Submitted photo Al Bright, who was an art professor at Youngstown State University and founding director of its black studies program, is one of the artists the McDonough Museum of Art has featured on social media as part of its Black Artists Matter campaign.

YOUNGSTOWN — The McDonough Museum of Art didn’t wait until February to spotlight black artists.

The museum affiliated with Youngstown State University first started its Black Artists Matter campaign last summer with daily posts on its social media accounts, and then compiling those posts for slide shows on its website — ysu.edu/mcdonough-museum.

“We had about 60 artists in two months,” McDonough Director Claudia Berlinski said. “I started doing the same thing (in February). I do one each day of the week, typically artists I follow on Instagram or have seen at other museums … The ones I’ve been featuring so far are more contemporary, and I try to make sure I get as many women as men.”

The posts are short and to the point, usually featuring a photo of the artist as well as an example of his or her work and accompanied by a quote or description of the creative process. The posts also include a link to seek out more information.

The series has included such renowned artists as Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence and artists whose work can be found in the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art located across the street from the McDonough. But the series has included many artists from the area as well as those who have exhibited at the McDonough over the years.

“I think that’s an important part, showing artists who have ties to the area,” Berlinski said. “People like Al Bright (a Youngstown artist and YSU professor, deceased, who also was founding director of YSU’s Black Studies program), everybody knows him … On the flip side, we’re introducing people to artists they’ve never heard of and they might seek them out. There is a huge community of black artists. I think it’s great for people to see who’s out there.”

The feedback on social media has been positive — lots of likes and shares, the currency of the Internet — and Berlinski said the PowerPoint program she created for the series is available to organizations that want to use it.

The artists featured in February will be compiled into slide shows similar to the ones created last summer. Berlinski is encouraging the public to suggest artists they would like to see considered for the series. Suggestions can be emailed to McDonoughMuseumofArt@ysu.edu.

agray@tribtoday.com