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Missing Peace Art Space

Dia de Muertos Dayton — A Movable Celebration of Life

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parade-lineupThe fifth annual Dia de Muertos celebration and parade kicks off Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 pm with pre-parade family activities at K-12/Tejas Gallery. Participants are encouraged to arrive early to make colorful parade accessories, learn traditional Mexican folk dance moves and transform your face into a sugar skull with the help of professional artists and students from Decoy Art Studio. An exciting element of Dia de Muertos is being a part of the action, so plan ahead and bring strollers and wagons for young children. An El Meson food truck will be on hand for tasty choices until the parade lines up.

The parade will take off from K-12/Tejas Gallery toward Fifth Street at 4 pm, travel through tgabriela-and-joyhe Oregon District and stop at Missing Peace Art Space, located across from Stivers School for the Arts at Fifth and Dutoit streets. St. Mary’s will be there serving up traditional Mexican food and Pa’s Pork will offer other eclectic choices.

Entertainment will begin as soon as the parade arrives, with the legendary Rev. Cool Carter as master of ceremonies spinning records between acts until 9 pm. Ballet Folklorico Orgullo Mexicano will be back to delight the crowd with traditional dancing, and returning storyteller Alicia Pagan will capture the imaginations of both young and old. This year, guitarist Ramon Perez El Alacran de Durango will perform with his daughter, and the Lucha Libre rock band Team Void will bring a new sound to the celebration.skeleton-puppet

The Missing Peace Art Space will display personal ofrendas, traditional altars recalling the lives of loved ones who have passed. Artist Tiffany Clark will offer a community ofrenda for families and friends of heroin loss, and the Tree of Life congregation will honor the lives of those lost at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla. A general outdoor altar will offer the opportunity to leave memorial notes and light candles for loved ones.

Be sure to put us on your calendar for a day of celebration and healing as we honor the traditional Mexican memorial holiday of Dia de Muertos, recalling the beauty of lives gone before us, and including all cultures in a celebration that is uniquely Dayton.

Dia de Muertos Dayton — A Movable Celebration of Life – Sunday, Oct. 23,

2 to 4 pm: Pre-parade activities at K-12/Tejas Gallery, 314 S. Jefferson St., Dayton

4 pm: Parade leaves K-12/Tejas Gallery and travels toward Fifth Street

4:30 pm: Celebration at Missing Peace Art Space, 234 S. Dutoit St.

Story contributed by Joy Levett

Kettering Cultural Arts Manager Picks Her Top Moments in Dayton Visual Arts 2013

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Dayton was home to numerous amazing art exhibitions, collaborations and projects in 2013. Although there were many, many more superb events that are not on this list, the arts listed below serves as a glimpse into the vitality of the Dayton region’s creative folks and spaces! Enjoy!

CIRCUS!
Dayton Visual Arts Centre

January 2 – 11P1100868
A collaborative project between artist Leesa Haapapuro and the Young People’s Homeschoolers program at K12 Gallery culminated into a short show at the Dayton Visual Arts Center. The young circus performers next to their murals, sculptures and paintings, created an incredible new world of possibility and magic for youth and adults.

Jud Yalkut: Visions and Sur-Realities
University of Dayton
Jan. 31 through March 7

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Nam June Paik and Jud Yalkut, Beatles Electroniques, 1969

One of Dayton’s most treasured artists, Jud Yalkut was revered for his advocacy of the arts, his pioneer video works, his collages and his writing.  The exhibition captured many of his artworks, including special screenings of his film and video works, many of which hadn’t been seen by the public in decades.  Jud passed away in July 2013, marking an end of an era and a huge loss to the Dayton arts community.  Learn more about the his timely retrospective and career here.

The week of May 4 – 12
Urban Nights, Sideshow 8, Art on the Playground and AIA Architecture Week
Throughout Dayton and Kettering

 

The high quality and numerous events that took place over the first and second weekends of May was inspiring; Dayton’s Urban Nights, The Circus Creative Collective’s Side Show 8, Kettering’s inauguralArt on the Playground and AIA’s Architecture Week brought thousands of people out to participate in Dayton arts and culture.

