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Visual Arts

Dayton’s 2018 Top Ten Visual Arts

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Dayton’s visual arts scene is abundant with compelling exhibitions and activities; selecting ten was a challenge.  Enjoy this review of my top ten favorite visual art exhibitions in 2018!

Connie Campbell, Archetypes
Rosewood Gallery
November 26 – December 28, 2018

Connie Campbell’s sculptures are created through mathematical references to the golden ratio, with intricate formulas to create each shape, curve, and line. Made with aluminum, copper, and wood, the sculptures echo animal skeletons and snares. Learn more about the exhibition and the artist here.

Kei Ito and Migiwa Orimo, Nuclear Fallout: The Bomb in Three Archives
Herndon Gallery, Antioch College
September 20, 2018 – December 7, 2018

Detail from Migiwa Orimo’s Souvenirs installation

This incredibly moving exhibition featured the work of Migiwa Orimo and Kei Ito, both reflecting on the 1945 atomic bombings of Japan. Orimo’s body of work, Proofs of Burden, is a reflection of the elements of destruction, censorship, constructed narratives, and reflections on popular culture through her research. Artist Kei Ito explores the 1945 bombings through personal narrative. Kei’s grandfather survived the destruction of Hiroshima, witnessing the horrors of radiation effects on his loved ones.  Learn more about the exhibitions here.

Drawing from Perception
Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries, Wright State University
January 16 – February 25, 2018

Abel Dolby, “L & G,” Graphite on paper

Drawing from Perception featured sixty artists with a focus on the tradition of observational renderings. Sometimes there is nothing better than admiring a beautifully rendered drawing! Stand outs included Bradley Mulligan’s still life; Abel Dolby’s studies of quiet domestic moments; Mark Lewis’ collaged cut paper scenes of Americana; and Amy MacLennan’s richly textured streetscape.  See more about the exhibition here.

Kim Rae Taylor, Rendered Complete Equals
Virginia Kistler, Fungal Impressions
Rosewood Gallery
April 16 – May 18, 2018

Rosewood Gallery was host to two excellent solo exhibitions featuring work by Kim Rae Taylor (Cincinnati) and Virginia Kistler (Gahanna, Ohio). Kim Rae Taylor’s exhibition Rendered Complete Equals explored materiality, process, relationships in mixed media paintings. Virginia Kistler’s Fungal Impressions documented the natural world through photographic processes. Learn more about these exhibitions here.

Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and tête-à-tête
Dayton Art Institute
October 20 2018 – January 13 2019
Mickalene Thomas: I Can’t See You Without Me
Wexner Center for the Arts
September 14, 2018 – December 30, 2018

Mickalene Thomas, la leçon d’amour, 2008, c-print

Ohio lucked out with two important Mickalene Thomas exhibitions this fall – large scale painting and collage works at the Wexner Center for the Art’s, and photographs at the Dayton Art Institute. Thomas’ work is monumental in scale and examines representations of the female body in contemporary subject matter to art history. Both exhibitions reflect on the dual influence of photographs with her paintings and collage that initially brought her acclaim in the contemporary art world. Learn more about the Dayton Art Institute exhibition here.

Edmund Merricle, Recent Paintings
Dutoit Gallery
May 2018

Martyr, 2018, oil on linen

It was great to see the quirky color palettes, focused nautical content and joyful painting of Edmund Merricle at Dutoit Gallery. Learn more about the exhibition here.

Julia Oldham, Dogs of Future Earth
Blue House Gallery
October 13 – 31, 2018

Oldham is a prolific artist, with fascinating artwork and travels on her resume. Oldham’s recent series was part of an artist residency in Chernobyl, where she documented the feral dogs that roam the seemingly empty town, descendants of those that survived the nuclear disaster.  Blue House featured her large-scale fantastical collages, as well as videos, allowing a glimpse into a reality blended with science fiction.  Learn more from the Blue House website.

Akram Zaatari, The Fold – Space, time and the image
October 05, 2018 – February 10, 2019
Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center

The photo-based work of Akram Zaatari represents sometimes haunting narratives, but his work extends beyond his own studio – Zaatari is also the co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation, which preserves a history of photographic images from the Middle East. This exhibition impressively balances his artistic vision and preservation work. Learn more here.

