Decorative Arts Center of Ohio -- Reese-Peters House
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DACO Receives Grant to Digitize Family Archives

4/19/2021

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​A new collection of artifacts will offer a glimpse into what life was like for an influential Lancaster family over the course of a century. 

Thanks to a new grant, this collection of prized family archives will be preserved and available to all for generations to come.

In March, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio received a $7,735 grant from the Ohio History Fund to support the digitization of the Peters-Whiley family archives. Caroline Rockwood’s family, who are descendents of the Peters family, gifted this comprehensive collection of memorabilia that spanned from the 1880s to 1990s to DACO in the summer of 2020.

“This has been a family who saved just about everything and after my grandmother died, the sorted papers and pictures went to the Ohio Historical Society to be catalogued,” Mitchell said.

The collection includes hundreds of documents⸺from photos to letters, telegrams and bills, she says. 

There’s even a receipt for 6,600 feet of telephone cable, and an annual phone bill for $60. “They represent a picture of life at a certain time,” said Mitchell, whose grandfather, Phillip R. Peters, grew up in the Reese-Peters House. “This is like taking a microscope to history. You can put all these things together to get an understanding of what life was actually like.”

The collection originally belonged to Lancaster native Rockwood, whose ancestors had owned the Reese-Peters house. Rockwood passed away in 2020, and her daughter, Dodie Mitchell, recovered the collection in her mother’s basement. “She often expressed concern about what would happen to them. DACO as a repository would have pleased her,” said Mitchell.

Just as extraordinary has been the family’s collaboration to collect and preserve these artifacts, each telling its own story, over the course of multiple generations.

“Saving that and having it available for researchers and people interested, by ensuring it will be there for a while, is important to all of us,” Mitchell said. 

DACO Executive Director Jason Crabill says the Ohio History Fund grant will allow DACO to digitize at least some of the archives so that individuals all over the world can learn about life for one Southeast Ohio family over the course of a century.

“We are thrilled to be trusted with this piece of Lancaster’s history,” he said. “While we do not have the ability to store or display the archives, digitization will make them accessible to everyone in the world, ensuring that these artifacts are saved for posterity.” 

Once digitized, the collection will be freely available for researchers and the general public through a partnership with the Columbus Metropolitan Library. DACO expects the digitized materials to be available by next summer.
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“We are grateful that DACO has accepted the archives and very appreciative of Jason applying very quickly to get the grant,” Mitchell said. “It’s very important.” 
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Protocols to Keep DACO Visitors Safe

4/14/2021

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We are re-opening on May 5 with our pop-up exhibition featuring mood boards and costumes from the film Rocketman in our Lower Gallery. Distinctly Paramount: Fashion and Costume ​opens June 5. Please see our Re-Opening Plan below, so you know what you can expect before you visit. 

Open to the public on May 5, 2021
Temporary Hours: Wednesday – Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

All visitors must call DACO at 740-681-1423 to make a reservation. Reservations are accepted on the half hour. Reservations are given on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requirements for Entry:
• If you are experiencing signs of illness, cough, difficulty breathing, fever etc., or have had contact with a person with COVID-­19, please do not enter the Museum at this time.
• Face masks are required during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff! 
• If there are guests in the lobby, please wait before entering.
• Number of guests inside the Museum, at any one time, is limited. You may be asked to wait before entering the lobby.
• We ask that you observe social distancing (six feet apart) while in the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.

Lobby Precautions:
• There is a 30” tall plexi-guard on the Greeter Desk.
• Limited elevator usage to one person/party at a time.

Visitor Traffic Flow:
• Guests will enter though Lobby doors as usual.
• Greeter will instruct guests briefly about procedures.

Museum Shop Precautions:
• Limited number of guests allowed.
• Hand sanitizer will be available near the Shop door.
• Plexi-barrier is in place at the checkout.
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Reese-Peters House Undergoes 'Freshening Up'

2/22/2021

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For over 20 years, DACO Board Member and Volunteer Nate Stitzlein has been inspecting homes, although perhaps never one quite as grand as the Reese-Peters House.

After a routine inspection, Stitzlein has created a laundry list of necessary projects, including plaster repair and window trim repair. “We are freshening up the gallery spaces,” said Stitzlein.  

The house’s exterior brought with it a puzzle. The light posts outside the house have sat unlit for some time. Word on the street was that they are gas lanterns, so Stitzlein is doing some digging to determine how we can again illuminate them. 

