Embrace Art on America 250-Ohio’s Creativity Trail

Ohioans have also been innovators in the arts, be it bringing rock ’n’ roll to the masses or launching America’s studio glass art movement. From painters and sculptors to musicians and cartoonists, our state has long been a place where creativity abounds. 

America 250-Ohio’s Creativity Trail spans more than 100 sites, where travelers can explore the arts across six different categories: Visual Arts, On the Page, Music, Glass & Pottery, Carousels, and Folk & Traditional Arts. The collection of stops works together to highlight the multitude of ways that Ohioans have contributed to the arts, not just locally but across the country and around the globe. 

The trail can be explored by genre or region. Focus on the art of carousels, for example, and travelers soon learn that the Buckeye State boasts one of the United States’ largest collections of the iconic amusement ride. Or instead opt for a multimedia exploration of a particular region of Ohio to see how the communities within it have contributed to Ohio’s vibrant arts tradition. These destinations are just a sampling of the inspiring arts destinations that are part of this trail.

Music: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 
Visit this hallowed hall where legendary rockers from AC/DC to ZZ Top are celebrated every day. Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has been bringing visitors to Cleveland since 1995. Although the museum is filled with artifacts that tell the stories of the musicians honored here, there are also hands-on experiences like The Garage, which offers the chance to jam and gives visitors the rock-star treatment. rockhall.com

Carousels: Merry-Go-Round Museum 
Because Ohio boasts one of the nation’s largest number of carousels, it makes sense that the Merry-Go-Round Museum is found here, too. Housed in a former post office building in Sandusky, the museum has enchanted visitors since 1990. It shares the wood-carving artistry behind carousels and offers the chance to take a spin on a full-size indoor carousel with figures from the museum’s collection and private collectors. merrygoroundmuseum.org

Folk & Traditional Arts: The Dairy Barn Arts Center
Housed in a renovated barn in the college town of Athens, The Dairy Barn Arts Center opened in 1978 and a year later first hosted the Quilt National, a biennial tradition that still happens here today. The center has three galleries that host contemporary art exhibits, and it serves as a creative resource for the community, offering classes and workshops across
a variety of mediums. dairybarn.org

On the Page: Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum 
Located on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, this research library and small museum houses a collection of comics and cartoons that spans 300,000 original works and 2.5 million newspaper comic strips and pages. (It’s named after the Chillicothe native who drew editorial cartoons for The Columbus Dispatch.) The museum hosts special exhibitions related to the art of cartoons and comics. cartoons.osu.edu

Glass & Pottery: Rookwood Pottery 
Rookwood Pottery has been operating in Cincinnati since 1880 and is still there today in the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Visitors can take a factory tour to learn about the long legacy of this handmade pottery that has been a favorite for generations. Rookwood Pottery offers hands-on workshops for visitors, and the company’s on-site factory store provides an opportunity to take a piece of Cincinnati history home. rookwood.com

Visual Arts: Toledo Museum of Art 
The Toledo Museum of Art opened in 1901, and this free museum provides a beautiful showcase of art spanning the globe. The museum is currently undergoing its first major gallery reinstallation in over 40 years, which will result in a chronological presentation that tells a fuller story of human creativity. The Glass Pavilion shares the story of studio glass art and features glass-blowing demonstrations in its on-site studio. toledomuseum.org

Learn more about the Creativity Trail by visiting america250-ohio.org.

Q&A With Del Ray Grace
At the age of 12, Toledo native Del Ray Grace discovered a musical style known as Sacred Steel at his local church. Featuring stringed instruments, including the steel guitar, the style originated in the Church of the Living God during the 1930s. Today, Grace, founder of the Sacred Steel Music & History Museum in Toledo, preserves its legacy.  

Why did you decide to create a museum dedicated to Sacred Steel music? 
I was determined not to leave this Earth with this story inside of me. I think it’s a story that’s never been told and needed to be told.

What has the community’s response to the museum been?  
I’ve been really excited about the interest in it. … I’ve been here all my life, and there’s a great number of people who never heard of Sacred Steel. We used to play around town, here and there, all the time, but generations have changed.

What role does music play in the museum experience? 
You got people who just love to hear the music and you have other people who want to know what makes these guys tick — the story behind the musician or the story behind the tradition. 

For more information on the Sacred Steel Music & History Museum, visit sacredstrings.com/ssmhm.

The America 250-Ohio publication was created in partnership with the America 250-Ohio Commission. For more information on America 250-Ohio, visit america250-ohio.org.