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From the Director
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Mission Statement
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From the Director

The McDonough Museum of Art was designed by the nationally known and award winning duo, architects Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel. The Museum was built in 1991 and in the same year Gwathmey & Siegel completed commissions for Harvard University, Cornell University, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Euro Disney, and Steven Spielberg. The McDonough stands as a discreet architectural object, consisting of rigorous geometry and intricate multistory spaces filled with light. The Museum is an excellent example of the firm’s elegant Le Corbusier style modernism.

Within this modernist jewel, the McDonough Museum of Art functions as a center for contemporary ideas, art, education and community. It is our mission as a University Museum dedicated to the display and commission of contemporary art to function as a catalyst for new knowledge, to play a central role in the exploration of the aesthetic dimension of human intelligence, and to substantially affect the way the arts contribute to education and public life. In pursuit of this mission we have established the following programmatic commitments:

SEED.LAB describes the critical function of the Museum as a learning, teaching and experimental space for students, faculty and alumni. In this way we serve the education and outreach mission of the Departmentof Art through exhibitions and projects.

Regional Projects Series–Exhibitions of Artists working in the region.
These projects are meant to honor and document regional artistic ingenuity. This year we have two group exhibitions of exceptional work from artists working in and around Michigan, Cleveland and New York. We will also publish our fifth catalogue in the series of regional projects.

National & International Artists & Exhibitions
We are developing ongoing relationships with national and international artists and art institutions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, Beijing, and Havana to develop exhibitions and exchanges. In these efforts we are working on projects with the Center for Working Class Studies and the International Studies Program.

Campus & Community Projects
Connecting to campus and community initiatives through partnerships like the Regional Scholastic Art Awards program, the Sacred Landmarks Project and the Underground Railroad Project.

Over 90 schools in four counties participate in the Regional Scholastic Art Awards Program. Art teachers select close to 700 works of art by middle school and high school students for the exhibition. Each year students are invited to participate in the Sacred Landmarks Project sponsored by Urban Studies as part of their participation in Scholastics. The McDonough also hosts a billboard competition as part of our regional awards program.

REA+CH is a residency program sponsoring Art + Community = Collaborations
The residency program advances the role artists and community members play in addressing human and social issues in the Mahoning Valley. It functions as a think-tank for community development wherein artists, community representatives, experts and students benefit from an enriching exchange of ideas and skills.

The Youth Media Program was established last year and has been very successful in opening up opportunities for abused, neglected, and dependent children to work creatively and freely with video cameras and computer imaging programs. The youth work with visiting artists, mentors in the community, students, and alumni from Youngstown State University. The leaders of the workshops teach creative and critical thinking skills while developing a strong sense of community. The youth involved in the workshops learn how to operate camcorders, digital cameras and computer programs to conceptualize and create their own projects.

 Scholastic Art Awards, REA+CH, and the Youth Media Program
are sponsored by the William Swanston Charitable Foundation

Visual Literacy & The Visual Thinking Strategy
The McDonough welcomed over 30 tour groups this past year who all participated in the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS), a non-intrusive method of group interaction linked to the development of aesthetic learning. The Visual Thinking Strategy trains individuals to make an evidence-founded, reasoned argument, based on careful looking. It uses art to teach thinking, communication skills and visual literacy. It measurably increases observation skills, evidential reasoning, and speculative abilities, and the ability to find multiple solutions to complex problems for all students, from challenged and non-English language learners to high achievers. Finally it encourages regular art museum visits to underscore connections to art and to integrate our community’s resources into students’ lives. For more information contact Visual Understanding in Education at www.vue.org.

As a unit within the College of Fine and Performing Arts we join the Performing Arts Series to form a truly vital front for community outreach. The McDonough Museum is free and open to the public. It is your University Museum, your community resource, meeting place, free to think and debate space, or just take a break place . . .
a haven for all.

We hope to see you soon and often.
Leslie A. Brothers, Director
labrothers@ysu.edu

 
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History

In 1986, Dr. John J. McDonough, a prominent collector of American Art, and a dedicated member of the community, offered Youngstown State University the opportunity to build their own museum. The McDonough Museum of Art, a division of the College of Fine and Performing Arts opened its doors to the public in 1991. For thirteen years the museum has grown to become a vital center for contemporary art, education and community serving both the University and the region. Each year the Museum presents a diverse and critical survey of contemporary art in all media through exhibitions of work by national and international artists as well as Department of Art faculty and students.

 
 

Mission Statement


The mission of the McDonough Museum of Art reinforces the mission of the College of Fine and Performing Arts and Youngstown State University in recognizing the need to support both cultural values and academic excellence. As a unique center for public engagement, the McDonough Museum of Art translates the University’s greater goals of teaching, research and service into collaboration, education and community.
Through the process of collaboration we seek to encourage flexible, research-based relationships with artists, scholars, university students and members of the community. As a center for education we seek to promote learning through communication and shared experience within an expanding community outreach that recognizes the value of visual literacy and the development of intelligent, critical and creative thinking skills among our K-12 audiences.

Located in the Mahoning Valley and within the city of Youngstown we are acutely aware that many members of this community are at risk and underserved in multiple capacities. It is the moral mission and ethical responsibility of this institution to embrace and develop ongoing relevant strategies for understanding and engaging all of our diverse audiences. We believe community means a commitment to shared responsibility for the definition of common goals, for Youngstown, the Mahonig Valley, the State of Ohio, the United States and beyond.

It is ultimately our mission as a university museum dedicated to the display and commission of contemporary art to function as a catalyst for new knowledge, to play a central role in the exploration of the aesthetic dimension of human intelligence, and to substantially affect the way the arts contribute to education and public life.

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Goals


In pursuit of its mission, the McDonough Museum of Art subscribes to the following Goals:

1 | To establish the fundamental importance and role of art, design, art history, art education and museum studies within the university and beyond, and to position the arts and related disciplines as conduits for cross-disciplinary collaboration and exchange.

The Museum seeks to offer the University and the Region a larger range of choices for the application of talent and intelligence through teaching visual literacy. Visual education offers broadened pedagogical choices and more fully equips the body politic for making relevant contributions to the social, political, cultural, technological, and commercial needs of the State. The Museum seeks to integrate the experience and understanding of art and design with all cultural and social segments, including commerce and industry.

2 | To continuously examine the roles of artists, designers, art historians, art educators, and Museum Professionals in support of a vital and tolerant society.

The Museum seeks to offer a larger range of choices for the application of talent and intelligence. By questioning and challenging the role of artists, designers, and Museum professionals, the Museum, together with the College of Fine and Performing Arts will join others leading the way in refocusing the educational paradigm for a new century.

3 | To promote and honor the fundamental worth of all peoples and cultures.

The Museum works toward creating a world in which all peoples and cultures are given voice as valid participants in an emerging globally interdependent society. The Museum values all cultures, their customs, and lore, and gives respect to differing beliefs. The Museum recognizes the need for equity among generations, genders and ethnic groups in accessing services and opportunities for sharing constructive and productive responsibility in the transfer of knowledge and skill.

4 | To promote respect for the environment and the human ecology.

The Museum understands its responsibility in preparing students for sustainable futures. Sustainable futures involve informed decision making which maintains a balance among all aspects of the natural and man-made world. This requires public participation and policy making. The Museum equips students to become involved leaders in this crucial public dialogue. Economic, technological, and political choices inevitably involve moral responsibility.
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