Juan-Sí González, Displacement: Collective Practice to Recover Memory
Rosewood Gallery
October 15 – November 16

In Displacement, Juan-Sí González digs deep into his own personal archive, from his youth in Cuba, to his political asylum which eventually led him to Dayton, Ohio.  This exhibition was a dense, emotional, and significant telling of an artist’s story, as well as his connections to his present-day community. Learn about González exhibition’s here.

Ashley Jude Jonas, it’s likely in front of you
Dutoit Gallery
November 2018

Jonas’ thoughtful artwork can be highly conceptual, but always is deeply intentional and sensitive to various aspects of material, dimensionality and balance. Her work is most successful when viewers the time to understand the relationships each piece puts forward, both formally and theoretical.  A truly beautiful exhibition.  Learn more here.

BONUS PICKS

Joel Whitaker, When Things Go Missing
Dayton Visual Arts Center
September 7, 2018 – November 3, 2018
Whitaker’s beautiful, quiet photographs documented of sites of trauma, including locations of tornado touch-downs in the American South and “photographs that explore the idea of losing things—the transitory nature of all things.” An incredibly poetic exhibition. Learn more here.

Ann Kim, Time Cycles, but Never Back to Now
Dutoit Gallery
July 2018
Featuring work made from the artist’s experience living in two locations at opposite points on the globe, Kim’s intimate mixed media paintings echo the movement of the tides and a feeling of standing simultaneously between night and day.  The exhibition includes photographs documenting the locations, and sand samples carefully labeled with the latitude, longitude and date of each collected unit. Learn more here.

Stratum: New Work by Amy Kollar Anderson & Kate Huser Santucci
February 22 – March 24, 2018
Dayton Visual Arts Center
In this unexpected and fun exhibition, the artists documented their collaborative process of creating new works, with the result a richly layered, textured, and sometimes colorful play on each other’s aesthetic tendencies and techniques.  The creative process was documented with notes and photos displayed alongside the finished work. Learn more here.

The Woods in Color: Works by Jean Koeller
Springfield Museum of Art
July 28, 2018 -January 6, 2019
Koeller’s incredible use of color and her perception of what some would call the mundane – like piles of wood – transcend to masterful compositions of abstraction, tonality, surface tension and quiet moments of reprieve.  A must see exhibition; learn more here.

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/.

Holiday Gift Shopping, Activated Spaces Tour Featured During Downtown Dayton’s First Friday

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Shoppers browse the Dayton Visual Arts Center's ARTtoBUY holiday gift gallery during December 2011's First Friday.

Shoppers browse the Dayton Visual Arts Center’s ARTtoBUY holiday gift gallery during December 2011’s First Friday.

Downtown’s next free First Friday art hop will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7.

Downtown’s specialty retail stores and art galleries will be open late for shoppers who want to pick up one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, including vintage clothing and housewares, handmade gifts and art, gift certificates, and much more. Here is a sampling of downtown’s holiday gift galleries:

• CADC, 35 S. St. Clair St.: The gift gallery, “Art Box,” will be open and CADC will feature “Mobiles and Lights,” an exhibit featuring artists’ interpretations of mistletoe and twinkle for the season, along with live music, appetizers and drinks. Call 313-9883.

• Cachet G! International Boutique, 133 E. Third St.: Featuring watercolors and fabric art by Francine Cummings, as well as wearable art and handmade notecards. Call 461-2665.

• Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N. Jefferson St.: (Open 5 to 8 p.m.) Featuring art by Deborah Melton Anderson and the ArtToBuy Holiday Gift Gallery. Call 224-3822.

• Gallery 510 Fine Art, 510 E. Fifth St.: Shop a variety of handmade items perfect for gift giving, including ceramics, jewelry, scarves, art, purses and more. Call 672-6717.

• K12 Gallery for Young People/TEJAS, 510 E. Third St.:  (Open 6 to 9 p.m.) Showing “American Immigration: A Local Perspective,” a mixed-media exhibition, as well as artwork from Horizon Science Academy.  Vendors will be selling handmade art and gifts. Call 461-5149.

