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Visual Arts

Free Museum Addmission on Art for All Day

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On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the Dayton Art Institute (DAI) will welcome all in the community to the museum, free of charge, for a special Art For All day.

On Art for All Days, the museum will offer free general admission to its collection galleries, as well as the Special and Focus Exhibitions The Artistic Life of Aka Pereyma, James Pate, Techno-Cubism: The Art of Line Painting, Telling Stories: World Literature in Art.

James Pate, Techno-Cubism: The Art of Line Painting

The museum will be open from noon to 8 pm on March 21. Throughout 2024, DAI will offer two additional Art for All days. On Sunday, June 30, and Friday, November 15, guests will receive free admission.

For more information about planning a visit, including current museum hours and updates, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org/visitor call 937-223-4ART (4278).  

Artist of the Week: Kate Huser Santucci Part 2

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To help me understand how her encaustic paintings are made, I asked Artist of the Week Kate Huser Santucci to walk me through the process using this piece as an example.
“I started with a piece of scrap plywood” she told me. “I taped the edges and put on a layer of encaustic medium (a mixture of beeswax and tree resin). Then I added heat, so that the layer of encaustic medium will firmly grab onto the grain of the wood. After that I could start painting a number of layers of encaustic paint, which is just encaustic medium with pigment added.”
“Every time I add a layer of encaustic paint I heat it with a torch, so that it grabs onto the layers that have been applied. If I add a lot of heat the new layer is smooth. If I use less heat there is more of a texture. At any time, I can scrape off one or more layers in an area, so you can see more of what lies underneath.”
“I set this piece aside at one point because I wasn’t sure where I wanted the painting to go. Then Summer came and I just loved the look of flowers in my yard. I decided to add a flower image to this piece.”
“I used a photo as a reference and did the first layer using a smaller brush and encaustic paint. After that had been fused onto the piece I switched to oil paint with just enough wax in it to allow it to bind with the layers I already had. I started to paint the oil with my finger. If you look closely you can see that I’ve put in reds and oranges and golds and pinks. As a final step I add fine detail with a very small brush.”
For more photos of Kate’s work, and photos of her studio, go to https://billfranz17.com/

Artist of the Week: Kate Huser Santucci

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I’ve been admiring Kate’s encaustic paintings online for quite a while but only met her last summer. She works at Front Street, in the first floor of the 100 Building, where she shares space with Elisha Frontz.
“In college I started out as a theater major” she told me “and then switched to fine arts and eventually got a degree in sculpture. Then I raised a family for 20 years.”
“About 10 years ago I saw an encaustic piece that I was really drawn to. Its layering gave it a sort of ethereal feel. About that same time a friend told me about an encaustic class being taught in St Joseph, Michigan. I decided to take the class and then just dove into encaustic work. I love the versatility of the medium, the way you can be sculptural or really painterly, the way you can scratch parts off or draw lines on and do all kinds of other things.”
Kate tells me she has a busy exhibition schedule coming up. Her work is being shown this month at Studios on High in Columbus. Then in May through August she’ll fill the walls at Wheat Penny Oven and Bar. In October she has a show at Edison State College in Piqua. Next year she already has two shows planned, plus a residency in France. But my favorite way of seeing her work is to stop by her Front Street studio. She’s working there most days, and is always open for First Friday and Third Sunday.
For more photos of Kate’s work, and photos of her studio, go to https://billfranz17.com/

Artist Opportunity Grantee Spotlight: Jennifer Perkins

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Jen Perkins is a 2023 Artist Opportunity Grantee. The Artist Opportunity Grant is funded by the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD) and administered by Culture Works, the region’s United Arts Fund and Local Arts Agency. Her project sent her to Greece in the spring of 2023 to participate in a relief sculpture workshop. An encaustic artist, Jen blends media to build layers of colors, adding dimension and depth to her interpretations of the world, creating dreamlike landscapes and otherworldly dimensional forms. Encaustic is ancient art form, born in Greece, and Jen felt that traveling to the birthplace of encaustic painting would broaden her knowledge and enhance her creative practice. 

Jen spent 10 days in Greece, the majority of which were on the Island of Naxos in the Cycladic Islands where she worked with her collaborator in an intense 10-day workshop marble relief carving. The workshop was documented in photos and videos to be shared in both Naxos and the United States. Maggie Ross, an American ex-pat and a recognized Naxian marble sculptor and instructor, created all the marble relief carvings from drawings created by Jen. 

