Jason Abbott of Warren looks up at Randy Waters of Salem, both with Valley Acoustics, as they work on the exterior walls for a $2.6 million, 3,810-square-foot expansion to the Butler Institute of American Art on Wick Avenue in Youngstown. The expansion will be four levels and include two large exhibition spaces and two storage areas. It is expected to be completed in late December.

Thirteen arts organizations in the tri-county area will receive more than $175,000 in grants from the Ohio Arts Council.

The 2022-23 state budget included $32.9 million in funding for the OAC, which in turn awarded $18,246,306 in grants to fund the arts in all 88 counties.

The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown receives the bulk of the funding returning to the Mahoning Valley with a sustainability grant of $115,871.

The eight other Mahoning County recipients are:

• Ballet Western Reserve — $13,144

• Cultural Alliance / Youngstown State University — $2,782

• Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium Association– $3,106

• Lit Youngstown — $4,044

• McDonough Museum of Art / Youngstown State University — $11,625

• Opera Western Reserve, Inc. — $8,338

• Stambaugh Chorus — $3,658

• Etruscan Press — $3,933

Two organizations in Trumbull County will receive ArtSTART grants, designed to help organizations complete short-term projects. Medici Museum of Art in Howland will receive $2,909 and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership will get $2,720.

In Columbiana County, the city of East Liverpool will receive $1,928 and Stage Left Players Inc. in Lisbon will receive $4,500, according to the arts council.

The OAC, with headquarters in Columbus, was established in 1965.

Its mission is to “foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio’s cultural heritage.”

news@vindy.com

news@tribtoday.com