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Street-Level Art

Art and Practicality Intersect at Oregon District

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On any given day or night in the Oregon District, bikes can be found fighting for a spot along the patio fence of Blind Bob’s, located at 430 E. 5th street in Dayton’s Oregon District. Bar owners Bob and Lisa Mendenhall talked to their manager, Nate Mendenhall, about commissioning a local artist to create a beautiful and functional metal sculpture that will also serve as a much needed bicycle rack for the nightlife-oriented area of the Oregon District.  Nate selected local metal worker and artist TJ Schaff for the task, who has designed a stunning and practical bike rack that will be revealed on Friday, September 3rd as part of the District’s monthly art-centric “First Friday” events. “We bring entertainment with great music all the time,” says Bob. “We thought this would be a way to embrace the ‘arts’ aspect of the Oregon District while also providing a service that benefits the neighborhood.”

TJ has a fabrication shop called 212°N of Reality, where he creates artistic pieces from scrap metal.  His Facebook page is called Rust and Relaxation, and features several recent projects he has completed.

Kudos to both Blind Bob’s and TJ Schaff for starting what will hopefully be a trend in the Oregon District and throughout downtown – public art created by local artists AND more bike racks.  With local metal artists like TJ and others (our friend Hamilton Dixon comes to mind), we could very well have the coolest bike racks of any city in the Midwest!

The Connection of the Collective

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The Fifth Annual Sideshow To Be Presented At The Armory

By Kidtee Hello

Walking up the three flights of unfinished wooden stairs, one would not expect to find much more than possibly a storage room filled with forgotten industrial supplies and broken machinery, but upon opening the heavy door to the third floor of the Armory’s loft, you will find nothing but wonder. Dispersed under the exposed and age darkened wooden beams of the loft is a olio of objets d’art. Cascading down from one of these beams is a latticework of vibrantly colored worry dolls, connected, as we all are, by the most tenuous of threads. Your eye will fall upon molten sculptures, hyper-realistic photographs, abstract painting that cry out to the viewer in a silent scream. Stages dot the area, awaiting the humming strum of musicians who will take to them during the Fifth Annual Sideshow to be held on May 14th and 15th at the Armory as a part of Dayton’s Urban Nights.

Across the length of the room, crosswise from the main door, a stark black and white photograph hangs, drawing you across the creaking floorboards. The photograph depicts a woman, head thrown back with her eyes closed in a frozen moment of ecstasy. The large picture is adorned with brightly colored flowers which frame and then flow under and in front of it, creating a descriptive display. The photographer is Kidtee Hello and she is the lead organizer of this, the fifth installment of the Sideshow. In speaking with her, I was able to get some of the back history of how the Sideshow was first developed.

By Deloris Bucanan

“When they first started these events, there wasn’t much going on for your average person or artist. Unless you were a graduate of a really good school and had something to show in a really fancy gallery, there wasn’t really anything available except for small art shows like the ones at the Pearl…which actually kind of sparked the Sideshow.” Kidtee went on to describe how the event began. “Laurana Wong wanted to have an event with a little bit of everything and now you see more DYI type art shows…”

Jeff Opt, through an online correspondence, was able to expound on the early days of the Sideshow, having been involved since the beginning and being a part of all the subsequent Sideshows in one form or another since then.

“The original Sideshow idea started with Laurana Wong…it was her idea to throw an art show where the artists worked together to define the show and one that didn’t cost money to throw. It was a community building exercise. There was no theme to the show other than what the participants worked together to create.” Opt went on to say that, “The first show was so successful that it gave birth to the Dayton Circus Creative Collective, a group of like-minded people who wanted to see the spirit of art and community continue year around in Dayton. Since then, the Sideshow has become the premier event for the Dayton Circus.”

This is a perfect depiction of what the Dayton Circus Creative Collective is: a circular energy that feeds and creates itself. The Sideshow begat the Circus and the Circus now gives rise to the Sideshow. It has become a self-sustaining entity of energy and art whose members both feed off of and feed others with a perpetually positive synergy.

