Since the doll exhibit was so popular, we are planning to change the Hat Shop in the Street of Shops into a Doll Shop!
We have a few modifications to make first. There are a lot of things on the to-do list right now, so I don't have an exact date for when this will happen. Check back for more information!
My new intern Amanda and I put all the dolls away yesterday. It took us all day! But that is a big job done. It was her very first day, so she got right into doing museum work! I felt bad to give her a job that was so huge on her first day, but she was a great help and I was glad to have someone to work with while putting artifacts away (which you all know I HATE doing!!).
Preparations have begun for The Masons in Ohio. They will be coming next week to install, so we have all week to paint and move cases around. It is nice to be able to take my time getting the gallery turned around. I have some other pressing things on my list that I will be able to get done this week too, since I'm not in a rush.
I'm sure next week will be a different story! :-)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saying goodbye to the dolls
I just took my final look at A Doll's World in the Keller Gallery.
The exhibit closes on Sunday, but today is the last time I will be able to see it before we start tearing it down Monday morning.
It is always sad for me to take down an exhibit, but this one is particularly worse. It might be because it was so popular (our December numbers were higher than last year, partially because so many people wanted to see the dolls!).
Or maybe because each doll seems to have his or her own little personality, and I hate to think about wrapping them in acid-free tissue and putting them back into their dark boxes.
I got attached to those little dolls, and I'm going to miss them!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Planning ahead
This week I am planning the exhibition schedule for 2009-2012. I normally plan three years out, but I have booked a traveling exhibit from the White House Historical Association in 2012. After I plugged that in, the rest of the year looked blank! So I started filling that in too.
So here's what's coming up in the future in the Keller Gallery:
(Everything is cast in stone for 2009, but there may be changes in the 2010-2012 schedule)
2009
The Masons in Ohio (January 31 - June 7)
The Working White House (June 19 - August 30
Life in Miniature [DOLLHOUSES!] (October 16 - February 14, 2010)
2010
Advertising in Stark County (working title)
The Victorian Age
White House Gardens
2011
Celebrating the Sixties
Health Care in Stark County (working title)
White House Christmas
2012
Communication (working title -- telegraphs, radios, TVs, etc)
White House Horses
Colors! (artifacts/costumes grouped by color)
So that's the plan for the next couple of years. I try to plan a variety of topics that will appeal to different groups. Hopefully you see something on this list that intrigues you!
So here's what's coming up in the future in the Keller Gallery:
(Everything is cast in stone for 2009, but there may be changes in the 2010-2012 schedule)
2009
The Masons in Ohio (January 31 - June 7)
The Working White House (June 19 - August 30
Life in Miniature [DOLLHOUSES!] (October 16 - February 14, 2010)
2010
Advertising in Stark County (working title)
The Victorian Age
White House Gardens
2011
Celebrating the Sixties
Health Care in Stark County (working title)
White House Christmas
2012
Communication (working title -- telegraphs, radios, TVs, etc)
White House Horses
Colors! (artifacts/costumes grouped by color)
So that's the plan for the next couple of years. I try to plan a variety of topics that will appeal to different groups. Hopefully you see something on this list that intrigues you!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Oh well
After three days of tracking these letters down, I finally talked to the owner yesterday on the phone. He sent me scans of the letters this morning, and after seeing them, I realized we already had copies of them in the files!
Big disappointment.
There was one letter we did not have, reprimanding one of the Secret Service officers for his comments to the press. Apparently Wilkie believed he was "grandstanding" and should have kept his mouth shut.
But since none of these letters were available to historian E.T. Heald when he wrote his definitive biography on McKinley (which was never edited and published before his sudden death 40 years ago), Chris will be able to include that information in the published version that he is currently editing.
I wrote back and asked if we could have a copy of the TR death threat letter from Canton that I mentioned in my last post. I am waiting to hear back about that.
The McKinley birthday banquet in question was the first "McKinley Day," which we still celebrate here at the Museum. So it is timely to discover that document, since McKinley Day is coming up on January 31.
If anyone saw that episode of Antiques Roadshow, and would like to hear one of the letters in its entirety, Chris will be including one in his Soup at Six program on "The McKinley Years" on January 22. Call the Museum at 330-455-7043 to make reservations!
Big disappointment.
There was one letter we did not have, reprimanding one of the Secret Service officers for his comments to the press. Apparently Wilkie believed he was "grandstanding" and should have kept his mouth shut.
