HOWLAND, Ohio – The Medici Museum of Art has come a long way in the five years since it became independent.
The Howland museum doubled its physical size while raising its profile with splashy and unusual exhibitions.
More importantly, it has come out of the shadow of The Butler Institute of American Art and into its own light.
Charting the museum’s future and leading it there is Katelynn Amendolara Russo, executive director since 2021. She says the museum’s rise could reach new heights this summer when some major exhibitions open.
“This is our time,” she says.
The Medici broke away from The Butler in 2020 after a much-publicized spat over its exhibitions – particularly, a collection of paintings by the late Norman Rockwell owned by Boy Scouts of America.
The Butler, which had operated the museum for years as its Trumbull branch, declined the exhibition, because it was slated to be sold to pay damages from a series of sexual abuse lawsuits.
After the split-up, the Rockwell exhibition opened in the rechristened Medici Museum and attracted visitors from across the country before closing last summer.
The Rockwells are now gone, but the Medici’s momentum continues.
The current exhibition, “Science Fiction & Hollywood: The Art of John Zabrucky,” has the same potential to draw folks from far and wide. The exhibition, which opened in January and runs through June, includes futuristic weapons and devices created by Zabrucky’s California-based Modern Props Co. that have appeared in many movies and television shows.
Zabrucky, a Warren native, recently donated his prop collection to the Trumbull Historical Society, which is creating a museum to showcase the pieces. The “Science Fiction” exhibition will be offered to other museums to help fund the historical society’s effort. Its design was a partnership between the historical society, Impression Media, Amendolara Russo and Alex Jesko, who is the curator and only other employee of the museum.
Another current exhibit features the superrealism sculptures of Carole A. Feuerman.
Also on display are “Mirages: Alex Garant,” a collection of offbeat portraits; and works from the collection of Renie and James Grohl, who is the late father of rock superstar Dave Grohl.
“Zodiac: The Mysterious Power of the Creative” will open this summer, featuring works with an astrological theme by renowned and emerging artists. “Zodiac” is a collaboration between the Medici and the Carole Feuerman Sculpture Foundation, of which Amendolara Russo is a board member.
Two more exhibitions, which Amendolara Russo describes as “blockbusters,” will also open later this year. She expects to finalize their contracts this month.
“Every gallery will have something new – dynamic and exciting exhibits that will appeal to all ages,” she says. “It’s just the start of what’s to come.”
By breaking away from The Butler, which is devoted to American art, the Medici created an opportunity to redefine itself with a broader vision.
“We can position ourselves to be an international platform for artists from all over,” Amendolara Russo says. “Pulling from my experiences and the network I’ve built [abroad], it’s a perfect opportunity. This is the cradle of something exciting for our Valley… to see what it can evolve into.”
In the art world, the Medici is off the beaten path and somewhat obscure. Many people in the Mahoning Valley know little about it.
But the building is aesthetically and architecturally stunning.
“Every artist who sees it for the first time says, ‘wow, this is a gem,’” Amendolara Russo says. “They don’t expect to see a place like this in Ohio.”
Its light-filled galleries “take people by surprise,” she says.
When Zabrucky visited the Medici earlier this year, he was impressed with how its futuristic galleries complemented his sci-fi props.
“He didn’t even know this place existed,” Amendolara Russo says. “He said, ‘Am I in New York or LA?’ He loved it.”
A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE
Amendolara Russo has an impressive résumé as a scholar and global traveler.
A Canfield native and graduate of Canfield High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Ohio Northern University in 2011.
It was during her time at ONU that she was named a Fulbright scholar at just 20 years old. The scholarships typically go to more seasoned academics and doctors who use them to complete their research.
Amendolara Russo completed her Fulbright work in South Africa, where she studied the perspectives of two tribes regarding democracy in the aftermath of Nelson Mandela’s election as president.
“It ignited my worldview and my appreciation of culture and passion for teaching,” she says.
Upon returning to the United States, she became an art teacher at Jackson-Milton High School, a position she held for 12 years before taking the position at the Medici.
Her teaching job included a stint in Dubai, where she helped to develop STEAM curriculum for the state of Ohio. She also attended an art and math curriculum conference in Hong Kong.
It was also during her teaching years that she obtained her master’s degree in art history at Studio Arts Center International in Italy. The university is a consortium of Georgetown, New York, Harvard, Kent State, Bowling Green and other American universities, who share the space. Her studies took her to both Florence and Venice, where she focused on contemporary art and the art market.
It was in Italy where she also learned the museum business.
“I started getting involved in museums, and the Venice Biennale,” Amendolara Russo says. “It piqued my interest.”
She learned operations and administration while interning at collections in Italy and the U.S., including the Muccia Prada and Pinault private collections, both in Venice; the Galileo Museum in Florence; the famed Venice Biennale; and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
It took her nine years to complete her master’s, because she would spend eight months teaching at J-M High School and then go to Italy for her studies during the summer months.
Amendolara Russo began volunteering at the Medici while it was acquiring the Rockwell paintings. She was offered the job of executive director after John Anderson, director of Foundation Medici, which owns the museum, developed health problems.
Amendolara Russo believes that her studies and travel experiences prepared her for the post.
She started during a time of transition, with construction of the annex ongoing and the Rockwell paintings – which she describes as a “once in a lifetime exhibit” – arriving.
The future of the museum was a blank slate, and it became her job to forge a new direction.
In her five years at the helm, Amendolara Russo has worked in every position. She has booked exhibits, designed their layout, and then helped hang the art after it arrived. Some days she can even be found operating the cash register in the gift shop.
Phyllis Cafaro, board member of the Medici Museum, says Amendolara Russo’s leadership has been “a blessing” for the community.
“We’ve seen the Medici really come into its own under her guidance, drawing visitors from all over the region,” Cafaro says.
The board of directors also includes Ron Klingle, Ned Gold, Sterling Williams, Sam Miller and Chuck George, who is also an owner of The Business Journal.
Amendolara Russo’s talents go beyond her academic credentials, according to Cafaro.
“What really makes a difference is how she connects with people and art,” Cafaro says. “Her work with the Carole Feuerman Sculpture Foundation and her friendships with so many talented artists have brought exhibitions to our museum that truly inspire our visitors… She just gets what makes a museum both educational and enjoyable for everyone who walks through our doors.”
Pictured at top: Katelynn Amendolara Russo, executive director of the Medici Museum of Art, in her office.