Doug Bennett
The Massillon Museum’s Studio M will exhibit Susan Snipes: Somewhere Between Us from February 21 through March 15, 2026.
Somewhere Between Us traces fragments of communication across time, immersing viewers in a multi-sensory installation combining letters, voicemails, web posts, and video. Studio M artist Susan Snipes explores personal memory within a wider cultural condition: a world where communication never stops, yet connection still slips away.
A free public reception will be held for Snipes in Studio M from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, concurrent with the reception for Play Like a Girl: Flag Football in the City of Champions in the Paul Brown Museum, also on the Museum’s second floor.
A MassMusings podcast interview with Snipes will be available beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 10, on the MassMu’s website and Spotify.
Snipes creates immersive, real-time media installations exploring the intersection of human experience and technology—texts, emails, voicemails, social chats, and other digital messages. Her artwork, which blends objects, visuals, sound, and interactive elements, challenges viewers’ perceptions and piques their interest in evolving digital landscapes.
Visitors will see fragments of unanswered digital communications interspersed with physical “return to sender” letters and voice recordings. Snipes believes her installations underscore the unfulfilled longing for intimacy that digital culture creates. She presents an atmosphere for viewers to evaluate the quality of their communications and consider authentic ways to connect in a mixed reality world.
Snipes holds an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in Art History from Case Western Reserve University. She has exhibited nationally with highlights including The Listener’s Gallery in San Antonio, Texas; CalArts in Valencia, California; and CAN Triennial at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Her work has been featured in publications such as CAN Journal, Suboart Magazine, and The Earthkeepers Handbook, curated by Kim Abeles and Whitefeather Hunter.
An active advocate for her community, Snipes founded NEO Art Opportunities to connect Northeast Ohio artists with exhibitions and other resources. She also established UNDERSTORY, a contemporary art space in Cleveland dedicated to showcasing emerging conceptual and media artists, with the goal of making art more accessible to the public.
The artist writes: “In Photo Album Series, I reflect on relationships with people and places from my past, including distance from family members and the lingering presence of childhood environments. The works draw on memories of growing up, homes and streets left behind, and relationships sustained across time and space. Text, imagery, and reflection overlap to express longing, affection, and separation. Messages such as “I miss you. I wish we weren’t so far apart” appear throughout. By engaging with these works, viewers are invited to consider how memory and intimacy persist, fracture, or fade when filtered through digital images and screens.”
Visitors to the Studio M exhibition can also view Celebration in Art (through March 1), Saving Face: Salvaged Negatives of Henry Clay Fleming, The Art of Inclusion, Play Like a Girl: Flag Football in the City of Champions, the Paul Brown/Massillon Tiger Football History Timeline, Small but Mighty: Big Personalities in Local Circus History along with the Immel Circus diorama, Innovators of Massillon, Heart Gallery (through March 1), and the Local History and Fine and Decorative Arts galleries. The Museum shop, OHregionalities, and a Sensory Room are open during regular Museum hours. The TwiLite Café in the lobby is open for breakfast and lunch.
Massillon Museum is a recipient of ArtsBuild funding from ArtsinStark. This grant is made possible by the support of the Stark County community through ArtsinStark’s annual Campaign for the Arts. The Massillon Museum also appreciates operating support from the Ohio Arts Council, marketing support from Visit Canton, and the support of the citizens of Massillon. Exhibitions are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Massillon Museum members who live east of the Mississippi River have the opportunity to apply to exhibit their artwork in the Studio M Gallery located on the second floor of the Museum. New members are welcome at any time.
Exhibitions can be seen during regular MassMu hours, Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
MassMu is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. A visit is always free and everyone is welcome. Free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. For more information, call 330-833-4061 or visit MassillonMuseum.org.