But since none of these letters were available to historian E.T. Heald when he wrote his definitive biography on McKinley (which was never edited and published before his sudden death 40 years ago), Chris will be able to include that information in the published version that he is currently editing.
I wrote back and asked if we could have a copy of the TR death threat letter from Canton that I mentioned in my last post. I am waiting to hear back about that.
The McKinley birthday banquet in question was the first "McKinley Day," which we still celebrate here at the Museum. So it is timely to discover that document, since McKinley Day is coming up on January 31.
If anyone saw that episode of Antiques Roadshow, and would like to hear one of the letters in its entirety, Chris will be including one in his Soup at Six program on "The McKinley Years" on January 22. Call the Museum at 330-455-7043 to make reservations!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
McKinley assassination documents on Antiques Roadshow
Wow -- what a treasure on last night's show!!
The Antiques Roadshow had a guy on with an amazing collection of papers that were related to McKinley's assassination!
Apparently a box had been left in the attic of a home that had once been owned by the son of John Wilkie, who was head of the Secret Service when McKinley was shot. Wilkie had asked each agent at the scene of the assassination to write out their recollections of what happened that day, and all of those letters were in that box!
First person accounts of the assassination! Amazing!!
Also, there was a handwritten letter warning President Roosevelt that there was a plot to kill him at the opera house. The letter was postmarked January 24, 1903 in CANTON OHIO.
Guess who came to town on January 27, 1903 to be the guest speaker at a McKinley birthday banquet at the Grand Opera House in Canton?
You got it! President Roosevelt!
I contacted the Roadshow this morning to see if they could help put us in touch with the owner of these amazing papers. We would absolutely love to get a look at them!
This just goes to show that after over 100 years, there are still some amazing McKinley-related materials still out there!!!
The Antiques Roadshow had a guy on with an amazing collection of papers that were related to McKinley's assassination!
Apparently a box had been left in the attic of a home that had once been owned by the son of John Wilkie, who was head of the Secret Service when McKinley was shot. Wilkie had asked each agent at the scene of the assassination to write out their recollections of what happened that day, and all of those letters were in that box!
First person accounts of the assassination! Amazing!!
Also, there was a handwritten letter warning President Roosevelt that there was a plot to kill him at the opera house. The letter was postmarked January 24, 1903 in CANTON OHIO.
Guess who came to town on January 27, 1903 to be the guest speaker at a McKinley birthday banquet at the Grand Opera House in Canton?
You got it! President Roosevelt!
I contacted the Roadshow this morning to see if they could help put us in touch with the owner of these amazing papers. We would absolutely love to get a look at them!
This just goes to show that after over 100 years, there are still some amazing McKinley-related materials still out there!!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Back to the grind
Happy New Year!!
Finally, I can live out of ONE calendar!! I hate the last few months of a year when you are juggling between two calendars. Finally, I am dealing exclusively with 2009.
Time to start looking ahead to the exciting things in 2009. Starting this month, we've got some neat McKinley events coming up in January!
McKinley's presidential portrait
Soup at Six is BACK!
Join us on Thursday January 22 for Soup at Six: "The McKinley Years" as Chris takes a look at McKinley's life, in honor of the President's birthday (which is January 26). We'll look at his service during the Civil War, his rise to political prominence, and his tragic death. Chris will also explore the wide variety of campaign memorabilia used in the Front Porch Campaign. This program will also examine McKinley's legacy, including his role in creating the Panama Canal and establishing the United States as a world power. The lecture also includes two rare film clips of the President's funeral train. Pre-paid reservations are required. It's just $10 for a great soup dinner, homemade bread on the open hearth, and a great program!
McKinley in his Masonic uniform
New Exhibit in the Keller Gallery!
We will be opening a new exhibit exploring the Masons in Ohio on Saturday January 31, in conjunction with McKinley Day (see below). President McKinley was a Mason, and we are honoring his membership in that group with a special traveling exhibit on Masonic history. If you've always been curious what this group is about, come see the exhibit! It will be on view through June 7.
A general lays a wreath on behalf of the White House
Celebrate Canton's Favorite Son at McKinley Day!
Preparations are underway for this family-friendly community celebration of McKinley's birthday. All of your favorite McKinley Day activities will be back again this year, including an open hearth cooking demonstration (with samples!), Civil War re-enactors, special shows in Discover World, and “Meet the President” talks. Our Museum Café will again serve lunch.
Please plan to join us as we honor the birth of our 25th President with these January events.
