Looking About is an article written by Jane Black monthy for "ART EVERYWHERE." You can follow Jane on www.twitter.com at lookingabout. ART EVERYWHERE Publishes on the Wednesday before "First Friday" every month by the Dayton City Paper.

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Stolen stories, records of change and repetition (February 2-8, 2011)
By Jane A. Black

Alchemy sounds like science and feels like magic; sometimes art strikes me the same way. A faculty show seems a prosaic idea. In short, such exhibitions don’t often rise to the level of delight. They can be a decent survey of the department, but rarely capture a more subtle and complete reading of each artist represented. And though alchemy does not really turn base metal into gold, it still brings to mind enchantment; and that can be – and should be – within the realm of art. Perhaps the magic of the current show at Wright State University is that instead of showing a couple pieces by each of the faculty’s fine artists, it hones in on the work of three of its members: Diane Fitch, Tracy Longley-Cook and Danielle Rante.  

The Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries are tucked into the campus’ Creative Arts Center in such a way that I wonder how many people never find this wonderful space. It is one of the great places in Dayton to view art. Every show is beautifully conceived, installed, lighted and explicated.

In what feels like an anteroom, a small survey of the artists’ work greets you … a couple of oils on canvas by Fitch, three large, circular photographs by Longley-Cook and three cut-paper ruminations by Rante, along with another of her works that layers graphite and paint over carefully excised patterns.

Stepping into the main room, with its expansive height and additional upper-level gallery, there is opportunity to more deeply explore the concerns and practice of each artist. Fitch’s work is most broadly represented; perhaps because she has been through a particularly fruitful period, having had a year’s sabbatical, some of which was spent in Europe.

At first glance, nearly every one of her drawings and paintings feels firmly rooted in time. Some melt a bit into frenetic overlay of activity, or are softer, more atmospheric – but in general, they feel solidly realistic. Only upon study does one realize the level of fancy within the narration, the twisting of time and embedded symbolism in the paintings, always sublimely executed. Her children and other costumed figures inhabit cathedrals and living rooms, playing out “stolen stories” from history. Everything is fabricated, imagined, stitched together … yet it seems so real. It’s artifice. It’s magic.

Two bodies of work by Longley-Cook vary so greatly, it almost feels as if a fourth artist is included. While she characterizes them as unrelated, I always expect to find at least a single apparent thread leading from one body of work to another. Gallery director Tess Cortés suggested texture, which is accurate – and an interesting way, in fact, to view all three artists’ work. Still, I sense there is something else I haven’t yet found; clearly, I need to follow Longley-Cook’s output if I want to figure it out. In any case, a group of color still-life photographs from Portugal undulate like the air on a hot summer day, evoking the temperatures she encountered on a short residency there. The other photos are stark and clinical by comparison. After you peruse theblack-and-white images she characterizes as maps recording a moment in time, be sure you understand how they were made. It may change your perception of what you have seen.

Rante says she finds bits of the world that interest her and repeats them. Indeed, her objects are a marvel of technique. There is also a linear quality and obsessiveness that converse particularly well with Fitch’s drawings. Rante’s cut paper jumps into relief through the shadows they throw, also relating to Longley-Cook’s color photos that focus on positive and negative compositions delineating how tenuous living things occupy space.

All in all, this is a very satisfying iteration of three artists exploring the world, stealing stories, mapping self and finding patterns … well worth taking a trip to campus for some looking about.

The 2011 Faculty Exhibition at the Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries, Wright State University, is on view through March 6. For more information, visit http://www.wright.edu/artgalleries.

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Upwardly Mobile (December 29-January 4, 2011)
Nudging everybody skyward
By Jane A. Black

If I’ve heard him say it once, I’ve heard him say it a hundred times – “I walk on the shoulders of my ancestors.” Willis “Bing” Davis never forgets that he is not in this alone. And in my opinion, his greatest skill of all is helping others see that they are not alone, either. Bing remembers that he didn’t get here without a lot of help, and he knows his real job is not art or teaching, but helping others move forward along their paths, as he walks his own.
Everyone I know admires this larger-than-life guy, who seems to be and do it all. He spans an amazing range, and not just because he’s so darn tall. Sitting in a meeting with him the other day, he casually mentioned something he has quietly pulled off – something that is difficult and remarkable.  And he has made look so easy. I know it’s not.

