Exhibition, will continue through February 8, 2009. First-floor exhibitions change at least five times each year.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Chit Chat Coffee Shop in the Museum lobby is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Ample free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.
For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061, or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Fowler Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director – 330-833-4061 / cshearer@massillonmuseum.org
Jill Malusky Bacon, Museum Educator – 330-833-4061 / jbacon@massillonmuseum.org
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator – 330-844-1525 / vogt@sssnet.com

Canstruction Deadline Nears

Canstruction Deadline Nears

Canstruction’s® first annual Massillon area design/build competition spotlights hunger and showcases Stark County’s best designers. The deadline for entering the competition will be Friday, January 30, at 5:00 p.m.

The Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce and the Massillon Museum invite local architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and students mentored by those professionals to organize teams to design and build structures made entirely of full cans of food. Each team will be allotted a space (10' x10' x 8' h) in the lobby and second floor of the Massillon Museum to create and display its edible work of art.

Teams will pay a $50 entry fee and acquire their own canned goods; the public will be asked to contribute canned goods to view the exhibition. At the end of the display, the food will be contributed to Stark County food banks, which often run low during spring and summer months.
Build Night will be April 1; the Judging and Awards Gala, April 2; the public exhibition, April 3 through 26; and Decanstruction, April 27.

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 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
Photographs of Canstructions from Other Communities: Margy Vogt - 330-844-1525 / vogt@sssnet.com

MassMu “Mommy or Daddy and Me” Classes

MassMu “Mommy or Daddy and Me” Classes

The Massillon Museum will offer an art class for children ages three to six, “Mommy or Daddy and Me,” beginning on February 7. The class will meet with instructor Sandi Thouvenin weekly on four Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The $49 fee ($39 for Massillon Museum members) includes all instruction and materials for a variety of hands-on art and fun for parents and children inspired by the Museum’s exhibitions and collections.

Massillon Museum classes are open to everyone. Advance registration with payment must be made for this class by February 1— in person, by phone (330-833-4061), or online (www.massillonmuseum.org). The Museum accepts cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call Museum Educator Jill Malusky Bacon at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Educator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Retired FBI Agent to Speak

Retired FBI Agent to Speak at Massillon Museum Brown Bag Lunch

Gerry Graybill will highlight his twenty-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the Massillon Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch on Tuesday, January 22.

A 1942 graduate of Washington High School, Graybill served in the U.S.Navy in the South Pacific before an eleven-year stint as a supervisor in research and development of new metals at Republic Steel. He was inducted into the FBI in 1962 during the Hoover era, serving in Birmingham, Alabama; Monterrey, California; New York City; Montgomery, Alabama; and Detroit, Michigan before final assignments in the Akron and Canton areas.

Since his mandatory retirement from the FBI at age fifty-five, Graybill has served as Canton Safety Director, taught arson investigation in the fire science program at Stark Technical College (now Stark State), and worked in the Massillon Municipal Court system.

Graybill will talk about his personal experiences during the tumultuous civil rights era in the South, his counter espionage work in New York City, and his years in Detroit during troubled times. “My experiences tell the story of the FBI during those two decades,” Graybill says. Once he drops the names of the famous people he interviewed and the events he investigated, the audience will surely enjoy a brief question and answer session.

Guests may bring a sack lunch or purchase soup, salad, or a sandwich from the Chit Chat Coffee Shop, which has recently moved to the lobby of the Museum. The Museum will continue to offer free cookies and coffee.

The program will begin promptly at 12:10 p.m. and conclude about 12:50 p.m. to accommodate guests who attend during the lunch hour.

The event, which is held in the Museum lobby, is free and open to the public; no reservations are required, but seats fill early. The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Bates Printing sponsors the Brown Bag Lunch series, which begins its seventh year with this month’s program. Schedules for the first half of the 2009 series will be available at the event.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Director - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Museum Public Relations & Lunch Series Chair - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Wartime Art and Propaganda Program

MassMu Presents Wartime Art and Propaganda Program

As an educational component of the current exhibition, “The Greatest Generation,” the Massillon Museum will present a free “Wartime Art and Propaganda” program on Sunday, January 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Dr. Leslie Heaphy, a professor at Kent State University, will collaborate with the Massillon Museum staff to offer a tour of “The Greatest Generation” exhibition, present a lecture about the style and messages of wartime art, and inspire participants to create an image of their own in the same powerful and iconic style.

The program is free and open to everyone, but pre-registration is required by Tuesday, January 20.

