In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ohio's female artists created a body of work that brought thIei dreamlike view of the world into the artistic realm. 

"Breaking With Tradition: Ohio Women Painters, 1870-1950" draws from museums, galleries and private collections throughout the state and features more than 65 paintings by 15 artists. The Massillon Museum breaks new ground by exhibiting these luminaries of the art world, who are seldom recognized for their contributions.

The burgeoning art scene during the years following the Civil War through the end of World War II included a number of women hailing from in and around Ohio's emergent cities. The Massillon Museum exhibit brings to light the important works of Caroline A. Lord, Emma Mendenhall, Elizabeth Nourse, Dixie Selden, Annie G. Sykes and Bessie Hoover Wessell of Cincinnati; Carolyn Bradley, Harriet Kirkpatrick, Alice Shille and Yeteve Smith of Columbus; and May Ames, Clara Deike, Natalie Enyon Grauer, Grace Kelly and Edith Stevenson Wright of Cleveland.

Museum director Christine Fowler Shearer, curator of the exhibit, developed an interest in women painters during her studies of art history at Kent State University and the University of Notre Dame. "I always felt that these artists deserved a closer look and am excited to be a catalyst for this exhibition," she says.

Massillon Museum 121
Lincoln Way East, Massillon
330/833-4061
www.massillonmuseum.org
"Breaking Tradition: Ohio Women Painters, 1870–1950" on exhibit through Aug. 7. Tues.-Sat. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 2-5 p.m. Free.