With the help of Kate Ervin and Emanuel Cavallaro, I requested Circus members and Sideshow participants to share there thoughts as

By Sean Baumgardener

to what the essence and purpose of the Sideshow was and is. Within an hour, I had at least ten responses, all eloquently espousing the positive contributions that the Sideshow has made not only to the artists and the patrons, but to the community of Dayton as a whole.

“I think what those of us who have been involved with The Sideshow from it’s very first year probably want The Sideshow to become is a cultural institution in Dayton, an event that people can rely on occurring year after year. This is our fifth year, and I’m extremely proud to be involved.” Cavallaro then answered my query directly by saying, “As for what it means to me, personally? Honestly, all my friends are artists or performers of some sort, and from all different backgrounds. Art is what we do and who we are. The Sideshow is a chance for us to share that with the city. And it’s a chance to celebrate and express ourselves. We’re a motley group, and this is a big undertaking that requires weeks and weeks of preparation and hours and hours of hard work, but we somehow find the time to have fun doing it.”

The responses kept coming, all eloquently passionate about what the Sideshow specifically and the Circus in general meant to each individual artist.

“To me, the Sideshow is a multimedia arts event that recognizes local artists of all ages, races, and social classes. It’s an art event for the community. It may be a grass roots production, or seen as an urban underground show, but it’s also a collection of Dayton’s most progressive and Avant-garde artists.” wrote Christine Gaffney, and aspiring film director said. She then added, “The sideshow is more than just an art show, it’s an experience you can’t have anywhere else in Dayton, and it’s only once a year. Dayton is full of Talent. Much of this talent hasn’t made it’s way into the traditional art gallery yet.”

The belief that the Sideshow provided artists a non-traditional venue I which to express and display their non-conforming works was echoed in many of the messages received and conversations I had with the artists, participants and organizers.

Matthew James wrote, “The Sideshow is an opportunity to get outside of the normal space of commercial artwork, a chance for people whose creative works don’t flourish in the ‘normal’ art world to share their contributions with the community. It’s also an opportunity for artists, performers, musicians, and community organizers to get to know one another and come together around a common cause – two nights of outrageous entertainment!”

The very act of trying to draw together all of these divergent artists, secure a location and coordinate the activities of the Sideshow must be a logistics nightmare. While speaking with Kidtee Hello, I asked if this was her first year dealing with all of this as a lead organizer.

“Yeah. Last year I helped Maggie Ottoson with the Sideshow she put together and then this year, I’m organizing it.”

Margaret “Maggie” Ottoson was very direct and emphatic with her description of what the essence of the Sideshow is:

“Empowerment! Freedom to express in any way you like. A collection of the best music art creativity and activism in Dayton.” Ottoson went on to describe what the overall intentions of the Sideshow are, “What is the purpose of the Sideshow? To bring together like minded people who would otherwise have never met and teach that you can do anything if you simply dare to act.”

Tom Watson III wrote that he used his art as a self imposed art therapy regime to help him rehabilitate from a brain stem stroke he

"Worry Dolls"

had suffered. His artwork has turned something that he has feared to reflects a fascinatingly organic view of the brain and the power that it holds.

“It’s one of the artistic highlights of my year!” Tom wrote. “This is my second year as a participating artist and this year is going to be even better than last year’s event. It is a nice way to show my work in an environment that is conducive to free expression and not as restrictive as many venues tend to be. It’s also an opportunity to meet and interact with a lot of other local artists and musicians. It’s also a reunion of sorts for those of us who’ve done it before.

Another factor, almost more important (if not more important) than getting exposure for the artists is the interaction of the artists themselves. The sheer ability to be exposed to each others forms of expression and be influenced to take their own art into areas that they may have never considered possible. Lisa Alexander wrote to express this very aspect of the Sideshow by saying:

“It gives opportunities to local artists to not only showcase their work but to also be involved in a community-building activity.” Alexander succinctly said. “It gives artists a chance to exchange ideas, make contacts, and make friends. It gives the artists a sense of pride in the work they do to help the entire show go off, not just from creating art. It also gives artists a sense of being involved in something bigger than themselves.”

By way of example, Cathy Jeffers described her own experiences as to how the Sideshow influenced her own artwork.

