Dear Mayor McDowell
Galleries and Studio Spaces Needed in Youngstown
I have been working as an advocate for the arts for over twenty years while living in Denver, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Seattle. My wife and I relocated to Youngstown early last year, and I am continuing my advocacy work here. We found that a great community of artists and arts enthusiasts exists in our newly-adopted hometown, and that LOOP Youngstown is working hard to organize that presently diasporic community around a physical location. But how did Youngstown’s community of artists find itself adrift in the first place? After a year in Youngstown, I have more questions than answers.
Where are Youngstown’s independent art galleries?
While we are most fortunate to have institutions like The Butler Institute of American Art and the John J. McDonough Museum of Art in our city, there is something missing. Where are the independent galleries? The Trumbull Art Gallery and the Medici Museum of Art are a short drive away—as are others—but Youngstown artists deserve representation and exhibition opportunities in their own town.
Has the city of Youngstown been hostile to the arts and artists?
I have been told by a number of people that the previous administration in Youngstown acted to chase the arts community out of the city. If this is true, it was narrow-minded, short-sighted, and pretty outrageous. With little to no resources, an entire community of artists is left to struggle.
How can we better serve under- and non-represented artists?
I have advocated on behalf of emerging artists, but that isn’t enough. Poor, disabled, Trans, Non-Binary, rural, migrant/undocumented, BiPOC, politically LOUD, and other marginalized artists need and deserve to be supported.
How can we grow the arts community in Youngstown?
A working artist struggling to pay $1800 in monthly rent might find it difficult to afford studio space on top of that. This is a common scenario in larger metro areas. What if a working artist could purchase a home large enough for a home studio and pay half that amount? Youngstown is an attractive option. Take it from someone who personally did the math on this just last year.
How about a New Resident Artists program? If I have one suggestion for Mayor McDowell’s nascent administration, it would be to leverage the city’s At Home In Youngstown program in a push to reach artists who are being priced out of their neighborhoods in other municipalities around the country. Let’s introduce them to the attractive combination of affordability and community available in Youngstown. And we all know that Youngstown is situated halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. This feels like a big advantage. Do current members of the Youngstown arts community benefit from this gift of geography? How? And…if not, why not?