About Us
Andrews Ave. Memory Mural is a collaborative project between Lit Youngstown and Department of Art at Youngstown State University. Generously funded by Raymond J. Wean Foundation Neighborhood SUCCESS grant and supported by Youngstown Cityscape and Andrews Avenue Business Group, the project is designed to transform the neglected wall space along Andrews Avenue in downtown Youngstown into a dynamic visual corridor. With a main objective to revitalize our perception and connections to the public spaces we occupy and move through daily, the Memory Mural project will also aim at empowering a young generation of YSU students to continue transforming and uplifting the city of Youngstown and its community.
Part two of the Andrews Avenue Mural is now complete! Thank you to everyone that was involved with the process!
Process
YSU art students enrolled in Mural & Site-Specific Painting class taught by Dragana Crnjak, Professor of Art. Mural & Site-Specific course will engage students in learning both historical & theoretical contextsof public art & mural painting as well as practical step-by-step processes in developing murals & large scale, site-specific paintings.
Planning
In collaboration with Lit Youngstown,
through which over 40 memories of Youngstown have been collected so far, students will incorporate texts & images to preserve & celebrate the rich history of the city as well as project its change, innovation & future.
Beautification Award Winner - Youngstown CityScape
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Andrews Ave Memory Mural received a “Youngstown CityScape Fifteenth Annual Beautification Watch Award.” These awards are being presented in five categories: Corporate/Business, Institutional, Neighborhood Groups, Individuals, and Youth. This award is presented to those who have taken the time to clean, green and care for an area in the City of Youngstown.
The Artists & Process
- We are moving fast, and it is dynamic!, from group discussions to sketching and priming more photos to come next week!
The Artists & Process
- We are moving fast, and it is dynamic!, from group discussions to sketching and priming more photos to come next week!
Current Progress!
- With Phase two of the Andrews Avenue Mural being done, the entire project is complete!
SHOUT OUT TO…
Davey Trees & CCA & Sharpe Power Washings
Solid Platforms
Creative Team
Karen Schubert, MA, MFA
Executive Director, Lit Youngstown
More About Karen
Founding director of Lit Youngstown Karen Schubert holds a B.A. in Professional Writing & Editing and an M.A. in English from YSU, and an MFA in creative writing from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts at Cleveland State. She has taught writing in the community and on several campuses, including YSU. Karen has published five poetry chapbooks; The Compost Reader is her first full-length collection (Accents Publishing 2020). Her awards include an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council and residencies at Headlands Center for the Arts and the Vermont Studio Center. The Andrews Avenue Memory Mural is Lit Youngstown’s third major collaboration with the YSU Art Department.
Dragana Crnjak, BFA, MFA
Professor of Art & Foundations Coordinator
More About Dragana
Dragana Crnjak is a Serbian-American interdisciplinary artist and Professor of Art at Youngstown State University. She holds a BFA from Myers School of Art at University of Akron in 2002 and MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in 2004. She is a recipient of Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards in Visual Arts, Distinguished Professorship in Scholarship at Youngstown State University and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is collected by numerous private and public collections. She lives with her husband and their three children in Boardman, OH.
Ryan Lantz, BFA
Web-Design Director
More About Ryan
Ryan Lantz is a Graphic & Interactive Designer who holds a BFA in studio art with a focus in Graphic and Interactive Design from Youngstown State University. He previously worked for Youngstown State University at Web and Creative Services, and is now currently working for the Butler Institute of American Art Museum as their Graphic & Web Designer. He currently lives in Austintown OH, with his partner and 4 beautiful dogs, and soon plans to pursue his MFA.
Danny Gage
Professional & Technical Writing
More About Danny
Danny Gage, a junior in the Professional and Technical Writing Program at YSU, spent three months with Lit Youngstown over the summer. During his internship, he tested the waters in many facets of writing. The memory mural for Andrews Ave. was a rewarding experience for him. He enjoyed viewing the many memories of people who grew up in the same town as him. Danny plans on continuing his writing after college. Though he wants to expand his writing to places beyond Youngstown, he’ll never forget his hometown roots.
Reach Us
Send us an email or leave us a message here and we will get back to you regarding any questions!
1 University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555
dcrnjak@ysu.edu