The Mahoning Valley arts landscape is rising again with the LOOP Youngstown Arts + Culture Center鈥檚 new building. Sunday鈥檚 dedication comes two years after the closure of the former Ward Bakery building, which served as artist studios for decades. LOOP Board Chairperson Karen Schubert said the closing underscored the need for a new arts hub.
"There's been so many cuts to programs at K-12 arts programs and at Youngstown State University, which is our only institution of higher ed," she said. "We just thought to ourselves, 'How cool would it be to buy a building and to offer that as a secure place for artists to work? And maybe offer some programming to support that work as well.'"
Doors open at 805 Mahoning Ave. on Sunday at 1 p.m. Along with public tours, Dave Mirkin will discuss the history of the building, which was built by his grandfather in 1946 as a used car dealership. The family sold the structure in March for $325,000, and Schubert said LOOP is already in fundraising and grant-writing mode.
"We have about 28 artists who are committed," she said. "They are working in textiles and paint and photography and many different media. We'll also have gallery shows and other kinds of performances, maybe once a month. We want to give our artists the opportunity to teach, to learn from master crafts persons in their field, to show their work."
Two spaces will be used by an art collector, and another three are being used by poets.
Schubert said LOOP formed three years ago, and their name doesn鈥檛 have a specific meaning. Even before , they planned to offer a permanent, accessible space for artists and creative businesses. The waiting list for studios in the new building is online alongside a .
"We'd love to have people give us their thoughts about the arts, about the work that they're doing," she said. "Also, if they're interested in a studio ... in teaching a class, having a performance there or connecting with a critique group or connecting with a mentor or an artist-in-residence."
Schubert said the LOOP board is discussing how to "jazz up" the exterior of the building, perhaps with tube lighting to complement the Art Deco-era lines or murals. She's hopeful that they鈥檒l serve as a visual introduction to a burgeoning arts and culture corridor. The LOOP space is near Calvin Center for the Arts, Nexus Sound Studio, Hopewell Theatre and even the historic Youngstown Maennerchor restaurant and Santisi Wholesale Food Co.
鈥淚 keep sprinting across the street to pick up Tiramisu for our meetings," she said.