It is easy to take things for granted when they are right in your backyard, but remember, only a handful of cities in this country can call themselves a community that created a President of the United States.
And CANTON is on that select list!
Finally, I can live out of ONE calendar!! I hate the last few months of a year when you are juggling between two calendars. Finally, I am dealing exclusively with 2009.
Time to start looking ahead to the exciting things in 2009. Starting this month, we've got some neat McKinley events coming up in January!
McKinley's presidential portrait
Soup at Six is BACK!
Join us on Thursday January 22 for Soup at Six: "The McKinley Years" as Chris takes a look at McKinley's life, in honor of the President's birthday (which is January 26). We'll look at his service during the Civil War, his rise to political prominence, and his tragic death. Chris will also explore the wide variety of campaign memorabilia used in the Front Porch Campaign. This program will also examine McKinley's legacy, including his role in creating the Panama Canal and establishing the United States as a world power. The lecture also includes two rare film clips of the President's funeral train. Pre-paid reservations are required. It's just $10 for a great soup dinner, homemade bread on the open hearth, and a great program!
McKinley in his Masonic uniform
New Exhibit in the Keller Gallery!
We will be opening a new exhibit exploring the Masons in Ohio on Saturday January 31, in conjunction with McKinley Day (see below). President McKinley was a Mason, and we are honoring his membership in that group with a special traveling exhibit on Masonic history. If you've always been curious what this group is about, come see the exhibit! It will be on view through June 7.
A general lays a wreath on behalf of the White House
Celebrate Canton's Favorite Son at McKinley Day!
Preparations are underway for this family-friendly community celebration of McKinley's birthday. All of your favorite McKinley Day activities will be back again this year, including an open hearth cooking demonstration (with samples!), Civil War re-enactors, special shows in Discover World, and “Meet the President” talks. Our Museum Café will again serve lunch.
Please plan to join us as we honor the birth of our 25th President with these January events.
It is easy to take things for granted when they are right in your backyard, but remember, only a handful of cities in this country can call themselves a community that created a President of the United States.
And CANTON is on that select list!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dolls Dolls Dolls!!!
This pretty little girl is my friend Coral's granddaughter. She was the first to finish her tea hat!
What a WONDERFUL time we had this morning at Tea with the Curator: "Bring Your Doll to Tea!"
Everyone had a lot of fun, and it was so adorable to see all the little girls in their pretty dresses and fancy tea hats!
First, they chose a spot to sit down, and their dolls "saved" their seats. Then each girl came up to make a special tea party hat to wear. Next, we had our tea. It was very quiet, as everyone was on their best behavior for this special occasion!
After tea, I went around with the wireless mic and had each girl introduce their doll to the rest of the group. Only a few were too shy to tell me the name of their doll!
Then everyone gathered at the front of the room to hear the story Tea for Ruby by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Then we all went upstairs to the Keller Gallery, so I could show the ladies MY favorite dolls in A Doll's World!
Then we all did the Scavenger Hunt. It was fun!
We WILL be doing this again next year, so if you'd like to come, check back in the fall for more information. The timing was just perfect -- life is just too hectic before Christmas. This is that strange time between holidays, when people need to fill their time with something fun.
Here are some of the highlights:
Making hats. Beforehand, I tied tulle onto each hat and cut up all the mismatched flowers we had gathered up over the years!
Chris helping dispense glue dots. He normally stays away from anything crafty, but Cindy is sick today so he agreed to help out. (Hope you feel better soon Cindy!! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)
Making hats.
Making hats.
Making hats.
Joyce, our director, helping to hand out flowers. (She was also our sponsor for this event. THANK YOU JOYCE!)
Little ladies ready for tea! (And quite a few kids DID drink tea! We had some hot cocoa too, of course)
Gathering for the story.
Me reading Tea for Ruby.
THIS IS A VIDEO OF ME READING THE END OF THE STORY:
Click on the video to hear me read the story!
A group shot! (The hats were VERY PRETTY from where I'm standing! All the decorations were on the other side!)
Afterwards I showed them MY favorite dolls in A Doll's World.
Looking at the dolls.
Doing the Scavenger Hunt in A Doll's World.
Coloring a doll or drawing your own to take home or post on our bulletin board!
Looking for the last few dolls on the Scavenger Hunt!
Thank you to EVERYONE who came today, and to the staff and volunteers who helped. It was fabulous, and we all had a great time! Many of the girls came up to me afterward to thank me, like proper young ladies. It was very sweet!
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