Bill Franz

Dayton At Work and Play: Nate Lansangan of KungFu BBQ

February 24, 2025 By Bill Franz

Four food vendors are now open at The Silos. Each operates out of a 20 foot shipping container located in a corner of the building. In the center you have a bar and lots of seating. I plan to sample food from each vendor, starting with KungFu BBQ.

I asked Nate about the origins of his business.

“In 2020 my father and I cooked 20 meals and served them to friends in the food industry” Nate told me. “They liked our food and posted about it on social media. Their encouragement lead us to cook at a few pop-ups and then to buy a food truck in 2021. The food truck was successful and lead to us being invited to open a spot at Wright Pat and now this location at the Silos.”

What’s your food background?
“My mom grew up in Hawaii and is Japanese and German. Dad’s parents were Filipino and German. Both cooked family recipes that I love. I also learned a lot cooking at a boy’s school in New York. The kids came from 18 different countries and when I’d enlist them to help in the kitchen they’d show me how to cook some of their favorite foods from home.”

My favorite item from your menu is something different – your pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich. How did that come about?

“I knew people would expect a barbecue restaurant to have a pulled pork sandwich, but I wanted to make ours special. We start with great pork, smoked over cherry wood and apple wood to give it a sweet, slightly fruity taste. Then I added cheese and a peach melba sauce. That tasted good, especially when I learned the best way to toast the bread (from Baker Benji in Dayton’s Old North End) but I felt it still needed something. Apple sauce is often served with pork, so I tried apple slices in the sandwich. I also switched to Havarti cheese, because it goes well with fruit. The result is perfect, at least to my taste.”

The sandwich is also perfect to my taste. The only problem is that I may not sample anything else on the KungFu BBQ menu. I may just stick with that sandwich.

KungFu BBQ at The Silos

810 E. First
Dayton, OH 45402

Tuesday – Thursday 4-10 PM
Friday 4 PM – Midnight
Saturday 11 AM – Midnight
Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM

Dayton At Work and Play: Ed Dixon

February 17, 2025 By Bill Franz

I remember showing some of my work at the gallery’s original location near the Arcade. Now it is in a great space near RiverScape.

Ed’s gallery is best known for its annual “We’re Doing it ALL Wrong” exhibition that runs from August 1 to September 28 this year. Artists from across the country submit work that highlights important social issues. I asked Ed where he got the idea for this annual show.

“I started my gallery 7 years ago” he told me. “From the first I wanted to do an exhibition with art work that was thoughtful and thought provoking – maybe even art that spurred people to take action. I didn’t want it to be political. I wanted it focused on issues. During that annual exhibition we sometimes have nonprofit nights, where people can learn more about the local groups that are addressing the issues referenced by the artists in the show.”

There is an interesting mix of art currently in the gallery, with prices ranging from $100 to $8,500. In the first photo above, Ed is standing in front of a beautiful painting by Beavercreek resident Alisa H Workman. She describes her work as lightly abstract floral art.

A group of colorful abstracts currently in the gallery was painted in Cuba by the late Julio Antonio Pino Varens. He had a friend in Dayton who arranged to have the work sent here.

Also traveling a fair distance are the two pieces currently in the corner by California artist Juko. “She grew up in Dayton” Ed told me. “We went to school together. We lost touch when she moved away and only recently reconnected. In California she got a PhD and has had a great career in forest conservation. And she paints amazing abstract works that I’m happy to bring to Dayton.”
“One of the things I like most about having a gallery is choosing what work to show. This spring we’ll be showing work by Dayton’s Susanne Scherette King. I’ll enjoy being surrounded by her work for a month.”

Next time you’re downtown you should stop by Edward A Dixon Gallery and see what art Ed is currently surrounding himself with.

222 North St Clair
Dayton, OH 45402

Hours:
Thurs, Sat & Sun 12pm – 5pm
Friday 3pm – 8pm

Can’t visit during normal hours? Make an appointment!
Click here to make an appointment or
You can also call 937-985-2115 or email [email protected].

Dayton at Work and Play: Miami Valley Meals

February 4, 2025 By Bill Franz

Conversation is with Amanda DeLotelle, Executive Director of Miami Valley Meals , a local nonprofit that started during the pandemic. I asked Amanda to give me a tour and tell me how Miami Valley Meals came about.

