The youth of Springfield’s own Project Jericho will have celebrity artist bragging rights this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing most programming to go online or into socially distanced small groups.
Project Jericho has partnered with the Springfield Museum of Art, which dedicated the Beach Gallery to showcase the organization. The “Project Jericho Fall 2020 Reflections” exhibit features the work of local youth artists and is on display through Nov. 19.
Project Jericho is a collaborative initiative of Clark State Community College and Clark County Department of Job and Family Services, with support from The Turner Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.
The program serves at-risk youth and their families by providing performing arts workshops, artist residencies and family performances, and encouraging talent development through music, poetry, painting, dance and theater.
“The art on display at the Springfield Museum of Art is a culmination of three different programs,” says Lauren Houser, director of Project Jericho. “The overall theme is a reflection on our fall creations, but each of the three displays have their own theme.”
One display, titled “Radiate" consists of art completed during virtual Open Studio, a program that was moved online so youth could participate while being at home, Houser says. It features mixed-media artwork focused on the concept of radial symmetry.
"Drawn to the Light" features charcoal drawings of found sources of light discovered around Springfield, and "Oh My Gouache" features expressive self-portraits done in gouache paint.
The overall exhibit also includes photos of some of the participants, displays of the materials used for each program, and artists' statements.
“The choice to display the art at the museum allows for many people to view the art at separate times, so that crowding can be avoided, and we can all remain safe,” says Houser.
Each youth who participated in one of the three programs and completed their work has a piece included in the exhibit, she says. None of the about 25 total exhibited pieces will be sold.
“One of our teaching artists, Kelley Booze, who led our ‘Drawn to the Light’ program, works at the Springfield Museum of Art, and suggested that we use the museum to display the charcoal drawings from the ‘Drawn to the Light’ program,” says Houser. “All of our participants expressed interest in displaying their art, so we decided to display all three programs, thus reflecting on our fall visual art programs as a whole.”
Dayton based Benjamin Baugham (Blue) was the teaching artist for “Oh My Gouache.” Project Jericho staff member Kristi Limes hosted the virtual Open Studio sessions to guide the youth as they created their “Radiate” pieces, and teaching artists from across the state popped onto the Zoom calls as mystery guests to inspire and educate the group of young artists.
Project Jericho has been offering virtual Open Studio sessions every Monday since April and will continue to offer this programming to teenagers to keep the youth engaged as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Houser says.
The museum is located at 107 Cliff Park Road in Springfield and has served the region as a premier destination for the promotion, preservation, study, and appreciation of historical and contemporary American artwork.
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