“In order for us to have this culture for people who live here and raise their families and want to grow here, we need activity – activity is so crucial,” said YSU President Jim Tressel.
YOUNGSTOWN – A newly established alliance of local art and cultural organizations aims to strengthen the cultural profile and competitiveness of the region and to attract a new audience.
This coalition, called The cultural alliance, was revealed on Friday during a media conference at the Covelli Center in downtown Youngstown.
“The Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania regions have a proud history of strong and vibrant art and culture,” said Dr. Chester Amedia Jr., President of the Alliance, quoted in a press release. “The alliance wants to build on this history and bring all parts of the art and cultural community together to further reinforce the important role that diverse art and cultural activities play in the continued vitality of our region.”
The Alliance intends to act as the face of the Valley arts and culture scene, coordinating events to avoid conflicting calendars – they don’t want people to have to choose between one big event or another – in order to get competitive grants for Supporting Valley arts initiatives or helping smaller venues with management, Amedia Mahoning Matters said.
Suppose a local symphony wants to have an “evening with Paganini” (the famous Italian violinist). The alliance could help coordinate special Italian menus at local restaurants or partner with another local stage to produce “Romeo and Juliet,” which is set in Verona, Italy, Amedia said.
The alliance can also act as a channel for fundraising. Competitive grants are often “not helpful” for smaller art and cultural groups, he said. Acting and speaking through a coalition gives them a bigger profile, he said.
“There are things we wanted to get involved in, but we couldn’t apply because we weren’t big enough or we didn’t have enough credibility,” she said.
The alliance could also centralize administrations like offices or ticket booths for smaller venues that have difficulty doing it on their own – “to do it more efficiently without losing their identity. And that’s important, ”said Amedia.
The goals of the alliance include:
- Promotion of awareness, appreciation and engagement in cultural initiatives and the arts;
- Support local artists, creative small businesses, and arts and cultural organizations;
- Strengthening and promoting the positive cultural brand of the region;
- Work to increase public and private investment in cultural institutions and artists in the region and support policies that create a steady flow of funding for arts and cultural institutions;
- Support actions that empower artists, cultural organizations, and creative small businesses to promote human resource development and economic resilience
Founding members of the alliance include: Ballet Western Reserve, the Butler Institute of American Art, JAC Management Group (including Covelli Center, WD Packard Music Hall, Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater), Youngstown Playhouse, and Youngstown State University (including Cliffe College of Creative Arts, Dana School of Music, Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, McDonough Museum of Art and WYSU).
His other officers include: Vice President Chuck George, Chief Executive Officer of Hapco and Vice Chairman of the YSU Board of Trustees; Secretary Bonnie Burdman, board member of the Ballet Western Reserve; and Treasurer Ken Bigley, Vice President of the JAC Management Group.
“Only given the Valley’s rich cultural and artistic history did we know it needed to be preserved,” Bigley said. “Many of these organizations have stood the test of time – population decline, societal change, and everything else – and they are still here and still a cornerstone of everything that makes up the Valley.”
Youngstown state president Jim Tressel said although one of the university’s cybersecurity specialists recently took another job, the work is remote for more pay, and the man chose to stay in the Valley because “that’s the culture to which he wanted to belong “. from, ”he said.
“In order for us to have this culture for people who live here and raise their families and want to grow here, we need activity – activity is so crucial.”
Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, himself a high school drama student, noted that his national coalition of mayors has a council for the arts. He said he wants Youngstown to stay competitive and work together to build.
“We’ll have a voice, a question. … We want people to show us who we are, ”he said. “Exposure is number one for our kids to move forward.”
