Book Signing at The Massillon Club

Margy Vogt Signs Local History Book at The Massillon Club

Local historian and author Margy Vogt will be at The Massillon Club on Wednesday, December 16, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to sign her new book, Massillon: Reflections of a Community. The event is open to the public with no reservations.

The new pictorial history of Massillon, Ohio, includes 700 local history images from more than 100 public and private collections in a 240-page hardbound volume spanning the community’s history. Photographs and identifications are arranged on horizontal 12-inch by 9-inch pages in a general chronological order, representing Massillon from the early 1800s to the present. Photographs include downtown views, businesses, fires and floods, carnivals, bridges, people, sports, houses, schools, churches, and more.

The Massillon Club, one of the few remaining city clubs in the nation, is located in a historic downtown Massillon building at 170 Lincoln Way East, next to the historic Lions Lincoln Theatre. Free parking is available on Lincoln Way or in the parking lot behind the building accessed from Federal Avenue Northeast. The book signing will offer an opportunity to see The Massillon Club, itself a historic building, beautifully decorated for Christmas. Dates remain available for private, organizational, and business holiday party bookings; call 330-833-3986.

Reflections is available ($39.90) at the Massillon Museum (121 Lincoln Way East), the Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce office (137 Lincoln Way East), the Village Bookshelf (746 Amherst Road Northeast), and Ernie’s Bike Shop and The Blue Heron at the Lake Avenue Trailhead, all in Massillon. The book can also be obtained from the author: 330-832-8469 or vogt@sssnet.com.

For more information contact Vogt at 330-832-8469 or vogt@sssnet.com or visit http://www.margyvogt.com.

Media Contact: Margy Vogt (330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525)

MassMu Renews AAM Accreditation

Massillon Museum Renews Highest National Recognition—AAM Accreditation

The Massillon Museum has achieved accreditation from the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

AAM Accreditation is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability, and earns national recognition for a museum for its commitment to excellence in all that it does: governance, collections stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s Museum Accreditation program strengthens the profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and to provide the best possible service to the public.

“The Massillon Museum has maintained its accreditation since shortly after the AAM instituted the process,” said Massillon Museum Executive Director Christine Shearer. “Mary Merwin, who was director during the early 1970s, set the precedent for our small staff to maintain high standards and reach for lofty goals. Our three decades of accreditation indicate that we continue on that path.”

Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. The Massillon Museum is one of only 25 museums accredited in Ohio, two in Stark County (along with the Canton Museum of Art).

"Accreditation is significant for many reasons," said AAM president Ford W. Bell. "First, it is bestowed by a museum's peers in the field. Second, it is entirely self-motivated, and speaks volumes about a museum's commitment to excellence, in all that it does. And finally, it means the MassillonMuseum is one of the finest in the country, something in which the people of the community can take great pride."

Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, review and evaluate the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes three years, which was the case with the Massillon Museum, even with a brief hiatus during the institution’s 75th anniversary celebration.

The Massillon Museum, founded in 1933, preserves and exhibits art and artifacts to enrich its community through education and experience. The staff cares for more than 100,000 objects while annually presenting about 20 rotating exhibitions in the main gallery, Studio M, and the permanent collections galleries; offering dozens of educational and outreach programs; inviting the public to about 50 events; and assisting patrons with research. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

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

The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

Media Contacts:

Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061 / cshearer@massillonmuseum.org

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

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

To schedule a phone interview with AAM president Ford W. Bell:

Dewey Blanton, AAM Media Relations - 202-218-7704 / dblanton@aam-us.org

Art Explorers Collaborate for Studio M Exhibition

Art Explorers Collaborate for Studio M Exhibition

Members of the Akron Art Explorers and the Massillon Museum Explorers will collaborate to present a Studio M exhibition at the Massillon Museum from December 11, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

Although there will be no official exhibition opening reception, the public is invited to view the exhibit in the Fred F. Silk Community Room of the Massillon Museum 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. The Museum will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Chit Chat Coffee Shoppe and the Museum shop, OhRegionalities, are located in the lobby of the Massillon Museum.

The Akron Art Explorers group is hosted and organized by the Massillon Museum and facilitated through the Boy Scouts of America. Student members of the group are in high school and hail from all over Summit County. Their contribution to this Studio M exhibit are selections from a previous project, “Common Ground,” featuring work from a collaborative photography project with students of Standing Rock Gallery in Kent, Ohio. Supervising the Akron Art Explorers are Alexandra Nicholis, MassMu curator, and artists Jody Hawk, Bernadette Glorioso, and Todd V.

