Friday, April 29, 2016
YOUNGSTOWN — A group of community members this morning unveiled a new public art display at Mill Creek Junior Baseball League on the city’s West side.
Representatives of Rocky Ridge Neighbors, the baseball league and Museum Without Walls gathered at the fields where eight baseball-themed paintings now hang. The paintings are reproductions of art that is housed at the Butler Institute of American Art.
“We’re here today to celebrate partnerships,” Rocky Ridge Neighborhood Association president John Slanina said. “To me, it means that this space is a vibrant one [for] families and individuals that come to live here, and children [who] come to learn the sport of baseball. ... Hopefully it’s calling you to say, ‘Come on in.’”
The project was funded by the Raymond John Wean Foundation. Museum Without Walls, a local non-profit group that places artwork in unique locations, spearheaded procurement and installation of the pieces.
“There are so many strong compositions in the Sports Gallery of the Butler Institute of American Art, and it was a pleasure to figure out the appropriate pieces for this project,” Paula Jasper, a member of Museum Without Walls, said in a release.
Today marks the start of Rocky Ridge Neighbors’ “Mill Creek Maple” fund raiser. Maple syrup, the proceeds from which will help the group sponsor a Mill Creek Jr. League baseball team, is for sale at Fellows Riverside Gardens.