“Just before the pandemic hit, I lost my job when Citilites at the Schuster Center closed. Executive Chef and colleague, Matt DeAngulo reached out to see how we could help our neighbors facing food insecurity with an impending pandemic. Matt’s friend, Bill Evans (founder of Evan’s Bakery), connected us to the House of Bread and in short order, we recruited our food service pals to help support.”

“Approximately 40% of food goes to waste in the U.S. At the same time, 1 in 7 people in Montgomery County face food insecurity. We’re trying to help bridge that gap. We focus on what we’re good at – cooking – and collaborate with others who know how to take care of everything else. We get donated surplus food from Gordon Food Service, the Dayton Food Bank, NCR Country Club and many other places. Our team transforms this food into complete meals that are distributed through over 50 different nonprofits. Those nonprofits know how to get the food to the people who need it the most.

“We get a lot of help from volunteers. These volunteers from Premier Health that you’re photographing just plated 700 meals that are being loaded into our freezer. The meals can be reheated in the oven or in a microwave.”

“Our meals typically have a protein, starch, vegetable and dessert. Today’s meal consisted of southwest turkey stuffed peppers with green beans and lemon berry bread pudding. That sauce chef Laura let you taste is for the blackberry teriyaki wings that will be part of our next meal.”

“Anyone who would like to help by donating food, funds or by volunteering, can find out more at miamivalleymeals.org”

As a former businessman, I like the strategy of Miami Valley Meals. I like that you do only what you’re best at and then work with others to do everything else. But how do you do your part? How can anyone make 700 meals each day out of whatever food is donated?

“It is a challenge,” she told me. “Having a talented culinary team with years of varied experience and food backgrounds makes the difference.”

Our executive chefs are Laura Cotton (in the Miami Valley Meals shirt) and Angela Abnett (black hat). Laura was a chef at the Dayton Engineers Club and House of Bread previously, and has a Cajun and Creole cooking background. You can also catch her at the bar she co-owns – The Phone Booth Lounge. Angela was a chef at Citilites for many years. She makes the most wonderful vegetarian and vegan dishes. Taste them and you’d never miss the meat.”

Other chefs on our team bring different skills. Chef Marilyn (striped hat) joined us from the Goodwill Senior Community Service Employment Program and previously ran a kitchen at a large institution so she understands bulk cooking. Plus, she’s an amazing baker. We were thrilled she chose to stay on with us after her program ended.

Chef Julisa spent time studying hospitality and culinary at Ivy Tech in Indiana. Besides MVM, she works part-time at Sueno, an upscale Mexican eatery downtown as well as Blind Dogs, an elevated hot dog cart which you can regularly find in the Oregon District in warmer months.

In total, this is an amazingly experienced and creative team – just what you need to turn donated food into a great dining experience for our neighbors who are facing tough circumstances and could use a little light.

Volunteering at MVM

Join the scoop squad! The culinary team can always use an extra hand in the kitchen. Weekly, monthly, twice-a-year, whatever works for you.

They have volunteer opportunities for individuals or groups!

If you would like to register a GROUP to volunteer, please email taylor@miamivalleymeals.org to get started.

For more information on Miami Valley Meals go to our website: miamivalleymeals.org

Bill Franz’s Buy Local Spotlight: Pink Moon Goods

January 19, 2025 By Bill Franz

This week’s Buy Local conversation is with Kathleen Hotmer of PinkMoonGoods. My wife suggested her. She likes the store’s unique items and likes being on the store’s email list. She said the emails don’t come too often and they are interesting to read.

Kathleen liked hearing this. “People say you need email marketing, but I get so annoyed with the flood of emails I get. I wait until I have something to say and then write a blog post for my website. Then I take part of that blog post and send it out as an email. Finally I make an even shorter version for a social media post. That keeps my workload manageable.”

“The blog increased traffic to our website, which helped us get some online sales. Most of our sales are from the local community, but on a cold day like this when people are bundled up at home it’s nice to be getting some online business.”

I asked how she would describe her store. “We sell home goods that are beautiful, practical and ethically manufactured. In fact this store location itself fits that same description. The owners took a building that had been abandoned for years and made it beautiful. It also works on a practical level and giving new life to a building built in 1900 is as ethical as it gets.”

