Thousands of area students join Y'town schools' annual Unity Project

By AMANDA TONOLI

atonoli@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Thousands of local students have joined the 2018-19 Youngstown City Schools' Visual and Performing Arts Unity Project, “Unite! Dream to build a better community, a better world.”

Campbell, Boardman, Austintown, Struthers, Poland, Liberty and Lordstown schools as well as Youngstown State and Kent State universities participated in the project.

Each district was provided with a blank canvas for a collaborative painting which visual art students contributed to.

There are 24 artworks – 14 from Youngstown City Schools and 10 from surrounding schools.

“This school year it felt really wonderful to branch out,” said Tracy Schuler Vivo, Youngstown City School’s Visual and Performing Arts director. “My hope and belief through this project is that together we will reach those in this community, both young and old, with the message to strive to build a better community and a better world.”

The project, Schuler Vivo said, is a representation of all ages.

“It’s all beautiful in each artwork’s own unique ways,” she said. “The idea and the whole process behind it was that within every building every visual art student contributes to the painting with at least one brush stroke.”

Senior student Luis Rivera said he contributed a "hippy style" to the “Unity Will Strengthen Our Community” piece.

“I wanted to be unique and didn’t want to be like everyone else,” he said. “I wanted to improve my skills and work on something harder than what I normally work on.”

But no matter what the drive behind the project, the message is still the same.

“Everybody is united together,” Rivera said.

The 24 pieces of artwork will be on display throughout January at Mill Creek Park’s D.D. and Velma Davis Education Center at Fellows Riverside Gardens, 123 McKinley Ave.

A reception will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the center in honor of the exhibit.

The exhibit will continue to go on tour for the remainder of the 2018-19 school year to various venues throughout the community.