Additionally, Stitzlein is also looking to make additional repairs on the building’s exterior to prevent moisture intrusion, after having had the metal roof painted to prevent long-term damage. The glass around the front entry door will be replaced and exterior painting near the offices will be completed. Minor updates will also be made to improve the safety of the exterior doors and Stitzlein said that he hopes to have some lighting issues resolved this year.

​While Stitzlein said he enjoys working to keep our promise to the community to preserve the Reese-Peters House, it’s not always easy. “It’s a pain in the neck trying to find contractors, especially trying to find contractors who specialize in working on historic buildings and homes,” he said. “I’m just doing my part to preserve the property for another 100 years or more.” 
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George Johnson Takes a Historical Look at Valentines

1/24/2021

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Looking through his collection of antique postcards, George Johnson plays part detective, part historian and part storyteller. After all, each postcard has a story to tell, but it often takes a little bit of detective work and historical research to complete the full story.

A large floral and gold ring card from 1851 that Johnson acquired is the perfect example of this, as not every part of the story the card shares is obvious to the eye.

With the card maker’s name, “Mansell,” embossed at the top and bottom of the center medallion, the paper is watermarked “Twogood 1851.” The card opens, but there is no interior message—a feature Johnson says was not unusual during this time since great care had been given to embossing the cards on a copper plate and hand painting them with watercolors.

“In the early ones, there was no greeting on the inside so the sender could put their own thoughts in them,” he says. “Sometimes they were blank and they may not have had words inside, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t used.” In fact, some of the cards Johnson has collected over time have come with stamped envelopes, signaling that they were in fact sent even though there was no message inside. 

“Imagine that you must have paid 5 cents in 1790, which was a lot of money, for a beautiful Valentine, and you smear ink or write the wrong word,” he said. “So you may have written a separate letter and inserted it in the Valentine.”

The border displays beautiful perforated lacework showing roses and various other flowers and foliage, while the center is embellished with applied silvered paper flowers, garlands, a gilded wreath and painted flowers and garlands. 

The gilded motto of “Remember me” is at the top and a gold ring is displayed at the bottom—something Johnson says may uncover the sender’s intentions. “A gold ring on a Valentine is often considered to be a proposal of marriage,” he said.

Addressed to “Sue S. Slaton, Martins Ferry, Ohio,” the card was sent on Feb. 24 from Wheeling, Virginia. Johnson says this may catch the eye of someone today, but notes Wheeling was part of Virginia until 1863 when West Virginia became a state. 

Inside the envelope is a handwritten note, “According to Mrs. Edna Buckwalter this Valentine came on Pony Express dated 1851.” Research indicates, however, that the Pony Express did not ride between Wheeling and Martin’s Ferry, leaving Johnson to believe that it is likely a postal rider who delivered the Valentine.

This proposal Valentine is just one of more than 100 valentines that Johnson shares as part of a special Valentine’s Day exhibition in February at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. The exhibition, due to COVID-19 restrictions, will be entirely online, offering a unique opportunity for people from around the world to view these snapshots in time through the lens of Valentines Day. 
With cards ranging from the late 1700s to around 1950, the exhibition reflects nearly 150 years of valentines, Johnson says.“I tried to pick out Valentines that were interesting and had a story that went with them,” he said. “There are Valentines that have actual dates on them, as well as poetry and other notes in them.”

His collection has grown thanks to a variety of sources, from antique stores and dealers to museums that have gone out of business and sold their collections. It can be difficult for Johnson to choose his favorites, because each has its own unique features and story. He often imagines what the stories could be behind each, such as an 1849 Irish Valentine mailed from Zanesville, or handmade school valentines that children exchanged during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

“I find it interesting that a mother or older child sat down and made these valentines so they could have something to put in the Valentine’s Day box at school,” Johnson said. “One is a recycled Christmas card, and one is a page cut out of a wallpaper book or a Sears and Roebuck catalog glued together.”

Although a virtual exhibition does not offer the opportunity to see these Valentines in person, Johnson says it offers visitors the chance to see the notes in more detail. “If you would have come last year, you may have seen the valentines, but not seen all that it offers,” he said. “The vast majority are at least over 100 years old, so they’re fragile, and I can’t open and close them a hundred times during an exhibition.” 

This year’s online exhibition, however, will offer photos and video, which can show individuals viewing the exhibition all aspects of the valentines without opening them repeatedly.

“So that’s a major advantage of a virtual tour,” he said. “It’s also a way to make a historical record of these 200-year-old Valentines.”