• The Yellow Cab Building, 700 E. Fourth St., will host Handmade Holiday Dayton. This annual event features more than 30 local artisans vending gift items, ranging from soaps to hand-crafted jewelry, and prizes will be raffled off from local establishments. Handmade Holiday Dayton will continue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.

A tour of the window clings installed during Activated Spaces’ Street Team initiative will take place during First Friday. These two clings, designed by local artists, are hung in the Talbott Tower.

In addition, Activated Spaces will host a tour of newly installed window clings featuring the work of local artists during First Friday. The tour begins at American Pi, 37 S. St. Clair St., at 5:45 p.m. The tour will last about 30 minutes, and a reception at American Pi will continue afterward. The installation theme, Colorful Dayton, aims to show the vibrancy of the Dayton community. The 10 clings have been placed in several locations throughout the core of downtown, featuring work by eight local artists, as well as contributions from the City of Dayton and the Miami Conservancy District.

First Friday also will include roaming entertainers, including The Dropbacks, a juggling troupe; the Miami Valley Music Men, an a cappella choir singing carols; and holiday characters in costume.

A complete list of what downtown businesses have on tap for First Friday is available on the DDP website.

First Friday is presented by the Downtown Dayton Partnership with support from the Oregon District Business Association, the Ohio Arts Council and WYSO-FM 91.3. The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website has a complete list of downtown’s arts and cultural amenities, as well as a dining guide, parking map and much more. Download the Find It Downtown mobile search tool for smartphones at http://mobile.downtowndayton.org.

Celebrate SWAN Day – Support Women Artists Now in Dayton

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An international event for women artists is coming to Dayton as part of the celebration of Women’s History month.

Support Women Artists Now, or SWAN Day, features and celebrates the talents of female artists. The new event gained a lot of steam in its first four years and has had over 700 Swan Day events in 21 countries. Taking place on the last Saturday of Women’s History Month, it’s already been officially recognized in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and many more cities. Swan Day has yet to hit the streets of Dayton, but this year will be different.

On March 31st at 3:00 p.m. community members will gather at the Auditorium in the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch to see local female talent showcasing their finest work. Best of all, the program is free!

Co-founder of SWAN Day, Martha Richards, believes that women artists are creating a change in communities around the world. She says the celebration represents what the world would be like if female art and perspectives were fully integrated into everyone’s lives. Richards adds that the long-term goal is inspiring communities to recognize and support women artists as what she calls a basic element of civic planning. SWAN Day has attracted some high-profile attention. Award-winning novelist Isabel Allendale, Grey’s Anatomy actress Sandra Oh, and X-Men movie actress Famke Janssen have all made online video endorsements of the event.

Attending artists will include a wide range of local talents like authors, film-makers, poets, comedians, and more. There will be short films, poetry and novel readings, plays, and still more. For a little taste of what’s to come, I asked a few of the featured artists for their takes on SWAN Day and what they’ll be providing during the celebration.

Documentarian Maggie Price will be showing her film A Pretty Piece of Flesh. For Price, SWAN Day is something she considers not only an exciting opportunity for celebration, but also a chance for women artists to come together and support each other and the work they create. She hopes her film will start a dialogue about the difficult topic of cutting. Believing self-harm is often sensationalized in the media, Price says she wants to present something honest and personal that people can relate to and might help others gain some understanding.

Kristie LeVangie

Poet Kristie LeVangie, who will be reading excerpts of her work, says she’s honored to be able to share part of her vision and support her fellow artists. She thinks of SWAN Day as an opportunity to promote positive female endeavors in the arts and for female artists to share their art – no matter the form. LeVangie says that if she  can inspire another woman to reach out and interpret her world or just liberate a thought, it makes it all worth it.

Sara Berelsman will be reading the first chapter of her memoir about alcoholism, currently titled The Last Rock Bottom. Like LeVangie, she’s excited for the potential to inspire those who attend. For Berelsman, this event means a chance to celebrate women and creativity. She hopes it will raise awareness of female talent in the area and that this will be the first of many SWAN Days.

Tami Boehmer will be reading from her compilation, From Incurable to Incredible: Cancer Survivors Who Beat the Odds. Boehmer, whose been interviewed by Cincinnati’s FOX 19, says she’s honored to be part of the program and looks forward to meeting fellow participants and experiencing their work. She thinks SWAN Day is a great opportunity and hopes it will help propel the work of female artists in Ohio to a larger audience.

