Barko seeks sponsors for print

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

For nearly 20 years, local artist Bob Barko Jr. has been creating pieces of artwork featuring Youngstown’s popular culture.

Barko recently completed another piece of his “Here In Youngstown II – A Visual History of Youngstown, Continued” mural and is ready to have prints made of the piece.

To fund the process, Barko is seeking 15 sponsors at a cost of $100 each, of which he has already found six.

For $100, the nine remaining sponsors will each receive their choice of one of 50 artist’s proofs and their name or the name of a loved one listed on the art certificate accompanying each piece.

If interested, call or text Barko at 330-881-5819 or e-mail him at steeltownstudios@gmail.com by Aug. 10.

The full color 12-inch by 16-inch lithograph photo print will depict a new 8-feet long addition to the original 24-feet of the “Here In Youngstown” mural, which was first unveiled in 2007.

The new artwork features 30 additional images depicting people, landmarks and attractions, as well as products with roots in Youngstown. It is a companion piece to the 12-inch by 36-inch 2007 mural print depicting the original mural.

Barko said that piece is one of the most sought after items at his shows.

“The mural print continues to be a favorite among my customers,” he said. “They look over it carefully to catch all of the images in the print. People will even come to shows years later and say they continue to find things they’ve missed before.”

The “Here In Youngstown II - A Visual History of Youngstown, Continued” print will make its debut and be available for purchase ($20) at the Steel Town Studios booth at the Canfield Fair (at the corner of Beaver and Bishop drives), Aug. 28-Sept. 2. A limited number of artist’s proofs will also be available for $50 each.

The new piece, like the 2007 mural print, will include a key, providing details about the images depicted in the mural. Barko said he is also working with the Canfield Fair for a possible display of the 32-foot long mural.

The now 32-fot long “Here In Youngstown” mural, featuring a total of 92 images, was last on display in Kilcawley Center on the Youngstown State University Campus during the Summer Festival of the Arts earlier this month.