Youngstown group wants to create arts and culture center

Group wants to create arts and culture center

A group of area artists and cultural organizations wants to be in the LOOP.

LOOP Youngstown is envisioned as a community arts and culture center in the city that could fulfill a wide range of needs -- studio spaces for individual artists, office / storage/ rehearsal space for existing organizations, classrooms for instruction in art and other disciplines, or a performance space for dance and theater groups.

"I think that we all recognize the creative economy is a huge driver of our economic well-being and beyond that our quality of life," said Karen Schubert, a poet and founding director of Lit Youngstown who is chair of LOOP Youngstown's advisory board. "For a thriving arts community to happen organically, it needs an investment in infrastructure."

The group's board of directors and advisory council has more than 30 members.

What does LOOP stand for? Nothing, according to artist, designer and advisory council member Robyn Maas, who came up with the name.

"As a designer, you can just capitalize things randomly," Maas said, and she liked the look of the double O in the middle of the word and the similarity of the name to Lit Youngstown. "There's 'loop me in' and 'being in the loop.' I wanted it to be fun, I wanted it to be open to everyone, and I wanted it to be cool. I thought LOOP Youngstown kind of works."

POTENTIAL SITE

One potential site for the center is the Clearview Company building at 730 Mahoning Ave. It has 50,000-square feet of industrial space that could be converted into artist studios, performance / rehearsal spots and maker spaces as well as 3,000-square feet of office space that could be used by groups like Lit Youngstown and for community meetings.

"I like the industrial nature of the Clearview building," Schubert said, as well as its proximity to Hopewell Theatre and the artist studios at the Ward Bakery building. "It's really an arts-centered corridor.

"We're also looking at other spaces. There are just so many possibilities in Youngstown, from schools and churches to other industrial buildings."

The cost of the building is $825,000. That doesn't include the additional money needed to make it move-in ready.

"The building itself is in solid condition," Schubert said. "A lot of cosmetic renovation is needed in the office area, and the roof leaks. That would be our primary concern."

The plan is to outfit the space with as much used and refurbished equipment as possible.

"We're all big environmentalists," Schubert said."Whatever we could do to reduce our footprint with this project is what we want to do."

GATHERING IDEAS

LOOP is working with Kristen Olmi of KO Consulting to target grants and other potential funding sources.

"We're looking at a broad base of support," Schubert said. "We're well positioned for some of the grants that are in the pipeline. People are generally receptive when we tell them what we're trying to do. This kind of thing is going on everywhere, and it's really needed here."

Until LOOP secures a site, it's too early to create a timeline for when the project could become a reality.

"Right now we're all learning about buildings and the process of buying buildings," Schubert said.

Advisory council members have been taking field trips to similar centers in the region -- Summit ArtSpace in Akron and Ingenuity and 78th Street Studios, both in Cleveland -- to gather information and ideas.

Maas said the center could provide classes for those interested in studying art but find pursuing a college degree cost-prohibitive. It also could offer communal spaces for ceramic, metal and glass work.

"We have unlimited possibilities," Maas said.

INVOLVEMENT

Advisory board member Elizabeth Ford, an artist and a retired English professor at Westminster College, got involved with LOOP because of Schubert.

"I want to march in whatever army she's leading," Ford said.

As a member of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society, Ford sees how the center could be used for storage and allow it to offer larger workshops.

As an artist, she believes the center could provide opportunities to collaborate with others, not only visual artists but with musicians and those in other disciplines.

"The arts are a beating heart in our community," Ford said. "Any chance to keep that going is important."