YSU McDonough Museum of Art showcases community projects

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The McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University hosts an exhibit about the five projects that have been selected for the Innovative Plan for Leveraging Arts Through Community Engagement initiative in Youngstown.

The exhibit runs June 2 through July 9, with an opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. June 2.

INPLACE is funded through a $100,000 grant to YSU from the National Endowment for the Arts. Fifteen community projects were submitted for consideration, and in December five were selected to receive $20,000 each for implementation.

Videos and board presentations of all 15 proposals will be on exhibit at the museum. Featured in the exhibit will be the final five projects, including interviews with team members and documentation of progress toward completing the projects.

The five projects are:

Shipping Container Bus Shelter. A shipping container will be cut apart and reassembled, painted and fabricated as a sculpture to function as a bus shelter. The project site is an expanse of sidewalk in front of the Mahoning County Courthouse.

Light the Community. Seventh-grade Students from Valley Christian School’s Lewis School for Gifted Learning will install a public Shadow Art Stage along Emily Street and project shadow art on the south side of the City Hall Annex building.

Solar Screen. Solar Screen is a curved, vertical surface that will be positioned to follow the path of the sun. Assembled out of large 3D printed ceramic "bricks" that are mortared together; the bricks will have openings that vary in size, allowing light and air to pass through the structure.

The Wedge at Hazel Hill. The Wedge at Hazel Hill will create a serviceable and functional greenspace that connects the existing barrier between YSU and downtown Youngstown and will be conducive to education, entrepreneurship, and connectivity to resources for community members.

Mahoning Avenue Archway. The project site is an abandoned railway arch located along the Mahoning Avenue corridor into downtown Youngstown. The project transforms the archway into a vibrant feature to visually enhance and provide a more inviting gateway into downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.

The museum is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. For more information, call 330-941-1400 or visit www.mcdonoughmuseum.ysu.edu.