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Local artists hear from panel about how to succeed as professionals
YOUNGSTOWN
“I have seen the world, living in Youngstown, Ohio,” Chris Yambar, a local artist, author and publisher, told a group of local artists packed into the McDonough Museum of Art’s auditorium Wednesday evening.
Yambar’s message fit with the theme of the evening — living in the Mahoning Valley, but having an artistic influence well beyond this area.
Yambar, along with two other artists, spoke as part of a panel discussion hosted by Youngstown State University and Power of the Arts, a local organization dedicated to supporting the arts, about how artists here in the Mahoning Valley can make a living doing what they love and reach audiences outside of the Valley.
Yambar encouraged local artists to start small, then “spiral” to bigger and better projects.
“Every wall is a gallery. As long as the public passes it,” he said. “After a while, your spiral will ripple.”
He said one important thing for artists to remember is that art is a luxury, not a necessity, for the public.
“You need to meet the public. You need to build bridges to the public,” he said, adding that too many artists do their work for themselves instead of treating it as a profession.
Chad Campagnn, a senior graphics and interactive design student at YSU, said many of the topics of discussion hit home for him, as he prepares to start his own screen-printing company in Columbus after he graduates.
“One of the most important things you can do is talk to people,” he said. “And it’s always important to keep learning, no matter what you do.”
Campagnn said he also learned that there is no definitive recipe for success — “You can do it your own way,” he said.
The group also heard from James Pernotto, a visual artist working to bring a public art gallery to downtown Youngstown, who said he has made his living as an artist in a variety of ways, from teaching at universities to securing grant funding for projects to selling his artwork.
The performing arts were represented by Christina Gant, who runs the Canfield Suzuki Music Academy as a violin teacher and is a member of the Youngstown Symphony.
Gant offered practical advice to artists, stressing the importance of being organized and prepared for things such as lessons and auditions, endless practice, networking and knowing how to dress professionally for jobs. She also stressed the importance of being flexible with job opportunities.
For Yambar, his national and global success comes down to his local community. “Youngstown works for me because I work for Youngstown,” he said.
For more information about opportunities and resources available through Power of the Arts, visit www.powerofthearts.org.