The Massillon Museum Explorers have been a club since April 2009. Members come from greater Massillon, Jackson Township, Perry Township, and Doylestown. They created the artwork for Studio M while working with artists Scot Phillips and Emily Vigil during “Do the Mu” art workshops. Work influenced by Phillips uses found materials, collage, screenprinting, spray paint and stencils. Artwork created with Vigil are monoprints.

Studio M enhances the collaboration between the Museum and the community by showcasing the artistic talents of local, regional, and national artists. The series of five-week shows will continue throughout the year, 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 the heart of downtown Massillon. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

Media Contacts:

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

Alexandra Nicholis, Massillon Museum Curator and Akron Art Explorers Supervisor - 330-833-4061

Jill Malusky Bacon, Massillon Museum Educator and Massillon Museum Explorers Supervisor - 330-833-4061

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

Massillon Museum Renovates Collections Storage Area

Massillon Museum Renovates Collections Storage Area

The Massillon Museum is in the midst of renovating its main storage facility—the third floor of its building at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon, a project that will assure the continued safe storage of more than 100,000 works of art and historical artifacts that have been entrusted to it by the community.

The Museum’s 1931 building was home to department stores and small businesses until 1996, when the Museum moved from its previous location in the James Duncan home, now a wing of Massillon Public Library. At that time, public spaces were completed and opened to the public, but funding did not allow for the third floor to be equipped as a Museum-quality storage facility.

Through project-specific state appropriations, grant funding, and foundation support, the project is now possible. The State of Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Hoover Foundation, and the Timken Foundation have generously provided for the costs of the renovation. “This project could not have moved forward without the generous support of the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Timken Foundation and the Hoover Foundation,” said Massillon Museum Executive Director Christine Shearer. “We appreciate their belief in the importance of maintaining a secure, safe environment for the collections so that generations to come will be able to continue enjoying them.”

The Museum continues to raise funds for its share of the expenses by hosting the summer art show, Gallery on the Greens at Glenmoor Country Club; by accepting earmarked contributions from the community; and by offering specific gift opportunities: “adopt an archival box,” “adopt an archival drawer,” and the “preservation honor roll.” Curator Alexandra Nicholis, who is overseeing the collections storage renovation project, welcomes contributions of any amount.

Sol–Harris/Day Architects will manage the project, under the leadership of architect Bill Griffith. Harris/Day, a familiar firm in Stark County for 40 years, was recently presented with the Arts in Stark small business award. The construction phase of the project is slated to be completed by spring.

“Upon the completion of this project,” says Nicholis, “all of the collections will be stored in a safe, clean, temperature- and humidity-controlled, and organized environment. The incredible artifacts of this community deserve this level of care and commitment.”

The project will include creating a room-within-a-room in the existing space. It will be temperature and humidity controlled. New lighting will be installed that will not exceed 30 footcandles. (One footcandle represents the amount of light given off by one candle at a distance of one foot.) “The controlled lighting will minimize the collections’ exposure to light, which can be extremely damaging to textiles and photographs in particular,” explains Nicholis.

The concrete floors will be resurfaced. New heating, ventilating and air conditioning units will be installed to ensure the stability and longevity of collections.

The renovated space will include a research area where staff can examine, process, and photograph collections, as well as facilitate research requests for scholars, students, and members of the community. Naming opportunities for the new research room are also available.

Once the construction is completed and the space is monitored for a few months to ensure that the environment is safe and stable for collections, museum-quality cabinets and shelving will be installed, and the process of slowly moving the collections back into the renovated space will commence. It is estimated that this process will take from one year to one-and-a-half years. Every object will be easily accessible in a proper and safe home, free from overcrowding.

"We appreciate the patience of the community and our visitors with regard to Museum visits, donations, and research requests during this process," says Nicholis. The collections have been temporarily housed in part of the Museum's second floor, where space limitations make them nearly inaccessible. Using that space as storage limits the exhibition space on that level, but visitors can still enjoy The Immel Circus, the Photography Gallery, and the lobby display area.

To contribute to the Museum’s storage facility renovation project, contact Nicholis at 330-833-4061. To learn more about the Massillon Museum, visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:

Bill Griffith, Vice President Sol–Harris/Day, Project Manager - 330-493-3722

Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061 / cshearer@massillonmuseum.org

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

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