NEA Big Read

Massillon 2024

Homegoing

by Yaa Gyasi

The 2024 NEA Big Read Massillon book selection is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. For seventeen consecutive years, the Massillon Museum has been honored to be awarded the NEA Big Read grant. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

What is the NEA Big Read program?

The NEA Big Read is a community reading program focused on a single book. Massillon Museum and its amazing community partners create innovative and critical programs highlighting the book themes, exposing participants to new genres and ideas. The selected book is offered to the community for free so many can participate. Since 2008, Massillon Museum has proudly distributed more than 32,000 books to Massillon and its surrounding communities.

Visit www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read/homegoing to learn more about the author and book selection, and to access discussion questions from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Call for Submissions

The Massillon Museum invites students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in Northeast Ohio to submit their artwork to the new Family Means to Me exhibition in the Fred F. Silk Community Room Gallery! This exhibition will be on display from April 6 through June 9, 2024, and will be held in conjunction with the seventeenth annual NEA Big Read in Massillon. This year’s book selection is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a historical fiction novel that traces eight generations of a family descended from two half sisters born in Ghana. Current public, private, parochial, and homeschool students are invited to submit their original artwork inspired by what family means to them!

More details regarding submissions can be found here, or by contacting Stephanie Toole, Education and Outreach Manager, at sltoole@massillonmuseum.org or 330-833-4061 x 104. Please note that submissions will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis and vetted by staff for appropriate content. Submissions will end when fifty (50) artworks have been received.

Book Pick-Up Locations

Free copies of Homegoing will be available at the Massillon Museum, Massillon Public Library, and partner organization sites beginning on the Kickoff date. This page will be updated as sites receive their copies in April 2024.

Home Again: The Embodiment of Africa through Art and Fabric Exhibition

Main Gallery, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Contemporary Black artists complement the 2024 NEA Big Read: Chesley Antoinette, Chepape Makgato, Woodrow Nash, Francine Terry, and quilts by Gee's Bend artists. Guest curated by Dr. Tameka Ellington. 

A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours. 

 

 

Perry Sippo Adult Book Discussion

Perry Sippo Branch of the Stark County Library, 5710 12th St NW, Canton, OH 44708

Ages 18+

Discuss this year's Big Read book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Books are available at the library desk upon arrival. 

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher: Portrait of US Exhibition

Studio M, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Portrait of US is an evolving audiovisual archive of intimate stories told by ordinary people. The artists Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher create the audiovisual portraits in their Nomadic Photo Ark, a roaming black and white darkroom and art studio, as they weave their way across the United States. 

A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours. 

Family Means to Me Exhibition

Fred F. Silk Community Room, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

K-12 student artwork from throughout NE Ohio. 

A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours. 

Do the Mu: Neurographic Drawing with Susan Scheetz

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Enjoy a free, family-friendly neurographic drawing activity during Do the Mu on Saturday, April 6. Stop by the Museum anytime between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. All ages and ability levels are welcome and all supplies will be provided.

No registration necessary.  

 

NEA Big Read Kickoff

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Join the Massillon Museum for the 2024 NEA Big Read Kickoff celebrating Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and pick up your free copy of the book! Massillon Public Library will be onsite with the Bookmobile. Receptions for the complementary exhibitions Home Again: The Embodiment of Africa through Art and Fabric in the Main Gallery, Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher: Portrait of US in the Studio M Gallery, and Family Means to Me in the Fred F. Silk Community Room Gallery will take place. Enjoy a performance by the EN-RICH-MENT of Stark County drumline in Gessner Hall at 2:00 p.m.

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Eclipse Celebration & PBS "Star Chasers of Senegal" Screening

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Eclipse-related art activities will take place in Gessner Hall and PBS Western Reserve will be onsite with giveaways from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. A screening of the PBS NOVA episode "Star Chasers of Senegal" will begin at 3:00 p.m. Registered guests will receive one free pair of eclipse glasses while supplies last. 

Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets

Women's Impact Book Discussion

Women's Impact - Zoom

Join members of Women's Impact for a virtual discussion of Homegoing. 

Visit www.WomensImpactInc.org or email Education@MassillonMuseum.org for the Zoom meeting link. 

Massillon Public Library Virtual Kids Create

Massillon Public Library - Zoom

Grades K-6

In conjunction with the Big Read, create your own West African clay project. In this recurring online series, Children's programmers at Massillon Public Library create crafts and other fun projects on the second Tuesday of each month. 

Register for this free event at https://massillonlibrary.libnet.info/event/9848397 

Film Screening of BOSS: The Black Experience in Business

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Enjoy a screening of the PBS film Boss: The Black Experience in Business in Gessner Hall. Refreshments available from the Museum's cafe, Greatness Cafe, a Black-owned business.