If you would like to sign up for our mailing list to learn more about special exhibitions like this, please email kennedy@decartsohio.org. Stay tuned for the virtual tour, available Feb 1.
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Professor to provide look into tsarist Russia through virtual talk

11/30/2020

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Transport to tsarist Russia, exploring the savage destruction of the First World War to the 1917 Revolutions and the establishment of the world’s first communist society—all from your home. Professor Nicholas B. Breyfogle, Ph.D., will present a virtual talk, called Historian Talk: Russia in War and Revolution that will soon be available virtually. 

This fascinating look at the end of tsarist Russia will delve into topics like the Civil War and the establishment of Bolshevik power.

“I’ll give a historical background to the remarkable artifacts and in particular focus on certain aspects of the history of the Soviet Union,” Breyfogle says. “We’ll look at Soviet history in the 20th century, at Russia and the Soviet Union in World War I, the socialist revolution and what life was like in the Soviet Union into World War II.”

Breyfogle, who contributed to the DACO exhibition, Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR, is an associate professor in the history department at The Ohio State University. He also serves as the director of the Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching at the university, has authored or edited nine books and is a magazine editor.

Despite his extensive research in Russian Soviet history and society, his love for this intriguing time in world history was a bit of an accident.

“My parents sent me on a school trip to the Soviet Union while it was still the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, and that was one snowflake that created the avalanche,” he says. “I got so interested by what I saw there, that led to college and grad school. I got interested in how times began to change in the Soviet Union and then it collapsed. It was watching history unfold before one’s eyes. It remains a fascinating place to me.”

Helping to bring the exhibit curated by Michael Reese to DACO that focuses on this culture and time period brings many memories to life for Breyfogle.
“Michael’s collection is a pretty remarkable personal collection of items,” he says. “Eclectic and quite remarkable what he was able to pick up from the former Soviet world.”

During Breyfogle’s travels, he recalls spotting similar items.

“I remember these things being sold as people were trying to pay the bills, and to see it all together in an apartment in Victorian Village, it has been incredible to see and get to know him,” he says.  

Through Breyfogle’s virtual historian talk, he hopes to help bring this visual and cultural story to another audience.

​“It’s part of the work I do at the university in public history, bringing great stories from the past to as wide of an audience as I can,” he said.  

The Virtual Talk will be online at 2 p.m. Jan. 10. Tickets are $5. Register here.
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Campus Closure - See You Online

11/20/2020

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Dear Friends of DACO:

Like many of you, we’ve been watching the developments surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and have seen the troubling news that the spread continues at an explosive rate, resulting in record numbers of cases. Taking that trend into account, and following the recent guidance of the Governor and state and local health officials, we have made the decision to cancel all previously scheduled public events and close the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio's buildings to the public beginning Friday, November 20 at 4 PM.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and determine a reopening date when appropriate. While our staff has taken extensive precautions to make visits as safe as possible, these discouraging developments only signal that this temporary closure is best for everyone’s health and safety.

We are so excited to share with you the amazing exhibits that were scheduled to open this weekend, Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR and A Russian Christmas, this year’s version of our always popular holiday display. Please know that in the absence of in-person experiences, we will continue to provide to our membership and community a wide selection of virtual experiences, both via our website and social media. This will include curator tours, talks by experts, arts education programs, related materials on our blog, and other unique and exciting opportunities we are actively working to develop in response to the undeniable realities we all face.

The health, safety, and well-being of our guests, supporters, and community are our highest priority. We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and understanding during these challenging times.
We deeply appreciate your support, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to DACO, in-person, as soon as we are able.

Take care and best regards,
​
​Jason Crabill, Executive Director
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A Russian Christmas: History Through the Lens of Christmas

11/20/2020

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Visitors to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio will travel to the other side of the world this holiday season as they explore Russian-made decorations and their symbolism from a conflicted time in the U.S.-USSR history.

A Russian Christmas, which runs from Nov. 21 to Jan. 8, complements the exhibition, Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR. This main exhibition, which also opens Nov. 21, explores Russian history through an incredible personal collection of Russian art acquired by curator Michael Reese.

Dr. George Johnson, who curated A Russian Christmas with his wife Jeanne, says DACO has worked to tie its annual Christmas display to that year’s exhibition in the main gallery upstairs.  “Having been successful with that, it’s a complete experience if you are coming over Christmastime,” he said.

This year’s theme, however, presented a few challenges for the curators.

“Christmas is primarily a religious holiday with secular overtones, and this time period in the Soviet Union discouraged religion,” Johnson said. “We have had some time to prepare, and we have come at it sideways.”

​For example, the silver forest of 1950s aluminum trees in the Double Parlors represents a closer look at an important time in history.

