Special thanks to Michelle Mullaly, director of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, for sharing these photos of Ted Gup and his family in our exhibition A Secret Gift!
Monday, December 9, 2013
Ted Gup and family
Special thanks to Michelle Mullaly, director of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, for sharing these photos of Ted Gup and his family in our exhibition A Secret Gift!
A Secret Gift concert
What an AMAZING night!
Yesterday was the Canton Symphony Orchestra's "A Very Canton Christmas" concert, featuring the world premiere of Eric Benjamin's piece "A Secret Gift." It was absolutely fabulous. There really aren't words to describe how his interpretation of the book lit up the room. If you were one of the 1400 guests, you know what I'm talking about. If you weren't, I apologize for my inability to explain music in words. All I can say is it was awesome.
The piece had a ton of moving parts -- a huge choir, a narrator (author Ted Gup), several additional speaking parts, the orchestra, and a multimedia presentation. All of it came together beautifully in an orchestral work that honored both Sam Stone's legacy and the people of Canton.
Before the show, while Chris was getting his mic set up (he had one of the speaking parts), I ran into Ted. I hadn't seen him yet during his busy trip to Canton. His mom came in last week while he was performing with the Symphony for the Youth Concert. He and his family had come to see the exhibit on Saturday.
I held my breath, waiting to hear what he thought of the exhibit. His was the last stamp of approval I wanted. And I got it. :-)
Like his mother, he wasn't prepared for how big the exhibit was. He told me I had come at it from so many angles, and he really enjoyed it. I was thrilled!
But the reason this exhibit has been so successful is because Ted gave us all such a wonderful story to work with. He has repeatedly said it's not "his" story, but "our" story. And all of us who were fortunate enough to have a part in this One Book, One Community collaboration truly embraced that idea. We each made the story part of ourselves, and our organizations, and we presented it to the public to celebrate this amazing act of generosity.
I am so grateful that I had the chance to participate in this wonderful collaboration. I install three exhibits a year in the Keller Gallery, and I've been here 12 years. Although some exhibits are traveling shows, I estimate I've created, from scratch, nearly 30 exhibitions during my time here. And this one is definitely one of my favorites.
It has been a highlight of my career! It's not often that we get the chance to tell local history through the lens of American history as a whole. The letters written to B. Virdot illustrate the Great Depression in a way that historians cannot. These voices from the past resonate with us because they are raw, uninterpreted words. That is the strength of this story, which was translated into a play, a walking tour, an exhibition, and an orchestral piece. Each one conveyed this power and delivered it into the hands of all who witnessed it.
If you have not yet seen our exhibit A Secret Gift, it is on view through February 2. It's not simply a "display of letters." It is so much more than that. Please stop in and see it for yourself.
Yesterday was the Canton Symphony Orchestra's "A Very Canton Christmas" concert, featuring the world premiere of Eric Benjamin's piece "A Secret Gift." It was absolutely fabulous. There really aren't words to describe how his interpretation of the book lit up the room. If you were one of the 1400 guests, you know what I'm talking about. If you weren't, I apologize for my inability to explain music in words. All I can say is it was awesome.
The piece had a ton of moving parts -- a huge choir, a narrator (author Ted Gup), several additional speaking parts, the orchestra, and a multimedia presentation. All of it came together beautifully in an orchestral work that honored both Sam Stone's legacy and the people of Canton.
Before the show, while Chris was getting his mic set up (he had one of the speaking parts), I ran into Ted. I hadn't seen him yet during his busy trip to Canton. His mom came in last week while he was performing with the Symphony for the Youth Concert. He and his family had come to see the exhibit on Saturday.
I held my breath, waiting to hear what he thought of the exhibit. His was the last stamp of approval I wanted. And I got it. :-)
Like his mother, he wasn't prepared for how big the exhibit was. He told me I had come at it from so many angles, and he really enjoyed it. I was thrilled!
But the reason this exhibit has been so successful is because Ted gave us all such a wonderful story to work with. He has repeatedly said it's not "his" story, but "our" story. And all of us who were fortunate enough to have a part in this One Book, One Community collaboration truly embraced that idea. We each made the story part of ourselves, and our organizations, and we presented it to the public to celebrate this amazing act of generosity.
I am so grateful that I had the chance to participate in this wonderful collaboration. I install three exhibits a year in the Keller Gallery, and I've been here 12 years. Although some exhibits are traveling shows, I estimate I've created, from scratch, nearly 30 exhibitions during my time here. And this one is definitely one of my favorites.
It has been a highlight of my career! It's not often that we get the chance to tell local history through the lens of American history as a whole. The letters written to B. Virdot illustrate the Great Depression in a way that historians cannot. These voices from the past resonate with us because they are raw, uninterpreted words. That is the strength of this story, which was translated into a play, a walking tour, an exhibition, and an orchestral piece. Each one conveyed this power and delivered it into the hands of all who witnessed it.
If you have not yet seen our exhibit A Secret Gift, it is on view through February 2. It's not simply a "display of letters." It is so much more than that. Please stop in and see it for yourself.
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| This is the suitcase that carried the letters to Ted, so he could share them with the world. |
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Ted Gup's mom visited A Secret Gift!
This morning Virginia Stone Gup Sharpe, also known as "Ted Gup's mom," visited A Secret Gift in the Keller Gallery!
She asked if she could sit behind her father's desk and have her picture taken. She wasn't expecting as much as what we have in the exhibit. She was amazed!
