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Front Street

Dayton at Work and Play: Matthew R. Burgy Artworks

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Conversation with Matthew Burgy of Matthew R. Burgy Artworks (Front Street, Building 100, BC door, 3rd floor). Are you a full time artist now, Matthew?
“Well I was a part-time artist until recently. I was working full time at the Dayton Art Institute as a museum educator until they were forced to make some staff cuts. I am still teaching in some workshops at the Dayton Society of Artists but I’m primarily a working artist now.”
Are you selling here at Front Street? “I am. I’m working in this space and selling here too. I’m open for First Friday of course, but also every Saturday 11-4.”
Your booth has a lot of different types of art. “Yes, I do drawing, painting, print making, mixed media in addition to my kinetic work. It may seem to cover a broad range but I feel like it’s all related to nature.”
When I’m at Front Street I often stop by to look at your kinetic sculptures. How long have you been doing making mobiles?
“It goes back to my student days at Wright State. I was doing print making and I made a mistake and ruined a big sheet of aluminum. Rather than throw it away I cut it into parts and tried to make a mobile. A friend explained some of the physics of it, which helped, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I used to graph everything out, but now I have just a general idea and then see what happens. In fact rather than referring back to some drawing I’ve made I often just watch nature and see how things are balanced there.”
“In addition to mobiles that hang I’ve been making staybiles. They sit on a stationary pedestal and they have some moving parts . As I make them I’m trying to get motion without having the components hit the base. That gets a little tricky. Those with the red bead are part of a series – a seed series – based on the shape of helicopter seeds.”
As he talked with me Matthew was bending a piece of wire. Before I left he had made one of his face figures. “I need to get a name for these guys, because people seem to like them and I love making them.”
Matthew R. Burgy Artworks
Front Street, Building 100,
BC door, 3rd floor  Studio #3345
Dayton, OH, 45402

ARTeBRATION at Front Street

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ARTeBRATION is going to be our biggest event yet!
FRIDAY MAY 2ND 5PM – 9PM
* Brick City Mural Festival – live mural painting by local and visiting artists from Ohio, Kentucky, California and more!
* Food Trucks – Food trucks & Kool Beanz Cafe in the courtyard
* Open house Art Studios & Galleries – explore 3 buildings!
* Live Music throughout campus
* Scavenger Hunt – a chance to win a $150 Front St gift card!
SATURDAY MAY 3RD 11AM _4PM
LIVE ART DEMONSTRATIONS
* Brick City Mural Festival – day 2
* Raku Firing with Mudman
* Glass blowing
* Nearly 100 art studios and galleries OPEN across the complex!
BRUNCH! Dayton Food Truck Rally
* Claybourne Grill
* MamaBear’s Mac
* El Diablo Grill
* Order Up Food Truck
* Suga and Slices
* Cece’s Kitchen
* FirstBite Catering LLP
* Queen’s Table
* Cate’s Steakhouse
* More Than A Apron
* El Beuno Taco
* Monster Baby Donuts
* Spin City Cotton Candy
* Life’s Lemons
***Please note: Food truck lineup is subject to change
BEER GARDEN
Fifth Street BrewPub
LIVE MUSIC – Levitt Pavilion, Dayton Music tent features live music Sat 12-4PM, The Back Dock – live DJ’s
OUTDOOR MARKET
local art, handmade goodies, antiques, vintageware, and more!
FREE FAMILY ACTIVITIES
* Boonshoft Museum of Discovery invites kiddos to become an archaeologist!! Dig up ancient ceramics, piece them together, and discover clues about the past!
* FREE Spin Art T-shirts
* Kids Korner
* Free Arts & Crafts at select studios & booths
* Scavenger Hunt! – your chance to win a $150 Front Street Gift Card!

