Ohio is the state to be for clever, engaging museum exhibits—whether you’re interested in history, science, art, space or simply some group fun.
Cleveland became the world’s first city to be lighted electrically in 1879. The Cincinnati Reds were the first professional baseball team. Akron was the first city to use police cars and Cincinnati had the first professional city fire department. The Wright brothers got their start in Dayton. Ohio gave America its first hot dog in 1900. It should come as no surprise that Ohio’s museums reflect as much history and discovery as the state’s past. Check out these exhibits debuting in 2015 and start planning your trip to the Buckeye State.
COSI
New Permanent
The COSI Planetarium—the largest in Ohio—features digital technology that offers a glimpse of our universe. The planetarium’s Digistar 5 projection system and 60-foot dome transport you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, to undersea volcanoes and distant lands—even into the human body.
View of the moon from the planetarium. Credit: COSI
Feb. 11-May, 31 2015
The 3D film takes you on a visually stunning tour of one of the world’s oldest and most famous cities. Destroyed and rebuilt throughout 5,000 years, Jerusalem’s enduring appeal remains a mystery. The film follows three young women and their families, and archaeologist, Dr. Jodi Magness, as she explores extraordinary historical sites in the region in order to better understand how Jerusalem became the crossroads of civilization.
Jerusalem film still shot. Credit: Dustin Farrell
Top Secret: License to Spy
March 14-Sept. 7 2015
Explore the tools, techniques and technology behind international espionage. Once you complete your mission, explore the truth behind real U.S. intelligence operations and see artifacts from World War II and the Cold War.
License to Spy exhibit. Credit: COSI
Sneak Peak: COSI will open LEGO® Travel Adventure in the fall
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Treasures of Our Military Past
May 15-Sept. 7, 2015
Cincinnati’s military history spans the period from the 18th century to the modern era. The collections include uniforms, equipment, weapons, artwork, posters, letters, diaries, rosters, official documents, photographs, lithographs and moving image footage. You’ll gain insight into the depth of Greater Cincinnati’s participation in and contributions to events such as military campaigns from 18th century Fort Washington, the Mexican War, Civil War, World Wars and the post-World War II military.
US Marine Paul E. Ison runs through Death Valley on May 3, 1945. Credit: Cincinnati Museum Center
D-Day: Normandy 1944 OMNIMAX® Film
May 15-Sept. 7, 2015
Put the cherry on top of your visit by seeing D-Day: Normandy 1944 in the museum’s OMNIMAX® Theater. On June 6, 1944, the largest Allied operation of World War II began in Normandy, France. Yet, few know in detail exactly why and how. Blending multiple cinematographic techniques, including animation, CGI and stunning live-action images, D-Day: Normandy 1944 brings this monumental event to the world’s largest screens for the first time.
Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland
MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition
Feb. 7-May 3, 2015
Modeled after the Discovery Channel series, the exhibit puts you in the spotlight to uncover the truth behind some of science’s popular myths. Can you dodge a bullet? Will walking in the rain keep you drier than running? Can you pull a tablecloth off a fully set table without disturbing a dish? Can you change as fast as a superhero in a telephone booth? In addition to hands-on experiments, explore props and gadgets from the show.
MythBusters exhibit’s Table Top Chaos. Credit: Great Lakes Science Center
Beyond Rubik’s Cube
May 30-Sept. 7, 2015
Marvel at the 10-foot-tall, 2,367-pound controllable Giant Cube, use the Haikube to create your personal Haiku or view a priceless work of Rubik’s Cube art. Math, engineering, history and art come alive when you can design 3D puzzles, view early Rubik’s Cube prototypes and even compete against a robot.
MathAlive!
Oct. 3, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016
The exhibit reveals endless possibilities thanks to math. Of the nearly 40 interactive experiences, learn how to design and play your own video game, ride a snowboard in a 3D experience and join a fractal dance party. Learn from professionals who talk about how math works across their fields of design, engineering, technology and science.
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints
Jan. 25-May 17, 2015
A selection of about 60 drawings and prints from the museum’s permanent collection will explore the various ways in which music and music-making have been represented in Europe and the United States from the 15th through the 20th century.
The Novel and the Bizarre: Salvator Rosa’s Scenes of Witchcraft
Feb. 15-June 14, 2015
Painted in Florence at the Medici court, Rosa’s four Scenes of Witchcraft reflect the Florentine traditions of satire, burlesque and the macabre as well as a contemporary interest in witchcraft.
Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa
Feb. 22-May 31, 2015
Some of the most beloved artistic creations of sub-Saharan Africa, masks, figures and decorative art labeled as Senufo have been the subject of numerous studies by African, American and European scholars since the 1930s.
TR Ericsson: Crackle & Drag
May 23-Aug. 22, 2015
TR Ericsson employs photo-based work, sculptural objects and cinema to create installations that provide a ruthlessly honest yet tender portrait of his mother, who committed suicide at age 57, and of the relationships between three generations within one Northeastern Ohio family.
Pink & Yellow, c. 1980, Greenville, Tennesse (from the series Crackle & Drag), 2014. TR Ericsson. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist: © TR Ericsson
Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse
Oct. 11-Jan. 3, 2016
The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts in London are organizing an innovative exhibition that examines the role of gardens in the paintings of Claude Monet and his contemporaries.
