Minerva art scene grows with Art on 30 Gallery opening in historic Victorian home downtown

MINERVA ? The new Art on 30 Gallery just outside downtown Minerva is a work of art in its own right.

Located on West Lincoln Way inside a historic Victorian home, the rich and ornate woodwork and the fenced rooftop balcony overlooking the village harmoniously accent the gallery's paintings, metal sculptures, pottery, digital illustrations, photographs and other works.

Visitors immediately sense a marriage between architecture and art while walking over hardwood floors past the original staircase and a fireplace framed with decorative tiles and carved woodwork.

"I always wanted to have a Victorian house I could restore," said David Jentgen, owner of Art on 30. "I've always been into architecture. It's always been one of my loves, as well as photography."

Opening in mid-August, the gallery and gift shop provide a showroom for Jentgen's striking black-and-white photography, as well as displaying the work of artists in and out of Stark County.

Built in 1897, the site once was home to Mezzaluna's, a popular Italian restaurant along the historic Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30).

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Renovating the home was a significant investment, said Jentgen, who purchased the property in 2020 and lives upstairs. Other past uses of the Victorian gem were a bed and breakfast and nursing home.

"It's been a dream," he said. "I've always wanted to have a Victorian house that required time, effort and work to restore it to its original beauty."

"I'm at peace, really," Jentgen said of opening the gallery. "(Any) profit that I make I hope to put back in the house."

'Photography was my first love.'

Photography has long been the 66-year-old Jentgen's creative outlet.

"Photography was my first love," said Jentgen, a former Akron resident and 1976 graduate of Malvern High School. "It was one way to stop a moment and save it."

Following jobs at Summitville Tiles in the Minerva area and American Steel Foundries in Alliance, as well as driving a dump truck, he turned his passion for photography into a full-time job in corporate communications for American Electric Power.

Losing that position to downsizing, Jentgen then was a freelance corporate photographer before working for a company partly owned by FujiFilm USA.

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Creating that 'wow feel' through black-and-white photography

Jentgen prefers the mood, contrast and visual impact of black-and-white photography.

"For me, it's the challenge," he said. "Color photography really isn't a big challenge to me. Even if the subject isn't great or the angle isn't that good, people are still like, 'Look at the color.'

"It's much different to have a black-and-white image that gives you that wow feel," Jentgen added.

Inspirations include famed late nature photographer Ansel Adams.

"It's not just black and white," Jentgen said. "It's 256 shades of black and white, and you strive for that look, and that's why black-and-white photography has been my thing."

The art of the abandoned and forgotten

Jentgen's work also includes color nature photography ? streams, moss-covered rocks, boulders and trees.

"A lot of it is get in a car and go travel on a lot of back roads" Jentgen said of searching out photo opportunities. "You never know what you're going to get."

Pursuit of the next great picture has taken Jentgen to other states, offbeat locations and historic sites. Broken windows, peeling paint and vine-covered buildings become art.

They include a forgotten Ferris wheel outside of Beckley, West Virginia. Carrying a similar theme is the photo of the remains of the Warner and Swasey Observatory of Case Western Reserve University in East Cleveland.

"I have often wondered why people let buildings become vacant and eventually rot away," Jentgen said. "How quickly nature takes back what was originally hers also surprises me."

One of his black-and-white photos placed second in best of show in 2022 in the Stark County Artist Exhibition, a juried show at the Massillon Museum.

Other subjects have included the abandoned J.W. Cooper School in a state of decay in Pennsylvania, remnants of the Westinghouse Atom Smasher in the Pittsburgh area, and the spiral metal staircase inside Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina.

Artwork from $10 to $1,500

His artwork is sprinkled amid a diverse mix of creators on display at Art on 30 Gallery.

Featured artists include Sally Lytle, Chip Fry, Marti Jones, Emily Orsich, Sue Althen, Liz Eynon and Keri Lee Gortz.

Artwork is eclectic ? handmade dolls, vibrant pop-style art, ornamental clocks made of resin and more.

"The goal really was to have a wide variety and have things that everyone could afford," Jentgen said. "I have things from $10 to $1,500."

Walking through the spacious rooms of the Victorian home enhances the gallery experience, said Lytle, a 69-year-old painter who lives in Paris Township.

"I'm an artist but I'm also a viewer of art," she said. "There's air between the art, and you can view it like seeing it from a distance at first. I like not having it right up in my face, even though there's a lot to look at there.

"It just has a really neat feel," Lytle added.

Also adding a distinctive element is Jentgen's photography.

"I walked in there and thought, these are gorgeous," Lytle said of his images. "I love black-and-white photography. His photos are stunning. They're great. I didn't know he was a photographer until the day I was delivering my art."

Lytle said she hopes Art on 30 helps draw more people from outside the village.

"It's absolutely a real gem," she said of the gallery. "And I see it doing nothing but better as it gets discovered."

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Minerva art scene

Art on 30 joins the existing Market Street Art Spot in the downtown Minerva art scene. The Art Spot is at 113 Market St. N near the Roxy Theatre.

"What a great opportunity to have two Minerva art galleries to give people more of a reason to drive from Canton down here," Jentgen said.

Maureen Ater, CEO of ArtsinStark, says the new gallery expands local art offerings.

"The opening of Art on 30 Gallery in Minerva is a fantastic addition to Stark County's growing and diverse arts community," she said. "This new gallery expands the reach of our vibrant arts scene into other areas of the county.

"It enriches Minerva's local art scene, complements the great work of Market Street Art Spot, and provides more opportunities for artists and art lovers. Art on 30 Gallery adds a unique voice to the artistic landscape and helps to further the arts across all of Stark County."

New art gallery opens in Minerva

What ? Art on 30 Gallery

Where ? 301 W. Lincoln Way, just outside downtown Minerva

Who ? Gallery is owned by David Jentgen

Hours ? Noon to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Appointments are also available by calling 330-522-0105 and via email at [email protected].

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and [email protected]

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Art on 30 gallery opens on Lincoln Highway in downtown Minerva, Ohio