I asked her to tell me about a few products. “The print in the window is by two sisters. All of their art deals with a love of nature and a rejection of a throw-away mentality. This print shows a poem that the two use as a prayer whenever they eat together.”

“Those are Iris Hantverk brushes on that shelf. Since the firm was first founded they have been handmade by visually impaired craftsmen.”

“The towels you looked at are Imbari towels. I’ve used them for years. They are the softest and most absorbent towels imaginable. When I opened this shop they made me their only distributor outside of Japan. The towels are a popular gift item. Then people often come back and buy one for themselves.”

Kathleen has many more products.

You should drop by and see if she has an interesting story to go with each one.

PinkMoonGoods

Historic Huffman Neighborhood
2027 East Fifth Street
Dayton, Ohio 45403

937-999-4231

Shop Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 11am – 6pm
Saturday 12 – 5pm

Bill Franz’s Buy Local Spotlight: Noah Faler

January 13, 2025 By Bill Franz

Today’s Buy Local Monday conversation is with Noah Faler at Yellow Springs Pottery

Yellow Springs is a great place to buy local. It’s filled with locally owned restaurants, locally owned shops and art by local artists. Whenever I’m in Yellow Springs I like to stop by Yellow Springs Pottery, a cooperative retail store run by nine excellent ceramic artists. Recently I talked with the most recent artist to join this co-op, Noah Faler.

“I was a visiting artist here last summer” he told me. “Then they invited me to join the group. Yellow Springs Pottery has been around for 51 years, and has always had wonderful pottery for sale. I remember walking through the store when I was a high school student, marveling at the work. Now I’m selling my own work here; its my dream.”

“This shop is a great place for people who would like to start collecting work by local artists, because the nine ceramic artists here have such different styles. There’s something here to appeal to everyone. And there’s a wide range of price points.”

“My own work is always evolving. I like to push forms and patterns. Sometimes I try a new pattern or a new shape and explore it, one piece then inspires another concept.”

I asked about three pieces that had a geometric design that included orange – not a typical pottery color. Noah picked one of them up and showed me how the pattern was interesting, but very different, when viewed from the side or from the top or from the bottom. I asked Noah how he learned to be a potter.

“I started making pottery on the wheel when I was a student at Xenia High School. I loved it and took all the ceramics courses they had. Then I took a break from pottery for a while but found that I really missed it. I found myself back on the wheel and I’ve had my hands in clay ever since.”

“Three years ago I quit my job and committed myself to pottery full time. I make my work in my home studio in Spring Valley, about 20 minutes drive from here. I also teach pottery fundamentals at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton. I love inspiring others to take the wheel.”

Yellow Springs Pottery

Kings Yard
222 Xenia Avenue
Yellow Springs, OH 45387

Hours
Sun – Fri 12:00 – 5:30
Saturday 11:00 – 5:30

Dayton at Work & Play: All The Best Delicatessen

January 6, 2025 By Bill Franz

Carin Solganik

This week’s Buy Local Monday conversation is with Carin Solganik of All The Best Delicatessen.

When my wife and I moved to Dayton from Cleveland we found many things here that we loved, but we missed our regular visits to Corky and Lenny’s delicatessen. When I learned that Corky and Lenny’s was one of the inspirations for this Dayton restaurant I knew I had to try it.

Owner Lee Schear says he’s always wanted to bring an authentic New York deli to Dayton. He recruited Carin to set it up after she retired from Heinen’s Grocery store in Cleveland. “Before starting this restaurant I went to New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and elsewhere” she said “and I learned something at every stop about how to run a deli and how to source the best ingredients. I got lots of recipes from the delis I visited and had Lee taste them all. We ended up using all the best, which is where the restaurant’s name comes from.”

I tried their Ruben, and loved it. This will be definitely be one of my regular lunch stops. I’m looking forward to trying their cheesecake and comparing it to the cheesecake I loved at Corky and Lenny’s. Carin said she went through a lot of versions before choosing a cheesecake recipe. It’s made to their specifications by Sweet Butter Bakery in Cincinnati. They also carry baked goods from Cleveland’s Davis Bakery.

