The Update | The Butler Exhibits a Monet Painting; ‘The Apprazer’ Film Screening

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A painting by Claude Monet is on display at The Butler Institute of American Art through Sept. 8.

Titled “Nympheas (Waterlilies),” the oil on canvas painting is 32 inches by 40 inches and was painted in 1903 by the French master of Impressionism.

It depicts the flowers floating on a serene surface of water.

A classic example of Monet’s work, the painting is part of a reciprocal loan between The Butler and the Dayton Art Institute. The Butler has sent “Pennsylvania Coal Town” by Edward Hopper to the Dayton museum, which has included it in its current exhibition on the artist.

“Nympheas” is currently on view in The Butler’s Watson Gallery, on the main level, along with works by American Impressionists.

“The painting is inspired by the artist’s magnificent gardens at Giverny,” said Louis Zona, executive director of The Butler. “Claude Monet is often called the Father of Impressionism. The Impressionists were considered to be the first modern artists.”

Film Screening, Art Auction to Benefit Blast Victims

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “The Apprazer,” a satirical short film, will be screened at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27, in the Knox Building, 110 W. Federal St., downtown. 

The 30-minute film was made by Mahoning Valley native Chris Strollo in 1996.

The screening will take place on the third floor. Spectators will enter through The Federal restaurant. The suggested donation is $5.

There will also be an art auction, featuring works by Eric Alleman, James Traficant and Jason Van Hoose. All proceeds will benefit the residents of International Towers and Realty Tower, both downtown.

The adjacent structures have been closed in the wake of the May explosion at Realty Tower, which is currently being demolished. The residents of International Towers have been forced to leave until it is safe to return to their apartments.

According to its synopsis, “The Apprazer” is about an animated real estate agent made of metal junk who is trying to pawn off the historic buildings of Youngstown before they are demolished. Commentaries from small-business owners, artists squatting in condemned lofts, homeless individuals and city officials drive the film. 

“Facts and fiction intermingle with surreal animation, historical footage and original music,” the synopsis states.

The razing of Realty Tower can be construed as being part of a larger story about Youngstown’s historic buildings, according to the sponsors of the screening.

For information, contact Jacob Harver at 330 550 5637.

Maple Turner III Art Exhibit at Arms Museum

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – An exhibition of 22 new artworks by Maple Turner III will open Saturday, July 27, at The Arms Family Museum and run through December.

Turner is an acclaimed painter who grew up in Youngstown and returned to his hometown a few years ago after a long and successful career.

The exhibit will feature paintings of the Gilded Age homes, carriages and residents of Youngstown’s Wick Avenue and Crandall Park neighborhoods. It will also include scenes from New York City, where Turner lived from 1999-2005.

These two settings influenced Turner’s development as a young artist at East High School and Youngstown State University, and as he continued his postgraduate education in New York.

The Arms Family Museum, 648 Wick Ave., is open from  noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Fiction Writers at Lit Youngstown Readings

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lit Youngstown’s First Wednesday Reader Series will present fiction writers Alex Puncekar of Cincinnati and T.J. Sandella of Cleveland at 7 p.m. Aug. 7 in the Trophy Room of Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave.

Puncekar is a former editorial assistant for Lightspeed and Fantasy Nightmare magazines. His fiction has appeared in Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Jenny Magazine.

Sandella is the author of “Ways to Beg” (Black Lawrence Press) and the recipient of an Elinor Benedict Prize for Poetry, a William Matthews Poetry Prize and two Academy of American Poets prizes.

For information, go to LitYoungstown.org.

Pictured at top: The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.

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