THE STRATEGY STUDY

**The Zanesville Museum of Art moved to 620 Military Road in 1977.** The ZMA is in the city of Zanesville.

Why a Study and Why Now?
The Zanesville Museum of Art is growing, increasing visibility, visitor ship, event programming, staff, and its collection. It is also positioning itself as a nationally recognized regional museum specializing in American art pottery—this community’s legacy! Learn more about the museum’s rich, 86-year history.

The 2021 Remodel Plan
To support and drive the ZMA’s evolution, the Zanesville Museum of Art Board of Directors formed an ad hoc committee in July 2021 to discuss remodeling the museum’s 34,000 square-foot facility at 620 Military Road in Zanesville, Ohio. View the Plan. The plan was ratified by the ZMA Board in June 2021.

A Study Requested
In July 2021, the ZMA Board placed the remodel plan on hold and discussed the museum’s inability to fully leverage its suburban location to foster memorable experiences. The aging facility lacks flexible interior and exterior public spaces that would accommodate gatherings of 120 people or more. It lacks amenities like a café and modern retail space, a family activity center, or an outdoor green space. The facility also lacks a clearly defined layout, gallery spaces fit for purpose, adequate office space, signage, and restrooms.

To assist the ZMA Board to make informed decisions regarding the museum’s strategic evolution, the ZMA Board issued an RFP. Read the Request for Proposal. The RFP was submitted to consulting firms throughout the midwest. Nine firms were vetted, three firms were interviewed, and one firm was selected to conduct the study based on the following evaluation criteria:

The firm’s and the principal’s experience on similar projects
The firm’s demonstrated ability to maintain project budgets and timelines
The proposal and firm deemed most advantageous to the ZMA

Study Funding

The ZMA applied for and received full funding for the study from three local foundations including the J. W. & M. H. Straker Charitable Foundation, the Cora E. Rogge Memorial Foundation, and the Robert E. Fellers and Leona L. Fellers Foundation Trust. Thank you!

**Learn about the ZMA’s history in this timeline.**

About the Study
The Zanesville Museum of Art Board of Directors selected Allegro (Cleveland, Ohio) to conduct a comprehensive, data-rich, three-phase study to provide actionable information and recommendations about whether the museum should remodel and expand its current facility and better utilize its five-acre green space, relocate the ZMA from its current residential location to downtown Zanesville near Interstate 70, or remodel its current facility and build or repurpose a site downtown for a museum annex.

Phase I Seek stakeholder input and identify what the ZMA community needs and wants from the museum.

The museum began this phase in September 2022.

This phase seeks community input regarding the state of the museum, an assessment of how the ZMA serves the community, how the museum can become a more relevant and vital community partner, how the ZMA should best partner with the city of Zanesville in its revival, how to increase tourism in this region, and how to enhance this community’s quality of life.

In September 2022, Allegro will conduct a series of onsite and online interviews to seek community input about the museum’s future growth. A Stakeholder Interview Summary will be provided in the new year on this page.

In October 2022, Allegro released a survey to the general public, appealing for additional input about what the community envisions for the museum. A link will be available on the museum’s webpage, on social media, and distributed through our community partners in October. A Survey Summary will be provided in the new year on this page as well as a Phase I Report.

How You Can Get Involved

There are many ways you can get involved and help shape the ZMA’s future.

Read the synopsis of the report from the September Stakeholder Interviews on this page in January 2023.
Call or email the ZMA to learn more about how your opinion can be heard!

Phase II Translate those key desirables into institutional goals and design solutions, and

Phase III Integrate those design solutions into a comparative analysis of three location scenarios:

Remodel and expand our current facility
Relocate the ZMA
Remodel our current facility and build a downtown annex

The ZMA’s Mission
The Zanesville Museum of Art ignites human imagination and understanding through the visual arts by utilizing our collections, facilities, exhibitions, and public programs to enhance the cultural life of our community and preserve its unique cultural heritage.

Its Vision
Empowering our community through the visual arts

Frequently Asked Questions

The study seeks community input regarding the state of the museum, an assessment of how the ZMA serves the community, how the museum can become a more relevant and vital community partner, how the ZMA should best partner with the city of Zanesville in its revival, how to increase tourism in this region, and how to enhance this community’s quality of life.
YES! We are seeking input from a wide range of audiences to help us make informed decisions.
It is a comprehensive, data-rich, three-phase study that examines the community’s needs for the ZMA.
The Zanesville Museum of Art Board of Directors requested this study to ensure that the community was fully engaged in shaping the museum’s future.
Over the next five years, the ZMA is poised to increase visibility, visitor ship, tourism, event programming, staff, and its collection as it positions itself as a nationally recognized regional museum specializing in American art pottery, Zanesville’s cultural legacy.
The museum has hurdles to overcome. The ZMA is unable to fully leverage its suburban location to foster human interaction and inspire memorable experiences. The aging facility lacks:
• Flexible interior and exterior public spaces that would accommodate gatherings of 120 people or more.
• Amenities like a café and modern retail space, a family learning center, or an outdoor green space.
• A clearly defined layout, gallery spaces fit for purpose, adequate office space, and restrooms.
The data-rich study will provide the community input needed to make an informed decision about the museum’s future.
This data-rich study is estimated to begin in September 2022 and continue through spring 2023.
Over the next five years, the Zanesville Museum of Art is poised to become an economic driver in the arts and cultural sector in this region by:
1. Participating in the city of Zanesville’s revival
2. Generating tourism, which in turn creates economic value in the community from non-resident visitor spending, and
3. Building a more prosperous community by expanding its economic footprint through employment opportunities and tax revenues.
The ZMA changes everyday. The museum’s exhibitions consistently rotate, new works are added to the permanent collection, and new programs are launched.
Please contact the museum’s office manager Sotiria Bailey at officemanager@zanesvilleart.org or call (740) 452-0741. We would love to hear from you.

Meet Joan Chase and Alex Bower, the consultants from Allegro conducting the study for the Zanesville Museum of Art.