“It’s the space race, so we will look at USSR and U.S. relations in terms of these aluminum trees,” he said. “We are working in nostalgia that people will recognize from the 50s and 60s, and we are coming at it from the space race.”

In the back part of that same space, a Siberian forest adorned with snow and ice will represent a time period during which Russians began making ornaments for New Year’s trees as a symbol of patriotism, Johnson says.

Several countries that aligned with Soviet policies, however, continued to make Christmas ornaments that were sold to other countries like the United States. The income generated from these ornament sales were used by Soviet-controlled governments, Johnson said.

“We are going to put up a tree that has Soviet bloc-made Christmas decorations in the lower gallery, as well as a Russian-made aluminum tree,” he said.

Other components of the exhibition include a snow village, Russian folk story figures and a display of highly-collected Christopher Radko ornaments.

To share personal insights on his A Russian Christmas exhibition, Johnson will present a curator talk that will soon be available virtually. 

“We hope that folks get an appreciation of Christmas and link it to history,” Johnson said. “It’s not just pretty decorations. They are linked to a time period when we had a Cold War and conflict between the USSR and the U.S., and it gives a perspective.”

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DACO Helps Women in Recovery Heal Through the Arts

10/26/2020

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The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio partners with The Recovery Center in Fairfield County.

For Barbara Ery, sewing is a metaphor for life. 

The DACO teaching artist often asks the women she works with questions like, “What are we sewing into our life?” and “What are we stitching?”

For those who are part of the Women in Recovery group that regularly meets at DACO, it’s a way to reflect on the choices they have made and how the fabric of their lives can change in look, or evolve, over time.

“I like to present that there’s different choices,” she said. “And when it comes to art, there’s not really a wrong choice. You decide and it’s a safe place to make that decision.” 

The support group that Ery leads consists of women from all backgrounds. But they all have one thing in common—they’re there to support one another and gain strength from the group.

Women come to The Recovery Center, through which the Women in Recovery support group is based, for many reasons. Addiction, domestic violence and exploitation are common among its clients.

For many of the group members, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio serves as a vessel through which the group members can experience art therapy. Sewing, in particular, allows participants to take the project one step at a time—good practice for handling life events that may come their way, Ery says.
“It’s methodical—when you slow down and you experience this whole new catchword of ‘mindfulness,’ ” she said. “You begin thinking about your life and what can I do for me?”

Sometimes that therapy helps others as well, as was the case with a recent project. Group members worked together to create a quilt that will be donated to The Lighthouse, a women’s shelter in Lancaster. 

Sewing, or another art project, are often just one component to the meetings, which are typically court-ordered for the women who participate. A trained clinical counselor attends and often uses the art projects as a gateway into helping participants open up about the struggles they are facing.

“A lot of times the women open up about their situations and are very forthright about what’s going on,” Ery said. “I’m really blown away. Sometimes I cry and sometimes it’s really tough. It’s hard to hear.”

For Ery personally, the opportunity to help women in recovery heal through the arts has made a big impact on her.

“It’s my duty, my responsibility as a human being on this planet, to help other people and pay it forward when I’ve been given an opportunity,” she says. “Sometimes you find that hard in your life to do, but I really want to be part of this group and give back.”
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Ohio Arts Council sees DACO as a 'gem'

8/28/2020

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An investment in the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is an investment in Lancaster, the people who live there and work there. That’s why Donna Collins, Ohio Arts Council Executive Director, is an ardent supporter of DACO, which she says provides a crucial historical perspective of the arts.
 
“The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is important to everyone in Ohio for what you bring to us,” she says. “When I come to the exhibitions, I get to see things I have never seen before, things that may not be available to me any other way.”
 
Collins advocates for state funding for arts organizations like DACO so that residents of all ages can benefit from educational programming. “It’s an important story to tell policymakers that we have such a renowned institution in Lancaster that has such historical relevance,” she says. “The beauty and grandeur of the physical building is fantastic.”
 
Arts education is a significant portion of the Ohio Arts Council annual budget.
 
“We spend about $3 million of a $17 million budget on arts education and we are hoping that the programs that we fund are the programs you are doing,” she said of DACO. That’s important for children especially who may not have access to the arts in their communities.
 
“For our K-12 kids, arts happening at DACO supplements what happens in the school,” Collins says. “In some communities, there is limited access for children, but with organizations like DACO, it’s seen by the entire community as a partnership that is important and changes lives.”
 
