Allen County Museum

Christmas Tree Festival
2023-12-02 12:00 - 18:00, 2023-12-03 12:00 - 18:00 UTC | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum’s 51st annual Christmas Tree Festival is Wednesday November 29, 2023 thru Sunday December 3, 2023 from 10 AM to 5 PM with special hours on Friday from 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday 12 to 5 PM.
This glorious holiday tradition is a partnership between the Allen County Museum, Allen County Master Gardeners and the Johnny Appleseed Park District. It features more than 100 trees and wreaths decorated by local businesses and organizations. There are plenty of activities, including everyone’s favorite, Evergreen, the Talking Tree.
Continue the tradition and be sure to bring your family to visit this year’s Christmas Tree Festival!

Holiday Soiree
2023-12-16 18:00 - 20:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801

Opening of Mirror Mirror Exhibition
2024-01-11 18:00 - 19:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum will be opening its first temporary exhibition of the year, Mirror Mirror, on January 11, 2024. Mirror Mirror combines the work of fourteen female artists whose work surrounds the complexities of their identities as artists, women, and, in some cases, mothers, wives, and daughters. The exhibition, which has been traveling since October 2022, is curated by the Director of the Allen County Museum, Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.
The museum is launching a temporary exhibition schedule in 2024. Each year, the museum will have three changing exhibitions in its temporary gallery space on a range of themes and subjects. We are looking forward to engaging in new conversations and programs with these exhibits.
Mirror Mirror focuses on artists and works that discuss the complexities of being a woman as well as so many other identities. Some works, like Jessica Gardner’s Mommy Wars, will show honest, real-life experiences of being a artist and a mother. In contrast, others, like Jessica Calderwood’s Public Private, are more metaphorical illustrations of the dualities of womanhood. It is an exhibition that may mirror any viewer’s experiences, regardless of gender identity.
The fourteen artists tell a wide variety of stories on this topic through an equally diverse number of mediums. Artists and their mediums include Erin Holscher Almazan, printmaking; Julie Blackmon, photography; Alicia Brown, painting; Jessica Calderwood, ceramics; Kristen Cliffel, ceramics; Rebecca Cross, textiles; Lalla Essaydi, photography; Jessica Gardner, ceramics; Marcella Hackbardt, photography; Mabi Ponce de Leon, mixed media; Bellamy Printz, printmaking; Stephanie Rond, mixed media; Margo Selski, painting; and Babette Wainwright, ceramics.
Dr. Fowler Shearer has spent the last twenty years advocating for and highlighting non-mainstream artists and regions in her exibitions and art historical writing. In 2010, she founded her own company, Fowler Artistic, to curate exhibitions with diversity in mind for museums, non-profits, collectors, and artists. She curated Mirror Mirror in 2020 before becoming the Director of the Allen County Museum in 2023.
The museum is excited to start holding temporary exhibitions more frequently and having the opportunity to share stories the permanent collection cannot tell. In addition, having changing exhibitions encourages visitors to come back and learn about something new several times a year.
The Allen County Museum is excited to start 2024 with such a compelling and rich exhibition. Mirror Mirror will be open from January 11 through March 23, 2024. A lecture about the exhibition will be held by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer on January 28, 2024, as a part of the museum’s annual meeting. Likewise, another lecture surrounding the exhibition will be held on February 24, 2024, by Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art. Allen County Museum would like to thank its partner, the Ohio Arts Council, for a grant that helped make Mirror Mirror possible.