Dayton at Work and Play: Richard Lundin

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Conversation with Richard Lundin at Front Street (1001 East 2nd).
I know you came here from Chicago about 10 years ago. What brought you?
“One of the owners was getting ready to retire and I said I’d take a look at the place and give them my thoughts. I thought it would take me a few months, but 10 years later I’m still here. I became a part owner in 2020.”
“The three buildings here were built in the late 1800’s. There was a paper mill here once, with equipment powered by a canal that ran right by the place. Then it was the home of an envelope company. When they moved in 1965 the current ownership group bought the buildings and started renting space to entrepreneurs of all kinds.”
“There were a few artists who rented space back in 1965 – artists are always looking for inexpensive studio space – but it was mostly businesses. Over time the number of artists has grown. Now about 150 artists rent about 75% of the space. I think they see a benefit to being part of the community of artists here
I’ve always loved photographing here because I love taking pictures of people at work. At Front Street I’ve photographed boat builders, jewelry makers, glass blowers, painters, and many other kinds of workers. “I enjoy that too. I love to see people who are really good at the thing they do, and we have a lot of really talented people here.”

I’ve never seen a landlord get so involved in the success of his tenants. “We do what we can to support the artists here. We run a monthly party where everyone opens their studios and lots of people come. It’s the first Friday of the month and the following Saturday. And lots of people visit at other times, too. Our doors are open from 7am to 7pm and if you walk around the buildings during those hours you’ll always find some studios open and some artists who are happy to talk to you.”
“We’re doing something special here May 2 and May 3. It’s called ARTebration. We’ll have street artists from all over the country painting new murals on the walls at Front Street; plus there’s music and food and all of our art studios will be open.”

Third Sunday Art Hop at Art Encounters

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Join us for an afternoon filled with art at Art Encounters Art Hop! Show your support for local artists by browsing and shopping art and artisanal goods created by 16 local talented artists! Original artwork, prints, pottery, woodworking, small original gifts and cards, and much, much more!!!

Free to attend, free parking, family and leashed pet friendly!

Art Encounters is located at Front Street, 1001 E 2nd St, Building 100, Door B/C, Third Floor, Last Gallery on the right.

Front Street Art Hop

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We are so excited to announce that we have a NEW ART HOP SCHEDULE!! Join us every First Friday & the Saturday after for our monthly art hops. 

FRIDAY, February 7, 2025 5PM – 9PM Explore art studios, shops, and galleries across campus!  Live demonstrations, gallery openings, and new work on display by more than 150 artists!  Meet our artists, learn about their work, or sign up to take a class!  Don’t just see art, live it!  Kool Beanz Cafe is open! Order at the tent and step inside to warm up while your made-to-order treat is prepared!

SATURDAY, February 8, 2025, 11AM – 4PM Saturday after is the NEW THIRD SUNDAY and your chance to visit what you couldn’t fit in on Friday! Of course, Kool Beanz Cafe will have things fired up and ready to make your lunch fresh.

The ARTery Gallery Artist of the Month: David Zawisa

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The ARTery Gallery at Front Street invites you to come see our New ”RUSTIC” Members Exhibition on display through October, a collection of rural, country scenes, objects, activities, people and landscapes. We would like to introduce our Gallery’s Highlighted Artist of the Month, David Zawisa, an exceptional painter and sculptor as well as our Visiting Artist for October, Leah Mendenhall, also a very talented local painter.

David Zawisa’s earliest recollection of creating art was at the age of 2 while drawing murals on his parents walls.  The artist said  “Without a care in the world, using crayon as my medium of choice, I learned then that art can evoke strong emotions, and that art is not permanent. So, I’ve been on a life-long quest to make my art timeless. I now work with oil-based paint, metal and wood as these materials seem to have lasting qualities. I may still use crayon, but I will never again admit to it.”

In his teens the artist painted murals on vans with an airbrush while working for Juan Parker in Columbus Ohio who was a very nationally known airbrush artist. Zawisa says his genre is eclectic because he is not bound to one type of work or a set style.  The artist paints and creates whatever comes to mind that sparks his interest or imagination, so the sky is the limit! 

He is both a unique and talented Painter as well as Sculptor at the ARTery Gallery at Front Street in Downtown Dayton, OH.  Zawisa has studied and taken a variety of painting classes at the Cranbrook Art Center in Michigan, Middletown Art Center in Middletown, OH, and at the Rosewood Art Center in Kettering, OH. He enjoys creating 2-D paintings in oils on canvas but has been known to paint on a variety of materials including copper to create a unique relief with his paint colors replicating the look of patina.

