YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Five exhibitions will open Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the McDonough Museum of Art at Youngstown State University, featuring art by Julia Betts, Anna Chapman, Abby Cipar, Will Hutnick and Sidney Mullis.
The exhibits will run through Feb. 28. A closing reception for all five exhibits will take place that day from 5 to 7 p.m.
The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
Betts’ “The Dams are Broken” explores the human body as a fragile vessel yearning to break through boundaries and let its identity come forward. Betts, an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, will give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the McDonough Auditorium.
Chapman’s “Underworld/Otherworld” focuses on death and grieving. Chapman will give an artist lecture at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, in the McDonough Auditorium.
Cipar, the 2025 McDonough Emerging Artist, states that the artwork she presents in “Sometime, Somehow, For You” is “performing as stand-ins for my own, trans-nonbinary body. [My] work is that of an assembling. I am thinking about the simultaneous strangeness and beauty of my body as it exists in a pre-medical, not-quite-there-but-getting-there state of transition and affirmation.” She will give an artist lecture at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in the McDonough Auditorium.
Hutnick’s exhibit, “Queer Horizons,” is focused on the intersection of the natural environment, digital spaces and queerness. He will lecture at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 in the McDonough Auditorium.
Mullis describes his installation, “Caught Skies and Pillowed Pines,” as “an invented landscape to think about childhood selves and to find where they retreat to in adulthood.” She will give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the McDonough Auditorium.
Trek Coffee House Marks First Anniversary
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Trek Coffee House, 1588 Mahoning Ave., will mark its first anniversary Saturday, Jan. 18, with activities, tastings, a workshop and a latte art competition.
Here is the schedule:
- Coffee and Tea Workshop, 10 a.m.: Trek experts will lead a tasting session and explore the roasting process to explain how it shapes the flavor of beans from around the globe. Registration is required and can be completed HERE.
- Latte Art Throwdown, 5 to 7 p.m.: Baristas from across the region will compete to create stunning latte art. Enjoy the artistry of coffee paired with music, and cheer on your favorite competitors. Barista check-in begins at 4:30 p.m. Participation is free. To register, message Trek on Instagram.
Workshops to Help Artists Succeed in Business
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – LOOP Youngstown Arts & Culture Center will present Art is Work, a series of free workshops to help working artists expand their creative practices and connect with their peers.
The series will include five workshops:
- How to Build an Artist Website, led by Elizabeth Franklin.
- How to Enter Art Shows, led by David Wheeler.
- Writing Artists Grants, led by Dragana Crnjak.
- Behind the Scenes of Art Exhibitions, led by Robyn Maas.
- Accounting for Artists, led by Jennifer Nesmith.
Each workshop will offer tools and insights that can be immediately applied. They will take place January through April at locations throughout the Mahoning Valley, including Art on Park and TAG in Warren, and the McDonough Museum and Oak Hill Collaborative in Youngstown.
All workshops are free, and preregistration is required. Go to LoopYoungstown.org.
Funding for the series came from the Ohio Arts Council and the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
Rush Tribute Concert at the Robins Theatre
WARREN, Ohio – The Rush Tribute Project will come to the Robins Theatre on March 20 for an 8 p.m. concert.
Tickets are $35 and $45 (plus applicable fees) and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at RobinsTheatre.com and the box office, 160 E. Market St.
Fundraiser for Firestone Park Playground
COLUMBIANA, Ohio – The second annual For the Love of the Playground event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Birdfish Brewing, 140 E. Park Ave.
The family-friendly event will garner support to build a playground in Firestone Park. The design will be revealed at noon.
There will be food trucks, children’s activities, a prize raffle and T-shirt sale.
Columbiana Project Playground must raise the $680,000 needed to build Phase 1 of the new playground. To date, $100,000 has been raised for the project.
For information, go to PlayAtFirestone.com.
Pictured at top: This piece by Julia Betts at the McDonough Museum of Art uses a nontraditional display.