Mirror Mirror Exhibition
2024-01-11 18:00 - 2024-03-24 17:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum opened its first temporary exhibition of the year, Mirror Mirror, on January 11, 2024. Mirror Mirror combines the work of fourteen female artists whose work surrounds the complexities of their identities as artists, women, and, in some cases, mothers, wives, and daughters. The exhibition, which has been traveling since October 2022, is curated by the Director of the Allen County Museum, Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.
The museum is launching a temporary exhibition schedule in 2024. Each year, the museum will have three changing exhibitions in its temporary gallery space on a range of themes and subjects. We are looking forward to engaging in new conversations and programs with these exhibits.
Mirror Mirror focuses on artists and works that discuss the complexities of being a woman as well as so many other identities. Some works, like Jessica Gardner’s Mommy Wars, will show honest, real-life experiences of being a artist and a mother. In contrast, others, like Jessica Calderwood’s Public Private, are more metaphorical illustrations of the dualities of womanhood. It is an exhibition that may mirror any viewer’s experiences, regardless of gender identity.
The fourteen artists tell a wide variety of stories on this topic through an equally diverse number of mediums. Artists and their mediums include Erin Holscher Almazan, printmaking; Julie Blackmon, photography; Alicia Brown, painting; Jessica Calderwood, ceramics; Kristen Cliffel, ceramics; Rebecca Cross, textiles; Lalla Essaydi, photography; Jessica Gardner, ceramics; Marcella Hackbardt, photography; Mabi Ponce de Leon, mixed media; Bellamy Printz, printmaking; Stephanie Rond, mixed media; Margo Selski, painting; and Babette Wainwright, ceramics.
Dr. Fowler Shearer has spent the last twenty years advocating for and highlighting non-mainstream artists and regions in her exibitions and art historical writing. In 2010, she founded her own company, Fowler Artistic, to curate exhibitions with diversity in mind for museums, non-profits, collectors, and artists. She curated Mirror Mirror in 2020 before becoming the Director of the Allen County Museum in 2023.
The museum is excited to start holding temporary exhibitions more frequently and having the opportunity to share stories the permanent collection cannot tell. In addition, having changing exhibitions encourages visitors to come back and learn about something new several times a year.
The Allen County Museum is excited to start 2024 with such a compelling and rich exhibition. Mirror Mirror will be open from January 11 through March 23, 2024. A lecture about the exhibition will be held by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer on January 28, 2024, as a part of the museum’s annual meeting. Likewise, another lecture surrounding the exhibition will be held on February 24, 2024, by Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art. Allen County Museum would like to thank its partner, the Ohio Arts Council, for a grant that helped make Mirror Mirror possible.

Annual Meeting
2024-01-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Join the Allen County Museum for its annual meeting, featuring a lecture from Executive Director Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer.

Valentine Dinner - Sold Out!
2024-02-10 18:00 - 21:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Treat your sweetheart to a romantic dinner in the historic MacDonell House.

Lecture
2024-02-24 14:00 - 15:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum is proud to welcome guest lecturer Nannette Macienjunes, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Museum of Art.

Lecture Sponsored by Cenovus Energy - Karlyn Lauer Finding Oil in Allen County: A Layman's Look at the History of Lima
2024-03-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Why is oil important in the history of Allen County? In 1885, the world’s largest oil field, which covered most of northwestern Ohio and much of northeastern Indiana, was found in Allen County, causing a boom in local industry. This lecture will go into a layman’s description of that early oil drilling in Allen County and its history, as well as highlighting the three crucial men that impacted the local oil industry: John W. Van Dyke, John D. Rockefeller, and Herman Frasch Jr.
Admission is free.

Space Day at the Allen County Museum
2024-03-23 13:30 - 16:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Come to The Allen County Museum on March 23rd to experience a fun afternoon of space and eclipse-related activities and crafts for the whole family! At 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., The Lima Astronomical Society will describe what an eclipse is and what happens during one. The Northwest Ohio Amateur Radio Club will let all ages use their radio transmitters, just like first responders may need to during the eclipse. COSI Science Kits about space, geared towards middle schoolers, and eclipse glasses will be handed out for free throughout the event.* A rocket from one of the COSI Kits will be set off during the event. There will be tons of excitement and learning for everyone: gravity tests, a constellation craft, examples of toys that were brought to space, and so much more. Visit The Allen County Museum on March 23rd to have fun while learning more about space and the eclipse!
*While supplies last for both COSI Kits and eclipse glasses (only 4 eclipse glasses per family).

The MacDonell House Opens for the Season
2024-04-02 13:00 - 17:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The MacDonell House reopens to the public for the 2024 season.
The 6,500 square-foot Victorian mansion contains five bedrooms, three full baths and one half bath. The house features six different parquet floors, coffered ceilings in three rooms, six fire places, fifty-three doors and ninety-five windows. German artisans hand-carved the quartered-sawed oak, cherry and mahogany wood throughout the home. An Art Deco twenty-pane stained glass window depicts a landscape scene along the east stairway. The exterior is clad in roman brick on the first floor and red slate on the second and third floors.
The MacDonell House is available by tour only. Admission to the MacDonell House is $3 per person for adults and children ages 9 and up and supports the continued preservation and maintenance of the house. Admission is free for members and children ages 8 and under.

Extended Hours Eclipse Weekend
2024-04-06 12:00 - 2024-04-07 16:00
To celebrate the eclipse with our community and visitors, the Allen County Museum will be opened for extend hours.
Saturday April 6: 12-5 p.m.
Sunday April 7: 12-4 p.m.
Free Admission.
Total Solar Eclipse phases. Composite Solar Eclipse.

