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Beth Holyoke

Top Ten Visual Arts Events in 2017

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It was a vibrant year for the visual arts in Dayton. Choosing only ten exhibitions and events is not an easy feat, and regrettably there were many that didn’t make this list. The ten here inspired me, and in my opinion were remarkable for the many reasons listed below! Enjoy!

Robert Blackstone
Crystal City
Courthouse Square, Downtown Dayton
Ongoing, opened in September 2017

Robert Blackstone’s imagination, memories and stories infuse his monumental Crystal City with a wide range of emotion and wonder. Created in several versions over the past 25 years, Blackstone’s large-scale installation is dense with materials from thrift shops, garage sales, the garbage and off the street. Crystal City is a memorial to family, to Dayton, a testament to love and an ongoing passion for creating something meaningful. Check in at the Collaboratory to learn when Crystal City is open to the public at http://www.daytoncollaboratory.org.

Susan Byrnes
Motion Capture
Dayton Art Institute Experiencenter
December 2017 – April 2018

Inspired by movement, painting and technology, Susan Byrnes’ Motion Capture is a series of photo stills, animations, and clothing with imbedded light technology. Created with students at Dayton’s Cleveland Elementary School and in collaboration with artist Tess Cortes, Motion Capture demonstrates “light drawing,” and the ever-present technological tools that influence our daily lives. Download the Pablo app, put on the light-up jacket and shimmy on the exhibition dance floor to create your own light drawing! More information at http://www.daytonartinstitute.org.

The Secrets We Keep
New Works by Zoe Hawk, Ashley Jonas & Stephanie McGuinness
Dayton Visual Arts Centre
January 13-February 24, 2017

 

The Secrets We Keep featured paintings, prints and installations referencing domesticity and relationships. The intimate worlds created by artists Zoe Hawk (Doha, Qatar), Ashley Jonas and Stephanie McGuinness (Dayton, Ohio) reveal many ideas of the home and of the familiar, but also inner anxieties and the unexpected. Learn more at daytonvisualarts.org.

Michelle Stitzlein
Industrial Nature
Springfield Museum of Art
January 21 – May 28, 2017

Texturally dense, found object tapestries made Michelle Stitzlein’s Industrial Nature a knockout exhibition. Stitzlein’s transformation of garden hoses, wires, hub caps, and other household items were pushed to a grand scale, giving the audience an opportunity to reckon with the environment, waste and nature, all while being drawn into beautiful abstract worlds. Learn more at http://www.springfieldart.net.

Beth Cavener Demonstration
Rosewood Arts Centre
April 27 – 30, 2017

It is not often that a three-day artist demonstration can impact people’s lives, but it happened with ceramic artist Beth Cavener. In conjunction with the Hi Fructose exhibition at the Akron Art Museum, Cavener spent three days at Rosewood explaining her ceramic sculpture process to a captivated audience while creating a 500-pound clay hare. Her tenacity as an artist, innovation with material and generosity in sharing her story was truly inspiring. Learn more at http://www.playkettering.org/rosewood.

Colette Fu
Structure Unbound: Interdisciplinary Book Art
The Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries, Wright State University
January 17 – February 26, 2017

Structure Unbound examined how pop-up books and paper structures can create narratives and stories in three-dimensional space. Colette Fu was the featured artist, whose artwork demonstrated the mastery of documenting ideas, people and moments of rural Chinese traditions in the form of a pop-up book. Her artworks are remarkably constructed, visually compelling, fresh, and transform what could be traditional documentary images into contemporary times. Learn more at liberal-arts.wright.edu/art-galleries.

Reimagining Works
Dayton Metro Library

Terry Welker, “Fractal Rain,” 2017, stainless steel, acrylic prisms.