Reinvention Stories
Dayton Art Institute
June 30 – September 29

dcp_Twin Towers Portrait_Emily Evans

Emily Evans, Untitled (Twin Towers), 2012

As evidence of Dayton’s vitality, a special project launched in January captures the city’s pulse. Local radio station WYSO 91.3 and filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar teamed-up to create the multi-platform media project Reinvention Stories, a series of audio stories and short films of Dayton and its residents. The project, instigated by WYSO’s general manager Neenah Ellis, is based on a series of questions: how does a city of inventors reinvent itself? How are individuals reinventing themselves? How are people dealing with the economic turmoil of recent years? How is Dayton doing? Through this documentation, a collection of videos and photographs were selected by Eva Buttacavoli, Executive Director of the Dayton Visual Arts Centre, and partnership with the Dayton Visual Arts Center and WYSO 91.3. Learn more bout the project at http://www.reinventionstories.org.

Inside Out 11M
August 4
Missing Peace Art Space and Synergy Incubator

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Inside Out 11M at Missing Peace Art Space

Inside Out 11M is a project based on Jr’s Inside Out with a focus on the question of immigration. Focusing on the residents of Dayton, the project captured portraits of hundreds of kids, adults and seniors. From the website: “A nationwide participatory art initiative aimed at creating a portrait of America that includes immigrants and the descendants of immigrants alike.”  Learn more about the project here.

HWD: Regional Sculpture Exhibition
August 26 – September 27
Rosewood Gallery

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Roscoe Wilson, Austere Consumption

HWD, or Height x Width x Depth, featured dozens of artists working in three-dimensional form. Participating artists were featured from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virgina, Kentucky, Michigan and Indiana.  Highlights included the work of  Don Williams, Terry Welker, Rebecca Emrick, Courtney Kessel, Carrie Longley, David Kenworthy, Erica Wine, and so many more. Learn more about the exhibition here and photos are here.

Soo Sunny Park
Unwoven Light
Wright State’s Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries
September 15 – October 13

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Image courtesy of Wright State University

Exploring the boundaries between drawing and sculpture, Park’s chainlink fence and plexiglass transformed the Stein galleries into a moving experience.  Originally commissioned by Rice University, Park’s beautiful installation has been traveling to galleries around the country.

National Bronze Sculpture Symposium
October 13 – 26
Yellow Springs Arts Council

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Image courtesy of Bernie Carreno

The Yellow Springs Arts Council launched its first symposium in October, focusing on the process of lost-wax bronze casting.  Commissioning four sculptors, including D’jean Jawrunner (New Mexico), Susan Byrnes (Cincinnati), Brian Maughan (Yellow Springs), and John Weidman (New Hampshire), the artists created works on site for two-weeks, culminating in a live pour of their molds.  Exhibitions, lectures and artist talks complemented the artmaking daily.  More info is here.

Object of Devotion:
Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Dayton Art Institute
October 26  – January 5, 2014

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Anonymous, English, The Fifth Sign of the Last Judgment, c. 1440-1470. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

A stunning collection of medieval alabaster sculptures, on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum, demonstrate the dramatic, narrative and intricate scenes interpreted from biblical texts.  An art form popular in the 15th and 16th centuries, alabasters were considered a low-end of medieval craft for centuries. Over 40 examples at the Dayton Art Institute show the merit of this art form, which finally gained recognition by scholars and collectors in the twentieth century.

Bullet: Who Pulls the Trigger?
Art Street, University of Dayton
September 24 – November 3

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James Pate and DECA students collaborative drawing

Art Street presented a complicated, difficult and important question within the multi-faceted collaborative art installation with artist James Pate, Dayton Early College Academy, South Chicago Art Center and Newtown, CT artists. Focused on creating a dialogue on issues of gun violence with a focus on South Chicago, Newtown and Dayton, panel discussions were a major component to the gallery exhibition. Artworks included New York artist S.B. Woods’ Meditation on Mourning, paintings made by Sandy Hook shooting survivors, Dayton-based artist James Pate and a group of DECA high school students. From the website: “This piece was conceived in part by James Pate, and in part by the students. After a conversation about gun violence, the students came to the consensus that ‘we as a society pull the trigger.’” Chicago artist Sarah Ward and students from the South Chicago Art Center created etchings of bullets to symbolize one for every person affected by gun violence on a daily basis. Read more about the exhibition here.

