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The Longest Table

UpDayton Summit To Debut Dayton Icon Chocolate

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A New Dayton Icon was a project idea pitched in April 2016 at the UpDayton Summit by Kelly Sexton of K12 Gallery & TEJAS. The project set out to bring a new, iconic public sculpture to Dayton, designed and built by the community.  After the votes (200+) were cast, the Dayton Icon became more than just an idea.

UpDayton put out a Call to Artists  and last October a panel of judges gathered to select the winning design.

Nick Gaskins and the Bing Design team were selected as the winner. They call their design “Dayton’s Duality” with each letter consisting of two pieces – a rough steel portion which represents our city’s solid and sturdy past, and a shiny steel portion which represents our bright, promising future. All pieces would be upwards of 5 ft. tall, flat, offset slightly, and staggered so the word DAYTON can be read at an angle. Shifting shadows add interest by constantly changing the presentation. They envision the icon mounted on a long, low base that could double as a place to sit or creatively pose with the sculpture.

Funding and constructing the Dayton Icon project is a big endeavor and  UpDayton has partnered with Winans Chocolatees & Coffees to launch a chocolate version of the design as a fundraiser to help bring the actual Icon to fruition.  Those attending the 2017 UpDayton Summit on Thursday, April 27th at 5:30pm at the Dayton Art Institute will have the opportunity to purchase the first release of the  chocolate version of Dayton’s Duality for just $5.

The chocolates will go on sale to the general public sometime later this spring. All of the proceeds of the chocolate bars will go to support the Dayton Icon Project. 

Another project that came out of the 2017 Summit is The Longest Table. Hundreds of Daytonians gathered on Saturday, October 15th, 2016 for a community meal and dialogue on the Third Street Bridge – Dayton’s Peace Bridge. The goal of the event was to connect Daytonians from every corner of the city and region, to meet people we never would have met otherwise. People were randomly assigned to a table and spent the afternoon learning about each other and the neighborhoods we love. The event was such a hit, it’s continued brining folks from the Miami Valley together over meals around town.   The next  community meal is this Saturday, April 22nd from 1:30 – 3:30pm, co-hosted by East End Community Services in Dayton’s Twin Towers neighborhood.

If you’d like to  be part of the team that selects the 2017 projects register now to attend the UpDayton Summit. Ten individuals (or teams) will each have 3 minutes to pitch their project idea to the Summit audience. Once all the ideas have been presented, the audience will vote to select the top 3 ideas for implementation in 2017.

The event will also include opportunities for participants to connect with project team leaders and other ways to get involved in the community.

 

Get A Seat At The Longest Table

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thelongesttable Imagine a dinner table the length of the Third Street Bridge. Envision it packed with Daytonians from every pocket of the city. At this table, UpDayton and other interested parties can help serve a meal and challenge participants to re-think their assumptions about other parts of town and the people who live there. Volunteers will figure out how to bring this huge meal to life, how to inspire impactful dialogue, and how to fill the table with people who believe in a more open, connected Dayton.

“What’s better than having folks come together to break bread with strangers and talk about the future of Dayton?” says Bryan Stewart, The Longest Table Project organizer.

Stewart says he came up with the idea when a colleagu14484740_870578093072590_7791812207877964811_ne reached out to him and showed him a similar event that happened last fall in Tallahassee, Fla. Stewart talked with organizers in Florida to learn how they planned the event.

Stewart pitched the idea, based on a similar event that took place in Tallahassee last fall,  at the  UpDayton Summit, an annual conference in which attendees vote on which community-based projects will receive $1,000 and assistance from UpDayton. Stewart was one of three winners at this year’s conference in April.  Of course, $1000 doesn’t cover the cost of this project, so donations are welcome and the team will also be guest bartending tonight at Fifth Street Brewpub starting at 6pm.

A team of volunteers has been working for months to work on the logistics, the food donations, and getting a diverse group of Miami Valley residents  to the table.

Volunteer Julio Mateo decided to join the Longest Table after attending the UpDayton summit. Mate14379933_868636856600047_1864039995943412753_oo is on the dialogue committee, which develops ways for people to start conversation. For example, the table will be lined with placemats with questions on them. One question may be, “What’s your favorite part about your neighborhood? How can you make it even better?”

“We’re trying to create questions that can help people initiate conversations or that can lead people from just meeting a brand new person to working together on ways Dayton can be more forward,” says Mateo.

14322636_865872666876466_7989244798301054206_nOf course to pull this off, hundreds of volunteers will be needed, for set up, helping with parking, table hosts, and of course clean up.  Sign up to volunteer here.

If you’d like a seat at the table on Sat, Oct 15th you can register online. The meal is free, with most of it being provided by the House of Bread. It will be a very simple meal, because the conversation in the centerpiece of this event. Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite dessert to share.  Due to the nature of this event those with food allergies and other dietary restrictions will need to make their own decisions about whether to attend or not, as no special meal concessions will be available.