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The new year has ushered in two new exhibits at Arts + Education at the Hoyt. On display through Feb. 27 are “Fabric of Time: Woven Portraits” by William Walker and “Doom and Bloom,” a series of surrealist paintings by Lizz Ford.
A public reception for both exhibits is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Jan. 18.
“Fabric of Time” is the first to greet visitors as they enter the walkway between the two buildings. It is a collection of woven portraits featuring significant figures from Youngstown’s history.
History buffs might recognize names like Elizabeth Fellows, George Wick and Richard Mills for the parks and buildings named after them. Others like Bishop Malone might be more obscure. There are 14 portraits in all offering a window into Youngstown’s industrial and cultural growth. They go hand-in-hand as the industrialists often financed the libraries, museums and theaters that kept them entertained.
Walker’s interest in Youngstown history began in college as a research project supporting theater revival. He was surprised by the number of people involved in theater and the investment their work drew. Many of the theaters started as local productions and grew into traveling troupes on theatre circuits. Many ended up in movie studios or in Vaudeville.
His research was drawn predominantly from old newspaper articles that included the individuals financing this growth. As Walker finished his studies in weaving at Kent State University, those individuals who helped shape local history found their way into his work as a tribute to their contributions.
Walker went on to earn a master of art crafts degree from Kent State, winning several awards for his weavings at the Butler Institute of American Art, the Trumbull Art Gallery and the Hoyt. He is a member of the Handweavers Guild of America and East Ohio Handweavers Guild.
Traverse up the walkway to the Main Galleries and you will be greeted by a cacophony of colors and bold imagery in “Doom & Bloom,” a collection of Ford’s surrealist paintings. They are purposefully large, using animals more so than people to make a statement the artist is reluctant to clarify. For example, a pigeon embroidering a floral design on its feathers or a snake sprouting mushrooms from its scales.
“My job to create… it’s yours to interpret,” Ford said.
Ford’s paintings embrace the Chinese concept of ying and yang, which is two opposing but interconnected forces that are always changing and in balance. Perhaps she’s eluding to the struggle between man and nature. Perhaps not. In any case, her paintings are simultaneously vibrant and pleasing to look at on the surface, yet have a darker side.
Ford is a freelance artist and designer who works on her own line of digital metallic prints and commissions that range from book covers to product packaging. As a lover of color palettes, she has experimented with pigments and making her own custom paint.
She chooses organic subject matter with a surrealist perspective and enjoys flirting with subtle challenges of perspective embedded within obvious beauty. She believes that the result is work experimenting with idioms and moral dichotomy wrapped in flowers and leaves.
The work will remain on display through Feb. 27. Admission is free.
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