We hope our members are getting excited for our upcoming exhibition, Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict. Even more exciting, our Member's Opening Reception right here at the Reese Peters House! All three exhibited artists will be in attendance.

We're also excited to announce that Kelly Vaughn will be performing that evening!

We hope our members will be able to attend.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT:
Judith Oppenheimer
740-681-1423; 650-207-0628
oppenheimer@decartsohio.org

 
Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict is an all-Ohio, all-women exhibition featuring artists Judith Brandon (Cleveland), Leslie Shiels (Cincinnati) and Carol Snyder (Columbus). The exhibition, presenting works in watercolor, oil and porcelain, will be on display at the Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster, Ohio, from May 20 – August 13, 2017. Admission is free.
 
LANCASTER, OH—April 25, 2017—The Decorative Arts Center will feature Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict, an exhibition by watercolorist Judith Brandon, oil painter Leslie Shiels and sculptor Carol Snyder. Each artist’s unique style and point of view, when experienced alongside the others, contributes to a multi-layered conversation that invites patrons to join in.
 
Says Elizabeth Brown, acting co-director for the Decorative Arts Center, “Together, Judy Brandon’s emotional, weather-inspired watercolors, Leslie Shiels’ maximalist, place-based paintings, and the orderly balance of Carol Snyder’s white porcelain vessels create a rhythm and a voice that patrons cannot help but engage with.”
 
While each artist’s work is incredibly different, the passion that drives them is similar. “My work is a lot ‘louder’ and more intense than I am personally,” says Brandon. “I prefer it that way, and I think that’s the same approach Carol and Leslie have.”
 
Says Shiels, “All three of us have separate, yet synergistic voices; we just choose different vehicles to translate what we have to say.”
 
The tenor of the conversation, says Snyder, is what the viewer makes it. “Our work is portraying an experience or emotion—that’s what artists do. And it speaks to the viewer more than anything.”
 
Initially shown at the Canton Museum of Art in a more traditional, white-walled gallery setting, the Three Voices exhibition will take on a new context among the Federal/Greek Revival decor of the historic Reese-Peters House. That is something Shiels, for one, looks forward to. “With the history of the Reese-Peters House, there will be more than just three voices in the exhibition. There is also the voice of the family who lived in the house, the Decorative Arts Center that now has the building, and even the ‘voice’ of the crown molding in the room. It’s just molding, but it makes a noise.”
 
In conjunction with the exhibition the Decorative Arts Center is planning a weekend of programming July 8-9 that further explores themes of hearing and expressing women’s voices. Art historian and sculptor Carol Boram-Hayes, Ph.D., assistant professor at Columbus College of Art & Design, will offer the keynote address for this limited-space event, while other programming will encourage patrons to express their own voices through poetry, painting and other means. For information about programs and classes associated with this exhibition, visit www.decartsohio.org or call 740-681-1423.
 
For high resolution images, download via Dropbox: http://bit.ly/2biYtDP
About Judith Brandon: Judith graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1987 with degrees in drawing and enameling. Enameling techniques along with layering opaque colors were the foundation of her paintings. Brandon has had several solo shows and has been invited to participate in shows across the country from California to New York. Her current works are abstract landscapes that explore environmental issues, particularly concerning changes in weather. Oceans, rain, mist and ice, water in all of it's forms and locations are an endless source of inspiration for her. The tides of the ocean, the power of a tsunami or hurricane, the calm of a wetland—each event and waterscape is an opportunity to explore the earth's beauty and fragility.

About Leslie Shiels: Leslie Shiels grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been painting for most of her life. She received her training from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning where she earned her BFA in 1974. She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums throughout the United States. Her work has become part of numerous corporate and private collections, most of which are located in Cincinnati. Art critics have described her paintings as lush, powerful and skillful works of art. She has used her painting as a vehicle to solve problems as they relate to life experiences. She has traveled and painted in many locations, some of her favorite spots being France, Colorado and Connecticut. The artist currently works out of her studio in the West End.

