Staff Art Show 2026
STAFF ART SHOW
Show Dates: January 7-29
Reception: January 8 | 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Discover the talent of our team at this special showcase of staff artwork. Experience the diverse skills and perspectives that make our community so unique!
Featuring the work of:
Michael Hornyak
Paul and Yetta Gluck School of Visual Arts Instructor
Jewish Community Center of Youngstown
Michael is a painter/printmaker and teacher from the Youngstown area. He recently returned to Ohio from California. The geographical distance is where he crafted his artistic concerns of memory and ideology of rural American life. Michael received his BFA from West Virginia University and his MFA from Illinois State University. Following these degrees, Michael attended the University of California Northridge for his teaching certification. Michael’s work has been exhibited in many group shows and galleries in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. He has presented several solo shows, including at the Maturango Museum of Natural History in Ridgecrest, California and I-5 Gallery in Los Angeles. Currently, Michael is teaching in Austintown Fitch high school where he enjoys guiding students’ creativity and reconnecting his art with his natural surroundings.
Artist Statement:
I tend to navigate my art around landscape painting. Over time, landscape painting has become weighed down in tradition and content loss. Landscape painting is often gauged by technique and craftsmanship and is often linked to beauty. I believe the genre of landscape painting is a time-honored practice with endless room for innovation and relevance. Growing up in rural Northeast Ohio has given me an appreciation for natural surroundings. However, it took moving to the large metropolitan area in southern California to look back at my origins and see the region with a discerning eye. I draw upon a variety of sources, including recollection, nostalgia, and the space between truth, memory, and triggered emotion. My work has become somewhat autobiographical. Without becoming overly specific, I utilize objects from my past with the backdrop of my environment; recalling old stories of childhood events turning into a type of theatrical set with the absence of any supporting characters. My work has also increasingly evolved around the blurring of timelines. Time, Distance and Space have an overarching theme of nostalgia. This nostalgia replaced the traditional landscape scene with a tension between connecting culture and the disconnect with personal experiences. The increasing commercial and real estate development of the rural landscape has made the visual representation of the natural world more relevant in current times. The desire to document these times in a way that is relatable to future generations who will inherit the timeline of American growth.
Stacy Hunter
Paul and Yetta Gluck School of Visual Arts Instructor
Jewish Community Center of Youngstown
Stacy studied Fine Art at the University of Akron, where she graduated with her bachelor's before moving to New York and working as a decorative painter, eventually earning a master's in the History of Decorative Art, Design and Culture from the Bard Graduate Center. She now lives in Howland.
Artist Statement:
My approach to art reflects my background in fine art and decorative painting. After working professionally with designers to reproduce eighteenth- and nineteenth-century murals and objet d’art, I later turned to the academic study of the history of decorative art. Now in my own work I like to focus on naturalistic large-scale portraits of people and animals, while continuing to be inspired by historical decorative works. Therefore, in this show, I include small canvases inspired by the French decorative painter Claude Audran III (1658-1734), who decorated the walls of French palaces and chateaux with his signature grotesques and arabesques. My work entitled “Pug” is a fairly faithful copy of an eighteenth-century chinoiserie painting; this canvas, mounted here on the wall, was originally intended for use as a floor mat (indeed my own dog likes to lounge on it). Finally, the close-up portrait titled “Face” is my interpretation of a black-and-white self-portrait my photojournalist father snapped years ago to illustrate an article. I remained faithful to his original photograph, but took liberties in scale and color to lend further emotional impact.
De’Janae Oliver
Paul and Yetta Gluck School of Visual Arts Instructor
Jewish Community Center of Youngstown
De’Janae Oliver, also known as DeJiiva, is a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, and a recent graduate of Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studio Art. Her work spans sculpture, painting, drawing, carpet making, and photography; blending technical skill with imagination to explore societal themes and personal narratives. DeJiiva’s art has been featured in venues including YSU's Kilcawley Center and Bliss Hall, the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, the Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, the Concept Gallery (in two group exhibitions), and the McDonough Museum. She has curated solo exhibitions at Bliss Hall and participated in group shows at the Tyler History Museum, the Pancakes and Booze Art Show, and Art on Park in Warren, Ohio. In addition to her artistic practice, DeJiiva teaches art at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown and works as a care technician at Adult Day Services at Heritage Manor.
