YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Flea will present a pop-up artisan market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15, at the Mill Creek MetroParks Wick Recreation Area on McCollum Road on the West Side.

Admission is free. More than 40 artisan makers and vendors will be on the site.

The regular monthly Youngstown Flea will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at 365 E. Boardman St., downtown.

Art Exhibition at Butler by Midyear Winner 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – An exhibition of artworks by Autumn Joi Ellis will open June 22 in the Davis Gallery at The Butler Institute of American Art and run through Aug. 24.

Ellis, a writer and artist, earned the solo exhibition for taking the top prize at last year’s Midyear exhibition at the museum.

Specializing in realism, Ellis works primarily with oils but often incorporates other mediums into her paintings. Preferring to work with larger-scale canvases, she leans toward a minimalistic style, ensuring that the emphasis remains on the person. 

“Autumn Joi Ellis has hit a home run with this remarkable talent,” said Louis Zona, executive director of The Butler. “In scale it is impressive. Her sense of color and contrast places her in a high position in the realm of realist art.”

A graduate of Youngstown State University, Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree in professional writing and editing. She took art classes under the late Al Bright during her time at YSU.  

Show at Playhouse Reimagines ‘Macbeth’

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Blackheart Arts will present “Lady Lord Macbeth” on June 27 and 28 at the Youngstown Playhouse.

The show is a reimagining of the Shakespeare classic, pared down to simply the Lady and Lord Macbeth. The audience is invited into the private plottings of this entwined couple as they grapple with the ambition, power and rage at the very heart of their fated and tragic journey to the throne of Scotland.

Created using only the original words from the bard himself, “Lady Lord Macbeth” examines the love at the core of the central relationship within “Macbeth,” deepening the connections to their marriage and failed attempts at parenthood.

“Lady Lord Macbeth” was conceived by Pittsburgh artists Alyssa Herron and Brett Sullivan Santry, who perform in the titular roles. Santry, a graduate of the renowned Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare in Performance master’s degree program, is a veteran Shakespeare performer and educator. 

“We’re especially interested in the absent third character, the child Lady Macbeth mentions in her famous speech,” Herron said. “Shakespeare tells us that Lady Macbeth has given birth before, but the play does not grapple with the grief of losing that child in the rise to the throne.”

By reorganizing and emphasizing certain lines and speeches within the show, this performance gives new insights into the motivations of the couple.

Arts Program for Grade School Students

LISBON, Ohio – The Lisbon Arts Initiative will launch Art Building Community Developing Expression, an arts-based program created for youths in grades K-5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 28 at the New Lisbon Presbyterian Church.

The ABCDE project is LAI’s first public arts initiative. Students can participate in 18- to 60-minute experiential workshops led by local artists in dance, improvisation, music and painting. The organizers hope future workshops can include poetry writing, puppetry, sculpture and more.

The ABCDE workshop will give students in grades K-5 a chance to learn and expand their experiences in the arts as they participate in experimental workshops taught by local artists:

  • Christine Martin, owner of Leap of Faith Dance Studio at the Trinity Playhouse and a choreographer for productions by Stage Left Players in Lisbon, will teach a dance workshop.
  • Paul Dahman, Stage Left’s master teacher, will orchestrate the improv class.
  • Debbie Fonner, retiring music teacher at Lisbon’s McKinley Elementary, will lead a music class.
  • Barbara Schmidt, a retired art teacher from East Liverpool Schools and owner of Warm HeARTs Studio in Columbiana, will teach visual arts.

Mark Hamilton, LAI president and owner of Source Gallery, said the workshop will be “a fun way for kids to experience some of the variety in arts and performance and begin to think about what forms of expression they like best, what touches their heart.”

Parents have the option of signing up their kids in advance or just showing up on the day of the workshops. The presenters ask that the kids bring their own box lunch.

Adults and local high school honor society student volunteers will also be on-site at each workshop and escort the students from one arts project to another.

For information, contact Hamilton at mark@lisbonartsinitiative.org. 

For information on starting a similar initiative in other communities, contact Jane Collins at jahcollins@gmail.com.

Yoga Day in Downtown Sharon Green Space

SHARON, Pa. – Yoga on the River, a free event, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 21 on the green space at State Street and Shenango Avenue, downtown. There will be four sessions during this time.

The free event is in celebration of International Yoga Day. Attendees can bring a yoga mat, choose their favorite session(s) and enjoy a day of movement, mindfulness and local flavor along the river.

  • The first session will begin at 9 a.m. with Abbey Alter, founder and director of Walnut Lodge Yoga and Movement Center. 
  • From 10:15-11:15 a.m., George Garrow of the Buhl Club will lead a session that will explore the foundations of yoga.
  • From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Mike Adams, a former NFL player and Farrell native who spent four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a season with the Chicago Bears, will present Hip Hop Flow.
  • At 12:45 p.m., Brittany Yoho, a freelance yoga instructor certified in kids and aerial yoga, will lead an all-levels flow class focused on freedom of movement and acceptance.

To learn more, go to visitsharonpa.com.

Pictured at top: This painting by Autumn Joi Ellis will be included in her solo exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Art.