“It really got me to break away too. I usually do art quilts. Last year I did and installation called Fire and Ice.” Jeffers went on to describe the display. “It was a combination of fabric, streamers (representing fire) and white paper mache, (frozen like) figures. I spent hours on it at home and on sight. I really enjoyed the final look…and I could really see the three dimensional impact of the installation in the space.”

Emanuel Cavallaro brought all the elements of the Sideshow and the influence that it has on the artists, the organization and the patrons alike.  “The essence of The Sideshow is its malleability. It changes every year. New organizers each year, new artists, new performers, new venue. It’s chaotic as well, because there is never a specific theme. So the artwork, installations and performances are remarkably varied.” Cavallaro “Something very intense can be followed by something very subdued, something appalling by something beautiful. So it can be aesthetically jarring at times, but in a good way, the way in which a roller coaster ride is jarring. In that way, there is something for everyone.”

What: The Dayton Circus Creative Collective’s Fifth Annual Sideshow

When: May 14th and 15th from 6:00 pm until 1:00 am.

Where: The Armory –  201 E. Sixth Street (Entrance in rear of building – parking is off of Patterson Blvd.)

Why: See story above

For more information or to see other events that the Circus is involved in, check out their website at  www.daytoncircus.org.

c{space: Dayton’s Community Arts Venue Moves Forward

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photograph courtesy of Andy Snow.

photograph courtesy of Andy Snow.

Emerging from the DaytonCreate initiative inspired by the principles of urbanist Richard Florida, a committee of community stakeholders transformed a vacant 5,000 sq ft , former downtown bank building into a community creative space.  This initial cadre of catalysts  set out to cultivate an environment that would support an already existing, but often unseen street-level arts culture in the city.

Anne Rasmussen, c{space general manager, was one of those catalysts. Rasmussen was a part of a committee that conducted research for the feasibility of a community arts space.  She said her group discovered that Dayton had a high concentration of artisans and “creative types”, but lacked a proper venue to showcase their work. Rasmussen believes c{space can fill that void and become a center for a burgeoning homegrown arts community in Dayton.

ladyfestartist

LadyFest artisan

“Some communities do a much better job of celebrating their emerging art scenes and helping them grow,” she says. “What everyone we talked to said was that they needed a place. A place that had the kind feel the culture we needed. Traditional venues such as The Victoria Theatre, although they do great shows there, is a formal environment.  We’re trying to develop a more interactive venue.”

Rasmussen said the group wanted a central location – one that was easily accessible for the entire Dayton region and its surrounding suburban areas.

“We wanted to showcase downtown’s built assets and this space was empty for quite some time,” she says, referring to the gutted-out, yet architecturally appealing, structure at 20 N. Jefferson Street.

In Sept of 2008, c{space hosted its first event : LadyFest Dayton, an art and music festival of female performers featuring local talent.  The event was very successful, Rasmussen says, but it highlighted the need for dialogue with city officials regarding building use and city code requirements.

“[LadyFest] brought the attention of who we were and what we were trying to do to the City [of Dayton],”  Rasmussen recalls.  “As a committee, we didn’t know all the ropes.  So, that’s what started the whole rigorous process of talking to the City of Dayton about our mission…seeing if they were willing to give us the kind of permitting that we needed to use the space for assembly purposes.”

After weeks of dialoguing with the City’s building permit officials, and the building inspections were conducted, Rasmussen said the committee was able to secure a long-term, temporary assembly use permitting.  The group has just renewed the permit for the next six months and has recently signed their first long-term lease with building owner, Brian West.

c{space @ 20 N. Jefferson St

c{space @ 20 N. Jefferson St

“We were going month-to-month initially,” she said. “For a long time, we were just paying $1 a month. We’ve been given some financial support recently that is allowing us to pay a more realistic rent.

Brian’s been very patient and supportive of our efforts. Without his willingness to work with us, c{space would not exist.”

c{space has hosted a diverse mix of community activities from photography shows, hosted by local photographer Kidtee Hello, to spoken word & poetry performances hosted by the Dayton Poetry Slam. The space has been used regularly as a public meeting place;  The Downtown Plan Public Forum was held there last February, and the updayton candidates forum took place in October.

