YOUNGSTOWN — The Area Artists Annual at the Butler Institute of American Art has long served as a showcase for the region’s creative talent, and the 86th event on Sunday was no exception.

The annual juried exhibition highlights original artwork created by artists living within a 75-mile radius of the Butler. The Area Artists Annual includes work across a wide range of media, including oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and illustration, mixed media, works on paper and printmaking.

This year’s exhibition reflected both technical skill and personal storytelling, demonstrating the diversity of artistic voices in the Mahoning Valley and surrounding communities.

Butler Executive Director Louis Zona emphasized the importance of the exhibition, saying, “The Area Artists Annual demonstrates the high level of artistic talent here in our region. Local and regional artists should never be underestimated.”

He affirmed the Butler’s commitment to celebrating their creativity and providing audiences with an opportunity to engage with art that is thoughtful, personal, and rooted in local experience through the Area Artists Annual.

This year’s juror, Nils Johnson Jr., selected 100 works by 91 artists, which was narrowed down from 389 submissions. Johnson is an attorney, artist and author of Color Up: A Better Way to Paint. His approach to jurying reflects both his professional background and his deep respect for the artistic process.

“Art to me is a chance to show people what they may have missed,” Johnson said. “An artist sees differently. We see beauty in the commonplace; we find interest in the ordinary. A painting is not a photograph that merely reproduces reality — it filters a real-world image through the mind and soul of the artist.”

“As a juror, I was not looking for anything in particular, except good art, in whatever form, representational or abstract. In both kinds of art, one looks for balance, contrast, compelling color juxtapositions, and story — call it emotionality,” Johnson said.

Drawing from his legal career, Johnson noted that strong art often relies on contrast. “Attorneys deal in opposing points of view,” he said. “Interesting art does the same — where darks are really dark, lights are really bright, and colors push against one another.”

Among the selected artists is Will Duck of Youngstown, whose acrylic painting “Youngstown Champions” won the Director’s Choice Award. Duck said the painting was inspired by the induction of local boxers into the Boxing Hall of Fame. Duck said his love of boxing began early.

“My brother was a boxer, and I boxed a bit myself,” he said. “I’ve always had love and respect for the sport.”

Duck hopes viewers feel the same energy he experiences while painting.

“It means representation — where I come from — and appreciation of the years it takes to get where I am,” he said. “Youngstown is too often seen in a negative light, but I choose to see the beauty we have here and put it on canvas.”

Artist Steven Chaszeyka of New Middletown, whose “Toon Commune.” done in acrylics, won the Expressive Storytelling Award, said his piece brings humor and reflection to the exhibition. The cartoon-inspired painting looks back on his youthful dream of becoming a syndicated cartoonist. The piece tells a whimsical story of rejection and resilience, symbolized by a hot air balloon representing talent scouts floating past his work.

Constructed over the course of a year using acrylic and oil, the piece evolved gradually. “I imagined the story as I was developing the piece,” Chaszeyka said. “It came to me a little at a time.” His style favors clarity and lightheartedness. “I want viewers to be tickled and amused rather than wonder what I’m thinking.”

At 76, Chaszeyka feels he is entering a new creative phase. After a career as a pinstriping and airbrush artist, he now has time to focus on more personal work. He praised the Butler and its leadership, calling the museum “a treasure in this valley.”

Artist Gwen Waight of Peninsula, whose mixed-media piece, “Women’s Work,” won top honors with the Creative Visionary Award, said her piece challenges stereotypical gender roles and explores identity through found objects. “I’m addressing how stereotypical gender roles can constrict and suppress a person,” Waight said. “It’s a construct that limits a person’s ability to see themselves as more than what they do.”

Waight described her process as concept-driven, beginning with an idea and assembling objects that spoke to it. A wooden ironing board forms the central structure of the piece, evoking references to body, burial, and identity, while ice picks draw inspiration from Congolese fetish objects. “As people encounter my work, I hope for curiosity and questioning,” she said. “I want it to start a conversation.”

Living in Northeast Ohio has strongly influenced Waight’s work. “This is a very blue-collar, working-class, rust belt area,” she said. “I use everyday objects that have been touched and worked with. My goal is to elevate those practical objects, full of memory, into an art conversation.”

Awards were given to the following entries:

• Creative Visionary Award, which commends artists whose creative excellence and originality generate profound impact — “Women’s Work” by Gwen Waight, found object assemblage.

• Mastery of Medium Award, which celebrates artists who demonstrate exceptional proficiency and mastery in their chosen medium — “Hammered Guitarist” by Brant Metzler, mixed media.

• Expressive Storytelling Award, which acknowledges artists who effectively communicate powerful narratives or evoke deep emotions through their artwork — “Toon Commune” by Steve Chaszeyka, acrylic.

• Visual Distinction Award, which honors artists whose work achieves exceptional aesthetic resonance, demonstrating mastery of form, composition and harmony — “Wisdom and Grace” by Laurie Musser, drawing.

• Fred A. Staloff Award — “Nevermore” by James Jones, oil on canvas.

• Jean Shreffler Award — “Mardi Gras Diva” by Janet Dodrill, oil on canvas.

• Robert Yalch Memorial Award — “Flower Prepares the Farm Stand” by Benjamin Toomey, photograph.

• Director’s Choice Award — “Youngstown Champions” by Will Duck, acrylic.

• Honorable Mentions went to the following — “Road Trip” by Gail Trunick, clay and found objects; “Handle with Care” by William Karaffa, oil; “Walk ‘Em Up” by Merrily Lynn Sprague, watercolor; “Grandpa’s Vise” by Jack Hickson, watercolor; “Freedom of Speech” by Judy Takacs, oil on linen; “Open Boxes” by Dan Droz, painted aluminum; “Grayson” by Stacey Coffee, textile collage; “Bee Waggle” by John Nativio, recycled copper; “UK Red” by Guy Shively, enamel on wood; “Dawn on the Shores of Creation” by Maxwell Miller, oil on linen.

The Area Artists Annual runs through Feb. 15.