Opening of Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-04-25 17:30 - 19:30 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County Museum wants to welcome everyone to the opening of Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic on April 25 at 5:30 p.m. There will be a reception with food and drinks that is free to all. Come see photographs that depict the strength and tenacity of the American people through mass trials and tribulations.

Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-04-25 17:30 - 2024-07-21 17:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Extended for two more weeks based on popularity!
Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic will highlight depression-era photographers from the Work Progress Administration’s (WPA) Farm Security Administration (FSA) program as well as contemporary photographers reacting to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This exhibition features photography from two times of national tragedy, comparing them while also engaging patrons with photography from regional sites throughout Ohio and the United States. A theme throughout is the resilience of the American people as they tackle the trials and tribulations placed before them.
Curated by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer and Arnold Tunstall.
Depression Era Photographers: Esther Bubley, Jack Delano, Theodor Jung, Dorothea Lang, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans, Gordon Parks, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott.
Contemporary Photographers: Autumn Bland, Donald Black Jr., Angelo Merendino, Jane Alden Stevens, and Shane Wynn.

Mother and Daughter Tea at the MacDonell House
2024-05-04 13:00 - 15:00 | MacDonell House, 632 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
A Mother-Daughter Tea will be held at the MacDonell House on May 4, 2024 from 1:00-3:00 p.m., the doors will open at 1 p.m., in support of the Allen County Museum. Guests will enjoy time in the Victorian House and a special presentation. A scrumptious menu of both sweet and savory items will complement the tea selection.

Lecture: Mark Billingsley on WPA in Allen County
2024-05-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Local Historian and Allen County Museum Docent, Mark Billingsley will be presenting a lecture on the WPA in Allen County.

This lecture is free to all.

Lecture: Dr. Christine Fowler-Shearer & Arnold Tunstall on Curating Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
2024-06-13 18:00 - 19:00

Lecture: Dr. Leslie Heaphy Presents about The Great Depression
2024-06-29 14:00 - 15:00
The Allen County Museum is delighted to host Dr. Leslie Heaphy, Associate Professor of History at Kent State University, for a lecture on The Great Depression in Ohio. The presentation will be held June 29, 2024, at 2 p.m. in the museum. This lecture is being held in conjunction with the museum’s current temporary exhibition, Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic. Dr. Heaphy will give greater context to The Great Depression by looking at Ohio’s own history during the time period.

Inaugural Fundraiser Gala - Discovery of Decades: The Roaring Twenties
2024-07-11 18:30 - 22:00 | 518 N. Main St, Lima, OH, 45801, 518 N. Main St., Lima, OH, 45801
The Allen County Museum cordially invites one and all to its inaugural fundraiser gala, Discovery of Decades: The Roaring Twenties. The event will be speakeasy-themed with hors d’oeuvres, libations, dancing, entertainment, and a friendly wager or two. Old Louie’s Night Club at 518 N. Main St. will be the setting for this dapper occasion on July 11, 2024, starting at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy getting spiffy, having some hooch, and savoring the real McCoy while helping the museum raise funds to continue to bring note-worthy exhibitions and engaging programming to the community.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite or at the museum starting June 1, 2024. The event is limited to 125 tickets, so be sure to snag yours right away. Please consider making a donation if you cannot join us at the gala. Tickets will be available for $65 per person for members and $75 per person for non-members. Not a member? That’s okay! You can become a member on Eventbrite or at the museum while purchasing your tickets.
Step into the past with the Allen County Museum’s Gala, entertainment and fun will be the focus of the evening. From a backroom gambling hall to dancing along to some time-period appropriate jazz, come celebrate the iconic 1920s! Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of the Roaring Twenties, from flapper dresses to prohibition era cocktails. Enjoy the basket raffle, silent auction, and so much more! This unique event will transport you to the era of speakeasies and the Charleston dance. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to experience the culture and style of the 1920s. We look forward to seeing you at Old Louie’s Night Club for a night to remember!
Order Tickets

Sponsor

Thank you to our wonderful Sponsors:
Jazz Age Sponsor: Cenovus
Libation Sponsor: Nutrien
Charleston Sponsors: St. Ritas and First Financial Bank
Newsies Sponsor: Von’s Diamonds and Jewelry and Larry & Pat Huffman
Bees Knees Sponsors: State Farm Agent Shane Crites, E. S. Evans, Lima Pallet Company, Inc., Kier Apiary, and Ferguson Agency, LLC.
Flapper Sponsors: Tanya Rable-Collins, Wine Sellers

Life in America | The 1920s
2024-07-12 13:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-13 13:00 - 16:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Fun Event for the Whole Family!