Armed with an extended assembly permit and the new leasing arrangement, Rasmussen said c[space is ready to enter “phase two” of development.

“We’re wide open to new events,” she said. “However, because c{space is an entirely volunteer driven project, we have to move slowly. Every step of the way is a learning experience, so ‘slow and steady’ is kind of my motto.”

Some upcoming events for c{space include a three-day performance of  Rent in June by local musical troupe  Encore Theater Company, spoken word performances from The Dayton Poetry Slam, an all high school musical and art show tagged “Play for Peace” on Urban Nights, a local two day music festival slated for June, and more.

workshop participants at c{space

workshop participants at c{space

A huge step forward for the organization is the planning of bi-monthly workshops held on Sundays at c{space.  Local artisan Ali Marshall, who is coordinating the workshops, said she hopes to attract people who are looking to learn new talents.

“We’ve had workshops on everything from painting to urban backpacking, from hip hop dancing to fiber art to yoga,” Marshall says. “I believe in a sharing of our inner passions, a collective education that is passed from one to another, in person.”

Marshall says the fees vary, depending on the workshop.  She adds, however, that c{space realizes the “economic crunch” that many local residents face and the fees will reflect that.  Past workshop fees have been as low as $5.

Mary Burnside, c{space event coordinator, schedules and coordinates many of the activities for the fledgling organization, including last December’s Handmade Holiday, an eclectic craft bazaar featuring authentic handmade items.  Although she is optimistic about the future of c{space, she acknowledges that there is more work to be done.  Interior structural improvements to the building are required.  Firewall construction, broken ceiling tile replacement and electrical upgrades are just a few of those facility improvements.

wholespacepainted2

c{space, the community art space

c{space representatives said a website has just been launched and they are looking to improve the sound system for the building.

Despite the challenges, c{space management said enthusiastic residents have stepped forward with a willingness to help the venue reach its potential.  Rasmussen hopes more residents and businesses will embrace c{space and their vision for the community.

“We’re really excited to see what’s going to happen in the next six months,” Rasmussen said. “We want to see if we can create enough activity in here to say, ‘Hey, this place should be permanent.'”

m_f1d37003aafd41498fe81fbe31c5fbac20 N. Jefferson Street

Dayton, Ohio 45402

c{space monthly workshops facebook site can be found here.

For information concerning the workshops, Ali Marshal can be contacted at [email protected].

Event planner Mary Burnside can be reached at [email protected].

Check out the new website at cspacedayton.org

The Utterance Project: February’s lineup

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Local slam mistress Miss Purity follows up last month’s sizzling poetry/spoken word show by serving up a hot bowl of word stew on Feb. 26, at North River Coffee House.

This month’s “Utterance Project” features two accomplished poets: Ill Poetic and Huntor Prey.

8834_176063114713_77024969713_3637655_3385602_nDayton native Ill Poetic is a poet and an underground hip hop artist and producer, blending rock, soul and jazz with an introspective lyrical style.  His musical influences are diverse – ranging from rhythm and blues singer Curtis Mayfield to multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z.

“I never really thought of my music as thoughtful,” he says on his myspace page. “I think what I produce or write is usually an extension of me. I usually just try and let my personality bleed into a song, because that’s what instantly separates it from anyone else’s music.”

Along with his own solo releases, Ill Poetic boasts an impressive array of collaborative efforts, producing and/or providing remixes for artists including Slum Village, Lyricist Lounge emcee Wordsworth and a host of others.

Having toured nationally and internationally, with acts like Pharoah Monche, Talib Kweli, Chuck D and GZA, Ill Poetic is poised to be a major player in the music scene in 2010.

Joining Poetic is Toledo native Huntor Prey.  This internationally-known poet infuses his lyrics with a funky spiritualism intended to motivate and stimulate his audiences.

n310700629349_2354“The Utterance Project” is a monthly series of showcases featuring local and regional poets, spoken word artists and musicians. The event is held every fourth Friday from 5 to 8 pm.

Admission  for this all ages event is free.  Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.