I tasted two of their soups and thought they were great. Carin told me they make their soups using stock they make themselves. They also make their own deli salads and even their own mustard. Carin says they’re doing everything they can to bring the best possible New York style deli food to Dayton.

All The Best Delicatessen

5940 Far Hills Ave
Dayton, OH, 45429

937-999-4204

Open 7 Days a week

7:00am to 8:00pm

Dayton at Work and Play: Kate Huser Santucci

December 30, 2024 By Bill Franz

For the last month Monday has been Buy Local day, where I’ve posted a brief conversation with someone selling goods or services in the Miami Valley.

This week my Buy Local conversation is with Kate Huser Santucci who is about to have her first exhibition of 2025. Kate uses as many as 30 layers of encaustic material on her pieces. That gives her work a sense of depth that draws viewers into the artwork.

Kate tells me she took up encaustic work just over 10 years ago. She was drawn to the ethereal feel of some encaustic work and the versatility of the medium. “You can be sculptural or really painterly, you can scratch parts off or draw lines on and do all kinds of other things” she told me.

“This exhibition is called Water Rising. I first started working on these pieces thinking about water and climate change but as time passed I realized these pieces meant other things to me on a personal level. They refer to trying to keep your head above water, trying to keep afloat. They’re about adapting to the added stressors of this time.”

“The show will be in the Dutoit Gallery (Front Street Warehouse, 1001 E 2nd St, Building 100, Door BC, Floor 3) all January. The opening is on First Friday, January 3 from 5 to 9 and after that the gallery is open every Saturday 12 to 4.”

Meet Amy Beaver, owner of Butter Cafe

December 23, 2024 By Bill Franz

Both of our daughters are here this Christmas. Whenever they are in town they take their mother out to Butter Cafe (1106 Brown Street) for breakfast or lunch. They like the gluten-free selections, which one of them needs, and they like the ambience. I mentioned that to the restaurant’s owner, Amy Beaver.

“I’m glad to hear that your daughters like the atmosphere here. We’re close to the University of Dayton, and this was once student housing. Even though we can seat 72 patrons the place has a homey feel because it’s divided into smaller spaces that used to be bedrooms or living rooms. We’ve also tried to add some things that add to the warm feeling – like the murals Tiffany Clark painted outside our windows.”

“We offer a broad selection of breakfast and lunch items including some gluten-free and vegan options. Whenever I come across an interesting new recipe I look for a way to tweak it to make it my own. I also think about whether I can do something similar that is vegan or gluten free.”
I asked how she came to open Butter Cafe.”When I was growing up Dad worked in resorts around Hilton Head. Now he and my mother have a restaurant in Michigan, so I’ve been around the food business my whole life. We have a large family and we all had to pitch in and help. Since I was 7 I’ve gotten a charge out of making people happy by giving them food I cooked. I still feel that way, which is why I run a restaurant.”
“A partner and I opened this place 15 years ago. The business has done well but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. I had to get through the sudden unexpected death of my partner, and then the Covid pandemic. I’m so glad my sister Amber moved here in 2020. She’s been a great addition to the restaurant. She does a lot of our baking, a job that my late partner did.”

Amy on the right and her sister Amber on the left.

Butter Cafe

1106 Brown St,
Dayton OH 45409

Hours
Monday–Friday
8am–2pm Saturday – Sunday
8am–3pm

From The Painting Studio To Her Own Gift Shop

December 16, 2024 By Bill Franz

I met Shelly Massey at the studio she once had at Front Street and learned that before moving to Dayton she had taught at large art retreats all over the country.

When I heard she’d opened her own store – Luck Gallery and Gifts . I was curious what type of store an artist would have. I decided to stop by.

“After leaving my Front Street studio I had wanted to open a store for some time, but couldn’t find the right space” Shelly told me. “Then in September I visited my friend Holly at her store “Suburban Hippy.” She told me that the building next door to her was about to become vacant. I contacted the landlord right away, signed the lease in October and opened this store November 1.”

“Creating this new store has been as creative in its own way as painting. I’ve made a space here that I love to spend time in and I’ve filled it with a lot of gift items that make me happy. The reaction from customers has been great to hear. One woman told me “I’ve just been smiling the whole time I’m in your store.”

