Six contemporary artists selected from 55 applicants from across the US and 11 foreign countries, five college interns and 35 area teen participants, all thrown into this cauldron we call Dayton for eight weeks, and what do you get? One tasty artistic stew!
Blue Sky Project’s third summer in Dayton will bear fruit on Wednesday, August 3 in the heart of downtown when their final exhibition unveils itself in the long-vacant former CVS location at 8 North Main Street, across from the Old Courthouse. Additional locations include KeyBank Tower and 33 North Main Street, the former Roly Poly Sandwich Shop, both on Courthouse Square. The 2011 resident artists are visual artists Marin Abell, Newport News, VA; Rory Golden, Brooklyn, NY (originally from New Carlisle); Kaz McCue, Interlochen, MI; Susannah Mira, Pueblo, CO; and performance artists Sara Mitchell Sherman, Columbus, OH and Shaw Pong Liu, Boston, MA.
Using Dayton as a palate, the collaborative groups of artists and teens are taking on critical issues of our time, including the importance of water in our city’s history; the impact of racism on today’s society; the repurposing of discarded industrial materials; and self-identity in the age of social media. The net result is a compelling mix of visual art, sculpture, installation, video and live performance.
Blue Sky Project is offered without cost to the youth participants, who come from across the region—city and suburb, public, charter and private school, and as far away as Springfield. Youth are selected based on their interest in exploring their creative spirits, and a desire to contribute at a conceptual level in a collaborative environment. Past work from Blue Sky Project has sold at galleries in New York, Chicago and Houston, as well as been featured in The New Yorker, the New York Times and Art in America.
Times & locations:
PREVIEW PARTY • $20/PERSON
• Wednesday, August 3 • 6:00 – 9:00 PM
EXHIBIT HOURS (Free Admission)
• Thursday, August 4 • 5:00 – 8:00 PM
• (First) Friday, August 5 • 5:00 – 10:00 PM
• Saturday, August 6 • 6:00 – 9:00 PM
EXHIBIT LOCATIONS
• 8 North Main Street – Primary exhibition space
• 10 West Second/KeyBank Tower – Installation by resident artist Marin Abell
• 33 North Main (Courthouse Square) – “Artists Without Borders” retrospective of work
from Blue Sky Project 2008 by African artist Akirash
If you are heading out of town, you can catch the Blue Sky exhibition on First Friday, September 2 and Urban Nights, September 16. For more information and to order preview party tickets, visit www.blueskydayton.org or call 937.732.5123.
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