Artist Statement"
"Girls on Da Block" is a series of collage paintings that reflect on the experience of sisterhood and identity as an African American woman. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant aesthetics of 90s hip-hop and mainstream culture, this collection emphasizes the strength, resilience, and unity shared among women growing up in these spaces. By placing the women at the forefront, I’m giving a close-up view of the girls—now women—on the block, while other compositions zoom out to show the block itself. In these works, the women cover most of the block, appearing as if they are protecting it; not allowing outsiders to fully see it. This symbolizes the closeness, the unbreakable bond, and the womanhood they share. At the same time, I want to show the block as a space that is accepting and welcoming. Though the women are protective of what’s theirs and of one another, they still invite others into their world. In African American culture, home is sacred, and you don’t just invite anyone into your home. By showing their block—their home—these women demonstrate that the love they extend is genuine, that they are open, welcoming, and proud of who they are. From their facial expressions to their hair, clothing, and stance, these women embody the essence of being Black, proud, beautiful, fun, and amazing.
Bobbi Kukura
JCC Assistant Food Services Coordinator
Bobbi studied Fine Art and General Psychology at YSU, with main interests being in large scale sculpture work, including many multimedia materials from recycled paper, ceramics, commercial plastics, metals, and other materials from nature. As a generally introverted person, she finds her peace in exploring new ways to create something completely nonsensical in shape, size or colors, often with deep meaning and big statements. She finds her inspiration from nature and the loved ones that surround her.
Yana Litvinova
JCC Environmental Services
Yana is from Moscow, Russia. She studied Architecture Restoration for nine years in two different colleges, having many art exhibitions as well as her own private collection. She has been in the United States for 25 years, and resides in Liberty, Ohio.
Olivia Miller
Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Marketing Manager
Olivia has been a professional photographer since 2019 focusing on wedding and family settings. Lately, she has been inspired by life going on around her. Olivia lives in Canfield with her husband, baby boy, two dogs, a cat, and 2 chickens.
Natalie Mostoller
YAJF Human Resources & Accounting Coordinator
Natalie graduated from YSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with minors in political science and entrepreneurship. She has a love for photography, specifically sunsets and stormy skies. When she’s not spending time with her family and friends, she is most likely curled up with a good book or painting her nails.
Elise Skolnick
Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Director of Communications & Marketing
Elise received her first camera at age 10, and she’s been making photos ever since. An award winning photographer, Elise has had several solo shows and her work has been included in many juried exhibitions and is in numerous private collections. She has two daughters, three grandchildren, and lives in Austintown, Ohio with her husband David.
Erianne Raib-Ptichkin
JCC Arts & Culture Manager
Eri is a lifelong Liberty resident, where she resides with her husband and two children. She has spent her life immersed in the arts, and has been a dance educator for over 20 years, specializing in performing arts administration, education, and performance. The visual arts provides her with an opportunity to process life by creating repetitive and meditative work with her hands.
Rebecca Soldan
YAJF Director of Strategic Operations and Data Management
Rebecca has long been drawn to the arts as a form of expression, exploring a range of mediums over the years. Most recently, after taking a watercolor class at the JCC, she began painting. Watercolor has become a practice of exploration and release - an invitation to let go of perfectionism and welcome whatever emerges. Rebecca lives in Youngstown with her spouse, two children, and three cats. When she’s not painting, she’s usually playing word games or hunting for treasures at the thrift store.
Barbara Wilson
JCC Director of Cultural Arts & Jewish Engagement
Barbara believes that everyone can be an artist and loves to see individual expression through all forms of the arts. While photography is her main medium, she chose to exhibit a variety of fun pieces to show that art doesn't have to be perfect to be shared. Barb loves to spend time with her husband, children, and dog. She also enjoys nature walks, reading, and volunteering in her community.