Luck Gallery and Gifts is filled with an interesting mix of things -puzzles, scarves, mugs, candles, coloring books, cards, bags, etc. I asked about the art on the walls.

“That’s all my art” Shelly said. “I hope to have more of my art up and for sale as soon as I get a handle on things. So the store will have a different look the next time you stop in. In fact, I want that to always be the case. I want to fill the store with a constantly changing mix of things that I love.”

Luck Gallery and Gifts

337 South Main
Springboro, OH 45066

Tues – Sat, 10am – 5pm

Up Close with Shola Odumade

December 9, 2024 By Bill Franz

Conversation with Shola Odumade, managing partner & COO of Black Palette Art Gallery (1139 W. Third; 937-723-9108), which she co-owns with her spouse, renowned fine artist James Pate. I asked Shola how she came to be in Dayton.

“I was in an excellent dance program in high school in Detroit and loved it, but I also had many other interests and skills. I went to college and got bachelors and masters degrees in business administration, coupled with Spanish language studies, and later followed by certifications in real estate, birth work, and yoga. But I never lost my love for dance and kept bouncing in and out of it. After undergrad, for example, I spent a summer training and dancing in New York but returned to working in various non-dance positions.”

“18 years ago I decided to give a career in dance another try. I came to Dayton to be part of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s second company. I only danced with them for one season, but I’ve stayed connected and last year I left my job at Sinclair Community College to work in development and marketing at DCDC. I currently serve as grants administrator.”

“One life-changing outcome from my move to Dayton was meeting James. We’ve been together now for 17 years, and we’re excited about running this gallery as a family enterprise with our children and its legacy and impact. James leads the artistic and facilities aspects, and I manage the business side. We love that we’re so near our beloved elder Bing Davis’s EbonNia Gallery (1135 W. Third, 937-223-2290), as he’s been an invaluable mentor to James throughout his life and career.”

Shola next to a piece by her life partner, James Pate.

“This is a great time for people to visit Black Palette Art Gallery because we’re currently participating in a new joint art exhibit commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech in Dayton in 1964, just two weeks before he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Led and curated by Baba Bing Davis, the project is a collaboration between Black Palette Art Gallery, EbonNia Gallery, and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. The exhibition includes 29 works from 13 African American artists displayed at both galleries.”

“Black Palette and EbonNia will both be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11a – 5p until the show ends on February 2. The only days we’ll be closed during that period are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Years Eve and New Years Day. We’re having a reception on Friday, December 13 from 5 – 7p, and we invite everyone to come see this important work and meet the talented artists who created it.”

MIKEE HUBER – INTUITIVE ABSTRACT PAINTER

October 28, 2024 By Bill Franz

“There was an actual door in the woods behind my studio in Maine. It was unattached to anything, just standing by itself in the woods. For days I walked past it and then I took the time to walk through. For some reason, walking through that door caused me to look at my surroundings differently and then to paint in a different way.” The title of this piece is

red door in the woods,

I step through, leaving behind

old plan–art unfolds.

Here’s one more

ocean’s vibrant dance–

clouds paint ripples on the sea,

nature’s vivid song.

I visited Mikee’s studio once when she was on Crane Street. I asked where her studio was today.

“Like a lot of artists, during Covid I created a studio in my home. It’s not as much space as I’d like, but we’re working on a plan to build a major addition. The new space would give me my dream studio. When it’s finished, which may be a few years off, you and your camera are invited.”

Mark Echtner – Artist and Educator

August 12, 2024 By Bill Franz

I visited Mark at his home in Dayton’s South Park neighborhood. There was no answer when I knocked on his front door so I went around behind. I walked towards a small frame building at the back of the lot that I thought that might be Mark’s studio.

People tell me that should be my studio” said a voice behind me. “It’s an old carriage house, built in 1895. But the light is better inside the house. I didn’t hear you knock, but since you’re out back you can see my other artistic pursuit – this flower garden. When I bought this house in 2001 this backyard was just grass. I’ve planted all of this.”

We went into the house and into a small room off the dining room, with an easel on one side and a walls filled with art. “Much of this art will be in a show at Sinclair Community College, Building 13 (corner of 5th and Perry) in the 4th floor gallery. There’s free parking in lot K behind the building. The show runs from August 12 to September 13 and the gallery is open 8-6 Monday through Friday and 9-12 Saturday.”

