Friday, April 4, 2008

YSU students get artsy at the McDonough

By Andrew Gaug

Rarely would you see a painting of a dog, a teddy bear with arrows through its chest and a boot made from scrap tires and bungee cords in the same place.

Today through April 18, visitors at the McDonough Museum of Art will get the chance to view all the insane, beautiful and abstract art that makes up YSU's 72nd Annual Student Art Show.

As is customary, the show's inaugural night tonight consisted of debuting the Youngstown State University students' art and awarding those nominated in the show's 12 categories.

The art ranged from the abstract — such as the vivid, multilayered painting “Vile Convection” by John G. Petruzzi ,which glazed many guests' eyes over as they tried to interpret it to the Best of Show winner — “Green Bug” by David Mauerman, which had the simple concept of a giant green bug.

“It was based on one of the toys my son has,” Mauerman said, “My son is definitely the inspiration for my work.”

Simple things had complex meanings, such as Color Photography winner, senior photography and sculpture major Kristina Smith's two-part picture “Presence” and “Absence.” The pictures depicted separate ruffled sheets at the end of two different beds.

“It's about what remains. What's left on human impressions,” she said.

Junior spatial arts major Zeke Luman took a more literal approach with his message of violence and children as two of his works featured brightly colored stuffed animals with weapons mixed in.

Luman's Star Supply Award in Sculpture – “The Inevitability of Cowboys and Indians” – featured a stuffed teddy bear with arrows piercing through it while a crossbow and other arrows lay around it.

As children began to play with the bow and arrows as well as florescent cloth covered rifle and handgun of another of his submissions, he explained it was all part of the art.

“I wanted kids to play with them to see how the parents reacted,” he said.

While most of the participants' projects took anywhere from a week to two months to create, some had to make extra effort for their vision.

Junior graphic design majors D. Kent Kerr and Chris Kasmar began their project of creating a giant boot out of old tires, bungee cords and seat belts as a joke when working on a graphic design project.

It became more than a joke when they started picking up worn-down tires off the highway and gathering other parts from junkyards. What became of it took the other Star Supply Award in Sculpture “SK 9.000,” or, as it was originally called “Shit Kicker 9,000.”

The show serves as a great example of the creative art in Youngstown from the dark and abstract to flashy pop art to the incredibly odd.

The event's organizers are McDonough Museum president Joanna Zuckla, vice president Kristeen Martin and treasurer Amanda Vislosky. The winners of the show were picked by Don Harvey, a graphic design artist in Cleveland.