Revitalization of the city is theme at dedication of art facility

& lt;a href=mailto:viviano@vindy.com & gt;By JoANNE VIVIANO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- When associate art professor Greg Moring teaches night courses at Youngstown State University, he notices more than what's happening inside Bliss Hall.
He also sees the students outside, passing the Walnut Street entrance to the building that abuts the Smoky Hollow neighborhood.
"There's a new and vital community settling down right in the Smoky Hollow community and that's something to celebrate," Moring said. "You see students coming and going and living here and it's the start of something."
Moring made the comments as the YSU community gathered Friday to celebrate the dedication of a 17,767-square-foot addition to the east side of Bliss Hall.
The $3.3 million addition has a foundry and painting and sculpture studios that include production facilities for metal fabrication, bronze casting, hot glass, woodworking and three-dimensional computer visualization.
Construction began in September 2002, and students began taking classes in the area this fall.
Revitalization
YSU faculty and administrators did more Friday than tout their new facility. They also celebrated a revitalization of the community.
Part of the dedication included the unveiling of the 14.5-foot gates that Moring designed as an entrance to the addition. The steel gates depict steel workers -- to symbolize the unity of the project as an art enterprise and as a community enterprise and to connect the history of Youngstown with the work that will happen in the building, said Dr. George McCloud, Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts.
"It means a great deal to the College of Fine and Performing Arts. It also means a great deal to the community," McCloud said. "Because YSU is turning its face to the Hollow, not its back. This building is a symbol of the progress of this entire community."
Moring dedicated the gates to Dr. David Sweet, YSU president, and Sweet's wife, Pat.
"It's not about their enthusiasm for the actual gates, it is about their enthusiasm for the city of Youngstown," he said. "And I hope this is a long-lasting tribute to their dedication."
Among the best
University officials and faculty said the addition makes YSU's art department among the top programs in the nation.
"It represents YSU's commitment to academic excellence," said Dr. Tony Atwater, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "The Department of Art at the university is a signature program here at YSU and this certainly is befitting."
Dan Lawrence of Newton Falls, a YSU senior majoring in spatial arts, worked with Moring and adjunct faculty member Tony Armeni of Youngstown to assemble the gates. The addition, he said, will allow more students ample time on equipment.
And, for him, it means he'll use foundry equipment, an experience that will give him an edge when he applies to graduate school.
"This type of experience, I can't put a price on it," Lawrence said.
McCloud said Moring drove the project "every inch of the way" since he and department chairwoman Susan Russo first went to the dean six years ago with their dream for the facility.
Moring said YSU has 400 students majoring in the areas of studio arts, art history and art education. More than 250 will work in the addition each year, a number Moring said he hopes will grow. He also hopes to open the area to offer workshops to art educators and community members.