The Dayton Metro Libraries, through the conceptual direction of local art hero Jane Black, launched Reimagining Works in conjunction with the renovation and rebuild of their dozen-plus facilities. Reimagining Works asked artists to find inspiration in the Dayton Art Institute collection and propose a new piece to add to Dayton’s legacy. This year, the Main Branch in downtown Dayton opened to much celebration and included significant works by Terry Welker, Susan Byrnes, Paula Wilmot Kraus, Katherine Kadish, Andrea Myers and Gretchen Durst Jacobs. Learn more at daytonmetrolibrary.org.

Rosewood Gallery’s Year of Paper
Cynthia Gregory, The Poet’s Desk, March 6 – April 7, 2017
Heather Lea Reid, Intersubjective Indulgence, March 6 – April 7, 2017
Emily Moores, Cathedral, April 17 – May 19, 2017
Nicholaus Arnold, No One Was Having a Very Good Time, July 17 – August 18
Frank Travers, What Remains, July 17 – August 18
Andrew F. Dailey, Drawn Through, October 16 – November 17

Nicholaus Arnold, “No One Was Having a Very Good Time,” 2016, paper bag installation.

Mid-career artists working with paper stood out in Rosewood Gallery’s 2017 solo exhibitions. The material was pushed in different directions by each artist, including Heather Lea Reid’s colorful depictions of her daughter, Emily Moores reimagined architectural space in cut paper, Cynthia Gregory’s re-creation of objects in paper, Andy Dailey’s intimate graphite drawings, Nicholaus Arnold’s ominous environment of paper bags, and Frank Travers anthropomorphic prints. Through these many exhibitions, these artists reinforced the material as a versatile vehicle for art. Learn more at www.playkettering.org/gallery.

James Luckett, The View Behind the Café, and Leah Stahl, Artifacts
Dutoit Gallery
June 2017

Leah Stahl, “Unknown Backseat Specimen 23” from “Artifacts” series

Both James Luckett and Leah Stahl find the invisible in the world they inhabit, and create images that recognize the beauty, oddities and unexpected things most would not even think to notice. Luckett’s The View Behind the Café manages to find still lifes in a strip mall parking lot by his place of employment. Stahl’s children unintentionally helped inform her project Artifacts creating the evidence that Stahl documents of things they touched, lost and discarded in the nooks and crannies of their lives. Learn more at www.dutoitgallery.com.

Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence
Dayton Art Institute
June 24 2017 – September 10 2017

Ntombephi “Induna” Ntobela, “Tribute to My Sister Bongiswa,” 2010. Glass beads sewn onto fabric. Anacostia Community Museum/Smithsonian Institution

The DAI’s summer exhibition was colorful, intricate and awe-inspiring. Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence showcased the labor-intensive artworks created by a group of South African women. The subjects depicted range from AIDS awareness to the natural world to religious icons. An exhibition sure to cause anxiety for the impatient artist! Learn more at daytonartinstitute.org.

BONUS PICKS

Beth Holyoke
The Refugee Series
Yellow Springs Brewery
March 6 – April 2
Affected by the tragedy of the Syrian refugee crisis, artist Beth Holyoke has spent months volunteering in Greek refugee camps and translating the crisis into her artwork. Drawn onto ceramic pieces, Holyoke captures stories, feelings and the effects of transience and displacement. Learn more at yellowspringsbrewery.com.

Breathing Deeply, Pushing Back
Dayton Visual Arts Center
August 25 – September 22
A remarkable exhibition that hinged on so-called controversial artwork created by teenagers, Breathing Deeply, Pushing Back was an investigation of the artist as activist. The exhibition featured students from the Dayton Regional STEM School and guest artists Michael Casselli, Carris Adams, Juan-Si Gonzalez and Christina Springer.

Tyler Peffley
Diction
Blue House Gallery
June 2017
Tyler Peffley exhibition Diction explored moments of technology, place and popular culture in over 70 drawings. Often representing the figure in decades past, Peffley utilizes the intimate and immediate media of watercolors and graphite to capture each scene. Learn more at http://thebluehousearts.com/.

