FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2009
Contact:
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission: Jessica Fagan – 614.995.7552; jfagan@culture.ohio.gov
Massillon Museum: Margy Vogt – 330.844.1525; vogt@sssnet.com
Christine Shearer – 330.833.4061; cshearer@massillonmuseum.org
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission Approves
$425,000 for Massillon Museum
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission approved $425,000 at its quarterly meeting today for the Massillon Museum.
The Massillon Museum serves the Massillon community and beyond as a local art and history museum, with collections of photography, costumes and textiles, china, glass, pottery and more. The 29,000-square-foot stone building was built in the 1930s as a dry goods store. The facility was renovated in the early 1990s and reopened as a museum in 1996. The museum will utilize state funds to renovate third-floor archival storage space, adding temperature and humidity controls and specialized storage systems. The renovation will include adjacent workspaces for a curator, an archivist, research assistants and interns.
The Commission approval, coupled with the signing of legal agreements, allows the Massillon Museum to be reimbursed on a pro rata basis with funds appropriated in Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly and Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly. Stark County General Assembly members who voted in favor of the bills include Senator J. Kirk Schuring; Representatives Robert Hagan, Mark Okey, Scott Oelslager and Stephen Slesnick; former Senator John Boccieri; and former Representatives John Hagan and William Healy.
The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission is a state agency that helps enhance the quality of life for Ohioans by improving the state’s cultural facilities. Since 1988, the Commission has disbursed more than $400 million in capital funds appropriated by the Legislature and Governor for facility improvement projects at nonprofit theaters, museums, historical sites and publicly owned professional sports venues. The Commission partners with nonprofit groups and local governments on more than 300 projects in 72 of Ohio’s 88 counties. For more information on the Commission, visit www.culture.ohio.gov.