David Zawisa’s “Perceptual Motion”

Zawisa gained sculpture experience through the creative process itself, figuring things out as he went along, visualizing ideas and then discovering logistical ways to bring his projects into reality whether it be a 2-D or 3-D piece. He is a creative, natural innovator and problem solver in life, so sculpting seemed a natural outlet for his special gifts, abilities, and insatiable imagination.  Years ago, Zawisa was commissioned to draw some military aircraft by John Navitsky who was the US government military liaison, and he suggested Zawisa re-create a small re-sculpture of the well-known Vietnam Memorial statue of the three soldiers facing the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.  The original artist approved it, as well as the US government, so David created his very first sculpture and the artist gained a lot of confidence in his sculptural abilities.

The fascinating piece of art pictured with this article by David Zawisa is entitled “Perceptual Motion”.  It is an 11” x 15” framed Pen & Ink original drawing.  The perpetual motion effect is more perceptible when seen in person, and it is currently hanging at The ARTery Gallery at Front Street.   While you are there be sure to look for a moving metal sculpture he named “Sputnik” after the Russia satellite which has been sold, but is still currently hanging in the ARTery.   Zawisa is currently working on Sputnik II which will not only include movement, but it will also include lights on the end of each of the metal antennas.   

Come Meet Zawisa in person, our ARTery Artist of the month for October as well as our Guest Artist, Leah Mendenhall,  and check out their current work on 3rd Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

The ARTery Gallery at Front Street currently has 16 member artists and artisans, and hosts a variety of work from Jewelry and Ceramics to Textile art, Printmaking, Sculpture, Painting, Photography, and Digital Art.  The ARTery Gallery is located in the Front Street Bldg, Door B-C, 3rd Floor, and OPEN EVERY 1st Friday from 5-9pm,  and also 3rd Sunday from 11am-4pm. Come join in the fun, rich in art, entertainment, and community.  There will be lots of art studios open including the ARTery Gallery, Individual and Group exhibitions, live music, Outdoor vendors and food available via local food trucks in the parking lot. 

*Current ARTery Artists include: Alison Bour, Amy O’Hearn, Ashley Simons, Rosalie Campbell, Bob Farley, Carol Farley, Jim Hayes, Kelly Ingerson, Bonnie Kuntz, Sarah Maxwell, Melanie Morrett, Ryan Taylor, Jo Anne Vincent, Leonard Williams, and David Zawisa.

Rustic” ARTery Members Exhibition Opens Friday

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The ARTery Gallery at Front Street invites you to come see our New ”RUSTIC” Members Exhibition on display starting this First Friday through October.  Meet the Gallery’s NEW Visiting Artist for September, Leah Mendenhall, a very talented local acrylic and oil painter.

 

The Gallery’s Highlighted artist this Month is Sarah Maxwell. Maxwell is a perfectionist when it comes to her art as she is meticulous in her various techniques and in her attention to detail.  The artist shared she is also an introvert, so it is difficult for her to meet new people and make friends, but she is anxious to share her work and passions with the world, and also to empower and encourage others through it. 

Maxwell is passionate about saving endangered animals and features them in many of her artworks in order to call attention to our responsibility to protect and try to ensure their survival.  This artist also features animals in her current series of paintings to help enlighten and educate the public regarding a disorder that is close to her heart, Dyslexia.   Sarah didn’t know what it was until high school when she herself was diagnosed with it.  This series means a lot to her because through her work, she shares various challenges people with dyslexia may struggle with, and shares strengths that might have been overlooked. Maxwell said, “For example, Did you know that people with dyslexia have a heightened sense of hearing, and they have very strong skills for 3D thinking?”

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This 24”x 30” acrylic painting is entitled “Dyslexia: Speech”,  The giraffes represent how dyslexia can make it difficult to say things properly.  You may stutter, or not know what to say and find yourself tongue tied so to speak.  The giraffes are trying to be silly and have fun with it so they feel less anxious, but sometimes in real life, it can be quite annoying and embarrassing. The struggle is real.  Although Dyslexia has a host of challenges, Sarah also hopes her dyslexia paintings will not only bring awareness and understanding of the condition, but also to encourage and offer hope to those who struggle with the disorder that may also have heightened gifts and abilities in other areas.