Mark’s recent paintings, the ones that will be in his show, are different from the ones I’ve seen several years ago. I asked him about that. “I had a desire to include more abstract images along with realistic components, much like this de Kooning image I have framed on my shelf. This piece is a good example, with the primarily realistic images of the two men and the primarily abstract elements in the lower right.

“The colors of this series are also a change for me. I used to work in more earth tones but in this series I’m using a lot of cooler, more synthetic tones, more blue and especially magentas. And I use a lot of blacks to try to anchor things so the painting doesn’t get too busy. As I work on these pieces it’s less about tightening up my portrayal of something and more about the colors – do I need more blue, not does that eye look right.”

I asked Mark is he’d always been an artist I’ve always been an artist. “It was sort of a given since infancy. My parents met in college. My mother was a painter and my Dad was a metalsmith. My grandmother was an art teacher and her father was an architect. Both my sisters went into art as well. I got my MFA in Miami, which brought me to Ohio from my home in Wisconsin. Then I landed at Sinclair Community College where I’m a Professor in the Fine Arts Department.”

“I rework my paintings a lot. In one piece a woman was shopping at a corn stand carrying a bag. Now it’s a man shopping at the stand and carrying a baby. This piece I’m painting now probably has about 5 more hours of work before it’s done. I’ve already changed the position of the lady’s hand. I think I’ll darken the right side, to give the illusion of looking through a screen door. I’ll also pull the shadows a bit. And I need to decide if the man’s pants need a pocket. Now it sort of looks like he’s wearing tights.”

“I’ve created a lot of work for this show at Sinclair, and I’m looking forward to seeing it all up. You’ve seen a lot of it, Bill as you walk around the house. But some of it’s hanging beside older pieces and some is stacked two or three deep. It’ll be fun seeing it as a body of work all hanging together.”

Artist of the Week: Shawna Hatton

May 6, 2024 By Bill Franz

ARTIST OF THE WEEK Shawna Hatton of Chasing Light Art Studio and Gallery with her painting titled “The Poet.” I photographed Shawna at The Betty, a gallery at Front Street, where she’s had an exhibition since the beginning of March.

“I put a group of my larger works in this exhibition” she told me. “They’re from several time periods. This one was done quite a while ago. The pose is from one of my favorite paintings, “The Old Guitarist” by Picasso. The poem in the painting is something I came across that seems like it was written for all artists, not just poets – especially these lines:

The poet must look at the world,

Must enter into other men’s lives,

Must look at the earth and the sky,

Must examine the dust in the street,

I asked Shawna how she’d ended up in Dayton. “We travelled quite a bit as I was growing up. Then we moved here and I graduated from Centerville High School. Since then I’ve travelled a bit. I got an art degree at St Mary’s in Indiana and studied for a year in Rome. Then I was a graphic designer in Chicago, California, Denver, then back to California where I started teaching. I moved back here eight years ago and I love it.

The first job I got when I moved here was teaching at the Dayton Art Institute. I taught portraiture, the same class I’d taken there as a high school student. It felt like my life had come full circle.”

I also visited Shawna’s Gallery – https://www.chasinglightartstudio.com/ – at 1410 South Main Street, Studio C, Springboro, Ohio 45066. The studio is on the second floor, so you climb a flight of stairs to get to it.

At the top of the stairs you enter one of two small rooms where you can buy works by more than 15 area artists. Then you enter the large room where Shawna paints and where she gives classes.

“When I first moved to Springboro I took yoga classes here” Shawna told me. “As the morning sun streamed through these windows I always thought it would be a great place to paint. Now I can.””

“Opening this business four years ago has been like a dream come true. Now I can make art and teach in my own space. I first taught art to kids when I lived in California and I was surprised how much I loved it. I’m not sure I could tell you which of those activities – making art and teaching art – I like the best. I usually teach adults one-on-one, and I have regular group classes for kids.”

“For more visits to the studios of local artists go to https://billfranz17.com/ ”

Dayton at Work and Play: Glass Blower Dustin Wagner

May 3, 2024 By Bill Franz

Dustin Wagner of Nyminal Glass in his new studio at 1900 East 2nd Street

This is the best glass blowing studio I’ve ever seen. Dustin has 4 separate glass ovens and lots of production space. In the upper deck, where Dustin is standing in this photo, there is a glass shop and bleachers where you can sit and watch glass blowing demonstrations down below.

