Community Connections Past Projects

Info coming soon

Our summer exhibition was Gary Taneri | New Work.

Gary Taneri | New Work
June 9 - July 31
Reception July 10, 5-7 pm

The John J. McDonough Museum of Art, on the campus of Youngstown State University will open Gary Taneri | New Work, a collaboration with M Gallery at Erie Terminal Place. On view June 9 through July 31 at 112 West Commerce Street in downtown Youngstown, the exhibition features 14 new paintings by Warren native Gary Taneri. A public reception for the artist will be held on Friday evening, July 10, from 5-7 pm.

Gary has been painting since 1977. Sharpening his skills of observation and developing a painterly style his repertoire includes portraits, still-lifes, and painting en plein-air. Featured in the exhibition are 5 large paintings from a series inspired by vintage Polaroids of his family.

His award winning work has been shown in national, regional and local exhibitions, including at the Butler Institute of American Art and the Trumbull Art Gallery.

M Gallery at Erie Terminal Place
112 W. Commerce St. Youngstown, Ohio

Hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 10-3 pm
Wednesday and Friday Noon-6 pm

Re-Shaping Ideas, Ingenuity in 3D Technology
June 14 - August 2, 2013

Re-Shaping Ideas, Ingenuity in 3D Technology is organized by the McDonough Museum of Art YSU’s Center for Contemporary Art, AST2, Applied Systems and Technology Transfer and NAMII, National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. 3D printing is a leading edge technology that enables us to print actual objects - one layer at a time. President Obama has declared Youngstown, Ohio to be the 3D center for excellence by establishing NAMII, the first manufacturing innovation hub. Our intent is to build public awareness, understanding and interest in advances in additive manufacturing that are changing the world we live in. This is the 4th in a series of community based projects organized by the McDonough Museum to extend its service as a unique center for public engagement and to further articulate the expansive value of creative thinking in everyday life.

Exhibition Description - hands on 3D printing

The exhibition is divided into four galleries - three galleries that cover the past, present and future of 3D printing presented in text, image and video. The fourth gallery is called “Innovation Creation Space” and is an extension of AST2’s Inventor Cloud Program. It is a hands-on 3D printing lab open to the public for all ages. Individuals and groups must schedule time in the lab in advance. Lab hours are 11 am - 3 pm, Tuesday - Saturday, please call the Museum at 330-941-1400 to make a reservation. Ideas in Motion-Add a Gear Project in the Innovation Creation Space, patrons can participate in Ideas in Motion-Add a Gear Project and become part of the exhibition by creating and printing a gear that will be added to a larger sculpture in motion in the lab. Remember to schedule your visit to the lab by calling the Museum at 330-941-1400.

Imaterialise Warhol Challenge

What would Andy Warhol have done with 3D printing?

Back in February i-materialise opened a specific design challenge focused on the distinctive work of Andy Warhol as part of a collaboration with SME, the organizers of the RAPID event. The five finalists, chosen by Murray Moss, will also be on view at the McDonough! https://i.materialise.com/blog/en/andy-warhol-challenge-the-finalists

REA+CH

REA+CH is a residency program sponsoring Art + Community = Collaborations. The residency program advances the role artists and community members play in addressing human and social issues in the Mahoning Valley. It functions as a think-tank for community development wherein artists, community representatives, experts and students benefit from an enriching exchange of ideas and skills.

2003 Whenever I see the Moon, Blake Cook

Blake Cook, a Cleveland, Ohio resident, was the first artist to participate in REA+CH, an artist in residence program that provides opportunities for abused, neglected, and dependent children in Mahoning County to work directly with artists both conceptually and physically. Blake received a BFA in Painting from Edinboro University and an MFA in Painting and Sculpture from Indiana University, both located in Pennsylvania. He is currently the Gallery Director at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland where he holds additional positions as Program Coordinator and Art Instructor. Blake works in various media such as painting and sculpture, and recently has been focusing on drawing, installation and performance.

Blake’s piece, Whenever I See the Moon I’ll Think of You, was the major influencing factor during the program, as the children created moon-inspired works. Specifically, Blake’s piece is a lament in three parts and is the artist’s response to the death of his mother.

He described their weekly visits as a spontaneous and rewarding, “we would talk and/or engage in various art making activities, ranging from drawing to sculpting in plaster in preparation for the building of the final work. The workshop was focused in such a way that the most intensive art making activities took place leading up the closing reception for the exhibition. For the final activity, the students made portraits of someone they missed, which related to the theme of the show and resulted in very powerful works that were included as part of the exhibition.”

The two-month process of creating this installation was open to the public. Visitors to the Museum could view the various stages in progress and interact with the artist and the youths. When the piece was completed, we celebrated with a “closing reception” that was attended by over 200 people including friends and family of the youths who participated. One of the most memorable occurrences that evening was watching the youths give tours of the show to the visitors and sharing with them their experiences over the last two months.

The Ursuline Sisters’ Casa Madre Children’s Program is a facility on Youngstown’s South Side for children’s programming that offers support services such as tutoring, child advocacy, crisis intervention, life skills, and recreational activities.

