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FIVE Squared art show features works from Youngstown to Russia
BOARDMAN
Suzanne Gray, art coordinator at the Davis Family YMCA, sees the facility’s FIVE Squared art show as more of a “treasure hunt” than a show.
FIVE Squared is a monthlong show at which people can purchase 5-by-5-inch pieces for $25 each to benefit art-outreach programs and scholarships.
The show, which kicked off last Sunday and runs through March 8, features more than 530 pieces.
Those featured in the show range from local artists to Russian citizens to nursing-home residents.
“Our youngest person is 1. Our oldest person is 101,” Gray said. “Eighty-five percent of them are local and regional, but altogether, we have 10 countries and 10 states represented.”
Part of the fun, she said, is that buyers don’t know who made their chosen piece until they purchase it — that’s where the “treasure hunt” comes into play. Once the buyer gets his or her piece, they can look at a card on the back that has the artist’s name.
Some people come to the show to try to get a piece by their favorite artist, Gray said.
“Some of the most-recognized names in art locally donate to this show. People who have had solo shows at the Butler [Institute of American Art], at Hoyt [Institute in New Castle, Pa.] — really recognized people,” she said. For example, Nancy Hawkins and Chris Leeper donated art, she said.
People can contribute anything they want, as long as it fits the postcard-size dimensions. Some people donated jewelry pieces, and others contributed photographs.
The show started with a raffle for the chance to be first in line to purchase art, which raised more than $2,100. The pieces not sold during the show — more than 400 — still are available for purchase.
Another draw of the show, Gray says, is the cause.
The proceeds, which totaled $3,500 last year, are used to serve children who otherwise couldn’t afford to participate in the YMCA’s programs. For example, staff members will go to places such as the Beatitude House and do art programs there.
This type of project fits with the YMCA’s mission, said Beth Scheller, vice president of strategic advancement for the YMCA of Youngstown.
“The Y is the largest charity in the United States. We’re really trying to show people that we’re a cause and not just a gym,” she said.
“We want to make sure that all kids get the opportunity to experience art, not just the kids who can afford it,” Scheller said.