Dustin tells me his brother studied glass blowing in college, and taught him the basics 20 years ago. He’s been blowing glass ever since. In his younger days Dustin worked as an assistant to several experienced glass artists. He also did glass blowing exhibitions at Cedar Point, and he taught children to blow glass at several summer camps. More recently he’s been renting time at various glass studios and making product to sell on the art fair circuit. Now, 20 years after he first started glass blowing, he finally has a studio of his own.

When Dustin bought this building in 2021 it needed a lot of work. Before starting on his own studio Dustin put the rest of the building into shape so he could rent it out.

Then he built the space he’s always dreamed of, with room to create, teach, and showcase his own art.

His Grand Opening is today and tomorrow 12-8pm. You should stop in – to check out Dustin’s glass blowing lessons. or to buy some glass art, or just to support a local small business owner doing something cool.

Dayton at Work and Play: Lady Linda Crawford

April 1, 2024 By Bill Franz

Lady Linda Crawford of Secret Beauty Hats: Fine Millinery

“I’ve been selling hats my whole life” she told me. “At first I sold hats from all the national suppliers. But when I saw the styles they offered , and looked closely at the way they were constructed, I decided I could make better hats myself.”

” When I reached retirement age I closed my hat shop and took it easy. But I got bored at home and

“Lately I’ve been letting nonprofits use my shop for fundraisers. They sell tickets to a VIP Boutique Girl Time event at my shop. The nonprofit supplies the food and I make sure everyone has fun trying different hats and outfits.”

As we talked, Linda was unpacking a box filled with head manikins. “I’ll be taking these to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. I arrive the First of May and stay until the race on May 4. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been selling my hats there for the last 22 years.

View her catalog of hats here.

Secret Beauty Hats: Fine Millinery

Talbot Tower
131 N. Ludlow St, Set 27.
Dayton, OH 45402

312-857-4287

Wednesday 11-3
Thursday and Friday 11-4

Artist of the week: Elisha Frontz

March 18, 2024 By Bill Franz

Elisha makes mixed-media art at Front Street, in her studio on the first floor of the 100 Building that she shares with Kate Santucci. The first time I met Elisha she wasn’t making visual art. She was singing with the Blue Heron Trio. The group has been on hiatus since 2022 but you can still hear Elisha sing online.

I asked about her shift from making music to making her multi-media art.

“I’ve always been interested in both visual art and music,” Elisha told me. “My mother tells me that even as a toddler I would pound on the piano and then run to a piece of paper where I was making a drawing. In high school and college I loved my art classes but also found time to sing in different bands. When I finished art school, where I majored in sculpture, I started singing with the Blue Heron Trio.”

“When the pandemic hit there were no live music bookings to be had, so I started making visual art again. Then in 2022 one of the members of our trio died. After 12 years of working so closely together the three of us were like family. I haven’t sung since his memorial service. I’ll probably sing again someday, but right now I spend my time making mixed media visual art.”

“I currently have a show now at Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe in Yellow Springs, and our studio is open on First Friday and Third Sunday art events.”

I asked Elisha to tell me more about the visual art she’s making.

“In art school I loved making sculptures,” she told me “but sculptures can be hard for people to incorporate into their living space. I decided to make work that has a sculptural feel but that hangs on the wall. “

“I start by making a wooden panel. Then I create a watercolor painting that is exactly the size and shape of the panel on thick watercolor paper. Then I typically add other materials. In recent work I’ve been adding sewing patterns. Finally I do the sewing. I love the texture that hand stitching with metallic thread adds to a piece, even though the process seems to take a very long time.”

Maybe it’s because I’m listening to Elisha sing as I write these words, but I see the influence of music in Elisha’s visual art. There’s a rhythm and a flow like the cadence of a song. Take a look at more of her work and see if you agree, either at https://billfranz17.com/ or https://www.elishafrontzart.com/ or in her studio at the next First Friday or Third Sunday event.

More on Elisha’s visual art tomorrow. More photos at https://billfranz17.com/