About Carol Snyder: Carol Snyder currently lives and works in Columbus, Ohio. She uses porcelain for its unique qualities as a clay body—its whiteness and translucency can give the sense of texture and patterning without the addition of glaze color. Her minimal approach allows for light to become part of the pieces. All her sculptures are wheel-thrown and hand-carved. The patterns and textures used within her work resemble nature and are abstracted to become one with the form. She emphasizes the craftsmanship of each work and believes that through this, the true beauty of form is revealed. Overall her work is created to express a sense of quiet, balance and ties with the natural world.
 
The Decorative Arts Center is housed in the Reese-Peters House, a Federal/Greek Revival masterpiece at 145 E. Main Street in Lancaster’s Historic District. Admission is free Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
 
 
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Larry Vance, owner of Historic Masonry Restoration, is doing restorations around the Reese-Peters House. 

​Here's what he's done:

Here's what he's planning next:

How neat is that?!

Come see Vance lead a workshop that'll give participants "an education in pre-1930s masonry while offering an up-close view of the restoration currently underway at the Reese-Peters House."

"Soft mortar is a world away from hard," says Vance. "There are few of us left who can repair it properly."

This workshop will take place May 20 at 10AM, at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Tickets are $25 for members, $28 for non-members. 

For more information about the workshop or to inquire about tickets, visit us here or call 740-681-1423. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT:
Judith Oppenheimer
740-681-1423; 650-207-0628
oppenheimer@decartsohio.org

 
The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio presents a Historic Masonry Workshop with brick restoration expert Larry Vance on Saturday, May 20. Tickets are available.
 
LANCASTER, OH—April 14, 2017—In honor of National Historic Preservation Month in May, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio will feature “Tuckpointing in Historic Homes: Mortar and Materials” on Saturday, May 20 at 10 a.m. Larry Vance, owner of Historic Masonry Restoration, will lead a workshop that gives participants an education in pre-1930s masonry while offering an up-close view of the restoration currently underway at the Reese-Peters House, home to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.
 
Vance will share his insights on the difference between bricks and mortar used in the late 19th and early 20th century—handmade and baked in a coal-fired kiln near the construction site—versus the manufactured bricks and stronger mortar used in the 1930s and later. “Soft mortar is a world away from hard,” says Vance. “There are few of us left who can repair it properly.”
 
He hopes the workshop will raise awareness of the issues that can arise with older masonry and empower homeowners to seek contractors with experience. “There are a lot of things a homeowner can do to prevent the kinds of problems I see,” says Vance, noting issues like leaking gutters and downspouts that dissolve mortar and lead to water damage.
 
As a part of the workshop, participants will venture outside to view the work Vance has completed on the Reese-Peters House, a Federal/Greek Revival home on the National Register of Historic Places. His work includes removing hard mortar added during a previous renovation and replacing it with a compatible soft mortar that matches the color, bearing strength and texture of the original bricks. “If I’m good at my job you won’t even know I was there when I’m done,” notes Vance, who will also bring a variety of cooked soft bricks for participants to experience—including a handmade brick imprinted with a cat’s paw.
 
“This special workshop is a great opportunity to learn about historic masonry preservation. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of the important techniques needed to prevent long-term moisture issues and damage to historic masonry,” says Nate Stitzlein of Crow Home Inspection and board member of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. "I highly recommend any homeowner or person interested in historic architecture to attend. You will never look at masonry the same way again."
 
Tickets are $25 for members, $28 for non-members. For information about the workshop or to inquire about tickets, visit www.decartsohio.org or call 740-681-1423.
 
