Massillon Museum exhibit to feature modern Midwest art

MASSILLON, OHIO — Christine Shearer believes there is more to modernism art than the big museums let on.

And she’s out to prove it, starting this weekend.On Saturday, the Massillon Museum will debut the new traveling exhibit “Against the Grain: Midwest Modernism.” Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and created by Shearer, the exhibit showcases the works of well-known and lesser-known Midwestern artists who painted the world as they saw it at the dawn of the 20th century.

Shearer, the Massillon Museum’s executive director, combed collections across the country to find the perfect paintings for the exhibit which, she said, is designed to broaden the understanding of modern art beyond the well-known names and works.

“It shines a new light and a new vision on who (Midwestern artists) are and what they did,” Shearer said. “For me, it became about discovery. I enjoy that I get to look at all those things that other people wouldn’t normally look at the bigger museums.”

In all, 66 paintings have come together to adorn the walls in the Massillon Museum’s main gallery. Many are borrowed works from museums and private collections from places such as Washington, D.C., California, Cleveland, Akron, Columbus and Milwaukee. Some of the more recognizable artists in the collection include Ivan Albright, Charles Burchfield, Manierre Dawson, William Sommer, Gertrude Abercrombie and Clara Deike. But there are artists, Shearer emphasized, whose names may not be as familiar.

“Larger museums,” Shearer said, “would focus on more prominent artists – artists from the East Coast or Europe. What I love about this exhibit is that it shines a light on those artists who may not be as well known or who may have been forgotten.”

A majority of the artwork featured in the exhibit was done by artists living in the Chicago and Cleveland areas. The reason for that, Shearer explained, is that many of them could not depend on their trade alone for their livelihoods. Artists tended to move to locations where work was available and that often meant moving to the big city.

This is the third traveling exhibit that Shearer has put together. Her previous two exhibitions – “Breaking Tradition: Ohio Women Painters 1870-1950” and “Midwestern Visions of Impressionism” – focused on the Midwestern region and were well-received. The transition into modern artwork of the Midwest, is, Shearer said, “a natural progression.”

This time around, Shearer was able to secure more prominent works due, in part, to the reputation for quality that has been built by the previous exhibitions she has put together. She also has prominent backing from national organizations.

“Because (this exhibit) is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, we’ve been able to get major loans, including some from the National Gallery of Art,” Shearer said. “They are really pristine and really stellar examples of Midwest modernism.”