McDonough introduces new exhibitions

Photo by Jacqueline Arroyo / The Jambar

By Jacqueline Arroyo / The Jambar

The John J. McDonough Museum of Art unveiled five new exhibitions, which will be on display 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays until Feb. 28. 

Featured pieces include Julia Bett’s “The Dams are Broken,” Anna Chapman’s “Underworld/Otherworld,” Abby Cipar’s “Sometime, Somehow, For You,” William Hutnick’sQUEER HORIZONS” and Sidney Mullis “Caught Skies and Pillowed Pines.” 

Claudia Berlinski, McDonough museum director, has taught in the art department at Youngstown State University for 20 years, where she also served as Foundations Program Coordinator and Assistant to the Chair. 

At the museum, Berlinski curates the displayed pieces while also managing the budget, writing grants and organizing events. 

Berlinski said gallery spaces depend on the artist’s work and the number of pieces included. 

“We have five distinct exhibition spaces, we have four galleries and then there is a space on our balcony which is frequently used for smaller or more intimate works,” Berlinski said. 

Each space is considered a solo exhibition, meaning the pieces don’t correlate — each space features a different artist’s work.

The artist’s locations are from various cities such as Pittsburgh, Akron, Cleveland, Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

When deciding how to open the new year, Berlinski said she received several proposals from various artists. 

“Chapman sent me a proposal about doing a show and Bett’s sent a proposal,” Berlinski said. “When they do that they send information about what they want their show to be.”

After reviewing the proposals, Berlinski considered how YSU students would respond to the pieces and how works might benefit them in terms of media usage or themes.

Once artists were informed their work was selected, the next step was transporting the pieces to the museum. Berlinski said some works were easier to move than others. 

“[Chapman] has to pack up her work and fly it in with herself from Amherst,” Berlinski said. “This big piece behind us took her six hours to fold up so it didn’t get tangled.”

In addition to Chapman, all artists were hands-on with their work, evaluating the spaces they were given and determining how they wanted their pieces displayed. 

Admission to the museum is free for students and the public.

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