MANSFIELD – The Mansfield Art Center is inviting community residents to the Grand Opening of its new event pavilion and ceramics and glass studio completed in the fall of 2020.
The Grand Opening, free and open to all, will be Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Coinciding with the Grand Opening, the art center will commemorate the 50th anniversary of its original, nationally-recognized building that was completed in 1971.
In 1969, Clara Louise Black, the daughter-in-law of Mansfield industrialist and Ohio Brass founder Frank Black, donated eight acres of land for the art center building used today at the corner of Marion Avenue and Millsboro Road, Mansfield.
The 50-year-old original building was started in 1970 and completed in 1971; it will be a cause for the celebration July 10, said George Whitten, executive director.
Renowned Cleveland architect Don Hisaka designed the original art center building. The contemporary building design was nationally recognized during both the design stage and after it was built. It is considered among the best-designed buildings in Ohio.
Featured activities during the Grand Opening will include tours of the new studio spaces and event pavilion, plus drawings for gift certificates and gift items and glass-blowing and wheel-throwing demonstrations. The Princesses of the Royal Princess Party will visit from 10 a.m. until noon for photos with children.
The art center’s new Digital Resource Lab with 3-D printers will be exhibited, and guests will be invited to see students working in the art center’s new stained glass studio. There will be food trucks from Deja Food and the Fry Guys with food and soft drinks available for sale.
The official name of the new ceramics and glass studio is the Fran and Warren Rupp Glass and Ceramics Studio in honor of a significant donation from the Richland County Foundation’s Rupp Fund to the art center’s Art Rising Campaign of 2018-2019. The campaign raised $3.1 million for the art center’s major expansion, now concluded.
Throughout the years, the art center’s emphasis on member programming has changed from being a member-centric organization to one that encourages non-members to embrace art, too, through art center classes and free exhibitions, recognizing its changing role and impact on our area’s youth and economic development, according to Whitten.
“This new inclusive emphasis has encouraged thousands to create, visit, and become influenced today by our community’s art center,” Whitten said.
In response to this growing interest in the arts, the art center conducted its successful Art Rising fundraising campaign to build the new education wing with the arts studio and a pavilion for events and rentals, and renovations to the original building.
“Donors and show sponsors have been very pleased with our expansion and renovation,” Whitten said, adding that Grand Opening sponsors are J&B Acoustical, Carter Electric, DRM, and Shakley Mechanical.
The new event pavilion is now a special venue for business meetings, art center shows and events, and event rentals such as for weddings, receptions, and parties. A beautifully-designed courtyard and walkway connects the art center to the pavilion.
“As a vital and conclusive part of our strategic plan, which triggered planning for expansion four years ago, we are initiating a new campaign to raise $2 million for long-term investment that will provide annual income for future growth,” Whitten said.
The new campaign, underway and called Golden Legacy in honor of the 50 th anniversary of the MAC’s original building, has raised nearly $500,000 so far.
Current exhibitions at the art center, 700 Marion Avenue, are “Authentic Surfaces”, “Shush” by Kimberly Chapman, and “Unmasked” by E.D. Jasbeck.
Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Monday. Website is mansfieldartcenter.org.
ABOUT THE MANSFIELD ART CENTER
The mission of the Mansfield Art Center (MAC) is to make visual art relevant to the lives of all in north central Ohio. To accomplish this, The MAC brings visual art to all of us through exhibitions, programming, classes, workshops, and creative experiences; provides educational outreach through programs, lectures, tours, and school services, and provides support and services to artists.
The Mansfield Fine Arts Guild, doing business as the Mansfield Art Center, was founded as a non-profit organization in 1945. The first exhibition was held in 1946 at the Mansfield Public Library.
In its early years, the Guild presented exhibitions and conducted classes in the private studios of member artists. In 1968, the Guild hired its first full-time director, H. Daniel Butts, and began planning for a permanent home. Exhibition and studio space was used for a year at 40 S. Park St., downtown Mansfield.
In 1969, Clara Louise Black, the daughter-in-law of Mansfield industrialist and Ohio Brass founder Frank Black, donated eight acres of land to the Guild for the art center building used today at the corner of Marion Avenue and Millsboro Road, Mansfield.
The MAC is a routine culture stop by corporations and other businesses that are working to show off the Mansfield area market and recruit medical professionals, executives, and others to locate in the area.
The role of the MAC in the Mansfield area community has expanded, as the MAC has become more accessible to the community’s diverse population. During the 2020-2021 school year, Tyger STEAM was introduced to advance the creativity of art among Mansfield City School students.
The new after-school art program incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into the teaching of ceramics and art glass. Thousands of show goers, workshop participants, and students taking classes visit the MAC every year. About 25 percent of those who take classes at the art enter live outside of Richland County.
