MOUNT VERNON— Melissa Stallard’s “The Shrinking City” is on display at Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Schnormeier Gallery until Aug. 5. Stallard’s photographic exhibit has been on display in galleries throughout the American Midwest. Stallard believes her
“photographs document the results of a long-term economic crisis in Youngstown, Ohio, and the city’s transition into a more stable, smaller city surrounded by the ghosts of its prosperous industrial past.”
Youngstown is the poorest city in the nation and has fallen to decay and abandonment in the years following World War II. Despite the decline of this once great city, there is hope. Stallard notes, “The city has designated some areas to return to the natural habitat or public-use green space while others will become urban farms or raised-bed community gardens.” Her exhibit not only
functions to display the decline of Youngstown and cities like it, but also offers hope that the broken city will be healed in time.
Stallard’s work is on display at Schnormeier Gallery weekdays from noon to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information visit melissastallard.com.
Knox Community Hospital proudly supports the vibrant pulse of our community by sponsoring the Life & Culture section on Knox Pages, celebrating the stories and experiences that make our region unique.