About Us
John J. McDonough Museum of Art
The John J. McDonough Museum of Art is a vital cultural resource for our region — offering a range of dynamic programs that include exhibitions, installations, performances, and lectures that invite campus and community members to discover and explore meaning in contemporary art.
A modernist landmark, the McDonough Museum was designed by the award-winning architects Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel, who are nationally known for their work. The McDonough stands as a unique architectural feature on YSU's campus and consists of 20,000 square feet of exhibition, lecture, and office spaces.
Current and upcoming exhibitions
The McDonough Museum offers a range of dynamic programs that include exhibitions, installations, performances, and lectures that invite campus and community members to discover and explore meaning in contemporary art. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
The museum is located at 525 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44502. Hours are 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday and major holidays).
Winter Exhibitions
January 20 - February 28
Closing reception: February 28, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Misty Gamble, Of Flesh and The Feminine
Misty Gamble creates life-size ceramic figurative sculptures and installations of multiple ceramic cast fragments, focusing attention on issues surrounding ecofeminism. Her current work sits at the intersection of feminism and environmentalism and looks to the relationship between human animals and non-human animals. She is currently looking at the overlap of feminist and vegan critical theory that discusses consumptive culture, objectification in language, and “the absent referent” in literature. Gamble is 3D Area Head, Associate Professor of Art and the Steven Mayes Endowed Professor of Visual Arts at West Texas A&M University. She has been the recipient of numerous residencies, grants, and fellowships, and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
Hannah Parrett, I Do Not Always Understand, But I Feel Desire
Hannah Parrett’s work pulls from the emotional and psychological experience of place, specifically the scale shift cadence between landscape, architecture, and domestic space. Combining found objects with carved wood, insulation foam, and painted materials, she reanimates objects that describe embodied moments of looking, questioning when materials are perceived as being alive, and dead. She is an artist and educator based out of Cincinnati, and co-founded Dream Clinic Project Space, an artist-run gallery and studio space in Columbus. Her work has been exhibited locally and nationally and she has had several artist residencies. In 2025, she was named the recipient of an Ohio Arts Individual Excellence Grant.
Mary Urbas, curating From WOMAN 19
The Mary Urbas-curated From WOMAN 19 exhibition celebrates women and their art. The artists chosen present fresh visual approaches to storytelling from the female perspective. Visual impact is key; the underlying inspirations and backstories are intriguing. Emotion with technique in balance. Works included attained a high aesthetic standard and incorporated the mastering of various and diverse techniques into artworks. Urbas has over 46 years of experience in the professional art world as a gallery owner, curator, teacher, consultant, exhibition juror, and prize judge, and is an award-winning exhibiting fiber artist.
Contact us
McDonough Museum of Art
525 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44502
mcdonoughmuseumofart@ysu.edu
Gallery hours
The galleries are closed and will reopen January 20.
The McDonough offices are closed December 20 - January 5.
Staff
Claudia Berlinski, Director
Angela DeLucia, Assistant to the Director
caberlinski@ysu.edu
330.941.1400
