KATHRYN EARNHART | At the Butler Gallery shares projects with loans

The Butler Institute of American Art has lent Edward Hopper's Pennyslvania Coal Town (1947) to the Tate Modern in London, England, for a retrospective now on view through Sept. 5.
Tate, a family of galleries, operates on four sites in different parts of Britain. Tate Modern at Bankside, where the Hopper retrospective is now displayed, stands in the heart of London.
"The wonderful Butler collection continues to spread a very positive message about Youngstown throughout the world," said Dr. Louis Zona, the Butler director. "It is also terrific to hear the Butler described as 'America's Museum' in national publications. We can all be very proud."
The Tate's exhibition of the work of Hopper (1882-1967) is the first in the UK in more than 20 years.
Loan program
The Butler's international loan program provides art scholars and the public the opportunity to see major American works in the context of world art, while increasing visibility and awareness of the institute's significant collection of more than 12,000 works from four centuries.
The Butler's collection-sharing projects include: a show of 39 paintings at the Midwest Museum of American Art (Elkhart, Ind.) through this month; John Singer Sargent's "Mrs. Knowles and Her Children" at the Brooklyn Museum of Art (New York) in September; "Did You Speak to Me" by William Merritt Chase at the Berry-Hill Gallery (New York City) in November; and "Cottonwood III" by Georgia O'Keeffe in a tour of American works to four venues by Independent Curators, Inc. in 2005.
While the Hopper work is on loan, a digital image of the Pennsylvania Coal Town is on view in Butler galleries. In anticipation of the loan of the Hopper masterwork, Zona enlisted the help of Joseph P. Rudinec, owner of Rudinec & amp; Associates (Boardman), who photographed and then reproduced the Hopper painting on canvas at its exact size. This process of fine art digital printing is often referred to as giclee, a term derived from a French word meaning "to spray" or "to squirt."
Vizquel's exhibition
Omar Vizquel greeted more than 500 art lovers and sports fans Monday at the Butler in Youngstown, where a preview of the Cleveland Indians shortstop's first museum exhibition of his paintings was held. The Vizquel exhibition, which runs through Aug. 8, includes figurative studies, landscapes and abstractions -- all composed with painterly strokes and in vibrant colors.
On view in the Butler's Flad Gallery (Beecher Center Wing) through September is a new installation titled "Air-Hunger," a collaborative work by Mary Magsamen and Stephan Hillerbrand. This installation explores communication and trust in relationships through the metaphor of chewing bubble gum. As two people blow bubbles, the bubbles connect and the air in the bubbles becomes shared. The exhibition is comprised of video, video installation and photographs.
Simple images
From Sunday through July 25, the Butler in Youngstown will present "Akiko Kotani: Drawing with Silks and Wool" in its Mesaros Galleries, located on the museum's lower level. The drawings consist of images stitched with wool or silk. Kotani distills her images to create an atmosphere of dramatic simplicity. Kotani is represented by Jain-Marunouchi Gallery, New York.
Also opening Sunday is an exhibition by holographer Tom Cvetkovich titled "Presence."
The installation, on view in the Bermant Gallery (Beecher Center Wing), is Cvetkovich's first solo show in 10 years. It is a sampling of numerous projects that have been percolating during that time. The installation combines holography, photography, lighting techniques and digital projection. Many of the works are collaborative efforts. The installation is conceived as a celebration of light and being.
Through June 27 at the Butler Trumbull branch, 9350 E. Market St., Howland, are recent abstract paintings by James Lucas, a retired Youngstown State University art professor.
XButler hours in Youngstown are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Trumbull branch hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Salem hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission to all facilities is free.