It has to do with the Dayton Public School’s Boys Preparatory Academy at Roosevelt Commons. Back when the whole community was still arguing about whether it was better to hang on to beautiful old Roosevelt High, or if we should create something new, Bing was busy with an idea that would feed the need for the new while honoring the past. He was deep into creating the “Dayton Skyscrapers” project.

Like a lot of things, this art initiative grew out of a one-off in 2006, when 17 regional African-American artists observed the 100th anniversary of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar’s death by creating artworks inspired by his poems. If we can commemorate one great Daytonian, thought Bing, why not others? So he presented the concept to his colleagues, asking each to pick an important local figure, past or present, research his or her accomplishments, and create a work of art about this “Skyscraper.”

This led to three years of public exhibitions at Bing’s gallery, EbonNia, in the Schuster Center Wintergarden, and at the corporate headquarters of Dayton Power & Light. And then, again, the project morphed into something even better. With a new school in the works, Bing shepherded through the presentation and sale of the pieces to DPS, ensuring a permanent public display of this living art history lesson in the beautiful new building designed by Lorenz + Williams, Inc. (now known as LWC Inc.). I missed the open house on Dec. 5, but I stopped in the other day to see the outcome, and it is something.

More than 60 original artworks by 16 artists (Curtis Barnes Sr., Abner Cope, Dwayne Daniel, Clifford Darrett, ‘Bing’ Davis, Jerome Ingram, Lois Fortson, Robert Parkey III, James Pate, Thelma Patterson, William Pettiford III, Paula Ramey, Lauren Scott, Francis Turner, Reginald Weaver and Ronnie Williams) are prominently displayed in the public elementary school. These two- and three-dimensional pieces are not relegated to a single room, but are interwoven with bulletin boards, drinking fountains and lockers. They are beautiful faces watching over these young boys, encouraging responsibility and achievement.

Clearly it’s a project that has benefited a number of artists and will go on to influence, enlighten and strengthen a lot of kids for a lot of years. And when Bing talks about the project, what he comes back to again and again is that it’s replicable, a model for something that could happen in cities all over the country.

And now, it’s time for “Sky-4,” as the reminder tacked up on the wall in Bing’s studio abbreviated it. The next exhibit commemorating Dayton’s leaders is on view at EbonNia Gallery, 1135 W. Third St., through Jan. 28. It will be seen at the Schuster Center Feb. 1-28 and at DP&L headquarters March 1-28. But don’t miss “Sky 1, 2 and 3,” gracing the walls at the new school at 2014 W. Third St., which also includes repurposed architectural features from the original high school. You won’t find a more inspiring place to look at art. 

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Ode to Ink (December 1-7, 2010)
Must is a must
By Jane A. Black

You have to be a printmaker to really feel that headline, to understand the joy of ink: that viscous, odorous liquid paste. You would have to be a Dayton printmaker (or art aficionado) to get the subhead. It refers to one of our local treasures, Ray Must, who I’ll get to later.

Of course, in addition to the printmakers, journalists may have lifted an eyebrow upon reading that title, as they also say ink runs in their veins. I’m about three steps removed from being able to claim either of those professions, though I’ve dabbled heavily in both. Without doubt, I still crave a hard copy of the news. I certainly have an appetite for prints, as well as an understanding of and admiration for printmaking; and I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for that special breed of artists who embrace blackened fingers and have the ability to think in reverse.

If you are one of the print savvy, or if you’d like to find out about an art form that is every bit as challenging as oil painting but can be collected for a who-o-o-ole lot less, you will be where I will be during the first weekend in December – at the Dayton Printmakers Cooperative’s Annual sale. I have a lovely Craig Martin etching and an amazing piece by Sally Kurtz (stitched together prints!) purchased from this event in years gone by. Who knows what treasure I will take home this year?