Maxwell earned a BFA from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) in 2016, and re-located to Dayton after graduation.  Her work has been featured in several juried shows including the Evendale Fine Art Exhibit (Cincinnati) for the past 4 years, the Rosewood Art Center (Kettering), and the Studio Door (San Diego) where she won Best in Show for her “Tower” drawing.  She was also Runner Up for her design on the Fat Head Brewery Headhunter Commemorative Glass competition in 2018.   Come meet Sarah Maxwell and see her fantastic work in September at the ARTery Gallery at Front Street in September.

The ARTery Gallery at Front Street currently has 16 member artists and artisans, and hosts a variety of work from Jewelry and Ceramics to Textile art, Printmaking, Sculpture, Painting, Photography, and Digital Art.  The ARTery Gallery is located in the Front Street Bldg, Door B-C, 3rd Floor, and OPEN 1st Friday from 5-9pm,  and also 3rd Sunday from 11am-4pm.

Dayton Steel Exhibit Debuts

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The work of Mike Elsass, one of Dayton’s most prominent and prolific artists, will debut this Friday at a first-of-its-kind art opening this Friday at the Dana L. Wiley Gallery, at 1001 East Second Street (B/C Entrance-Second Floor) in Dayton.

Experience Mike Elsass’ work in ways it has never been seen before in the special curation “Dayton Steel” debuting Friday, August 13 through October 17, 2021.

The exhibit will open to the public with a special event from 7-9 p.m. this Friday, during which new pieces will debut and be displayed in interesting and exciting ways that have never been seen before, putting new twists on the “brush before brain” philosophy that earned Elsass his reputation. The event is open to the public and will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres from acclaimed Chef Joseph Fish.

Elsass paints–and lives–by the philosophy that there are no mistakes, pushing people to embrace action before thought, and inspiring them to open their minds and engage with the unexpected. People get stuck in their own heads. Elsass forces them out. He never knows what he is painting until it’s done, and it’s usually more about the journey than the result.

Elsass has been one of the most generous and prolific artists in the history of Dayton, having invested $2.5 million into beautifying spaces, donating artwork and partnering with nonprofits to create meaningful experiences through art. Throughout the pandemic, he donated even more artwork to local businesses to be auctioned off, and exchanged artwork for donations to area nonprofits in an effort to keep the energy up in the region.

Mike’s art celebrates imperfection, bringing together what’s typically abandoned and forgotten into breathtaking statement pieces that capture emotion through composition. Often using materials discarded as garbage, Mike uses things like tar, oil, grit, silicate sand, spent whiskey mash–and this year, even some cicadas–to intentionally deteriorate his pieces before blanketing them with layer upon layer of paint in various colors.

Elsass’ enchanting and eclectic studio space now occupies 9,000 square feet of studio space at Front Street Galleries, which is also home to Dana L. Wiley Gallery, where Dayton Steel will debut on Friday.

The show will continue through Oct. 17, with a special artist talk:

IN THE GALLERY WITH MIKE ELSASS

SEPTEMBER 23RD, 7PM

Join Mike Elsass for a discussion on his artwork, process and how his artwork has impacted the Dayton community.

Please register for the Art Talk on Eventbrite. Limited seating available.

Local Artist Spreading Love Through Art

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Prolific Local Artist Mike Elsass is working overtime to give back to the local community by launching a new charity project to benefit Dayton-area nonprofits.

Elsass announced the project this week, when he told his followers on social media if they could provide proof of a donation to a local nonprofit, he would reward the contribution with a gift of art. The idea picked up momentum quickly, and Elsass has since implemented a structure to best support the collaborative project.

Patrons can email ​MikeElsassCharityProject@gmail.com​ with proof of a donation to a local charity. Contributions more than $50 in value will receive an email notification to be printed and taken to Elsass’ studio at Front Street, where they can be exchanged for an original piece of art valued at $150-$300.

Elsass said the project was an effort to keep up momentum for local nonprofits in the wake of the global pandemic, which continues to have a devastating effect on small businesses, as well as local charities. The project is designed to keep people enthusiastic about the art community in Dayton and also show the commitment of the arts to continue working collaboratively throughout the community.

The project will continue until March 21. Proof of donations will only be accepted at the Mike Elsass Charity Project email address, and contributors must present the email response, as well as valid ID to pick out their art at Front Street, which they can do from 9 am to 3 pm daily or during First Friday or Third Sunday events.