“The Greatest Generation,” includes artifacts, photographs, and audio recordings that represent Massillon during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Visitors will see nurses’ uniforms, Tiger Swing Band memorabilia, clothing, local business artifacts, and military items. The exhibition is intended to spark nostalgia and recollection for those who lived through the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s and help younger generations relate to the overall feeling of the era and the area. The exhibition reflects the political climate, industry, fashions, and lifestyle of Massillon area residents.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information or registration, call the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Massillon Museum Educator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Annual Meeting

Massillon Museum Annual Meeting

The Massillon Museum will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, January 29, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fred F. Silk Community Room. The meeting is open to the public and reservations are not required.

Museum Executive Director, Christine Shearer and board members will review the year. Board officers include Nancy Gessner, chairman; Jeff McMahan, vice chairman; Margaret Cocklin, treasurer; and Shane Jackson, secretary. Bill Dorman, Rick Kettler, David Lundquist, Bobbie Muhlbach, Robert Shedlarz, and Maude Slagle also served on the board during 2008. At the meeting, Judy Paquelet, David Schultz, and Bob Yund will be thanked for their service as they leave the board, and new board members will be elected.

The Board of Directors will hold its regular monthly meeting on January 29, at 4:00 p.m., in the Fred F. Silk Community Room. (The board meeting, which is usually held on the fourth Thursday of the month, has been changed to avoid conflict with the Paul L. David Humanitarian Award Dinner on January 22.)

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525 or vogt@sssnet.com

Marti Jones and Don Dixon Concert

Massillon Museum Hosts Marti Jones and Don Dixon Concert

Singer/songwriters Marti Jones and Don Dixon will headline the Massillon Museum’s Rhythms Concert on Saturday, January 31. The doors will open for social time in the lobby at 6:45 p.m.; Saturday Nite Fish Fry will open at 7:15; Jones and Dixon will take the stage at approximately 8:45 p.m.

Marti Jones
Marti Jones, a singer and painter born in Uniontown, Ohio, first recorded an album (A&M) as a member of the band, Color Me Gone, in 1983. Her first solo album, "Unsophisticated Time" (A&M, 1985) was produced by Don Dixon. Jones and Dixon subsequently married, and Dixon continues to produce his wife's albums.

Two more albums for A&M in the 1980s ("Match Game" and "Used Guitars") featured supporting musicians including Marshall Crenshaw, Mitch Easter, The Uptown Horns, Paul Carrack, T-Bone Burnett, Darlene Love, and many others. Jones's sound encompassed jangle-pop, ballads, and even southern-style soul material. Her voice and style remind some of Dusty Springfield. Others compare her voice to that of Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, or Annie Lennox.

The artist's albums include original material—mostly written by Dixon or Dixon and Jones together. She also covers songs by singer/songwriters such as Janis Ian, Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Jackie DeShannon, Richard Barone, and Graham Parker. For a move to the RCA label in 1990, Jones relied heavily on original material and adapted a more adult-contemporary sound. After one album ("Any Kind Of Lie") with RCA, she returned to her previous mix of originals and covers for "My Long Haired Life" and "Live from Spirit Square" in 1996 and "My Tidy Doily Dream" in 2002.

In the past few years, Jones has curtailed her singing career to focus on painting, but she toured with singer/songwriter Amy Rigby as "The Cynical Girls" in 2005. In 2008, Jones and Dixon released “Lucky Stars: New Lullabies for Old Souls,” a download-only album of soothing vocals and instrumentals—a departure from their previous sound.
View examples of Marti Jones’s art at www.martijonesdixon.com.

Don Dixon
Don Dixon, considered to be one of the key producers of the “jangle pop movement” of the early 1980s, has devoted his career as a singer, songwriter, musician, and producer to capturing the essence of "his life in the moment." Dixon's writing, production, and session credits include astroPuppees, Baby Shaker, Richard Barone, Jim Brock, Mark Bryan, Kim Carnes, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Caitlin Cary, Joe Cocker, The Connells, Counting Crows, Marshall Crenshaw, Pat DiNizio, The Edison Project, Fetchin Bones, GB Leighton, The Golden Palominos, Guadalcanal Diary, Hootie and the Blowfish, In Tua Nua, Marti Jones, Tommy Keene, Let's Active, James McMurtry, Moxy Fruvous, REM, The Red Clay Ramblers, The Smithereens, Snagglepuss, Ronnie Spector, The Spongetones, Chris Stamey, Matthew Sweet, The X-Teens, and dozens more.
Dixon’s solo debut, “Most of the Girls Like to Dance (But Only Some of the Boys Like To),” is a further affirmation of his love of classic pop melodies and spiky, Nick Lowe-inspired wordplay. After producing Jones’s “Unsophisticated Time,” he released his second solo effort, “Romeo at Juilliard,” in 1987 and the live “Chi-Town Budget Show” a year later. He returned to producing before releasing “Romantic Depressive” in 1995. Another lengthy hiatus preceded the 2000 release of “The Invisible Man” and its 2001 follow-up, “Note Pad #38,” His latest release, “The Entire Combustible World in One Small Room” followed in summer 2006. His longtime touring band, Jamie Hoover and Jim Brock recently named themselves "Don Dixon & the Jump Rabbits" and recorded a new platter, "The Nu-Look."

