4 Mahoning Valley sites included on America 250-Ohio’s new creativity-themed driving trail
Interested in taking a new trip through northeast Ohio?
Get ready to see some of the most creative and inventive accomplishments by Ohioans on the Creativity Trail: 100 sites across Ohio that honor new ideas and creations.
It’s a statewide driving tour organized by the America 250-Ohio Commission and the full list of sites was announced Friday in Toledo.
The Creativity Trail celebrates Ohioans’ achievements in the following six categories:
- On the Page
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Pottery & Glass
- Folk & Traditional Art
- Carousels
A few of the Mahoning Valley sites on the America 250- Ohio Creativity Trail are The Butler Institute of American Art, Medici Museum of Art in Warren, Burchfield Homestead Museum in Salem and the Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool.
Around northeast Ohio, visit the Kent State University Museum, Akron Art Museum and the Canton Museum of Art, plus many more on the full trail list.
The Creativity Trail is the second of six planned driving trails for America 250-Ohio’s signature Trails and Tales program.
“America’s Museum:” The Butler Institute of American Art
Famous artists from throughout American history have been featured at the Butler Institute of American Art, including Claude Monet and Paul Stanley from KISS.
The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown was founded in 1919 by Joseph G. Butler, Jr. and celebrated its centennial in 2019.
The art museum on Wick Avenue is one of the oldest American museums dedicated exclusively to collecting, exhibiting, and preserving the art of citizens in the past and present.
There’s no charge for admission into the Butler, which is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Medici Museum of Art
The Medici Museum of Art celebrates both contemporary and classic artists.
A new exhibit honoring a local Hollywood prop-maker is now open at the Medici Museum of Art in collaboration with the Trumbull Historical Society.
“Science Fiction and Hollywood: The Art of John Zabrucky” is open for the first time inside the Medici which is located in the artist’s hometown.
Visit the museum from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 9350 East Market St. in Warren.
Burchfield Homestead Museum
The Burchfield Homestead Museum honors world-renowned watercolor realism artist Charles Burchfield whose family lived in Salem.
The Ohio artist is best known for painting watercolor landscapes and unique depictions of nature.
The museum is the same Salem house where he grew up and dreamed of being an artist.
His museum has been open since 1999.
Burchfield, according to the trail website, “was part of The Cleveland School, an impressive group of watercolorists and other artists that flourished in northeast Ohio between 1910 and 1960.”
When he turned 28, the artist moved to New York where he worked as a designer.
The Burchfield Homestead Museum is open seasonally at 867 East Fourth St. and supported by the Burchfield Homestead Society in Salem.
Residents can use this map to explore Salem area sites painted by Burchfield.
Burchfield kept detailed records of his life, and the journals are available to read on the Burchfield Penney Art Center website.
Museum of Ceramics
At the Museum of Ceramics, curators have highlighted centuries of craftsmanship of skilled potters in the East Liverpool Pottery District.
The museum first opened in 1980.
Ceramics and fine china are on display dating back to the nineteenth century, notably a collection of 200 pieces of fine bone china called Lotus Ware made in 1890.
Inside the museum, there’s a whole level of life-size dioramas depicting a day in the life of a potter, plus a small gift shop selling jewelry made by local potteries.
Residents can also sign up for classes on how to make beautiful ceramics and throw clay.
The Museum of Ceramics is reopening April 1 at 400 East Fifth St. in East Liverpool.
Ohio Air and Space Trail
The Ohio Air and Space Trail is 30 museums and historic sites across the state all about innovative Ohioans in the sky and in space.
Ohio is home to Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, and Wilbur and Orville Wright, inventors of the airplane.
What is the America 250-Ohio Commission?
In 2026, the U.S. turns 250 years old, and every state has a commission in charge of the major celebration.
Leading up to 2026, all 88 counties in Ohio are hosting celebrations as part of the America 250-Ohio Commission.
