From artists to entrepreneurs

By Ed Runyan

The Eastwood Mall is among the few malls regionally to provide free space for an art gallery.

NILES — Kids need art to develop the entrepreneurial skills vital to today’s workplace, which means the work of the Art Outreach Committee of the Warren Junior Women’s League has more importance than just giving kids an opportunity to be creative.

“Futurists, economists speak of the importance of entrepreneurship today, the ability to create,” said Gail Stark of Warren, one of the organizers of the Art Outreach Gallery in the Eastwood Mall.

“Our committee believes we should continue to bring creativity out of everyone, but especially our children, because we know that a creative mind develops entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship drives the economy.”

With that as a backdrop, the committee organized a holiday exhibition that began Friday that consists of paintings, photography, sculpture, print making and graphic design contributed by adults and children.

The gallery, which occupies 6,800 square feet of space near J.C. Penney, is provided free to the committee by the Eastwood Mall. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Artwork can also be purchased, with proceeds in some cases going back to the gallery and other cases going directly to the artist.

For this year’s show, the committee reached out to those who have signed the gallery’s guest book during the two years the gallery has been in operation.

The signers were invited to submit their works, which brought in many first-time contributors, Stark said, along with many established artists.

Among the submissions by new artists were several by Capri Cafaro, a state senator from Hubbard who represents the 32nd District in Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.

Cafaro, who Stark says shares the committee’s view of the connection between art and entrepreneurship, contributed several black and white photographs, some of them showing Amish scenes from northwestern Trumbull County.

Another first-time artist was Thomas Altiere, son of the Trumbull County sheriff by the same name, who had been making metal sculptures in a basement metal shop. Several of his sculptures are being shown.

Original etchings by Salvador Dali are being shown and are for sale, thanks to a local collector who will donate the proceeds of the sale to the gallery.

Artwork from students at several Trumbull County Catholic schools, several Warren City schools, Niles, Howland, Austintown, Mineral Ridge, Girard, Greenville and others are being shown and sold.

Stark said she is a big fan of the writings of Alfred Toffler, who says our society is changing from a production economy to one based not on muscle but mind and technology. That has started to turn the United States away from standardization and toward individuation and diversity.

The committee tries to help promote entrepreneurial spirit in various ways, Stark said. One way was to provide a place where Karisa Tondo-Kramer, a Girard High School senior, could hold a fashion show at the gallery earlier this month.

With funding shortfalls occurring in many local school districts, resulting in art classes’ being eliminated in some cases, the committee has increased its offerings of workshops this summer to provide children with classes in art, art history, watercolors, charcoal drawings, French and yoga.

Similar classes will be offered again starting this January, Stark said. The only fee is to contribute a nonperishable food item to go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

For more information on the gallery, visit http://mrwilliams.us/artoutreach/index.htm on the Web, or call Stark at (330) 219-7833.

Stark said the Eastwood Mall is one of the few malls between Cleveland and Pittsburgh that have turned over free space for a community art gallery of this type.

runyan@vindy.com