Toledo Museum of Art
Drawn, Cut & Layered: The Art of Werner Pfeiffer
Feb. 6-May 3, 2015
For more than 50 years, Werner Pfeiffer has experimented with the multiple uses of paper as both a canvas and a structural material. Much of his work as a sculptor, printmaker and painter suggests an attraction to machines and machine-like constructions.
Werner Pfeiffer Selects
Feb. 13-May 10, 2015
Artist Werner Pfeiffer selected works on paper from the Toledo Museum of Art collection by artists who have influenced his own work. Among the nearly 100 selections are books and prints by modern masters.
Best in Show: Animal Illustrations from the Mazza Collection
Feb. 13-July 5, 2015
About 50 works explore the theme of pets as illustrated in children’s picture books from the 1930s to the present.
The American Civil War: Through Artists’ Eyes
April 3-July 5, 2015
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, the exhibit features approximately 50 objects drawn from the Toledo Museum of Art collection and local institutions and collections.
Gilbert Gaul’s Battle-H-1st Ohio Volunteers Light Artillery in Action at Cold Harbor. Lent by the Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society. Credit: Toledo Museum of Art
Gifts on Paper from The Apollo Society
April 10-May 31, 2015
Since 1986, TMA’s art acquisition group has purchased dozens of works for the museum’s collection. This installation contains all 10 works on paper given during the group’s history, including objects done in charcoal, ink, oil, photography, lithography, etching and wood engraving.
Play Time
May 22-Sept. 6, 2015
In a world that prioritizes work, how do we encourage people of all ages to relish the benefits of play? Play Time celebrates the art of diversion and engages visitors in multi-sensory, interactive installations.
From the Collection: Three Hundred Years of French Landscape Painting
July 17-Oct. 11, 2015
The exhibit contains a single, stunning example selected from each of the many styles that define the French tradition of depicting scenes in nature.
Degas and the Dance–A Focus Exhibition
Oct. 15, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016
Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, on loan from the Clark Art Institute of Williamstown, Massachusetts, occupies center stage in this exhibition that revolves around Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, one of France’s leading Impressionists.
Edgar Degas’ The-Dancers. Credit: Toledo Museum of Art
Individual Exhibits
2nd Century in Bloom
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, Akron
April-Dec., 2015
The former country estate of F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The season-long exhibition showcases the construction of the estate; “Touch It” stations involving 20th century versus 21st century technology; and BLOOM, an outdoor exhibit featuring 32 glass installations on display June 1-Sept. 20.
Lilac glass from BLOOM. Credit: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Paul Simon: Words & Music
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum, Cleveland
Through summer; check website for latest details
Witness candid commentary gathered from hours of filmed interview footage on the personal story of Simon’s life. Watch videos of select performance highlights from Simon’s five-decade career and a collection of more than 80 artifacts spanning his early life and time with Simon & Garfunkel, through his solo career and to the present.
Paul Simon Words & Music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Credit: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum
75th Anniversary Additions
Hoover Historical Center/Walsh University, North Canton
Open March-October
2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of 84 children in 1940 to Hoover estate from England to keep them safe from the war. The children’s parents were employed by Hoover in England and brought here, too. To celebrate the anniversary, scrapbooks containing photographs, letters and documents will be added to the collection, in addition to original footage and interviews. You can also see war ads and the original artworks that were featured in the ads.
Children with H.W. Hoover Sr. on Aug. 27, 1940 at Hoover Camp (now called Hoover Park). HW Sr is standing, third row, second from right. Credit: Hoover Historical Center
Mudlarked in Roscoe . . . A Historic Scavenger Hunt
Historic Roscoe Village, Coshocton
Memorial Day weekend-Labor Day weekend
You’re mudlarked in Roscoe; what will you do to pass the time? As a hardworking canal boat crew, you’ll need to fill your bill of lading by gathering your goods in each of the Living History Buildings while you interact with costumed interpreters and skilled artisans—an exciting cargo quest!
Mrs. Johnson Cooking Over an Open Fire at the Doctor’s House in Roscoe Village. Credit: Roscoe Village
Tuskegee Airmen
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Dayton
Opening Feb. 11; New Permanent
The expanded Tuskegee Airmen exhibit will open in conjunction with Black History Month as a permanent exhibit in the museum’s World War II Gallery. See never-before-seen photos of the Tuskegee Airmen as well as many artifacts. A Stearman PT-13 aircraft, similar to those used by the Tuskegee Airmen for flight training, is also part of the exhibit.
A general view of the Tuskegee Airmen Exhibit in the WWII Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Credit: U.S. Air Force
Grime Homestead Renovation Project
Sauder Village, Archbold
Opening in spring; New Permanent
At Ohio’s largest living history destination, you’ll experience life in Ohio 1803 through the 1920s while visiting historic homes, community buildings, craft shops, farms and gardens. The Grime Homestead will have a new look and new stories and demonstrations from the 1920s-era. Learn about post-World War I and the economic distress farmers faced prior to the Great Depression.
Grime Homestead. Credit: Sauder Village