Replace those winter blues with a hot night of rhythm and blues.  And as always, tell ’em Dayton Most Metro sent ya!

Dayton Dirt Collective – The Real Story

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Shelly “GladGirl” Hulce, Directing Member of Dayton Dirt Collective posted this statement on the Dirt’s Facebook page and we’re reprinting it with her permission:

20770_1310034424511_1040119339_977216_5667810_nAs of Sunday night Jan. 17th, Dayton Dirt Collective is history. This is sad news for the community of current DDC members as well as friends, fans, local and national bands and performance artists.  We had a blast, made new friends and left the place a better one having been there.

We had a good run, almost two years. And, as the locals say, “Two years is equal to about 10 in Dayton when it comes to anything creative.”  This little social experiment was a complete success, which is quite a feat in an ever changing economy, community and social landscape.

We thank you all for being there helping it grow. Special thanks to the founding father of DDC, “Punk Rock Nick” Anderson, a true LEADER who went through all the labor pains and delivery and the 2:00am feedings getting this thing to live. Thanks also to the first generation DDC members who put blood, sweat & tears into it. DDC was born out of a culture of underground house shows that outgrew the many living rooms and basements. We have now outgrown our house at 144 E. 3rd. Street. We never set out to replace the house show culture and those continue even today!

Now it’s time to put the baby in the basket and sail it down the river to find it’s bigger purpose in life.

As sad as we are, we are equally excited about pursuing our individual dreams and passions.
We will exhibit the same energy we had collectively. We do not see this as a failure by any means, this is just a seasonal change with new and exciting seasons ahead!

People want to know “why?” and “why now?”
First and foremost we had a big financial decision to make that was very time sensitive.
Coming up with the funds to meet this approaching expense was not an issue.  Thankfully we had a lot of good people offer to come along side us and contribute. The love was very evident during this last week of conversations with members of the community.

Looking past the immediate expense of renewing our liability insurance policy, we considered the costs vs. benefits of staying in the space at 144 E. 3rd. Street for another year.  After much deliberation we concluded it would be irresponsible to sign on for another year of insurance to cover that particular space. We have been working closely with the City of Dayton Fire Dept. since May to ensure that we met all the requirements to be compliant with the city ordinances and fire codes.  In doing so DFD would increase the max. occupancy they issued us in May of ’09. We exhausted all those efforts and sadly our goals were not met.  We thank the DFD for being so supportive and cooperative with us.

Integrity has always been a priority for us as an organization.  We felt that staying would compromise our integrity.  Our relationships with one another and with the community are still healthy.  We have met all the obligations we made to one another, the community and initial donors.  Equally important, we left no unpaid bills.  That says a lot in a day when this city and has been the victim of corporate carelessness.

We love this city. We are committed to this city.  We are proud that we have been recognized by tenants of the St. Clair Lofts. They made special trips to come see us and to say thanks for being present and cleaning up that corner. They told us that when we were there doing a show, the drug traffic on that corner stopped.

We invited in the homeless that wondered past the space, gave them a place to just come in, have some human contact, hear poetry, music or some comedy. (Some of them even joined in.) We gave them bottled water, cookies, snacks… whatever we had. They were excited about us. They didn’t know who we were, they just knew we treated them well. We had a food barrel there for everyone. There was a sign on that barrel; “If you need some, take some. If you have some extra, leave some.” We took care of each other as best we could.  We extended that same spirit to our guests.
If a touring band didn’t make much money that night, we made sure they left with a warm meal in their belly’s and some food for the road. The local bands playing with the touring bands always
without being asked, would offer up their share of the door to the touring band as a gesture of support. THAT was the DDC / Dayton, Ohio experience the touring bands took away with them and talked about on the road.

It was clear that the room itself presented some challenges sound wise, some local bands even refusing to play there because of it. They were the exception rather than the rule. Rarely did bands and fans complain about the sound, or the PA, or the way the room or stage was laid out. Mostly touring bands made comments about loving the feel of the room and how it was one of the best places they had played on their tour. That was achieved by having a room full of good spirit, not about the mechanics of the sound system. You can have the best PA in town and still have a bad experience. Emphasis here is on people, not things.

