Museums collaborate to provide online education
Every Thursday, the National First Ladies’ Library will celebrate women’s history, the Saxton McKinley family, and the library’s 2020 themes.
As the community works together to keep COVID-19 at bay, Stark and Tuscarawas County museums have organized to present content to their audiences in the comfort and safety of their homes or offices.
To stay informed, engaged, and entertained, log on to the Facebook pages of the McKinley Museum and Presidential Library, Massillon Museum, Canton Museum of Art, National First Ladies’ Library, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum for content that will be posted daily at noon. Each institution will provide a virtual program that varies from week to week on a prearranged schedule.
Massillon Museum executive director, Alexandra Nicholis Coon, said her museum peers had been calling and emailing one another as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated to keep each other apprised of their public messaging, and to strategize on how they could work together to maintain visibility and serve the community in fulfillment of their missions. She said, “The museums in our community are here for the public benefit. Just because our doors are closed does not mean our responsibilities to the public diminish. In fact, we could argue our value is more important than ever, as we have resources in place to make content available online.”
On Mondays, the McKinley Museum and Presidential Library will present information about presidential history, pioneer life, astronomy, and the animals in the McKinley Museum’s Discover World at mckinleymuseum.org.
Each Tuesday, the Massillon Museum will focus on objects in its new permanent collection galleries—the 1908 Jewel automobile, the six-foot carved dragon from an 1890s mansion, 19th- to 21st-century paintings and sculpture, American Indian artifacts, and more. Its March 24 and April 28 Brown Bag Lunch programs will be presented virtually as well at massillonmuseum.org.
The Canton Museum of Art’s Wednesday posts will share virtual exhibition tours and art-making activities as part of its Museum To Go program, take in-depth looks into parts of the CMA collection, and feature a range of content to engage, entertain, and educate people of all ages at www.cantonart.org/learn/Museum-To-Go.
Every Thursday, the National First Ladies’ Library will celebrate women’s history, the Saxton McKinley family, and the library’s 2020 themes—women’s rights, the suffrage centennial, campaigning first ladies, and women running for office. It will provide content to listen to as well as interactive lessons and activities for adults and youth at firstladies.org.
The more than 100 years of professional football history will be the Friday focus of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Facebook programs. More informstion is at profootballhof.com.
On Saturdays, the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum will address topics such as railroad history, World War II, canteen history, railroads, amusement parks, and Bing—the museum’s World War I mascot at dennisondepot.org.