"Untold Stories" - Opening Reception

This after-hours reception features the artwork of Mahoning Valley native and Los Angeles based new-genre artist Jennifer Vanderpool. Light snacks and beverages will be served.

"Untold Stories: The Forgotten Underclass in Rust Belt Urban Renewal" identifies outmoded imagery of blighted Rust Belt cities and employs them as allegories to evoke questions about neighborhood decay and gentrification, segregation, and generations of unemployment and economic redevelopment.

Vanderpool created this series by incorporating abstracted elements from historic tourism posters, souvenir postcards, print advertisements, TV commercials, company training films, corporate photographs, and other media into her design aesthetic to craft narratives of imaginary realism that evoke the Rust Belt region.

"Untold Stories" includes digital prints, archival material provided by The University of Akron Archives, and a documentary film. The film features interviews with Akron area community members and professionals, such as University of Akron professors Dr. Ramona Ortega-Liston, David Giffels, Dr. Bill Lyons, several retired rubber workers, including Don Heffner, Al Fitch, and others.

This exhibition will be open through April 19, 2019.

Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm.

Admission and parking is free for this event.