People forget a lot of what you say, but they never forget what you do.
We were always trying to lead by example and that does not stop now just because a building closed.  We were frugal and very much of the DIY “Do It Yourself” culture. This is the very spirit Dayton was built on. This is what brings great minds to Dayton, our innovators and inventors.
Without any advertising we were bringing touring bands to our door, some of them re-routing their entire tours to get a show at DDC. People across the nation “got it” when they heard about us.
With that, they were spreading the word across the US by leaving with a good experience, a positive attitude, some Dayton music to share, and in some cases even taking Dayton bands with them to complete their tours!

The passion and commitment of the members of Dayton Dirt Collective remain for the fringe arts and independent lifestyle of musicians in our own back yard as well as universally.
We are passionate about arts being accessible to everyone no matter what age, status, race, belief, gender…

New bonds were formed during a time of coming together in a city portrayed as one of the fastest dying cities in the United States. We saw arts and music thriving in spite of the economy.
We needed this venue more than ever in the last two years. Everything we took in went back out so we could keep that spirit alive.  Money is a very cheap commodity right now. We became wealthy in our creativity and new relationships. Being free to be creative is very liberating even in dire circumstances.

Healthy things grow.  We took a space that had about as much promise as a chunk of dirt and grew something amazing there!  The seeds were planted, the crops provided well for us and now it is time to rotate the crops.

We leave you with this one very important challenge to carry out the spirit of Dayton Dirt Collective:  Set one another up to succeed!!!

It is a new day in the life of another “Dayton Patented Original! ”

Thank you all. It was an honor to be here.

Shelly GladGirl Hulce

Poetry/Spoken Word Event at North River Coffee House

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slam

Image courtesy of Ambitious Productions

Rhyme, rhythm and poetry will convene on Friday, January 22 5-8pm at North River Coffee House, as Ambitious Productions and Noir Words present “The Utterance Project”, an eclectic offering of spoken word, poetry and musical performances.

This event is the second of a series of monthly showcases featuring local performers, many of who have performed in regional and state poetry competitions.

This month features performances by spoken word artist Remedy, and vocalist William Boatright.  Remedy, a Cincinnati resident, won the Ohio Hip-Hop “Best Spoken Artist” award in 2008. Boatright, a Sinclair Community College graduate, boasts a variety of vocal styles, including R&B, soul, jazz and gospel.

An open mic, poetry slam will be hosted by “Slam Mistress” Miss Purity, a staple of the local and national poetry slam scene.

Admission to this “all ages” event is $5.00.  Student discount is $3.00 w/ college I.D.

North River Coffee House

323 Salem Avenue

Dayton, Ohio 45406

Renaissance Rescinded in Santa Clara: The Orphaned Arts District Of Dayton

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“The architecture of our future is not only unfinished; the scaffolding has hardly gone up”

~George Lamming

Standing amidst the broken plate glass shards on the northeast corner of North Main St. and Santa Clara Ave., you can look across the street and see the fading promise of a once vibrant art scene reduced to a few tattered awnings stretched over abandoned storefronts. What could have possibly happened to take a profitable, progressive and thriving arts community that was flourishing in the nineties disappear, leaving us with just panorama of mostly empty buildings and memories less than decade later?

The 1900 block of N. Main St. was developed in the 1800’s with an architectural integrity that spoke of affluence. Business and residential development flourished well into the 20th century, but was marred by a sudden decline starting in the 1960’s. The seventies brought yet another sharp decline that mirrored the steady change in demographics of nearby urban neighborhoods. Property owners and businesses became increasingly absentee and the area fell into disrepair.

In the early nineties, Joe Dierkers and the partnership that comprised The Third Realty Co. acquired most of the commercial buildings that was soon to become the heart of the Santa Clara arts district. They were unsure at first as to what direction the area should take, but that issue was soon resolved when Joe attended an event where Jeff Rutledge was a guest speaker. In the course of several conversations, the two agreed that the area was a perfect site to create a center for the artistic community. They modeled their vision on the greatly successful Short North arts and retail center that sits just north of downtown Columbus. The Color Purple Decorating Service, owned by James Hankins, was already located on Santa Clara Ave. when Jeff moved Rutledge Gallery from it’s Front Street location directly onto N. Main St., becoming an anchor for the area. The renaissance of the Santa Clara area began.