Register for this free event at www.MassMu.org/Tickets.

Homegoing Book Discussion with Christina Haas

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH, 44646

Join MassMu to discuss this year's Big Read book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, with Christina Haas and other guests. 

Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.

Art + Conversation Workshop with BeYoutiful Weirdo

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Grades 2+

Children in second grade or older are invited to join Ke'Aunte Harris as she leads an art workshop focused on building self-confidence! This workshop will connect with the themes of Homegoing. 

Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.

Page Turners Book Club Discussion

Massillon Public Library Auditorium, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Join the Massillon Public Library's Page Turners Book Club for a discussion of Homegoing. 

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Brown Bag Lunch featuring Willis Gordon: "A Legacy of Progress"

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Admission to Brown Bag Lunches is always free. The Museum provides free cookies and coffee for attendees. Guests can purchase sandwiches, salad, and smoothies at Greatness Cafe in the Museum lobby, or they can bring their own lunches. 

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Massillon Public Library's 18th Annual Poetry Read-In

Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Bring your original poems, share the work of your favorite poet, or just sit back and enjoy the art of poetry in a coffeehouse atmosphere at the Massillon Public Library! Free coffee and cookies. Open to all ages. 

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Strauss Studios Book Discussion: Homegoing

Strauss Studios, 236 Walnut Ave. NE, Canton, OH, 44702

Ages 13+

Get comfy in the custom furniture of Strauss Studios, have some light refreshments, and join the conversation!

Register by emailing Jo, jo@straussfurniture.com, or John, john@straussfurniture.com.

Rhythms Concert featuring Rev. Robert Jones Sr.

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Join the Massillon Museum for the first Rhythms concert of the year featuring Rev. Robert Jones Sr.! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10/member and $12/nonmember. Register at MassMu.org/Tickets.

Massillon Public Library Last Saturday Open House

Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Grades K-6

Join the Massillon Public Library for an Open House celebration for kids, including crafts, stories, activities, and more featuring the children's book In the Small, Small Night by Jane Kurtz. 

No registration is necessary for this free event. 

Sit & Sketch with Massillon Community Arts Council

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Join members of the Massillon Community Arts Council as you create art inspired by Home Again, on view in the Massillon Museum's Main Gallery. Then, enjoy an artist panel featuring the artists from the exhibition at 3:00 p.m. in Gessner Hall.

Dry media only--graphite, colored pencil, or art crayon. Attendees must bring their own supplies.

Register for this free event at www.MassMu.org/Tickets

Home Again Artist and Curator Panel

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Join guest curator Dr. Tameka Ellington and featured artists for a panel to discuss Home Again and the artists' work. 

Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets. 

 

Taste of Ghana with Massillon Public Library

Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Learn how to make African peanut stew and Sobolo, a drink made from hibiscus leaves. Danelle will be using an Instant Pot for the tutorial, but recipes can be modified for stovetop. 

Register for this free event at https://massillonlibrary.libnet.info/event/9895646.

Live Virtual Keynote with Yaa Gyasi

Massillon Museum's Facebook Page

Join the Massillon Museum for the live online NEA Big Read Keynote with Homegoing author Yaa Gyasi. The audience is welcome to submit questions during the program, which will be livestreamed via the Museum's Facebook Page. A Facebook account is not required to view the program. The program will be recorded and will remain available on the Museum's Facebook and YouTube pages for two weeks. 

No registration necessary. 

One-Act Plays at Lincoln Theatre

Lions Lincoln Theatre, 156 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Enjoy four original One-Act plays authored by local black playwrights, Dr. Tameka Ellington, Willis Gordon, Olivia Matthews, and RA Washington, and directed by Stacie Morgan. 

Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets. 

Local History & Genealogy Fair

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Cosponsored by the Massillon Museum, the Massillon Public Library, and Stark Library. 

No registration is necessary for this free event.

Do the Mu: Gee's Bend Quilt-Inspired Collages with Susan Mentrak

Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646

Enjoy a free, family-friendly collage activity during Do the Mu on Saturday, May 4. Students will create Gee's Bend quilt-inspired collages. Stop by the Museum anytime between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. All ages and ability levels are welcome and all supplies will be provided. 

No registration necessary. 

Learn More

To learn more about the NEA Big Read, visit www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Previous NEA Big Read Massillon Book Selections

2023: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

2022: An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo

2021: Circe by Madeline Miller

2020: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

2019: Burning Bright by Ron Rash

2018: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

2017: True Grit by Charles Portis

2016: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

2015: Old School by Tobias Wolff

2014: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

2013: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

2012: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

2011: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

2010: The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick

2009: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

2008: The Call of the Wild by Jack London