Mary Curran Hackett

Novelist Mary Curran Hackett will be reading selections from her debut novel, Proof of Heaven. She says she thinks the purpose of the event is to enable people to envision a world that includes every woman’s contribution to art and culture as well as explore what women can offer their communities. Hackett hopes that not only will women and girls leave the celebration feeling empowered and inspired, but also that both genders feel inspired to support and admire women artists.

I don’t think I have to point this out, but there are some common threads here: inspiration, support, opportunity, community, unique contribution, encouragement, and perspective to name a few. These women are also adamant in a strong belief in the large talent pool here in the community. Not only are they eager to share their personal stories, artworks, and time; they’re excited to see what all the other attendees will bring to the event.

Here’s hoping you’ll all join me on the 31st to celebrate SWAN Day and the artistic accomplishments of our local ladies. Many will be selling books and artwork and others will be signing copies – if you’re a fan of anyone scheduled to attend, be sure to bring something for their signatures. Each and every one of the attending artists has a lot to bring to the table, so be sure to check them out. You never know who or what might inspire you.

Follow these links for more info:  SWAN Day Dayton and the national site WomenArts SWAN Day.

Dayton Circus Seeks Artists and Musicians for Side Show 7

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The crowd at Side Show 5

Urban Nights seems like a long way off, but it’s not too early to get involved with one of the many events that kick off May 11th.  The Dayton Circus has begun preparations for Side Show 7, which will take place May 11th and 12th at the Circus’ space, the Yellow Cab Building on 4th Street.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Side Show, it’s more than an art show.  Each year the Circus celebrates creativity in our community by encouraging participating artists and musicians to think outside the box, take risks and try something new.  So, you ask, how do I get involved?  Interested artists and musicians can download information, sign up for email updates and learn how to submit their work here.   The call for entries is open until March 23rd.

If you want to get involved in other ways, the Circus has also begun organizing several fundraisers to help cover the cost of Side Show 7.  The first one is Dayton Crafty-Con on March 10th.

Check back to Dayton Most Metro in the coming months.  We’ll have more updates on Side Show 7 as the event develops. 

A&E on a Budget: UD Presents Free Arts Performance

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University of Dayton's Ebony Heritage SingersThe University of Dayton will be taking over the Schuster Center on Tuesday, April 5th, for their annual Celebration of the Arts performance. Where else can you experience eighteen different arts ensembles in under 2 hours? And even better – it’s free!

The evening will feature performances by University of Dayton music, theater and dance students as well as visual arts displays in the lobby. Burt Saidel, arts reviewer for The Oakwood Register, and Georgie Woessner, general manager of WDPR-FM, will serve as masters of ceremonies. The evening begins at 6:30 pm in the Wintergarden with a visual arts display and pre-show entertainment. The evening will continue at 8 pm in the Mead Theatre. The event is free, but tickets are required and can be reserved online.

Don’t forget to check out other wallet-friendly options on UD’s campus:

The University’s annual LitFest kicks off with poets Kathy Fagan and Kwame Dawes on Friday, April 1, starting at 7:30 pm in Sears Recital Hall. Attend the opening program for free, or register for a weekend full of workshops and readings.

ArtStreet’s Friday Film Series presents Howl (4/1), Elephant in the Living Room (4/8) and Exit Through the Gift Shop (4/15). Film screenings start at 9 pm and are free and open to the public.

The Theatre Program will present Smoke on the Mountain, April 1-3 and 7-9 at Kennedy Union’s Boll Theatre. Directed by Gina Kleesattel, this musical promises to deliver an uplifting evening of “singin’ and witnessin”. Tickets are $12; call (937) 229-2545.

The Department of Music offers a number of free performances during April; visit http://calendar.udayton.edu or http://arts.udayton.edu for a complete schedule.

UD is certainly not the only campus with free or cheap arts and entertainment. All of the colleges and universities in the Dayton region offer a wide variety of events, and many are open to the public. From the art galleries of Sinclair Community College to the Artist Series at Wright State University, there is something for everyone!