MANSFIELD, Ohio — Damien Beauford has always loved music and art. He also enjoys the impact those elements have on others.
“What makes me happy is to see people express themselves through art, whether that be music, drawing, painting, whatever,” the 2005 Mansfield Senior graduate said.
His brother, who works at an art gallery in Pittsburgh, inspired him to consider how he could help enhance the art scene in Mansfield.
“He’s my little brother, but I look up to him a lot because a lot of what he’s doing is what I want to do,” Beauford said.
One night, while working the “graveyard shift” in early 2015, Beauford shared about his desire to see the arts flourish in Mansfield with his co-worker Elijah Torrence. That began a conversation that eventually led to the creation of Mansfield Art Development.
MAD is meant to provide a place for people to enjoy art, whether that be by watching or doing, without a heavy fee attached.
As stated on the group’s website, MAD will offer a variety of art workstations for artists to create pieces at their leisure, as well as scheduled events, such as open mic performances featuring music of all genres, spoken word poetry, comedy and more.
In addition, the organization aims to offer an extensive outreach program to those who have a passion for art and community and are between the ages of 18 and 25.
“We will help them to create a road map of what they want to do in life, teach them how to effectively grow and have an impact on the community in which they live, and help in development of education, life skills, goals and aspirations, and of course art,” the website says.
These individuals will then serve as help-mentors for youth between the ages of 12 and 17, who will be mentored in education, life skills, goals, aspirations and art.
Beauford said he’s been seeking out partnerships with other organizations in the community that have a similar vision.
“I want to work with as many people in the community that’s already doing art,” he said.
Nicole Carr and Caitlin Rayburn are both part of the team, he said, with Carr serving as the organization’s assistant director and Rayburn an art instructor.
“Everybody that plays a part in this cares about the community and bringing the community together,” he said. “It’s not a competition-type thing.”
Rather, the organization’s intent is to help bridge the gap and reach those who may not be able to afford to take a class or buy the needed equipment and self teach. One of the goals for this year, Beauford said, is acquiring a space that’s in or around the downtown so that the group can provide the services they wish to offer.
In the meantime, Beauford said they would like to hold programs similar to the one that they organized in December at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative.
“We had a public art project and about 30 people came,” he said.
Attendees created their own illuminated canvases for the holiday season.
Beauford looks forward to helping make a positive impact in the city.
“I love this city and I love what’s going on with the art scene here. I just want to be a part of it and help enhance it.”