Artist of the Week: Tricia Calvert

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Looking around Tricia’s studio you might think it was a space shared by several artists. There is a table top obviously used to make jewelry. There are charcoal drawings and oil paintings. There are abstracts painted on both glass and metal hung alongside portraits. But all of this art was created by one talented artist.

Tricia Calvert working in her studio at The Front Street Building Co..

 

As I talked with Tricia I learned that her MA is in Integrated Art Studies. I guess that means she’s been interested in a broad range of types of art for quite a while. Tricia also has a degree in creative writing, but I didn’t notice any drafts of short stories as I looked around her studio.

I asked Tricia how she sold her art and she said a lot of it is done on commission. She likes to get to know a person and then develop a unique and appropriate piece of art for that person.

When I visited, Tricia was painting a portrait of one of The Rubi Girls. Her Rubi Girls paintings will be shown at Square One Salon (506 East Third Street). The show opens Friday, September 7 from 5-8 pm.

If you go to the opening, ask Tricia how she managed to be a contestant on both Let’s Make a Deal and Price is Right.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Shelly Massey

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Shelly Massey Art in her Front Street studio.

Dayton at Work and Play:

Before moving to Dayton, Shelly taught at large art retreats around the country including Art is You in California and Connecticut, Artfest in Washington, Art Unraveled in Arizona and Art & Soul in Nevada. She said she was a little surprised by the popularity of her teaching but also a little worn out from the travel. For now she’s not teaching anywhere, only painting in her new Front Street studio (door BC, 2nd floor).

A great side effect of Shelly’s teaching has been the connections she’s made with people all over the country who love art. She recently visited one of those friends in Milwaukee and took a lot of art with her. Shelly’s friend arranged an exhibition where people could see and buy Shelly’s art.

As I visited Shelly she painted several pieces at once, sometimes with a brush but mostly with her fingers. Her hands got more and more colorful as time passed. I’ve got to return to her studio late in the day sometime to photograph her hands with all of the day’s colors.

You can see Shelly’s work at May’s First Friday celebration, or message her on her facebook page and arrange another time to visit her studio.

Nigerian Artist Showcases his Jazz Series

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Ben Ibebe is an internationally known African artist based in Nigeria. His works are held in major museums and private collections around the world.

Ben focuses on images of West Africa using vibrant, captivating and very tactile paintings in oil and mixed media. Featuring everyday scenes of Nigerian life, Ben’s unique impasto technique give each art work an almost three-dimensional surface, adding character to bright colors and geocentric composition.

Ben has returned to Dayton for the third straight year with 18 new works, including the first six pieces from his powerful “Jazz” series. You can catch a preview of the exhibit tonight, Thurs, July 6th from 5-8pm at The Front Street Building

 

 

 

 

A Social Political, One Night Only, Art Event

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Feed the Adjuncts JPG EmailFEED THE ADJUNCTS is a social political, ONE NIGHT ONLY, pop-up art event featuring 14 local Dayton artists who teach part-time at one of the 4 local universities/colleges and art high schools that rely on part-time workers. Adjuncts are considered the fast food workers of the academic world. Currently one out of 3 adjuncts are living in poverty with average earnings of about $2700 each course per semester. 

These depressive conditions have gradually been happening over the last 35 years. Slowly administration duties have been stripped from professors as universities create more administrative positions. This has resulted in the bloating of administration departments by 60 percent between 1993 and 2009. In effect this has stripped funding for full-time tenured positions. In 1969 80% of faculty positions were tenured or tenure track. According to AAUP, American Association of University Professors, today 50 percent of the teaching positions are filled with “contingent” part-time adjuncts and it continues to grow with 70 percent of instructional staff being either part-time or non-tenure track appointments.

Local adjunct and established painter Jean Koeller has adjuncted on and off for the past twenty years, with time at all four local universities including the Dayton Art Institute. Koeller currently teaches part-time at Stivers School for the Arts. Koeller explains it this way, ”I understood that when I began teaching, adjuncting was a way to “cut your teeth,” or “on the job training so to speak” but there isn’t much reward once you have become seasoned or good at what you do. There is a set wage and it never changes per class and you’re always living by the skin of your teeth, waiting to be granted a class or two each semester and it’s not a guarantee, so, one is always on edge.” Often adjuncts teach more then full-time tenure professors just to earn above poverty level wages. This leads to what Koeller describes as the “constant struggle with time, place and with no reward, no increase in wages year after year, no benefits or power over your circumstance”.

