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Cultural Fun is Only a Road Trip Away by Ellen Jackson
Youngstown, Canton, Columbus First stop, The Butler Institute of American Art, in the Youngstown area. This museum has three locations: Trumbull branch in Howland, Salem branch, and the main branch in Youngstown. According to Carole O’Brien, education director, the museum strives to "make the museum family-friendly and wants families to get used to making art and the museum part of their life, to view it as a community resource." They encourage this by offering Sunday Family Days, a free drop-in workshop held the third Sunday of every month in the fall and winter at the Youngstown location. At this workshop, families view a painting or exhibit and then create an art project based on what they learned. A similar program is offered on Saturdays at the Salem branch. The Butler Institute also offers a program in conjunction with the Warren-Trumbull County Library entitled "Reading and Other Forms of Art." A librarian reads a story to families and follows it up with an art project taught by an instructor from The Butler Institute. This program is held during four Saturdays between September 2005 and March 2006. The program is free and registration is not required. We then drive west, to the Canton Museum of Art. This museum conducts a variety of classes for kids and adults. Many one-day family workshops are available, including one titled "Mask Making," which uses various techniques such as aluminum foil and paper mache. It is offered in January for ages 9 and up. Registration is required and there is a fee. They also offer preschool classes and special events in conjunction with an opening exhibit. Watch for an upcoming event involving art and the Rain Forest. Through these classes and workshops, the museum "exposes families to art and makes the museum a resource for them," says Lauren Kuntzman, coordinator of education. Continuing west, we come to the Columbus Museum of Art, where Merilee Mostov, educator for family programs, explains, "Visiting the museum is important for families to come together." She explains that the philosophy of the museum is to "make the museum accessible and comfortable and get people talking in the galleries." To assist with this philosophy, Columbus Museum incorporates various games and fun activities into its family programs. In the exhibit "Age of Armor," families can take part in a variety of activities such as fencing, creating a group museum castle, looking at animals with natural armor and playing gallery games. Families can also visit the "Renoir’s Women" exhibit and participate in a self-lead gallery hunt involving trading cards for kids. There is a charge for the exhibit, but games are free with admission. Kids who like the "I Spy" game may be interested in the "I Spy: Adventures in Art" program, which combines works of art in the museum with interactive games. For an occasional drop-in, there is the "Doodles" program, self-guided art activities for families, which is free with admission to the museum.
Akron, Cleveland, Cyberspace As we continue back to the Cleveland area, we stop off at the Akron Art Museum. Although it is closed for expansion of the facility, they continue to offer classes and family activities, primarily at Summit ArtSpace (located across the street from the museum). Twice each school year, in the fall and spring, they offer Saturday Family Workshops centered on a specific theme. Taught by local artists and educators, families make artwork based on the theme of the workshop. This past October, the theme was Myth, Fantasy and Fairy Tale, where families made mythological sculptures and stained glass collages. In the spring (March and April) the theme will be Pow Blam Splat, focusing on action art such as comic books and artwork with moveable pieces. Once the museum reopens, these workshops will focus on projects related to temporary and special exhibits. There is a fee for each workshop. Also in development are drop-in weekend family workshops, based on their collection or special exhibit. Akron also offers family guides, self-guided tours with gallery games. According to Alison Caplan, associate educator, the goal of offering family programs at the Akron Art Museum is to get "parents and children to interact with each other, appreciate art, learn self-expression and become more creative." Look for these programs and more as the museum expands and reopens in 2006. Now back in Cleveland, we find The Cleveland Museum of Art. Currently, the museum’s permanent collection has been removed and is closed to the public to allow for the museum’s renovation project. However, they continue to hold special exhibits, such as "The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880-1920: Design for the Modern World," running from Oct. 16 through Jan. 8, 2006. In addition, throughout the fall, they offer free hands-on art-related activities at local libraries, such as the Animals in Art workshop being held at the Middleburg Heights Branch Library on Nov. 5th. In this workshop, families explore animals made by artists and then are given the opportunity to make their own animal artwork. Prior to the renovation, Cleveland Museum of Art offered their Family Express programs, drop-in programs held on Sunday afternoons with different themes each month. The museum also has Mini-Highlights Tours of the art collection, audio tours containing stories highlighting works of art and self-guided tours focusing on specific themes, such as artwork with birds. These tours can be retrieved online, printed, and taken to the museum to use as part of a walking tour. Look for these fun programs in the future. If you can’t take a road trip to one of the many museums in Ohio, then get on your computer and travel through cyberspace to visit these museums. Each website contains information on the many classes and special exhibits they offer. Some even offer virtual art tours and activities for parents and kids to do together.
Museum Details The Cleveland Museum of Art 11150 East Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44106 216-421-7340
The Akron Art Museum (administration) 557 East Tallmadge Ave. Akron OH 44308 330-376-9185
The Butler Institute of American Art 524 Wick Ave. Youngstown, OH 44502 330-743-1711
Canton Museum of Art 1001 Market Ave. N. Canton, OH 44702 330-453-7666
Columbus Museum of Art 480 East Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215 614-221-6801 Ellen Jackson of Solon is the owner of Budding Artists, Art History for Kids and teaches art history enrichment classes to preschool and elementary school age children. E-mail her at Buddingartists@sbcglobal.net.
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What better
way to get out of the house during the fall and winter months than to take
a road trip with your family to a museum? This is a great way to combine
fun and education into one afternoon. Several museums are within two hours
of Northeast Ohio, including ones located in Canton, Cleveland, Akron,
Youngstown and Columbus. These museums offer a variety of activities for
families and kids, including one-day workshops, special exhibit programs,
and self-guided tours and activities.