Jeff Rutledge remembers the area as it was when he first moved there. “At the time there were mostly empty buildings . Nothing bright or cheerful, no identity, no direction. I could envision what this area could be, though, having lived in Oakland and  Mendocino, California. and the north side of Chicago, seeing what urban gentrification and neighborhood revivals that were started by artists, musicians, and restaurants, and risk taking entrepreneurs could achieve.”

Other artisans and small retailer soon followed and within a short time, the district boasted over forty shops, giving birth to the Santa Clara United Business Association (SCUBA).

“The formation of SCUBA was grassroots…organic, democratic, and totally voluntary in our own self interest to gain influence with the city.” Jeff Rutledge reflected.

The area quickly became an unofficial arts district and in 1993, the City of Dayton designated the Santa Clara area as a “Town Center.” This program, now defunct, opened up city resources, as had been done for the Oregon District and the Belmont Business District in the past. The resources were earmarked for marketing, promotion and research for the burgeoning art district and hopes were high that the partnership between the district and the city would flourish as it had in the Oregon District.

Steve Nutt, who was the Dayton City Planner at the time and very active in the developing scene says “the ‘Town Center’ designation was made by a staff recommendation that was approved by the city commission. The ‘Town Center’ was made by geographical location and targeted those business districts. There was never really a contract made because there was no real entity to make an agreement with. It was more of a working agreement wherein the city worked with the business district…it was an informal partnership with the city and the business district.” Steve had left the area over a year before the ‘Town Center’ project finally shut down. He works as Director Strategic Development for CityWide Development now.

The ‘Town Center designation was comprised of several components that applied to every ‘Town Center’ locale; façade grants, incentives for new businesses, such as free rent for the first month or two and promotional and marketing funds. The money was made available to the districts on a first come, first serve basis and available through an application process. One of the first initiatives that were taken was to unify the district through the installation of matching storefront awnings and a linked lighting scheme. Neon lights were to be installed along the district giving the area it’s own distinctive flair. The first attempt at this ended somewhat anti-climatically. The bid was granted to a contractor who was apparently wholly unprepared for the task. Wiring insulation was sub-standard, causing a fire on one of the buildings and just outright inoperable on others.

Parking for the newly christened arts district and ‘Town Center’ was established when Joe Dierkers offered the city two houses that his partnership owned.

“I donated two buildings and the city tore them down to provide a parking lot.” he remembers, “They (the city) were supposed to acquire the, third (house) but that never materialized.”

Joe Dierkers kept the integrity of the area in the forefront with his ability to deal with potential tenants on an individual basis. He would scale the rent for those who planned to open an arts based business, knowing that they would be unable to pay a higher lease and also that another artisan establishment would add to the overall ambience of the area. He also turned away some prospective retailers that wanted to open businesses that did not fit in with the district’s sweeping vision. This business acumen paid off when in 1996, the area was at around 93% occupancy and, by Joe’s accounts, rose to 99% by 1999.

Things started to fray around the edges when a local branch of National City Bank decided to close its branch at the corner of Ridge Ave. and N. Main St.

Joe Dierkers says that “the businesses in the area felt like having a neighborhood bank was a stabilizing influence. We went to the City Council to oppose the closure, but we weren’t even allowed to voice our concerns or make our presentation. We felt that there was a lack of commitment from National City to the inner city.”

Around 1996, the local businesses began to feel as if the support from the city was being slowly withdrawn.

“The focus of the city’s efforts went elsewhere, which is not a criticism. There were times when there could have been some support, but there almost seemed to be an abandonment.” says Joe Dierkers. “The city made an effort in the beginning. They installed the awnings, lighting, parking lots and improved the sidewalks. They started a community based policing program. I even provided an office for them to use, rent-free. We had a community-based officer who really got to know the business owners and the neighborhoods. She got rid of the panhandlers, who were one of the main problems in the area at the time. A year later, they (the city) switched from supporting it to giving it lip service. The community officers were pulled off and placed elsewhere. I took back the office that I had let them use because nobody was ever there.” In an almost despondent tone, Joe finished by stating that, “In retrospect, the support probably went away much quicker then we realized, but at the time, it seemed like a slow distancing.”