Local Adjunct Professor Wesley Berg recently accepted a position teaching in Texas for a year. Wesley reflects that “the adjunct system is letting down the students. My students in Foundation Drawing were pretty disappointed that I wouldn’t be back next semester. I’m sad to leave them. But I have to leave because I don’t make a livable wage or receive basic health benefits, even though I teach a full load of classes. I feel like I’m abandoning those students, when instead I want to put all my energy into teaching them.”

Fellow adjunct Colleen Kelsey agrees. “I have been teaching for over 8 years now and adjuncting for six of these. After time in the class teaching, planning lectures, grading, prepping demos and all the other work it takes, I probably only make around $7 an hour. And somedays that all goes to a babysitter who watches my three kids”.

Adjuncts have to be inventive, often coming up with outside sources of income. This is especially true in the dry summer months of unemployment. Year round Koeller teaches private lessons and in the summer she runs painting sessions. “Summers are the hardest since you know you have to find other employment and I have to say, it is twice as hard to find summer jobs due to the fact that you’re competing with high school and college kids, for again, minimum wage and the older you get, it’s even more evident that you’re not hirable for a short period of time. Then there is the issue, how do I (personally) keep painting and carve out that time to concentrate on what I thought I was meant to do?” explains Jean Koeller.


Historically the adjunct position was created in inequality, especially gender/ racial inequality. In the 1950s and 60s if a women professor was to become married she would automatically be demoted from her full-time teaching status to a part-time position so as to take on more of her “wifely duties” around the home. Colleen Kelsey experienced a contemporary version of this inequality. “While I was pregnant with my daughter Zoe I had to go on unemployment. It was so demoralizing, I wanted to work but they wouldn’t hire me because there is no maternity leave for adjuncts. Who was going to hire a very pregnant woman or a woman who just had a baby? And there have also been times when classes get canceled, there are just no guarantee, security or benefits,” says Colleen Kelsey. “As an artist who has invested years and thousands of dollars in my education, it is disheartening to be treated as a disposable commodity. But I keep teaching for the love of the subject and my students,” Kelsey concludes.

In the 2012 report by The Coalition of Faculty Workforce it was found that women make up 61 percent of the part-time faculty population, likewise as all faculty members do, they rely heavily on student evaluations to keep their positions.  A recent study has shown that student evaluations are “systematically biased against women”. An online course was setup where a male faculty member posed as a female “Paula” and also a male as “Paul”. In virtual drag he taught two separate but similar online courses. The students gave the “female” faculty lower ratings compared to the high marks they gave the “male” faculty member.

With regards to racial biases in 2014 the House Committee on Education and Workforce issued a 36-page report on the “contingent faculty” problem. In their report data shows that “The proportion of African-American in non-tenure-track positions (15.2 percent) is more than 50 percent greater than that of whites (9.6 percent)”. (7) This disparity is laid out even further in an article by Tressie McMillan Cottom “The New Old Labor Crisis”. She goes on to point out that prejudices are built into the whole of the academic system. “African-Americans make up just 5 percent of full-time faculty. If you leave out the high proportion of black Ph.D.s working in historically black colleges and universities, black full-time faculty in the U.S. barely clears 4 percent.” (7)

To teach is a noble calling, it is challenging job and it is a job of service that speaks to our better natures. James Hoff says it best about the adjunct system “”it is unjust because it cynically manipulates the better angels of the human spirit – the desire to help and to share one’s interests and values, to cultivate meaningful relationships, to inspire, and to teach – in order to save a few bucks.” The pop-up art exhibition Feed the Adjuncts aims to bring light to the national adjunct crisis and support our local art adjuncts before their dry summer months.

TIME:
FRIDAY, MAY 20TH, 6-10 PM

LOCATION:
Divisible Gallery, Front Street Warehouse
1001 E 2nd St
Building 100, Door BC, FL 2rd
Dayton, OH 45402

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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

entner_Colossus

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.