New Young's Town : Part 2 : Ruralization : Wildlands

 The area outside of New Young's Town, known as the Wildlands, was  fully taken by the forces of Ruralization by the late Twentieth Century. Appalachian Whites, migrant Hispanics, poor country folk from the surrounding counties and African Americans with rural southern roots moved in as the immigrant industrial workers fled. They reside in the remaining houses and attempt to eke out livings very much the way they have been doing for 200 years in rural America.
 People of the Wildlands have created a Rural Economy that involves farming, construction, recycling, demolition, hunting, storage, drug dealing, mechanical work, and consultation. Many are artisans, such as metal workers, printers, bakers, woodworkers and members of the Creative Class who benefit from the local cultural industry provided by the museums, university and suburban areas.
 Sadly, this area is afflicted with all the same problems of the Rural Midwest: drugs, gangs, entrenched poverty, inadequate health care, poor education, low water quality to name just a few. The difference in life quality between those that live outside of New Young's Town and those that live within it is astounding.

  

New Young's Town : Part 1

New Young's Town is a small, midwestern, rural college town in northeast Ohio, typical of many in the region such as Alliance or nearby New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Geographically it is the corridor between Gypsy Lane and Fellows Riverside Gardens. Travel a mile or less on either side of this corridor and one will be confronted with vast fields, woodlands and wildlife.

 At the center of this corridor is a gentrified downtown, with an abundance of banks, art galleries, luxury apartments, a rapidly expanding university, and internationally recognized art museums. The Wick and Crandall Park neighborhoods located to the North of the downtown, hold a vast collection of luxurious, early 20th century homes and mansions. The Mahoning Commons, southwest of the downtown, is known for artisan farms, small theaters, artisan studios and a slowly developing river front. At the edge of Mahoning Commons is Mill Creek Park which includes Fellows Riverside Gardens and several lakes. The visitor center in the Gardens is a delight, with a beautiful restaurant, art gallery, library, other amenities and splendid views of Lake Glacier.

 The median income of New Young's Town is high in relation to the cost of living. The population is predominantly white and educated. Most people live a life of relative ease and luxury. Some have labeled it a Trust Fund Economy.

 Beyond the fringes of New Young's Town, a city once existed named Youngstown. Known for steel making and other industrial production, the city claimed huge tracts of land for manufacturing and housing its tens of thousands of immigrant workers. A major decline began in the mid 20th century due to the steel industry's archaic modes of manufacture and other overpowering pressures. By 1977 the city collapsed, the immigrant population fled and Ruralization took the region in an unforgiving grip. By 1990 virtually nothing was left of the mighty city, and today the City of Youngstown is nothing but an unexplored archeological ruin beneath thousands of acres of vast wild lands inhabited by bears and coyotes. 
  

Jason Van Hoose : New York Art

Show Card

Show Card Obverse

The eve of my thirtieth birthday was rough for me, as things like 'decade birthdays' can be really stressful for people, particularly sensitive artists.  As midnight was approaching, the phone rang. It was a Cleveland philanthropist, owner of Fourth World Productions, who was aligned with Art With Out Walls in New York City. He saw my sculpture at Cleveland Independent Art Gallery and wanted to know if I'd be willing to take the spot of an artist that had to drop out of a recent NYC production. It was 1996 and I was beside myself.

At that time I was making sculpture from found objects recovered from the streets, vacant lots and railroad tracks of Youngstown. I assembled the sun bleached bones of animal skeletons and cultural detritus over a frame of wood and metal. They combined a ferocious, macabre quality with a nod to Hollywood special effects and the Nail Fetishes of the Congo.

The next several weeks was a flurry of activity as I put the finishing touches on new sculptures and prepared them for shipping. I'd been to New York City many times before, assisting artists in transporting large artworks and doing  general work for galleries and art professionals in the Manhattan art community. This time, however, I would travel alone and it was all on me.

At that time Art With Out Walls was an arts organization that renovated former commercial and industrial spaces of New York City to host art, fashion and music shows. Chelsea was just beginning to blossom as a cultural community. AWOW leased a 200,000 square foot floor of a Macy's warehouse there and turned it into a vast, professional gallery space where 14 artists were provided the space and financing to hold full solo exhibitions.

 Absolute Vodka sponsored the show and partnered with the Dairy Council to create the premiere drink, White Russians, which were served generously the entire run. A fashion show was held and members of Cop Shoot Cop provided a Hardcore Industrial Ambiant music show for the closing reception. The budget for the event was a quarter million dollars, a great deal of money for 1996.

Opening night was overwhelming. There was a line of people waiting to shake my hand and talk to me, the artist from far away Youngstown, the Wild West to them. The highlight of the night was the arrival of Molly Ringwald, 80's teen movie star on whom I had a crush. She walked over to my most frightening sculpture, considered it for a moment, then placed her drink on the pedestal on which it stood, and left it.
I met so many great people as a result The Jack of Jill Show, the start of my modest but fruitful NYC art career.  

Below are links to prominent NYC collectors of my work (to name just a few):

* Orlando Palacios

* Susan Copich and Oded Levy

* Nannatte Lepore and Robert Savage

* Catherine Pavlov


                                                        Visit My WEBSITE

Collecting the Work of Michael Green

 Michael Green Senior is an active artist who has produced paintings, drawings, handmade prints and ceramics for many years. His work is avidly sought by collectors and can be found in collections throughout the Americas and Europe
 I have been representing collectors of Michael Green's work for decades. If you are a collector who wishes to purchase or sell an original Michael Green, please visit my website for my contact information. 
 Generally speaking, value is determined by three factors: condition, size and subject matter. Certain Masterworks in excellent condition hold a very high level of value.


To view more information on Michael Green and to see images of his work, visit his website.

Trumbull Art Gallery : Mural

    

    R. Jason Van Hoose. Allegory of the Moon and Sun. Transportable Mural. Acrylic on Canvas. 9x12 feet.  Photo courtesy of Trumbull Art Gallery.

The transportable mural, titled Allegory of the Moon and Sun, is now on display at Trumbull Art Gallery as the Artist of the Month Exhibition. This kicks off the Mural Tour which will travel throughout Ohio. The next showing of murals will be at DNA Gallery, Warren, Ohio tentatively scheduled for March 2016.