Top Ten for Dayton Visual Arts, 2014

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10418433_10154296147210506_6873008819514318165_nFor the second year in a row, Shayna V. McConville, Cultural Arts Manager for the City of Kettering, has put together and shared with us her look back at the best of 2014.  We hope you enjoy it!

Another year of amazing art exhibitions, artists and events!  Although I couldn’t make it to everything and even putting this list together was challenging because of the many, many terrific activities of 2014, this does offer a glimpse of a great year of creativity in Dayton. Enjoy!

The Motel Beds and We Care Arts
January 18
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We Care Arts, a nonprofit organization supporting artists with disabilities, and The Motel Beds, a Dayton-based rock/indie band, collaborated on an art/record series that would in turn support the WCA mission. WCA clients created 500 unique LP covers for the release of the Motel Beds’ “These are the Days Gone By.” A fundraiser, live performance and exhibition, the record release/art exhibition celebrated the musical and visual community in an accessible, meaningful evening, celebrating so many things that are great in Dayton.

Benjamin Entner and Steven H. Silberg
April 21 – May 16, 2014
Rosewood Gallery

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The artwork of Benjamin Entner and Steven Silberg were refreshing examples of artwork not meant to hang on a gallery wall or sit on a pedestal. Entner’s singular piece Colossus was a larger-than-life, realistic inflatable black marker drawing of the artist, the figure’s feet crushing against one gallery wall and his head another. Floor to ceiling, the sculpture’s unexpected scale was awe-inspiring, as was encountering the subject himself, clad only in socks. Silberg, on the other hand, works primarily with the pixel, transforming vernacular pieces of technology into interactive artworks. When a viewer entered the gallery, a video camera activated and recorded movements throughout the space. These movements were translated into layers of color and form on a projection, thrown onto a large gallery wall. The longer the visitor was active in the space, the more complex the composition became, capturing layers upon layers of imagery. Read more about the exhibitions here.

Migiwa Orimo, Adornments
Dayton Art Institute’s Experiencenter
May 10, 2014 – April 12, 2015

Ordinary household items find transformation into beautiful, fancy objects, in the series Adornment. Migiwa Orimo, an artist known for her work exploring humanity and narrative through thoughtful, carefully constructed installations and paintings, created a subtle and exquisite body of work with these altered, everyday objects. Tassels, gemstones and ribbons adorn gloves, mop head yarn and mirrors; a carefully constructed cape and a banner; all pieces perfectly neutralized in immaculate white and frames.Architecture Week Kettering Art Tour
May 12, 2014

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AIA Dayton celebrated Architecture Week 2014 with many activities, including a night of contemporary art and mid-century modern design. Organized by AIA member and artist Terry Welker, the private mid-century home of painter Susanne Scherette King was opened to participants, with architectural details, period furnishings, and her own contemporary paintings on display. Following King’s home, Studio 4095 at Town & Country Shopping Center, one of the first suburban shopping centers of its kind in the US, highlighted both the revitalization of an older Kettering landmark as well as the artwork of painter Ron Rollins and sculptor Terry Welker. Read more here.

Third on Third
Front Street

Rediscovering a place lost in the busy hum of a city is an exciting moment, particularly when it’s assets and vitality are brought into focus by a fresh, timely resurgence of activity. This is the beauty of the monthly Third on Third events, taking place both in an outdoor market on Third Street and also the Front Street Warehouses. With studios open to the public, the third floor of Front Street is suddenly a lively, creative place, allowing access to established and new artists and gallery spaces. Spearheaded by Peter Bekendorf of the Collaboratory, Third on Third is creating a new momentum for this arts destination.HWD Regional Sculpture Competition
August 25 – September 26, 2014
Rosewood Gallery

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Featuring sculpture by artists from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, this year’s HWD Regional Sculpture Exhibition was an incredible variety of materials, techniques and concepts. Particularly interesting where the sheep rug, bear skin, aviation inspired sculptures and the use of common materials transformed into dense, lovely sculptures. Read more about the exhibition here.