Dia de los Muertos
November 1

 

Dayton’s Day of the Dead parade and celebration took place on Friday, November 1, from the Oregon District to the historic St. Anne’s Hill neighborhood.  Hundreds of folks participated, many donning costumes and painted faces as music, art and food commemorated our loved ones. Stivers School for the Arts students, professional and emerging musicians and artists contributed to the celebration.  Spearheaded by volunteers, including Jean Howat Berry, MB Hopkins, Tonia Fish, Lisa Grigsby, and several others, the event found support from the community in its crowdsourcing fundraiser, as well as Welcome Dayton’s sponsoring of the parade, and Missing Peace Art Space and the Unitarian Fellowship for World Peace hosting.

Dia de los Muertos Dayton!

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elegant skeletonAre you one of the 300+ people that made our first El Dia de los Muertos Dayton celebration a huge success last year? We’re doing it again on November 1st 2013!
Dia de los Muertos is a special day celebrated throughout Latin America, on which people remember loved ones who have died. The Dayton celebration will be in the Mexican tradition of celebrating with bright colors, imagery of calaveras (skulls) and more, but recognizes all Day of the Dead and All Saint’s Day traditions. This is a free and family-friendly event.

 

The centerpiece of this celebration is the month-long exhibit at Missing Peace Art Space, commemorating work that local artists have shared, in honor of their loved ones. The exhibit runs through December 1st at 234 Dutoit St. The gallery hosts many exhibits throughout the year, lifting up the human family and our yearning for peace!

 

Dia de los Muertos Dayton is the opening event for this exhibit, a community celebration of size, distinguished by a community parade through the Oregon District! This year, we are proud t be sponsored by Welcome Dayton, an Initiative of the City of Dayton’s Human Relations Council. Look for their float in the parade!

 

Our new event partner, Synergy Incubators, has jumped in big time, hosting the pre-parade party with Zombie Dogz, El Meson Mobile  and other food sunflower galtrucks, selling sustenance for your soul. Special beer tappings from Cavalier Distribuitn include Zombie Dust and Zombie Killer.   It is First Friday after all!

 

While you enjoy delicious food and brew, get your face painted for the parade! We might even have a few masks and t-shirts for sale! Plan on picking up one of Gracie’s cookies! They are works of art. And delicious!!!

The parade will line up on 5th St. in front of Synergy Incubators, stepping off promptly at 6pm! All are invited to join the parade!!! Lots of music, color, dancing skeletons, bicycles, motorcycles, floats and more!

 

The parade will end at the Missing Peace Art Space at 6:45pm where there will be more food for sale, performances in the street and the beautiful Community Ofrienda exhibit inside the gallery!

 

Huge thanks to all who donated online to make this event happen!!! What great community support!!! Special thanks to the Dia de los Muertos Committee for their hard work in planning this event!!! This event is proudly sponsored by: Welcome Dayton, Missing Peace Art Space, The Compassionary and Synergy Incubators.

 

Learn more:

 

bride-groomThe Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition dating from Pre-Hispanic times. The Ancient Aztecs honor their Dead loved ones along with the goddess Mictecacihuatl. With the arrival of the Spaniards and Catholicism into Mexico, the ancient tradition became a syncretic form of celebrating All Saints Day.  Celebrating the Day of the Dead has transcended religion and has become a cultural tradition that honors the dualities of life and death, happiness and sorrow, day and night.

Indigenous Mexican homes are decorated with altars ornamented with flowers, photos of departed love ones, candles, and a variety of objects that our love ones enjoyed in life. The idea is to invite them to join us in a celebration of their life. The ancient Mexicans believed that for one day, the souls of our ancestors would come and visit and celebrate with us.

The Missing Peace Art Space will display a variety of altars with typical Mexican altars decorated by a multicultural array of Daytonians. Each altar will display items that tell a story about a love one and their special relationship with those who honors them.

In addition, the walls of the gallery will display artwork featuring artists Magda Bowen. Born in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, artist Magda Bowen discovered a passion for painting  “Calaveras”.  “La Calavera Catrina” has become a staple of Mexican Day of the Dead celebration. Popularized by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, the Catrina is the skeleton of an upper class woman. The Catrina or Calaca soon gained iconic status as a symbol of Mexican folk art. Inspired by José Guadalupe Posada, these paintings are festive skeleton characters with bright colored costumes representing a cheerful afterlife. They are properly dressed for a celebration. With their elaborate costumes, they joyfully parade with dignity leaving the physical world and embracing the afterlife. Death is not the end, but a new beginning.