Jeff Rutledge remembers the slow retreat of support as, “…ending very quietly and with no warning and no explanations, like a thief in the night. They didn’t want to admit that they were changing directions. It was rude and very unprofessional and sneaky. They didn’t want to talk or explain it to us. That was the killing blow and we lost momentum and morale. I don’t trust the city anymore.”

Jim McCarthy, the owner of ‘Q’ located at 1966 N. Main St. reflects that, “The City had a good thing going when they were encouraging small businesses to move into the district and made funding available to assist the businesses with signage, awnings, and other amenities that made for a more attractive, walk-able business district. But then all of that funding dried up…”

There were other issues that the area was dealing with besides the slow withdrawal of city support. The residential neighborhood itself was changing radically. There were more and more abandoned properties, absentee landlords and a pervasively negative element moving in. Violent crimes and crimes against the properties became more of a day to day issue for the local businesses. Our very own paper once resided in the corner building at Santa Clara Ave. and N. Main St., but were forced to move from the area do to the increase in criminal activity.

According to the current publisher of the Dayton City Paper, Kerry Farley, “The reason we left the district was pretty simple. Three incidents of theft… an office load of computers stolen each time in less than two years. Police quite simply told us it was the work of local crack addicts. (The) insurance company simply refused to allow us to continue filing these claims as, at some point, it becomes sheer irresponsibility on our part to continue staying there.”

Jim McCarthy explains that, “…the “usual suspects” of any area that is struggling with high poverty rates crept in; including prostitution, petty crime, vandalism, and drug trafficking.”

Jim Haskins, the owner of The Color Purple sums up the overall feeling with, “What ultimately caused the complete demise within the area was the crime and the decline of the residential neighborhoods.”

Currently, the ORION Solution Project is targeting the Santa Clara, Riverdale and Wolf Creek/Old Dayton View neighborhoods. The program is being met with well earned praise and support from the local communities. The ORION Solution has allocated more police officers to identified problem areas and initiated walking patrols for the officers. They are boarding and securing the abandoned properties and have developed youth mentoring and skill building programs. In deference to all that is being done by this project, one has to ask why the community based policing program initiated and effectively proven in the early days of the Santa Clara Arts District was abandoned. From all accounts, it was a program that worked and had the endorsement of the local businesses and neighbors.

There are other programs that various city offices and development groups are working on in adjacent neighborhoods. There was a recent survey and identification of historical properties in the Five Oaks area. There is the Great Miami Blvd. Connector which is proposed to create a business corridor along the lower section of N. Main St. Dayton Public Schools plans to invest 20M in a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school at the site of the old Julienne High school, which has just been recently added to the National Historical Register. While all of these projects and plans are fantastic news, the spillover effect may not even be felt in the Santa Clara area.

Joe Dierkers related this story to me, which seems to sum up the propensity for the city to take up a project, only to abandon it in midstream in favor of a new project. There was a store owned by Mel Smith located on W. Fairview Ave. Business had been slow for Mel lately and Joe offered him a large storefront in the Santa Clara area. Mel’s Fine Furniture and Interior Design’s business picked up substantially. Shortly thereafter, the city, in an effort to bolster a shopping center development on N. Gettysburg, offered Mel certain incentives to move his established business there.

“They (the city) paid for the move and made him some type of deal concerning the rent, but he was unable to maintain his business in (that market) and soon went out of business. Now it seemed that the city was not just ignoring us, but working aggressively against us.”

With the recent coverage of Dayton being ranked 84th in America as a desirable place to live in the latest edition of Cities Ranked & Rated, there are a few questions that enter my mind. With the most outstanding ratings being in the “arts & culture” area, I wonder if the city is planning to capitalize on this fact. They could start an arts district, replete with galleries, restaurants, and unique boutiques. I know just the place.