Variations on Likeness: Keliy Anderson-Staley, Glenna Jennings, Julie Jones and Daniel McInnis
September 5 – October 18, 2014
Dayton Visual Arts Center

Daniel J. McInnis, "Geoffrey and Kristen, Chicago," 2012, analog chromogenic print

A curated selection of photographic portraiture including tintypes, installation, and large format pieces, the exhibition was thoughtfully selected and interesting in content, technique and formats. Anderson-Staley’s tintypes were mesmerizing visions into the faces of people from around the country, through the use of an intimate, romantic process; McInnis’ large format portraits captured individuals and couples in their own environments in great detail with clarity and vulnerability. Read more about the exhibition here.

Mary Ellen Croteau and Locked-In
Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery
October and November 2014

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Chicago-based artist Croteau inspired many artists and visitors this fall with her installations created from found plastic objects. Collecting thousands of bottle caps and disposable shopping bags, Croteau has built new worlds out of plastic waste, drawing attention to the excessive materials utilized for each installation. Bottle cap paintings and recreations of a corral reef out of woven plastic bags were exciting and easily translatable to DIY art projects (although perhaps not at the same level of Croteau’s mastery). As Croteau’s exhibition came down, “Locked In” began. Three artists were selected to live in the gallery space with the following rules: 3 Days Locked In to Create an Art Installation, 3 Art Tools Each, 3 Boxes of Unknown Stuff to Work From, 1 Videographer 24/3 Filming It All. It was an unusual premise with incredible negotiations, ideas and processes, resulting in a successfully unique experiment. Read more about Croteau’s exhibition here.

Dick Black Estate Sale
October 24 – 25
Dayton Visual Arts Center

For over five decades, Richard Black churned out illustrations, graphic designs, paintings and drawings as a prolific artist and arts educator. When he passed away early in 2014, he left behind a massive collection of thousands of artworks. A weekend sale purged this collection—walls were filled from floor to ceiling with paintings, tables were layers deep in illustrations and sketches, and portfolios were bulging with graphic design work. The sale was a remarkable event, an uncurated view into the reality of an artist’s lifetime of production. Oddly, we were witness to work that was never meant to find an audience alongside work that put Black on the national art scene. The display of the bad, mediocre and the gems made this artist suddenly vulnerable but also allowed us a deeper understanding of his world.4th Annual Art Off
November 14
K12 and Tejas

An annual fundraising event for the K12 and Tejas scholarship program, Art Off was a lively, participatory event featuring artists of all ages. Painting over the course of a few intense hours, spectators watched and even voted for their favorite artist. Finished pieces were auctioned off, with an elementary school and high school “artist” taking first and second place for their innovative, unexpected and passionate paintings. Proclaiming this as the “Iron Chef” style battle for visual artists, the energy, variety of skills, diversity of participating artists and clear passion for art made this event dynamic and celebratory.Bonus Picks:

Beth Holyoke
Dayton Visual Arts Center
January 17 – February 28

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Whimsical, funny, dramatic and sincere, Holyoke’s ceramic portraits touched upon a multitude of ideas of self, ethnicity, origin and color. A part of the REACH conference, which explores cultural similarities and differences, Holyoke’s work was a testament to the diversity of humanity, beyond her masterful ceramic techniques. Read more here.

Materialized
October 27 – December 7
Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries at Wright State University

Featuring 58 artists incorporating three-dimensional printing into their artwork, this exhibition was a glimpse into the present and future of this tool.Deco Japan
November 15, 2014 – January 25, 2015
Dayton Art Institute

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A traveling exhibition featuring the decorative arts from an era marked by cultural shifts and Western influence, Deco Japan brought another world to life through prints, textiles, ceramics, metals, jewelry, painting and sculpture.