The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is housed in the Reese-Peters House, a Federal/Greek Revival masterpiece at 145 E. Main Street in Lancaster’s Historic District. Admission is free Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
 
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​

Open Studio:
Public Art Initiative
Saturdays, 10am-1pm
May 6
FREE TO ALL AGES
Instructor: Dayton Willison

Fiber Arts:
Weaving on a 4 Harness Loom
Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm
May 2, 9, 16, 23
$52 / $47 members
​Instructor: Mary Goss

Drawing & Painting:
Wednesday Watercolor
Wednesdays, 3pm-5pm
May 17
$75 / $68 members
Instructor: Lisa Schorr

Workshop:
Masonry, Tuckpointing in Historic Homes: Mortar and Materials
Saturday, May 20, 10am
$28 / $25 members
Instructor: Larry Vance, owner and operator of Historic Masonry Restoration LLC

​Register here
Call the office: (740) 681-1423
Stop in to the office and sign up.

We are so excited to announce that our summer art camp series this year is a collabortive effort along side Art and Clay On Main (150WestMain) and the Ohio Glass Museum (OGM). All three camps are for children ages 9 and up, and each cost $150 per child. They're only 15 spots available per camp, so register before they are sold out!

For more information and to register online click here.

Open Studio:
Public Art Initiative
Saturday, April 1, 10am-1pm
FREE TO ALL AGES
Instructor: Dayton Willison

Fiber Arts:
Weaving: Rigid Heddle
Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm
April 4, 11, 18, 25
Instructor: Mary Goss

Workshop:
Improv Machine Piecing
Saturday, 9am-4pm
April 1
$125, includes lunch
Instructor: Donalee Kennedy

Drawing & Painting:
Wednesday Watercolor
Wednesdays, 3pm-5pm
April 5, 6 week session
$75 / $68 members
Instructor: Lisa Schorr

Watercolor (NEW Day and Time)
Saturdays, 2pm-4pm
April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13
$75/ $68 members
Instructor: Lisa Schorr

Lectures:
Curator's Talk with Nancy Crow
Sunday, April 2, 2pm
$ 8 / $5 members
$10 at the door

Commedia dell'Arte
Saturdays, 10am-12pm
April 8, 15, 22, 29
$68 / $61 members
Instructor: Dayton Willison

4 Week Painting Fundamentals
Sundays, 2pm-4pm
April 23, 30, May 7, 21
$75 / $67 members
Instructor: Gayl Weiser

Our Education Director and Co-Director, Trisha Clifford-Sprouse, went to D.C. last week to be a part of American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Museum Advocacy Day 2017.

Here are some photos from her trip:

The Ohio Advocates!

​We met Katherine Standing in line. 

Representative Paul Tonko

The Library of Congress. Trisha is a board card carrying member, and enjoys the perk of getting to go into The Stacks!

​"I want a toy like this in our museum!" 

Trisha will receive her 5 year Advocacy star next year!

​​If you would like to know how you can help please look over the following issues at a glance that AAM gave to us. I will give you a hint. This came from Sarah Sutherland, Senator Brown’s Chief of Staff. Send letters and emails. Voice mails are back logged and they don’t have a way to translate voicemails without typing each one up. They really do count how many times they hear about issues. Know where your rep offices are here in Ohio and stop in, make an appointment, send a letter. Let them know how museums have changed your life!

Last week our Education Director and Co-Director, Trisha Clifford-Sprouse went to DC for AAM's Museum Advocacy Day, 2017. 


​Here are the key issues/asks that she brought up when talking with officials:


Issues at a Glance Museums play a key role in education, job creation, tourism, economic development, historic preservation, environmental conservation, and advancing scientific literacy and global competitiveness. The museum community—which includes aquariums, art museums, children’s museums, historic sites, history museums, maritime museums, military museums, natural history museums, planetariums, presidential libraries, public gardens, science centers, and zoos—has worked together to develop this federal policy agenda. Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Office of Museum Services Funding The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary federal agency responsible for helping museums connect people to information and ideas. Its Office of Museum Services (OMS) awards grants to museums to support educating students, preserving and digitizing collections, and engaging communities. Grants are awarded in every state, but current funding has allowed the agency to fund only a small fraction of the highly-rated grant applications it receives. IMLS has been regularly reauthorized by Congress with broad support, most recently in 2010 with a funding authorization of $38.6 million for the Office of Museum Services. The FY 2016 appropriations provided $230 million to IMLS, of which just $31.3 million went to the Office of Museum Services. It is currently level funded by a continuing resolution through April 28, 2017. • We support funding of $38.6 million in FY 2018 for the IMLS Office of Museum Services and urge members of Congress to sign the Gillibrand and Tonko/Lance/Slaughter/McKinley letters in support of robust funding for OMS. Institute of Museum and Library Services Reauthorization IMLS has been regularly reauthorized by Congress with broad support. In September 2016, Senators Reed (D-RI), Cochran (R-MS), Gillibrand (D-NY), and Collins (R-ME) introduced S. 3391, The Museum and Library Services Act of 2016. The legislation contained a number of provisions specifically supported by the museum field: bolstering the agency’s research and data collection, maintaining an emphasis on state and regional collaboration, expanding interagency partnerships, and highlighting the importance of access to high-quality museum services for every American. It also authorized a 21st Century Museum Professional Program, for the training of museum professionals, especially those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. • We urge Congress to enact legislation reauthorizing the Institute of Museum and Library Services, similar to S. 3391, introduced during the 114th Congress. Charitable Giving Museums depend on charitable gifts for more than one-third of their operating funds. We support efforts to extend and expand incentives for charitable giving. Limitations on these incentives could have a chilling effect on the ability of museums to attract donations needed to serve their communities and protect their collections. 


We oppose proposals that would limit the scope or value of the tax deduction for charitable donations, as well as any proposal to restrict the deductibility of gifts of property, which are critical to a museum’s ability to develop its collections. We support allowing artists to deduct the fair market value of donated works, as specified in the Artist-Museum Partnership Act. Any comprehensive tax reform legislation should encourage more charitable giving by more Americans. Economy and Jobs Each year, museums directly contribute $21 billion to the national economy, employ more than 400,000 Americans, and bolster a large tourism industry in local communities. Museums and other cultural organizations return over five times more in tax revenue than they receive in government funding. Unfortunately, in 2009, Congress excluded zoos and aquariums from competing for any funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and only narrowly avoided excluding all museums and other cultural institutions as well. In 2013, the federal government shutdown forced federally operated museums to close their doors for 16 days. These actions by Congress ignore the economic impact of museums in communities nationwide.


We urge Congress to amend the Anti-Deficiency Act to allow for the continuity of public access to our nation’s public lands and federally operated museums in the event of a funding gap. 


We oppose any effort to restrict the ability of zoos, aquariums or any other type of museum to compete for federal funding. 


We urge Congress to enact the CREATE Act (S. 2648 in the 114th Congress) to support artists and entrepreneurs while bolstering the creative economy. Elementary and Secondary Education Museums are key education providers, educating students, providing professional development to teachers, and helping teach the local curriculum. The recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the “Every Student Succeeds Act”) provides states with significantly more flexibility in setting and meeting performance targets, which could make it easier for schools to work with museums. 


We support efforts to promote school-museum partnerships (including museum schools), require greater collaboration between the US Department of Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, support funding for federal education programs in which museums participate, and fully implement the “well-rounded education” provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act, which include the many subject areas in which museums help teach the curriculum. National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) provides direct grants to museums, universities, archives, and libraries in support of research, education, and preservation. Due to high demand and extremely limited funding, NEH was only able to fund 16 percent of the proposals it received in 2016. It also provides annual grants to state humanities councils in every state and U.S. territory. NEH received $147.9 million in FY 2016 appropriations and is currently level funded by a continuing resolution through April 28, 2017. 


We urge Congress to provide at least $155 million for NEH in FY 2018. National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) works to bring the arts to every community in America, including rural areas, military bases, and urban centers. It provides grants to all types of arts organizations—including museums—to exhibit, preserve, and interpret visual materials. The agency’s federal role is uniquely valuable: no other funder—public or private—funds the arts in every state and the US territories. NEA also distributes roughly forty percent of its grant funds to state arts agencies for re-granting. NEA received $147.9 million in FY 2016 appropriations and is currently level funded by a continuing resolution through April 28, 2017. 