She spent some time watching the home movies of her family, and wanted to sit in the office scene for awhile to "reminisce."
Between this exhibit and the new book, my heart is so full with the joy I've brought into people's lives. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have been given to help preserve and share local history.
If you haven't seen A Secret Gift yet, it's on view through February 2. But don't wait until after the holidays. This story has even more impact at this time of year...
Unique gifts in the Museum Shoppe
There are literally hundreds of great gift ideas in our Museum Shoppe. This is just a sampling of what you'll find!
Did you know you don't have to pay an admission fee if you only want to visit the Museum Shoppe? Just stop at the Admissions Window and let them know you want to visit the Shoppe. Members receive a discount, so don't forget your membership card!
Check out these gift ideas...
Did you know you don't have to pay an admission fee if you only want to visit the Museum Shoppe? Just stop at the Admissions Window and let them know you want to visit the Shoppe. Members receive a discount, so don't forget your membership card!
Check out these gift ideas...
Gearing up for our Holiday Open House tomorrow night!
Tomorrow night is one of the staff's favorite events of the whole year -- our Holiday Open House!
Rather than simply tell you how wonderful it is, I thought I'd show you. Below are some of the photos from last year's event, plus some new pictures of this year's holiday decorations.
Members are FREE and guests are just $5. We hope to see you tomorrow!
Rather than simply tell you how wonderful it is, I thought I'd show you. Below are some of the photos from last year's event, plus some new pictures of this year's holiday decorations.
Members are FREE and guests are just $5. We hope to see you tomorrow!
Highlights from 2012
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| Complimentary cookies! |
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| Santa |
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| Christopher Pop-In-Kins |
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| The Winter Princess |
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| Homemade donuts over the open fire! |
This Year's Decorations
It's so hard to get good pictures of Christmas trees all lit up! Come in and see them in person!
It's so hard to get good pictures of Christmas trees all lit up! Come in and see them in person!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Ad for a Dueber Grand bicycle
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| There is no date on the page itself, but an ad on the reverse side mentions the year 1898. |
Our Archivist Mark Holland found this ad for the "Dueber Grand" bicycle we received as a donation a few weeks ago! Click here for that blog post, which includes several photos of the bike.
The bicycle we have is the ladies version, which is shown on the bottom of the ad. You can see a fancy chain guard that is no longer with our bike. You can also see the back fender that came only on the ladies bike. In the image, you can make out the strings that were strung through the holes on the top which helped to keep a woman's skirt from getting tangled up in the spokes. Ours still has the fender, but only fragments of the strings are left at the hub of the wheel.
We are working on a plan to get this bike into The Stark County Story exhibit. Hopefully over the winter we will be able to make that happen. We had contemplated having it restored, but it's so rare, we think it might be better to leave it as is.
Note that the ad describes the bike as a "Riding Wheel."
UPDATE: Mark just found another ad for the bike! Here is that one too:
Monday, December 2, 2013
Publicity for Canton Entertainment!
UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who has come in today to buy the book after seeing the fantastic article in the Rep! I've been signing books all day for people who are coming in and buying 2 at a time to give as gifts!
Canton Entertainment has been getting some great publicity!
Click here for an article in The Repository by Gary Brown.
Click here for an article in the Massillon Independent by David Harpster.
Writing this book has truly been a joy. I've seen so many people's faces light up when they see pictures of their "old haunts" that take them back to another time. I knew this book would resonate the moment the idea crystalized in my mind. This is why I do what I do, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given to make history relevant to people's lives.
So many of the wonderful department stores and theaters and amusement parks in the book are gone now. All that we have left are memories...and wonderful images from the past.
But Canton's cultural organizations stand out as pillars in our community. The Canton Museum of Art, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Player's Guild, the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and so many others continue to do great things for Canton residents and beyond. We compete for that precious leisure time dollar, which is harder and harder to get these days. In the changing face of the tourism industry, we're all working hard to bring great exhibits, programs, concerts, plays, and performances to the masses. And in 100 years from now, we'll be celebrating the legacy of the rebirth of downtown through the creation of the Canton Arts District too.
This is an exciting time to be living in Canton!
PS -- I'm doing a Book Signing this Friday at the Museum's Holiday Open House from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. I'd be happy to personalize a book for you or to give as a gift.
Canton Entertainment has been getting some great publicity!
Click here for an article in The Repository by Gary Brown.
Click here for an article in the Massillon Independent by David Harpster.
Writing this book has truly been a joy. I've seen so many people's faces light up when they see pictures of their "old haunts" that take them back to another time. I knew this book would resonate the moment the idea crystalized in my mind. This is why I do what I do, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given to make history relevant to people's lives.
So many of the wonderful department stores and theaters and amusement parks in the book are gone now. All that we have left are memories...and wonderful images from the past.
But Canton's cultural organizations stand out as pillars in our community. The Canton Museum of Art, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Player's Guild, the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and so many others continue to do great things for Canton residents and beyond. We compete for that precious leisure time dollar, which is harder and harder to get these days. In the changing face of the tourism industry, we're all working hard to bring great exhibits, programs, concerts, plays, and performances to the masses. And in 100 years from now, we'll be celebrating the legacy of the rebirth of downtown through the creation of the Canton Arts District too.
This is an exciting time to be living in Canton!
PS -- I'm doing a Book Signing this Friday at the Museum's Holiday Open House from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. I'd be happy to personalize a book for you or to give as a gift.
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