Come to the Allen County Museum to experience what it was like to live in the 1920s. On July 12th and 13th, from 1 to 4 p.m., enjoy hands-on activities like churning butter, making crafts, playing period games, and much more. Learn about 1920s culture, from what cars they drove to what music was popular. Stop by an all-ages speakeasy, no alcohol, of course, to learn about prohibition, though there is a password to find before entry. There will be a scavenger hunt to find 1920s objects in the museum’s collection, a one-room schoolhouse lesson, geology of the 1920s, and lots of other fun things to do!
There will be a few activities that only happen once or twice, so plan your visit with those in mind. Dance instructors from A Step Above Dance and Music Academy will teach the Charlston only on Saturday at 1:15 and 1:45 p.m. On both days at 2:45 p.m., there will be a black and white silent film accompanied by the museum’s 1920s organ. Likewise, at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, there will be a magic show.
Life in America: The Roaring 1920s will be fun for all ages and is a free event. Come and be with us on July 12th and 13th, from 1 to 4 p.m. to be transported to the ‘20s. Even visit the MacDonell House for free during the event!

Prof. Brit Rowe Presents on Women Artists at Bauhaus
2024-07-18 18:00 - 19:00
Professor Brit Rowe from Ohio Northern University will present a Museum Talk on the Women Artists at Bauhaus. Bauhaus was a German art school that ran from 1919 to 1933. The focus of the school was on making design functional and mass-produced. Unlike most art schools of the time, women were allowed to study at Bauhaus. However, the women who studied there were kept to more domestic or “feminine” arts, such as weaving, ceramics, textiles, etc. This museum talk will start the Allen County Museum’s lecture series on domestic arts and women, which will center on the exhibition Art of Domesticity, opening on August 15, 2024, at the museum.

The Art of Domesticity
2024-08-17 11:00 - 2024-11-10 16:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The decorative arts have long been part of the domestic environment. For centuries, a woman’s artistic talents were applied to projects that were deemed favorable to them—knitting, sewing, porcelain painting, and weaving—and that could be done within their home. The domestic environment has long been perceived as the proper place for women. It was the woman who decorated the home and created a space of sanctuary for the hard-working man who daily encountered the public space. In that sense, the domestic on display in this exhibition is both theenvironment and the object.
Today, female artists have turned those “domestic” skills into fine art. The five contemporary artists in this exhibition use traditional craft media to create works of art. They look beyond the idea of the domestic interior in some cases, and in other cases, they create large, intricate works of art out of materials once considered to be craft.

Lecture: Dr. David Strittmatter Presents on The Women's Building at the Chicago World's Fair
2024-08-29 18:00 - 19:00
*Image from the Library of Congress

Lecture: Dr. Kimberly Hamlin Presents on Women's Suffrage
2024-09-19 18:00 - 19:00

Art of Domesticity Artist Reception
2024-09-20 17:30 - 19:30
Immerse yourself in the transformative power of traditional craft media as we showcase the work of five groundbreaking female artists who have redefined domestic art. Experience how knitting, sewing, porcelain painting, and weaving have transcended their traditional roles to become innovative and compelling contemporary art. Enjoy meeting the artists, a tour of the gallery, and savor light refreshments.
Free event for all.

Creating "Women's Crafts" Together: Knitting and Crochet Workshop - Daytime
2024-09-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County staff and local artisans will lead this art workshop. Together, we will discuss the gender dynamics of decorative arts and crafts while creating our own artworks.
Beginners to advanced makers of each craft are welcome. The fee for each participant is $15.
This sign up is for the 1-3 p.m. workshop for Knitting and Crochet on September 25, 2024.
Registration closed for this event.

Creating "Women's Crafts" Together: Knitting and Crochet Workshop - Evening
2024-09-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
Cancelled
The Allen County staff and local artisans will lead this art workshop. Together, we will discuss the gender dynamics of decorative arts and crafts while creating our own artworks.
Beginners to advanced makers of each craft are welcome. The fee for each participant is $15.

Creating "Women's Crafts" Together: Ceramic Tile Painting Workshop - Daytime
2024-10-02 13:00 - 15:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
The Allen County staff and local artisans will lead this art workshop. Together, we will discuss the gender dynamics of decorative arts and crafts while creating our own artworks.
Beginners to advanced makers of each craft are welcome. The fee for each participant is $15.
Event Canceled

Creating "Women's Crafts" Together: Ceramic Tile Painting Workshop - Evening
2024-10-02 17:00 - 19:00 | Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market Street, Lima, Ohio, 45801
