YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University will feature five exhibitions this summer.

They are:

  • Sharon M. Dundee’s “Rusted Roots: Exploring Our Connection.” On view now through July 18.
  • Laura Garvin’s “Sketches & Storyline: An Illustrator’s  Creative Process. On view through July 18.
  •  “Stitches in Time.” This exhibition by Mahoning Valley 250 commemorates the United States’ semiquincentennial celebration. On view now through July 18.
  • Crystal Beiersdorfer’s #inhale__#exhale. On view through July 24.
  • Random Acts of Artists’ “Moving Forward, Looking Back.” On view now through July 24.

The exhibitions and reception are free and open to the public. The McDonough Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Dundee said her exhibit reflects “a certain commonality of experience for those, like me, who were raised in the Rust Belt during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. With Rusted Roots, I present my visual interpretation of this connection through my art, interspersed with quotes from others who shared these experiences, as wall text to create a unified installation.”

Dundee was born in Cleveland and received a bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University.

Garvin is the illustrator coordinator and social media coordinator for the Pennsylvania: West region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is a graduate of Youngstown State University with a bachelor’s degree in graphic and interactive design. Garvin has illustrated several children’s books.

“Stitches in Time,” part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, features artwork and artifacts that showcase how the people of the Mahoning Valley have both influenced and reflected on the passage of American history.

This exhibition was organized by Amy Laurel Fluker, associate professor of history at YSU. It complements a special traveling exhibit titled “Mahoning Valley 250: A Celebration of Change-Makers and their Communities.” 

Beiersdorfer is a new media artist and instructor whose work reflects on how bodies and digital spaces blend and clash, focusing on technology’s impact on daily routines, digital embodiment and virtual identity. Her artwork has been exhibited across the U.S., internationally and virtually in various exhibitions, installations and screenings. She is a 2015 graduate of YSU with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She also has a master’s degree  from the University of Chicago. In describing her exhibition, Beiersdorfer states, “#inhale__#exhale welcomes you to slow down and engage in the experience, unfolding at the pace of interaction rather than urgency, through the use of color, sound and temporality. 

Random Acts of Artists’ “Moving Forward, Looking Back” is a juried show featuring artwork by RAA members. Local watercolorist and YSU alum Daniel Rauschenbach is the juror for the exhibition.  

RAA started as a grassroots movement of about a dozen artists in 2014. It now consists of nearly 100 creative individuals located in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, representing the fields of fine arts, theater, music, dance, design, crafts and other fields. Its purpose is to unite, inform and encourage artists to organize and create projects that help rejuvenate and bring more color and art into local communities and lives. 

Pictured at top: “Trilliums Forest,” an illustration by Laura Garvin.