 

For more information, contact:

Gabriela Pickett at Missing Peace Art Space, 369-1373

Jean Berry at The Compassionary, 369-8532!

 

 

Volunteers for Dayton!: Opportunities Oct. 2-9

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Your weekly round-up of ways to get involved in Dayton’s urban neighborhoods.

Give Back in the Halloween Spirit!

Volunteering for Hauntfest helps raise funds for the Oregon District!

  • The Oregon District Business Association needs volunteers to sell tickets and serve beer at its annual Hauntfest on Fifth, October 27, 7pm-1am. It’s a great way to meet people and see all the crazy costumes! E-mail Mike Martin to volunteer and ‘like’ their page to stay in the loop. There will be a special beer booth to fundraise for Garden Station – e-mail Lisa Helm to help there. And if you can’t help out, be sure to attend – $5 tickets will be available this First Friday in front of the old Boulevard Haus.
  • Dayton’s costumed Party of Parties, Masquerage, will be held at the Fairgrounds again this year and needs volunteers for everything from selling drinks to taking pictures to simply showing off your “hot body.” Masks required! Sign up at their VolunteerSpot page for this Oct. 20th event. Since 2002, over 10,000 Masquerage volunteer hours have helped raise $1 Million for the Aids Resource Center.
  • I normally don’t feature for-profit organizations here, but I think it’s cool that we have a haunted house downtown. So if you’re favorite pastime is scaring people, sign up to volunteer at the Wayne Avenue Haunted Butcher House on the eastern edge of the Oregon District.

    Step up to help Dayton celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Photo: www.tomascastelazo.com

  • Historic Huffman neighborhood volunteers will be dressing up their beautiful Victorian residences for a Halloween-themed Spirit of Huffman home tour, Oct. 13-14. Your admission will fund neighborhood activities and improvements throughout the year!
  • Not exactly Halloween, but similar – Dayton’s Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) organizers need volunteers for their Community Offrenda, First Friday, Nov. 2, 6-10pm. The Offrenda is organized by Cityfolk’s Culture Builds Community program and Missing Peace Art Space in partnership with an array of Hispanic, school, and neighborhood groups as well as local artists. It will feature workshops, a parade, party, and exhibition. Please contact Missing Peace via e-mail or at (937) 241- 4353 if you’d like to volunteer. And if you would like awesome events like this to continue, please give to Cityfolk’s Post-Festival Campaign at their website.

 

Other opportunities:

  • Can you spare a few bucks to build a bocce court?

    Celebrate the Freedom to Read: The East Branch library in Dayton’s Walnut Hills neighborhood needs volunteers to read aloud for 30 minute or 1hr time slots during Banned Books Week (Oct 1-6). They have a collection of ‘challenged’ books to read from so all volunteers need bring with them is their voice and their enthusiasm for the freedom to read. They are hoping to have readers during all open library hours (MTTH 9:30-8:30; WSa 9:30-6). Contact Samantha or call the branch at 496-8930.

  • Deadline extended for St. Anne’s park fundraiser! St. Anne’s Hill residents hope to raise $1000 to match their City mini-grant for Terry park improvements, including an ornamental gate, bocce courts, and landscaping. Regardless of where you live, can you give $10? If we all give a little to neighborhoods outside our own, we’ll have some great parks! (Plus, you’ll feel entitled when you go there to play bocce.)

    Would this be helpful in Dayton? Image: timebanks.org

Discussions in our group

  • One topic of discussion I raised in our Facebook group is whether there is interest in starting a Time Bank for Dayton. This involves a network of people earning Time Dollars for every hour spent helping others in the network, which they can spend having someone else help them with a project. The exchanges are tracked using simple online software. It’s an incentive for volunteerism, can be helpful for anyone short on cash, and helps build community connections. Share your thoughts here.
  • Another topic that’s been debated in multiple spots this week is what to do with the recently-acquired Hughes Supply property that the City of Dayton recently acquired for development. Obviously it’s a sweet location, being right on the eastern end of the Oregon District at Fifth and Wayne. There are lots of good ideas out there, but the overwhelming majority of commenters on Dayton Most Metro, updayton, and our group hope it becomes a grocery store (BTW – If anyone’s interested in a downtown food co-op, I’ve got a group for that too). What do you think?

Don’t forget to e-mail me your items and report back your successes! And send pictures of your costumed volunteering!