Downtown exhibit offers a new perspective on Youngstown

August 5, 2016 at 9:53p.m.

Jon L. Howell may live hundreds of miles from the Mahoning Valley, but his commitment to improving life in Youngstown – and sharing the city’s progress with others – remains close to his heart.

“We’re committed to the city of Youngstown and lifting the quality of life here,” the Bloomington, Ill., man said, also referring to his wife, Adrienne Howell.

Jon Howell, a service manager for State Farm Insurance and a 1980 South High School graduate, was not shy about touting what he sees as many of the city’s virtues and assets, including many committed people’s energy and creativity in continuing Youngstown’s renaissance.

He also was happy to have met and spoken with some of them during Friday’s two-hour opening reception to usher in “The City of You | Visual Stories of Youngstown,” a new audio and visual exhibit in M Gallery at Erie Terminal Place, 112 W. Commerce St., downtown.

To that end, Howell also took part in a podcast interview during the event.

The show, which runs through Sept. 23, features a series of graphic-design posters with snapshots of elected officials, business entrepreneurs, artists and others with a vested interest in the city, along with downtown buildings superimposed behind them.

Also included are a variety of testimonials describing what Youngstown means to them.