PENGUIN PARADE Sponsors pick designs as project takes flight

The works will be displayed throughout the Valley in the summer and fall.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Todd S. Fowler remembers the times he'd work on his paintings into early-morning hours as his father was rising to go to work.
His father, too, painted -- but not on canvas. "My father influenced my early painting as he worked in the paint shop at the General Motors plant in Lordstown," Fowler writes in his explanation of the proposed "Cobalt" artwork.
Like his father, Fowler will not create his multicolored painting on canvas. Instead, it will cover a 5-foot-tall fiberglass emperor penguin.
Fowler is one of 30 artists who will be featured in the Penguin Parade public art project.
About the project
The project, co-sponsored by Youngstown State University and the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, calls for the artists to turn 30 penguins into works of art to be displayed throughout the community this summer and fall, and then auctioned to support local charities.
On Tuesday, businesses and individuals sponsoring penguins gathered in downtown Youngstown's Metropolitan Towers to view and select the artist proposals they would support.
"I think it's absolutely fantastic. I think it will do so much for the spirit of the community," said Connie Knecht, who selected two proposals. "I think this is one of the most dynamic events to happen to this community for an uplifting feeling. You have to feel good about this You have to feel proud."
Knecht and her late husband, Bill Knecht, a YSU trustee, were among the co-chairs named to the Penguin Parade committee when it was formed last year.
She chose the "Mosaic in Metal -- The History of Our Community" artwork in honor of her husband, former head of Wendell August Forge in Grove City, Pa. For her grandchildren, she selected "Empire," a work of gold, silver and copper foil sheeting with enamel, paint, jewels and marble.
How it came about
The penguin project was initiated last year after the Kennedy Family Foundation donated nearly $35,000 to purchase the fiberglass penguins. Now, each sponsor donates $2,850 per penguin for materials and a $1,500 artist stipend.
The "Hot Rod Penguin" proposal was selected by Ralph Fajak, vice president and branch manager for McDonald Financial Group.
"It's the best one here. It's just awesome," he said of the design that features a penguin transformed into a race car by lacquers and gold leaf. "And cars are my weakness."
An anonymous donor will support "Penguet in G" to be created from paint, metal, plastic and glass. The work features a conductor penguin enclosed in a musical snow globe, complete with a base and gold turn key.
Other designs featured penguins covered with buttons, rhinestones, depictions of constellations, mirrors, buttons, strips of canvas, murallike paintings and pennies and nickels.
Making a choice
Helen Stambaugh chose a "Youngstown is YOU" design for placement in front of the St. John's Evangelical Church. Artist Kay Wilson intends to use paints, mirrors and metallic gold to create a colorful mosaic that Stambaugh felt was akin to stained-glass church windows. The penguin also will wear a necklace of jewels that feature various Valley landmarks.
Fowler's "Cobalt" work will be sponsored by his father's former employer, General Motors Corp.
The artist, who holds a fine-art degree from YSU, said he intends to create a "whimsical piece," adding that the work "will also serve as a tribute to my father's 35 years of hard work painting cars so I could have the opportunity to explore fine art."