Delving into a new area of the arts, Dixon launched an acting career playing an alcoholic director in Todd Graff's 2003 film “Camp.”
Learn more about Don Dixon at www.dondixonmusic.com.

Saturday Nite Fish Fry
Artist Bili Kribbs describes the opening trio, Saturday Nite Fish Fry, as “country, folk, blues, Americana, New Orleans, classic singer/songwriter style, mellow, and sometimes sultry.” His sister Betsy Kribbs Harrison is their female vocalist. Male vocalist Steven Hughes sings and plays acoustic guitar and Darin Jacobs also plays acoustic guitar. The Stark County musicians have recently played at one of the Ananda Center’s “Art Displaced” Saturday night art events, the Geisen Haus, and private parties. Harrison can be reached at 330-361-9122.

Concert Details
The doors will open at 6:45 p.m. for social time; Saturday Nite Fish Fry will take the stage at 7:15 p.m.; Jones and Dixon will perform at approximately 8:45 p.m.
The $20 per-person pre-sale ($18 for Massillon Museum members) may be purchased in advance by calling the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 by visiting www.massillonmuseum.org. Tickets will be sold at the door ($22 non-members, $20 Massillon Museum members) as long as seats remain available. Cash, checks, and Visa and MasterCard are accepted. The concert is open to the public.

Community members have stepped forward to make the Museum’s music series possible: In Tribute of Kevin Alden Hunt; Mel and Ann Herncane; Affinity Medical Center; A.A. Hammersmith Insurance, Inc.; Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffith and Dougherty Co.; FirstMerit; The Health Plan HomeTown Region; and The Eye Clinic, Inc. WKSU is the media sponsor. Grant support is provided by the Canton/Stark County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, Ohio Arts Council, and Arts in Stark.

The Massillon Museum hosts out-of-the-mainstream musicians in the intimate setting of its main gallery to broaden the arts that it offers to the community. Remaining Saturday night concerts in the 2008–2009 season are Michael Searching Bear (www.searchingbearflutes.com) on March 7 and Dominick Farinacci (www.dominickfarinacci.com) on March 28.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East, in downtown Massillon. Free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots.

For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum PR Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

Linda McFarlin to Be Featured in Studio M Exhibition

Linda McFarlin to Be Featured in Studio M Exhibition

The Massillon Museum will feature illustrations and portraits by artist Linda McFarlin in Studio M from January 23 to March 1, 2009. Her show, “Living History: A Collection of Portraits,” will be a realistic depiction of Native Americans, mountain men, longhunters, militia, and skilled crafters of the period from 1700 to 1860.

The exhibition will open on Friday, January 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the Massillon Museum's Fred F. Silk Community Room. The public is invited to view the artwork, meet the artist, and enjoy refreshments. As always, a visit to the Massillon Museum is free. No reservations are necessary.

The artist has developed educational components and invites area school teachers to contact her for programs related to this exhibit. Teachers may also contact Alexandra Nicholis at the Massillon Museum for more information.

Linda McFarlin, of Pine Manor Gallery/Frame Studio, in Ashland holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Columbus College of Art and Design. She has taught at the public school and college level as well as at art centers. Her work has frequently been selected for the Mansfield Art Center’s May Show. She exhibited her work as part of the juried Ohio Artists and Craftsmen Exhibition at the Massillon Museum in 1978. She has had solo exhibitions in Ashland, Stow, Port Clinton, Westerville, Mansfield, and other Ohio cities, and is represented in galleries throughout northern Ohio.

The current Studio M exhibition, "Next," fiber and mixed media work by Michele Waalkes may be seen through Sunday, January 18. The McFarlin exhibition may be seen from January 23 through March 1 during regular Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., except when the Silk Room has been reserved for private functions. A call to the Museum office can confirm that the exhibit is available for viewing: 330-833-4061.

Studio M was initiated to strengthen the collaboration between the Museum and the community by showcasing the artistic talents of local, regional, and national artists. Exhibitions are selected by jurors from proposals submitted by artists. Brochures containing guidelines and an application are available by contacting the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or www.massillonmuseum.org.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org. To learn more about the artist, visit www.pinemanorgallery.com.

Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061 or cshearer@massillonmuseum.org
Alexandra Nicholis, Massillon Museum Curator - 330-833-4061 or anicholis@massillonmuseum.org
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-844-1525 or vogt@sssnet.com