We urge Congress to provide at least $155 million for NEA in FY 2018. STEM Education Millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) each year by visiting museums, science centers, public gardens, zoos, and aquariums. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports these efforts through numerous grants and directorates, including the Directorate for Education and Human Resources’ Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program. AISL supports research, development, infrastructure, and capacity building for STEM learning outside formal school settings. Programs at other science-related agencies—including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH)—are also critical to helping museums attract, inspire, and educate the current and future STEM workforce. The FY 2016 appropriations legislation provided $62.5 million for AISL, and continued funding for the NOAA and NIH programs in which museums participate, but was silent on NASA. These programs are all currently level funded by a continuing resolution through April 28, 2017. 


We urge Congress to fully restore funding for the AISL program to $65 million—the FY 2010 funding level—and to continue to support informal STEM programs at NASA, NOAA, and NIH. Historic Preservation In addition to preserving and protecting more than 1 billion objects, many museums are historic themselves, and their collections are critical to telling our collective national story. Historic sites and historic preservation efforts not only protect our national heritage, they are also economic engines and job creators in the thousands of communities they serve. Minimal government funding helps to leverage significant private support, often through the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit. The FY 2016 appropriations provided $46.9 million to State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), $10 million to Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs), and $500,000 for grants to underserved communities—all through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). It also provided an additional $8 million from the HPF to document, interpret, and preserve the stories and sites associated with the Civil Rights movement. These programs are all currently level funded by a continuing resolution through April 28, 2017. While Save America’s Treasures (SAT) and Preserve America have not been funded in recent years, the House of Representatives did propose restoring funding of $5 million for SAT in its FY 2017 legislation. 


We urge Congress to support FY 2018 funding of at least $55 million for SHPOs, $15 million for THPOs, $25 million for civil rights sites, to restore funding of $30 million for Save America's Treasures and $4.6 million for Preserve America, and to continue to support the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit. Public Diplomacy and the Protection of Cultural Property As welcoming and trusted community anchors, museums are perfectly positioned to help build cross-cultural relationships, which are enhanced by collections that span the world across centuries. In recent years, irreplaceable cultural property has been lost in places like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Mali, and Afghanistan. Protecting this property is a vital part of United States diplomacy, showing the respect of the United States for other cultures and the common heritage of humanity. American museums and the conservation professionals who work with them are some of the world’s best at protecting and caring for cultural property. 


We urge Congress to pursue measures that protect cultural property around the world, and to consider museums and conservation professionals as part of the solution to these issues. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds and Wildlife Conservation In addition to educating the public about wildlife, accredited zoos and aquariums also protect endangered species in their collections and across their natural habitat. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF) are targeted investments in global priority species, such as African and Asian elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, great apes, and sea turtles. The MSCF program has helped to sustain wildlife populations by controlling poaching, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and protecting essential habitat globally. Despite its modest funding level, this program has a significant impact because it consistently leverages three or four times its federal investment in matching funds from corporations, conservation groups, and national governments.


We urge Congress to support funding for the Multinational Species Conservation Funds and to pass H.R. 227, which would reauthorize the MSCF programs through FY 2022.


The museum community, including botanical gardens, strongly supports efforts to protect native wildlife, including declining pollinator populations.

If you would like to know how you can help please look over the following issues at a glance that AAM gave to us. I will give you a hint. This came from Sarah Sutherland, Senator Brown’s Chief of Staff. Send letters and emails. Voice mails are back logged and they don’t have a way to translate voicemails without typing each one up. They really do count how many times they hear about issues. Know where your rep offices are here in Ohio and stop in, make an appointment, send a letter. Let them know how museums have changed your life!

-Trisha Clifford-Sprouse, Education Director and Co-Director