2004 The Underground Railroad, Tony Armeni

The Underground Railroad Project was an Art + Community Collaboration with YSU’s History Department, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library. The second REA+CH resident, Tony Armeni, worked together with these three entities and 20 inner-city youths to create their own freedom station within the walls of the McDonough Museum. They joined in the celebration of over 60 Freedom Stations throughout the United States that were identified by the new Freedom Center that opened in Cincinnati in 2004.

The two-month process of creating this installation was open to the public. Visitors to the Museum could view the various stages in progress and interact with the artist and the youths. When the piece was completed, we celebrated with a “closing reception” that was attended by over 200 people including friends and family of the youths who participated. One of the most memorable occurrences that evening was watching the youths give tours of the show to the visitors and sharing with them their experiences over the last two months.

2005 The Puppet Parade Project and Drum Circle

Boris Chesakov, Christina Veneron, Todd Greene and Nathan Douds

The Puppet Parade Project and Drum Circle were Art + Community Collaborations with YSU’s Department of Art, Dana School of Music and SMARTS. In the first have of this year’s residency program, 20 inner-city youths worked with sculptor Boris Chesakov and musician Christina Veneron to build wearable puppets that referenced junk foods and poor nutrition. They performed in a parade during the Summer Festival of the Arts and many of them took time out to converse with the crowd about the purpose of the parade. The second half of the residency was dedicated to music and performance. The kids were introduced to a wide range of percussive instruments and participated in a series of drum circles at the SMARTS Center. Musicians Todd Greene and Nathan Douds recorded the youth playing various instruments and reciting poems that they wrote during one of the sessions, with assistance from Christina Veneron. Douds mixed the recordings on a computer introducing the group to the various uses of technology in production.

The final product is a complex rap featuring the voices and musical performances of the youth. In addition to developing their creative skills through the program, the young participants continue to gain confidence and increase their overall social and communication skills.

2006 My People, Phyllis Wharton

Phyllis Wharton, professional photographer, and YSU photo graduate Angela Pandolph were our artists in residence this past summer for the Museum’s outreach program for inner-city youth. This was our fourth year of partnering with the Ursuline Sisters Ministry. The new program was entitled “My People: a Photo Exploration of Connectivity and Community.” Inspired by Langston Hughs poem, “My People,” the objective was to memorialize the people to whom the children felt particularly connected and who had meaning in their lives. Using the traditional medium of black and white photography, twenty youths were given their own camera and instructed in its use, methodology and printing processes.

The final works were featured in an exhibition at the McDonough Museum, which opened during the Summer Festival of the Arts. The opening was attended by many of the friends and family that populated the images. It was easy to see the pride each of the participants took in not only having their images on display at the museum, but also being able to show their families the end product of their newly acquired skills. The success of this program was also evidenced in the images selected by the students. These tender and revealing portraits offered the public a view into their private, complex and challenging young lives.

Excel! - Extra Curricular Electronic Learning

excel! Youth Media Program was established in 2004 and was very successful in opening up opportunities for at-risk and underserved children to work creatively and freely with video cameras and computer imaging programs. The youth work with visiting artists, mentors in the community, students, and alumni from Youngstown State University. The leaders of the workshops teach creative and critical thinking skills while developing a strong sense of community. The youth involved in the workshops learn how to operate camcorders, digital cameras and computer programs to conceptualize and create their own projects.

excel! Youth Media Projects

Savonnah Hill
The Truth About STD’s in our Community, 2004

Sterling Vaught
Interview by Pastor Jenkins, 2004

Savonnah Hill
What do you know about HIV/STD Testing, 5:10, 12-01-2004

Elmer Gonzalez
It’s About Me, 2004

Desiree Fitzgerald, Savonnah Hill and Tamara Perdue
Bullying, 2005

Desiree Fitzgerald and Sterling Vaught - camera and edit,
Desiree Fitzgerald - music, Bryn Zellers - edit supervisor
Antonine Sisters Adult Daycare, 4:17, 10-25-2006

Desiree Fitzgerald and Savonnah Hill
2005 Summer at the McDonough Museum, 3:24, 04-12-2006

Desiree Fitzgerald and Sterling Vaught
Casa Madre: What you don’t know, 2:43, 05-17-2006

Tamara Perdue and Jasmine Jennings
Juvenile Diabetes, 6:10, 07-07-2006

Savonnah Hill
Silent Tears, 2:23, 07-07-2006

Jasmine Jennings
My Love for Basketball, 1:34, 08-30-2006

Desiree Fitzgerald
What PSI is all About, 3:49, 06-18-2007

During the Summer Festival of the Arts 2004, 2005 and 2006 the Museum hosted a youth media film festival featuring short video pieces by local youth who have been participating in the Youth Media Program at the McDonough Museum. Bryn Zellers, a graduate of the Department of Art at YSU, has been mentoring the youth in video production and concept development.

The William Swanston Foundation sponsored the REA+CH Residency Program, promoting art and community collaborations and the Youth Media Program 2003-2007.