Arts of Ohio Galleries

In December 2013 the ZMA opened the Arts of Ohio Galleries featuring works from the permanent collection and significant loans illustrating the art, history, and culture of the Buckeye state. Themes emerge in this chronological installation including the development and expansion of transportation and manufacturing during the American Civil War, unprecedented growth during the Industrial Revolution, new developments in art and propaganda during World War I, and the dynamic social and cultural changes leading to modernism. An outstanding selection of paintings, photographs, prints, and decorative arts illustrate how industry, social values, and artistic climates in Ohio have changed over time.

The Arts of Ohio Galleries are made possible with generous grants from the Ohio Humanities Council and the Ohio Arts Council. We also thank Dr. Mark Bassett, Dr. Kevin Kern, and Dr. Gregory Wilson for their expertise, research, and thoughtfulness while preparing and presenting this exhibition.

Arts of Ohio 1820–1850

By the mid-1800s, Ohio was changing dramatically as a result of the Market Revolution, the Transportation Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution. The Market Revolution represented a shift from farmers’ local, self-provisioning production to the planting of cash crops to sell to ever more distant markets. Making this transition possible was the Transportation Revolution, a series of innovations that made long-distance travel and trade increasingly quicker and cheaper. Ohio was at the heart of these transformations. Roads, canals, and steamboats first tied Ohio with national and international markets, while the coming of railroads made the state the crossroads of the nation. By 1860, Ohio had more railroad mileage than any other state, and was among the top five states in the production of most major farm commodities. These factors, along with abundant natural resources, made Ohio an ideal place for the growth of industrialization.

A specifically American—then Ohioan—identity first appeared in what we now call folk art. Innovative and experimental designs began appearing on functional goods like, E. Hall’s salt-glazed stoneware, quilts, needlework samplers, hand-made toys, and even sculpture.

Later in the century, Ohio arts, crafts, and architecture flourished, recreating European trends. The Greek and Gothic revival styles, popular in Europe, were frequently imitated by Ohio craftsmen. The dark naturalism taught at the Royal Academy of Munich, Germany influenced Ohio portrait painters.