The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center has been around for 41 years and Artistic Director Charlotte Gordon, who also serves as the 2nd Ward councilwoman for Portsmouth, says the museum has something to offer everyone.
Gordon says they’re very proud of the museum, which hosts about 15 temporary exhibits every year in addition to a permanent collection gallery. The total number of objects in the museum’s collection is close to 25,000. Due to the size of the collection, all of the items aren’t displayed at the same time and they change the exhibits up from time to time to highlight different parts of the collection.
One prized part of that collection are paintings by Clarence Holbrook Carter, a Portsmouth native who went on to become one of the best-known American painters of his time. SOMACC has the largest collection of his work in the world. Among the works is “Let Us Give Thanks” a painting modeled after Carter’s family.
There are two new exhibitions at the museum. One features the colorful multi-media works of Queen Brooks, a Columbus artist, and block prints and paintings of West Virginia artist Grace Martin Taylor.
In addition to exhibitions, the museum offers concerts, performances, art history lectures, and other educational programs. “It really is a cultural center for the whole region,” Gordon says.
Admission to the galleries is always free. “The board is really phenomenal. We fundraise a lot. We write a lot of grants.” Gordon says they work hard to remove any barriers to visiting the museum. “Anyone can come in.” She says free admission creates a relaxed atmosphere where visitors feel they can explorer part of the museum and come back again for more on another day without feeling as if they have to rush through the whole museum to get their money’s worth for a high admission cost.
The SOMACC is open from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Friday and 1 pm to 5 pm on Saturday
See our Article about First Friday and Queen Brooks HERE