Art exhibit examines the state of the city

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

“Untold Stories: The Forgotten Under Class in Rust Belt Urban Renewal,” an art exhibition by Mahoning Valley native Jennifer Vanderpool, will open next Friday at the Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown, and run through April 7.

In her exhibition, Vanderpool objectifies outmoded imagery of blighted Rust Belt cities and uses them to evoke questions about neighborhood decay and gentrification, segregation and integrated cities, generations of unemployment and economic redevelopment.

The exhibition at the Tyler functions as a case study of Youngstown. Vanderpool will open a similar exhibition from March 11 to April 9 at the University of Akron’s Davis Gallery that will focus on that city. Both venues are working together to advance the social, political, economic and racial crises faced by the two cities.

The exhibitions include videos of filmed first-person accounts with community members reflecting on the past, present and future of each city, plus archival materials selected from The Mahoning Valley Historical Society and the University of Akron Archives.

Vanderpool is a Los Angeles-based artist who works across mediums to reveal relationships between physical landscapes and the unseen forces that shape them.

Her work knits together narratives about forgotten institutions, people and communities.

Her work has been exhibited on four continents.

The Tyler History Center is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 ($6 for seniors and college students, and $5 for children).