Magge and Jen worked with a master mold maker to create silicon molds from the marble sculptures. The creation of the “mother” silicon mold allowed Jen to create multiple plaster casts of the reliefs. In her studio in Dayton, Jen spent the summer casting multiples of each relief in the studio. Each plaster had to be unmolded and sanded in preparation for painting. The process was photographed for slide presentation and display. 

An exhibition of plaster relief works, including photographs of the original marble, will be on display at the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch from January 7 until the end of February. On January 13, Jen and Maggie will simulcast artists’ talks in WebX, with Jen in Dayton and Maggie on Naxos, where she will be hosting an exhibition of the marble relief works with photographs of Jen’s plasters. 

Register here: https://dayton.bibliocommons.com/events/653aadc58c62833a00bc18d5

The Contemporary Dayton presents CoSHOP Holiday 2023

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The Contemporary Dayton presents CoSHOP Holiday 2023, a curated collection of over 500 holiday and winter-themed fine art and fine craft from select community-driven artists and benefitting the arts community and The Co. CoSHOP Holiday runs through Sat, Dec 23, 2023.

Delight in the creative wonderland of CoSHOP Holiday. This holiday season the CoSHOP theme is CO, WHAT FUN! and features a curated selection of  holiday “giftables.” These unique, handmade pieces reflect our talented local and regional artists, all of whom contribute to our vibrant arts community every day. With over 500 unique items, we are proud to present this dazzling destination for unique, one-of-a-kind gift hunting this festive season.

The CoSHOP is The Co’s lively, year-round marketplace that features a rotating selection of home decor, personal care products, greeting cards, books, ceramic and glass art, limited edition art prints, and more curated by our team of art lovers, historians, book nerds, and decor enthusiasts. Art-lovers can visit The CoSHOP for FREE or Shop online. Online items are available for pick up Wednesday-Sunday. Select items are available to ship for a modest charge. 

THE CONTEMPORARY DAYTON
GALLERY & CoSHOP HOURS

The Dayton Arcade
On 4th St, between Main & Ludlow  

Wednesday–Saturday 11 am–6 pm
Sunday 11 am–4 pm

Special Hours: Holly Days at The Dayton Arcade
December 6, 7 ‘til 8 pm; December 9 ‘til 9 pm

Opening Reception Tonight For Shon Walter’s solo exhibition, “The Hole Belly.”

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The Contemporary Dayton presents an ambitious exhibition of new work, created to fill the entirety of the Co’s four galleries and three and a half years in the making. The Hole Belly is a fusion of nature and craftsmanship from a visionary sculptor renowned for his mastery in transforming found and sourced wood into awe-inspiring sculpture.

Based on abstract organic forms rich with psychological, cultural, and historical references, Walter’s labor-intensive sculptures are made by hand at his studio in downtown Dayton. His reductive technique and meditative approach challenge the physical and poetic boundaries of the wood. His ability to coax graceful shapes from wood connects his practice to a lineage of artists who’ve pushed the envelope of what the medium can convey. By embracing the imperfections and unique characteristics of the medium, he taps into the essence of contemporary sculptural expression.

Through meticulous sanding and intricate carving, he breathes life into his forms, revealing inherent patterns and hidden stories. At the heart of the exhibition is an ambitious series of tableaus that push visitors to kneel, jostle, and duck; forcing them to relate to the heft and power–as well as the graceful intricacy–of the forms. Each is a testament to Walters unique perspective, featuring organic forms that interlock like pieces of a cosmic jigsaw puzzle.

Walters was born in Fairborn, OH. Self-taught, he credits an apprenticeship with cabinet maker, Thomas Bennett, which allowed him limitless hours at the wood shop and days immersed in the woods around Athens, OH as the basis of his practice. He served as special project coordinator at Stivers School for the Arts, Dayton, for over 20 years; and has exhibited his work locally and nationally, including a large wall sculpture commissioned by Dayton Metro Library, New Lebanon Branch. He lives in Dayton, is also known as the lyricist and percussionist of the local band, Sleepybird, and often collaborates with his son, Zade, also an artist.

