IN FOCUS: Butler’s national juried art show

The Butler Art Mid Year Show

Gallery

STORY & PHOTOS

By ROBERT K. YOSAY

YOUNGSTOWN

With a few weeks left, the Butler Institute of American Art’s 74th National Midyear Show has appealed to both the artist and the artist at heart.

“For 74 years, The Butler’s National Midyear Show has drawn artists and visitors from every state in the union,” said Dr. Lou Zona, institute director. “Each year, it seems to deliver something for every taste, and this year’s edition has lived up to its predecessors. It’s a terrific exhibition.

“This year’s show is a good indication of what is being done in terms of styles and new technologies. It’s a nice survey on what two- dimensional American art is all about.”

The exhibit also makes a nice statement about an enduring local tradition.

“Seventy-four years is a long haul for a juried exhibition,” Zona said. “A lot of juried shows have fallen by the wayside because they haven’t changed with the changing nature of art. By permitting photos, prints and digital images in addition to paintings and drawings, we have helped keep this juried show going strong.”

New York artist Ronnie Landfield, a modernist painter, judged this year’s show.

A total of 293 artists from the United States submitted 773 works, and Landfield selected 106 works by 106 artists.

“There are 54 works by Ohio artists, and several of those artists are local,” Zona added.

BUTLER INSTITUTE Midyear show

Local artists: Sean M. Butler of Canfield; Thomas McNickle of Volant, Pa.; James O’Malley of Struthers; Clare Murray Adams of Southington; Michael Ahren of Youngstown; Charlene Galose of Boardman; Carolyn Dixon Hrusovsky of Cortland; Ron Mistovich of Boardman; Christopher Leeper of Canfield; Jean Shreffler of New Castle, Pa.; James Pernotto of Youngstown; Mark Scheuring of Salem; Jason Van Hoose of Youngstown; and Don Wright of Canfield.

Art institute hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Art-show donors: Dianne B. Bernhard & The Art Spirit Foundation, The Allied Artists of America, Barbara Desind Kernan, and R. Keller & Christine Rohde.

Source: Butler Institute of American Art