YSU FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Penguin Parade

By VANESSA SCHUTZ
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Chicago has its cows, and Youngstown has its penguins.
"Our project was modeled more or less after similar endeavors in other cities," said Catherine Cala, associate director from the Youngstown State University development office.
The Penguin Parade public art project, co-sponsored by YSU and the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, will make its first public debut Saturday and Sunday at the Summer Festival of the Arts at YSU.
On display will be 31, 7-foot-tall fiberglass emperor penguins each with a unique touch from selected area artists.
The project, which had its beginning in March 2003 after the Kennedy Family Foundation donated nearly $35,000 for the fiberglass penguins, attracted about 180 design entries, which was narrowed to 60 finalists.
From the finalists, each sponsor picked a design and donated $2,850 per penguin for materials and a $1,500 artist stipend.
An earlier glimpse
The unpainted, undecorated penguins made their first appearance in the YSU Homecoming parade last fall after arriving from a company in Nebraska on an open flat bed truck, said Ron Cole, manager of news and information services at YSU.
"I said to the truck driver, 'You must get weird looks when you drive down the road,'" Cole joked.
The completed penguins, intended for display on streets and in various buildings throughout the Valley, will be auctioned Oct. 29 at Stambaugh Auditorium to support local charities.
"We hope that it will generate excitement and enthusiasm and a renewed sense of community pride," Cala said. "I think that this community does have a sense of hope and renewal."
And the artists agreed-- a piece titled "Winds of Change," by Kate Butler, symbolizes Youngstown's positive movement toward the future represented by the swirl of gray clouds into clear skies along the penguin's body.
Another, called the "Polychrome Penguin" by YSU professor Tony Armeni, has layers and layers of auto body filler and acrylic lacquer, which demonstrates "our perception of a penguin bordering on the supernatural intended to represent the energy and spirit found here in Youngstown."
"My aim was to make it look like it was surrounded by an energy field," Armeni said. "I like the feel that there's more energy here [in Youngstown] than meets the eye."
Lynn Cardwell and Marcie Roepke-Applegate, both of Boardman, worked together to create a mosaic penguin developed from mirrors, adhesive and grout. The idea for their penguin piece, fondly referred to as Stella but properly titled, "Reflections of Youngstown Pride," was brainstormed over a meal at Casa Ramirez Mexican restaurant in Youngstown.
"They had a little planter that was covered with mirrors," Cardwell said. "We really wanted to do a collaboration, so we were brainstorming, and this was one of the ideas we came up with."
After about six weeks of work on their piece, which will be on display outside the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse after the festival, the pair "reflected" on what first attracted them to design a penguin.
To view images of the Penguin Parade public art project, visit www.ysu.edu/penguinparade.
vschutz@vindy.com