Two exhibitions open Sunday at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.
''Bright Lights, Big City'' features the work of New York artist Susan Grossman. Her charcoal and pastel works primarily feature black, white and gray - accented with the occasional primary color - to create drawings that recall classic film noir.
According to her bio, Grossman finds compelling subjects and locations by crisscrossing the city and taking numerous photographs. Once in the studio, she begins to draw and then obsessively shifts her narrative world away from her sources. She re-positions buildings and vehicles while adding and subtracting characters to achieve the final cut.
Grossman graduated from Bennington College and received her MFA from Brooklyn College. She has taught at Wesleyan University, the City College of New York, and the National Academy of Design School and maintains a studio in Manhattan. Her work can be found in numerous private and public collections throughout the United States, including the Mint Museum in North Carolina, the New York Historical Society and numerous one-person exhibitions in New York City and around the United States.
Grossman will attend a meet-the-artist reception for the show from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Butler, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown. ''Bright Lights, Big City'' will remain on display through Nov. 25.
And for those who missed the show over the summer at the Butler Trumbull Branch in Howland, ''Mike McCartney's North Highlands'' moves to the Youngstown museum, where it will be displayed through Dec. 30.
McCartney was commissioned in 2008 to photograph Scotland's North Highlands region, and the exhibition includes 36 images from the distinctive region that has inspired poets and artists for centuries.
The photographer, who lives in Liverpool, England, came to Butler Trumbull Branch for a lecture and opening reception in July.