Images: Pierceverance (Welcome Desk, The Contemporary Dayton) 2021, ash, 18 x 3 x 4 feet. Image Brigham Fisher

Digital collage (detail from Shon Walters: The Hole Belly), 2023, The Contemporary Dayton. Image Josh Mayes

Opening Night: Oct 13, 2023

Members Preview with the Artist: 5-6pm / Public Reception 6-8pm.

Conversations: Shon Walters | Nov 10, 2023

Doors open at 6pm. Talk begins at 6:30pm in the Tank of the Dayton Arcade.

Dayton at Work: “Jobs from A to Z”

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Yesterday my wife helped me hang “Jobs from A to Z” which will be in the 2nd floor gallery at @DaytonMetroLibrary until November 5th.

I started this series because the memory loss of my father-in-law Wally Willaman was making our time together difficult.  I hoped that we could avoid discussions of the past by having fun working on a project in the present.  It worked.  We had a ball.

I told Wally that when we finished our art would be in an exhibition,  thinking that would keep him interested in the project.  But I knew it was likely that we never would make it to the end.  Wally is 101, and I knew the project would take at least six months.

Well six months later we’ve made it all the way to “Z is for Zookeeper” and Wally’s still going strong.  And the work will be exhibited twice.  Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor has an active arts in healthcare program. They will display “Jobs from A to Z” from March 11 to May 31, 2024 in a gallery where thousands of people will walk by it each day.

But Ann Arbor is too far for Wally to travel, so Jayne Klose, the library’s Community Engagement Manager, helped us out.  She invited us to exhibit at Dayton Metro Library.

Wally and I hope people have as much fun viewing this art as we did making it.

 

Beyond Van Gogh Returns to Dayton

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Immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s artwork like you’ve never seen it before. Beyond Van Gogh — a beautiful and moving art experience — returns to the Dayton Convention Center  Nov. 11 for a 2 month run.

The traveling exhibit featureS more than 300 of Van Gogh’s works including “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers” and “Café Terrace at Night.”

Beyond Van Gogh is a new truly immersive experience. While other shows use virtual reality or still images, our show breaks barriers by incorporating both still and moving art. Masterpieces, now freed from frames, come alive, appear, and disappear, flow across multi-surfaces, the minutia of details titillating our heightened senses. The show is projected on every surface around you, this makes you feel as though you have stepped directly into a Van Gogh painting. We accompany the show with a beautiful score and include many other surprises!

“Through the use of cutting-edge projection technology and an original score, Beyond Van Gogh breathes new life into over 300 of Van Gogh’s artworks,” the website says.

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Dayton Convention Center, Hall A,
22 E. Fifth Street, Dayton 45402

Nov. 11, 2023-Jan. 7, 2024
Tues-Thurs: 11 am-8 pm
Fri & Sat 11 am-9 pm
Sun 11 am-7 pm

Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, NYE : 11Am. – 5 pm. (last entry 4:00 pm
Christmas Day: Closed

The visit will take around one hour with the final entry one hour before close.

Tickets  $33.99 for adults, $19.99 for children (ages 5-15)
Family 4 Pack: $23.99 (per ticket)

Exhibit runs from  Nov. 11  through Jan. 7, 2024

CALL FOR ENTRY: Holiday CoSHOP Submissions

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The Contemporary Daytin is currently seeking artist / artisan-created items, ornaments, and decor for consignment for the holiday season.
The CoSHOP features small works of fine art as well as a selection of design-and foodie-forward home goods, wearables, wellness items, and paper goods that are created by Dayton, Ohio, and Midwest artists and artisans. SHOP items are selected on an ongoing basis through submission through the Co’s website codayton.org/call-for-entry. Items are accepted on consignment with artists receiving 60% of the retail sale of their item(s).
Submission Deadline: Sep 30, 2023
Inventory Drop-off: Oct 23-Nov 5, 2023
How to Apply:
1. Complete online submission form at www.codayton.org/shop or submit images to shop@codayton.org
2. Upload JPEG images of proposed items
• up to 5 images of items of the same media (eg 5 handblown glass vases)
• up to 10 products will be accepted (exceptions apply to smaller items such as ornaments & jewelry)

2023 Fine Art Faculty Exhibition On Display at Sinclair

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Sinclair Community College’s annual Fine Art Faculty Exhibition will usher in the beginning of the 2023/2024 academic year.

Each fall, the Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery, the Works on Paper Gallery, as well as other spaces around Building 13 display work from the faculty and adjunct faculty of Sinclair’s Art Department.

The Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery traditionally features one faculty member, and this year will exhibit Self-Portrait: Memory & Reflection by Professor Kelly Joslin, Ph.D. Collage and mixed media explore memory and how time fades, distorts, and reawakens memories. Through self-portraiture Dr. Joslin explores the temporal aspects of her physicality and compares past self-portraits with later and current ones through a combination of abstract compositions and straightforward images.

There will be a virtual artist talk with Dr. Joslin over Zoom on September 1, 2023, at Noon and a reception September 7 from 4:30 pm – 6 pm in Building 13’s 4th Floor Atrium. Visit sinclair.edu/artgalleries for further details.

The Fine Art Faculty Exhibition will be on display from August 14 through September 12, 2023. Gallery spaces are located on the third and fourth floors of building 13 (located at W. Fifth and S. Perry Streets in downtown Dayton). The galleries are free and open to the public from 8 am – 6 pm  Monday–Friday and 9 am – 12:00 pm Saturdays.

PRIDE Community Day

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As part of Pride Month celebrations, the DAI will welcome all in the community to the museum on Sunday, June 25, with a special Pride Community Day.
On Pride Community Day, the museum will offer free admission to the collection galleries and a unique Pride Gallery Guide celebrating LGBTQIA+ artists in the collection. Read more about exhibitions. The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. on June 25.

Artist Call for 2D or 3D Wall Art For UD’s Roger Glass Center for the Arts

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The University of Dayton (UD), supported by The Contemporary Dayton (The Co), is seeking submissions for qualifications from artists to create new large-scale 2D or 3D wall work OR submit existing work for UD’s new performing and visual arts center, The Roger Glass Center for the Arts. There are 4 locations identified for commissioned workArtists interested in contributing to the new performing and visual arts center now have until July 1, 2023, to submit their application, available at codayton.org/events/calls-for-entry.

The Co is administering the RFQ through their ArtSource program, providing consultation, commissions, and installation of artist’s work for local business and non-profit organizations. The University of Dayton Roger Glass Center for the Arts seeks to bring together the vibrant artistic community and provide a space that nurtures creativity and innovation. The Center is seeking both large-scale 2D and 3D artwork, showcasing the talents of local and national artists.

Interested artists can choose to create new large-scale 2D or 3D wall works specifically for the Roger Glass Center for the Arts or submit existing works that align with the center’s vision. The center offers four locations for commissioned works, providing artists with a range of possibilities to make their artistic mark.

Eligibility

• Artists must be at least 18 years old.
• Must live (or have lived) in the Dayton Area
• UD Faculty and Alumni are encouraged to apply.
• Artists must have documented experience
completing comparable projects on time and on budget.
• Artists must have 3 references (names and contact information required)
• Members of The Committee are ineligible to apply.

RFQ Selection Criteria

• RFQs will be blind-juried (artist’s names will be hidden).
• Quality and scale of past work.
• Thoughtful, understandable, and creative vision of Concept Document.
Phase II: Final Designs

Semi-finalist Artists will be selected to submit a final design. Semi-finalists will also be invited to a site visit and tour to ask questions to inform the artwork proposal.

TIMELINE:

RFQ SUBMISSION DEADLINE  July 1, 2023

SEMI-FINALIST NOTIFICATION July 2023

SEMI-FINALIST SUBMISSION DEADLINE August 2023

WINNING DESIGN AWARDS: $2,500-$7,500 per location including all materials

PRODUCTION September-October, 2023

INSTALLATION & EVENT October 2023

For more information about the Roger Glass Center for the Arts and to access the RFQ guidelines, please visit codayton.org/events/calls-for-entry.

Free Admission For Moms at DAI Sunday

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Mother’s Day is tomorrow and The Dayton Art Institute  has an extraordinary treat from the museum for all the amazing moms out there!

Bring your mom to the museum this Sunday, May 14th, as they extend our heartfelt appreciation to mothers everywhere with FREE admission for all moms! It’s their way of saying “thank you” for the love, care, and endless support you provide.The DAI  invite you to immerse yourselves in a world of inspiration, where art and love intersect. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to make your Mother’s Day truly special. Spread the word and invite your friends to join the celebration!

Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, Ohio 45405

Wednesday 11 AM – 5 PM
Thursday 11 AM – 8 PM
Friday 11 AM – 5 PM
Saturday 11 AM – 5 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 5 PM

Admission:
Adults: $15
Seniors (60+), Active Military, Groups (10 or more): $10
College Students (18+ with ID) & Youth (ages 7-17): $5
Children (ages 6 & younger): Free
Museum Members: Free

Grand Opening of Black Palette Art Gallery

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Renowned fine artist, graphic designer, art educator, and consultant James Pate will now add gallerist to his robust resume. Pate, along with his partner in life and business, multi-dimensional entrepreneur Shola Odumade, will open Black Palette Art Gallery on the main corridor of the Historic Wright Dunbar Business District.

The grand opening celebration on April 21st will include a ribbon cutting & dedication ceremony at 11am and an opening reception from 5-10pm featuring interactive art-making, refreshments, live music, and fine artwork & retail merchandise for sale. All festivities are free and open to the public.

Art production, consumption, education, and consulting are at the core of Pate and Odumade’s vision for the space. They endeavor to provide an inspirational and immersive art experience, promote artists and help springboard careers, and be a conduit for community building and holistic prosperity.

Black Palette’s inaugural exhibit features selected original works by Pate. Future exhibitions will spotlight an all-encompassing array of local, regional, national, and international artists and showcase a broad assortment of art genres, subject matter, mediums, and materials. In addition to serving as an art showroom and studio, the gallery will be a vibrant hub for a wide range of programming and activities, including workshops, gallery talks, pop-up events, live performances, film screenings, first Friday happy hours, art collector groups, exhibit road trips, public & private functions, and more.

The name Black Palette has layered significance that not only embodies reverence for a people and their unparalleled depth and breadth of creativity and culture; but, on a wider scale, is a nod to the financial term “in the black” and affirms an intention to foster far-reaching economic empowerment, wealth, and solvency via high-quality productivity. It recognizes and honors Black achievement by celebrating, highlighting, and augmenting the profound influence and brilliance of African Americans and their invaluable contributions to artistic and fiscal vitality worldwide.

Black Palette Art Gallery

1139 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45402

937- 723- 1906

Hours:
Thursday – Saturday 11:00 am–6:00 pm
Sunday 12:00–5:00 pm

Artist of the Week: Terry Hitt

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Terry is 88, and still paints in his studio two or three days a week. He says he loves working at K12 because “it’s filled with so much good energy and there are artists of all ages to talk to.”

Terry Hitt in His downtown studio at @k12galleryandtejas

 

When I first photographed and wrote about Terry seven years ago I called him a philosopher painter. That was partly because he was a pastor before becoming an art professor at the University of Dayton. It was also because of one of his past art projects, which I learned more about during my visit to Terry’s studio last week.
When he was teaching at UD, Terry and then eventually some of his students did a series of drawings of some of Dayton’s homeless people. The drawings were exhibited under the title “Portraits of Homelessness” and received national attention.
As he was starting this project I learned that Terry got advice from one of the twentieth century’s greatest photographers, Gordon Parks, about how to build a connection with his subjects. As it turned out, those connections continued after Terry’s art project was concluded. Terry told me how he was able to help some of the people he had sketched and also about how the project led him to some interesting adventures. If you want to know more you’ll have to drop by K12 some afternoon when Terry is painting.

Dayton at Work and Play: Cornell Studio Supply

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Before I met Stephanie Beiser Ceramics I had no idea that Cornell Studio Supply  was such a cool place. They have hosted workshops by some of the country’s top ceramic artists.

To get a feel for the quality of the artists who have come to Cornell you just need to look through its “boneyard.” It’s filled with items that have been made by the artists in their workshops and then bisque fired. But they haven’t been glazed and had a final firing. They are stuck in-between.
The boneyard item on the left is about three feet high. It was made by Seattle artist George Rodriguez, known for his large scale ceramic sculptures. A group of his pieces has just been installed at the Kansas City Airport. Stephanie showed her piece on the right where she is using some ideas she picked up from watching Geirge Rodriguez.
If you’re interested in ceramic art, this is a good time to visit Cornell. They’re exhibiting work by 30 past workshop instructors this month.

Cornell Studio Supply

8290 N Dixie Dr, Dayton
(937) 454-0357
Tuesday 9am – 4:30pm 
Wednesday  9am – 7pm 
Thursday. 9am – 4:30pm 
Friday 9am – 4:30pm 
Saturday 9am – 4:30pm

Workshops, Firing Services, Kiln Repair