OMA Award Spotlight - Massillon Museum
Recognizing excellence in Ohio museums during Arts and Humanities Month
To help celebrate October as Arts and Humanities Month, and to kick-off the call for nominations for this year's OMA awards, we'll be highlighting our 2017 OMA Award of Achievement winners throughout the month with our OMA Award Spotlight.
The Awards of Achievement are presented to reflect the outstanding quality and caliber of work by Ohio museums and their professionals in two categories: Institutional Achievement Awards and Individual Achievement Awards.
Nominations for these awards are incredibly detailed. This in-depth process helps to illustrate how these institutions and individuals have gone “above and beyond” the normal call of duty to support their institution, serve their public and advance the cause of the museum community.
Each year, the review panel is overwhelmed by the outstanding projects, innovative programming and dedication to our field as exhibited in each of the institutional and individual nominations. Congratulations again to each of our award winners!
Today' we'll be featuring our winner for the 2017 award for Best Exhibition over $500,000.
Massillon Museum - Blind Spot: A Matter of Perception
Blind Spot: A Matter of Perception is an outstanding example of the power that museums have to create unique experiences for those whose differences can make interactions with traditional exhibits difficult.
The exhibit presented ten abstract paintings from the Massillon Museum collection, representing local, national and international artists, and – for the first time – made them accessible to patrons with blindness and low vision through multisensory experience.
Each painting was accompanied by Braille and large-type labels, small-scale aluminum tactile models, and sounds in a sonic iPad touchscreen app to help patrons experience the artworks through multiple senses.
Truly a collaborative project, the Massillon museum partnered with the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Philomatheon Society of the Blind to empower those with blindness and low vision to play an active role in shaping the experience of art accessibility at the museum.
Continuing the partnerships to include the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Institute of Music expanded the exhibit’s accessible, interdisciplinary programming.
As one reviewer noted: “Blind Spot is powerful case study in how our work can both help change the way people understand the world, and amplify the voices of those whose perspectives are often overlooked.”
Since receiving the OMA Best Exhibition award, the Massillon Museum has launched an Accessibility Committee, the mission statement of which is, “Massillon Museum welcomes you to participate in a diverse experience where art and history are for everyone.”
Did your museum have a spectacular exhibit during the 2018 season? Be sure to nominate it for the 2017 award for Best Exhibition! Learn more here.