The mission of the Ohio Arts Council closely aligns with that of DACO, and focuses on providing quality arts experiences and strengthening Ohio culturally. “It’s all about the engagement of our communities through the arts,” Collins says. “Our four pillars of our strategic plan are to invest, lead, innovate and engage.”
 
With the support of the Ohio Arts Council through ongoing collaboration and critical funding, DACO will continue to engage the community with innovative exhibitions, offer imaginative arts education curriculum and showcase historic collections central to our mission.
 
“I think that the Reese-Peters House is a gem and a place of prominence in our state, and it’s something we can all be proud of,” Collins says. “The arts council is proud to invest public dollars to help fund your success.”
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Get to Know New DACO Executive Director Jason Crabill

8/3/2020

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We are thrilled to announce Jason Crabill as our new Executive Director! The history buff and seasoned museum professional is committed to our mission and our community. We sat down with him a week into his new role and learned about his passion for telling untold stories and his excitement as he looks toward planning the future of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.

Tell us about your background. What did you do prior to joining the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio? 
I worked at the Ohio History Connection for 14 years. My last role was manager of Curatorial Services, and I managed the curatorial staff for 10 years. We had the responsibility for caring for the state’s historical material culture and worked to tell the stories of all Ohioans, including people whose voices previously have not been heard. We worked with American Indian tribes with historic connections to the land we now call Ohio and we developed initiatives like the Gay Ohio History Initiative (GOHI), in an effort to collect, tell and preserve the stories of those communities. We collected stories and objects from communities all over the state, and it was a great opportunity to preserve history and give voice to those people and places, too.
My degrees are in library science and anthropology, but I have worked professionally primarily in museums. I was even a volunteer at COSI in middle and high school! I worked for COSI on Wheels when I graduated college. I got my master’s degree in library science and wanted to work in the confluence of history, art, and archives. My new job at DACO is a perfect fit.

What are you looking forward to in your new role at DACO?
What I am excited about at DACO is the ability to really engage deeply in the history of the place, helping with the exhibitions that we will be able to share with the community and the opportunity to further develop the education program for everyone’s benefit. This year is the 20th anniversary of DACO, so I’d like the opportunity to envision the next 20 years. We are getting ready to undertake a new strategic plan, and I am looking forward to that.

What are your impressions of DACO so far?
The grounds are beautiful and I am excited that there is a whole lot of work that will be happening there. Having three historic buildings on the property is a great opportunity. I think the Wendel Center for Art Education is incredible. It’s a really important space and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about all of the resources of the organization.

I come into a very impressive organization that has been doing incredible high-caliber work for years. There are so many opportunities to take that good work and grow it. I’m excited to reach into new areas of the community and I think there is real opportunity to do so. The mission and vision of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio allow us the opportunity to take arts in a lot of different directions, while keeping true to their fundamental intent. There is a whole lot of opportunity to leverage the incredible work that has already been done here. 

To you, what is exceptional about the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio?
One thing that is very powerful about the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is that it's founded in local history. It’s a historic place and doesn't shy away from that. It is that combination of art and history that really makes the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio so special. It is not just an historic home. It’s the combination of the rich local history with the ability to do arts programming, bring alive fresh new exhibitions and mix old with the new that is really unique. 

What are your impressions of Lancaster?
Lancaster is a special place because it’s rich with history and a proud culture. However, there are clear demarcations between folks. There are parts of the community that are in desperate need of support, and I think there are ways DACO can reach those communities and provide support in ways that I am excited to explore. I think the fact that DACO is free is really powerful and I’m excited to explore Lancaster and connect with the community in as many ways as possible. I’m also looking forward to connecting with the various communities within Lancaster.

What are your aspirations for DACO during your tenure as executive director?
I want people in Lancaster to feel like the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is their museum and their place. It’s a historical home, and the time it represents is fairly stable. That’s the anchor, but there's so much more to be done. I've done a lot of reading about the powerful lawyers and the business the canal brought in. There were many different people who lived in and supported the town, from the super wealthy to the day-laborers and servants, and that’s probably an untapped narrative. To help tell the stories of the African American community in Lancaster, to talk about “the other Lancaster”— those stories that sometimes get overlooked — that would be phenomenal. Those are areas of opportunity to explore that may push some people a bit, but have the potential to enrich the narrative of what this place is. 
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What do you do when you are not at DACO?
I live in Bexley with my wife and 12-year-old. I enjoy reading and traveling (when there’s not a pandemic)! 
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Decorative Arts Center of Ohio
145 E. Main St.
Lancaster, Ohio 43130
Phone: 740-681-1423