Art inspired by Ohio’s football heritage

“Brown's Town: Art Inspired by Ohio's Football Heritage” is a new art exhibition in the Paul Brown Museum at the Massillon Museum. It will be on view through Jan. 12, 2025. A reception for the artists will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, concurrent with the opening of the “Stark County Artists Exhibition.”

Current and former Ohio residents were invited to submit artwork completed within the last five years inspired by Paul Brown. The exhibition offers a contemporary look at the coach’s impact throughout Ohio and on the sport itself.

Themes include Paul Brown, the Massillon Tigers, Ohio State Buckeye football, the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami University-Oxford/“Cradle of Coaches,” the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club/commitment to community, early professional football in Northeast Ohio, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, the Massillon Tiger Swing Band, the Massillon/Canton McKinley rivalry and Paul Brown’s coaching tree.

All media were considered by independent jurors Greg Storer, owner of Greg Storer Art LLC Mason, Ohio, and Nichole Woods, director of the Reinberger Gallery, Cleveland Institute of Art. They selected 14 artworks by 11 Ohio artists to be included in the exhibition, as well as prize winners: Best in Show, $300; second place, $200; and third place, $100.

Each visitor to the gallery is invited to submit one entry for the People’s Choice ($100), the winner of which will be announced during the exhibition reception on Nov. 2. Ballots can be obtained at MassMu’s reception desk and can be placed in the ballot box within the gallery. Inquiries about purchasing artwork from the show may be directed from the reception desk as well.

Also in the Paul Brown Museum, visitors can see “90 Years of Community: The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club” during the same time span. It focuses on the first nine decades of the booster club and its projects that contribute to a winning football program. “The Paul Brown/Massillon Tiger Football History Timeline” in the Paul Brown Museum will soon be updated to recognize recent successes.

Exhibitions can be seen during regular MassMu hours Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2-5 p.m. A visit is always free.

MassMu is located at 121 Lincoln Way E. in downtown Massillon. Free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. Call 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.