By Joslyn DelSignore / The Jambar
Since its opening in 1991, the John J. McDonough Museum of Art has been the on-campus university art museum for Youngstown State University.
Free to the public, the McDonough displays exhibitions from outside artists, hosts various events and offers YSU art students the opportunity to display their work.
The museum is currently under the leadership of its only two full-time staff members — Claudia Berlinski, museum director, and Angela DeLucia, assistant to the director.
“We like to have things here that will invite the community to come in,” Berlinski said. “Exhibitons that might be interesting to them, lectures that the artist do and other events.”
Over the summer, the museum focused on alumni, local artists and community organizations. There were displays from a group of artists from Sharon, Pennsylvania, and three alumni exhibitions. These pieces can be found in the museum’s exhibition archive.
Berlinski said staff also spent the summer preparing for fall 2026, where the museum is currently displaying two exhibitions.
The first exhibition is a collection of prints that were previously housed in Kilcawley Center. The prints were planned for storage until the reopening of the student center in fall 2027, but the museum currently has them on display. Berlinski said there are 24 pieces created by 18-20 different artists.
“It was something I was unaware of and was really blown away by the quality of them. Most of them are original prints by famous post-modern, post-war artists like Andy Warhol, Jim Dine [and] Judy Faff,” Berlinski said.
The second exhibition is called “Around Here, It’s Always Eternity” by artists Bonny Leibowitz, Deborah Wasserman, Alice Pixley Young and Etty Yaniv, which Berlinski said draws attention to environmental concerns.
“It really addresses environmental issues that they are aware of and concerned about locally and globally,” Berlinski said. “They use their art like many artists do as a reaction to different issues like environmentalism or climate change or social issues that are impacting those things.”
Next, McDonough will partner with Akron Soul Train, an organization that offers short-term residencies for artists on Sept. 23, to present an electronic-music performance with projections. It’s called “fjöður” by Óskar Þór Arngrímsson and Ella Medicus. Berlinski said the performance will be from 5:30-7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
In January 2027, the museum will display its winter exhibitions. Berlinski said one is an installation gallery of large scale, wood block prints by Meryl Engler, a printmaker from Akron.
Summer Zickefoose, professor at Westminster College, will also be showing new ceramic and sculptural work.
“I really think a lot about what kind of artists we have here and the impact they will have on the students when they see the work,” Berlinski said.
Berlinski said she will be working with various ceramic artists for the winter exhibition to curate a functional ceramic show.
“Instead of something that’s sculptural and made out of ceramics, it will be things that people can use in their home,” Berlinski said. “Dishes, vases, cups [and] things like that.”
Later in the year, McDonough will feature a Bachelor in Fine Arts exhibition where students graduating from the department of art will have an exhibition for two weeks at the end of the semesters. Student Art Association will also have an exhibition in spring 2027.
Berlinski said anyone can come and visit the museum. The gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
“We would love if the public came in,” Berlinski said. “We can arrange for the galleries to be open earlier or a little bit later if necessary.”