The two-day sale is bi-locating for the first time, bringing a selection of things to the currently-for-rent office space across the entryway from the Dayton Visual Arts Center, at 118 N. Jefferson St. While you won’t get to see the presses and such, the downtown location is more accessible than the Co-op’s second-story, walk-up loft. The sale at the Co-Op is a little bigger, though, so I plan to go to both. The Dayton Printmakers Co-Op is located at 913 N. Keowee St., at the intersection of Webster, across from the Kroc Center. Hours are Friday, Dec. 3, 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 4, 1-4 p.m.

Founded in 1983 to provide a place with the necessary space and presses to create hand-pulled lithographs and etchings, the Co-Op is member-supported through monthly dues. They have student and recent graduate rates, and co-op members run workshops periodically on a variety of techniques. They’ve added a silk screening studio, and I believe open studio hours are to be announced soon, too. Certainly the place has been reinvigorated with new blood in the past few years, but there are also members who have consistently used the workspace throughout its existence.

One of these illustrious printmakers is Ray Must, who will be demonstrating woodblock printing on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Keowee location during the second day of the print sale. Ray is inventive, witty and acerbic – and a consummate educator. You will learn a lot.

Andrea Starkey is a newer member of the Co-Op who has been very active in the past couple of years. (She worked with five other Co-Op artists to create the fabulous letterpress Film Dayton posters last May.) Andrea will be demonstrating twice this weekend! On Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., she will be at the Jefferson St. space. And on Friday night, 5-8 p.m., she will be across the entry at DVAC, along with Matt Burgy, J. Austin Jennings and Lisa Wolters. So you can learn about printmaking, sculpture, collage and ceramics all at one time, and barely a hop, skip and a jump away from the Co-Op’s secondary location for this year’s print sale. Stop on by.

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All the Pieces Fit (November 3-9, 2010)
K12 Gallery is embedded in the city
By Jane A. Black

Shimmering along Fifth Street, across the street from Stivers School for the Arts, is a lovely addition to the city landscape. The historic neighborhood of St. Anne’s Hill is fortunate to have a beautiful new community art project in its heart.

I was aware that something was to be installed on the low concrete walls that front a parking lot for the building that houses Dayton Liederkranz-Turner, Dayton's oldest German organization. It seems everyone was in agreement that it was time to freshen the faded murals that had been painted years before. As with most successful undertakings, it begins with a person who has some skin in the game. And in this case, that person is St. Anne’s resident Jerri Stanard, who is also the founder and director of K12 Gallery for Young People.

“About five years ago, I asked them about the murals,” said Jerri. “Those walls seemed like the perfect canvas to create something big enough to stick.” She hopes, too, it will encourage others to spruce things up further along East Fifth Street, which she rightly calls a bit of an eyesore. 

Somewhere along the way, I had heard those inventive and ambitious folk at K12 were creating a massive glass mosaic in front of the distinctive Leiderkranz Hall on the corner of Fifth and Henry streets. Depicting thematic elements from Dayton’s Germanic history and the civic organization’s start as a singing club in 1890, the new artwork offers a glimpse of what can happen when more than 150 volunteers contribute to creating a neighborhood gateway.

Working from drawings created by lead artist Jess McMillan in August 2009, this realistic tribute to German culture includes multi-generational, family-focused images of people singing, sewing, knitting, riding horseback and selling newspapers. About 35 10-to-16-year-olds did the lion’s share of the glass cutting and setting. They are part of the after school Artists in Training program that K12 has been running for 18 years. Jerri said program manager Kelly Sexton was really pleased by how the kids took ownership, showed a great deal of dedication and were determined to finish the project.

Jerri knows how to get things done, having created two other large art projects with funding from the MetLife Foundation, for the Webster St. Market and Habitat for Humanity. And she believes the more people who contribute to the project, the better. So, members of the neighborhood association were tapped to help get approvals from the local contingent. Drawings were enlarged to full size at Digital Fringe, located just up the street from K12, at the Front Street Studios complex. Glass was “imported” from Busy Beaver in Beavercreek. Local artists and community members were invited to work side by side with the kids. Oregon District architects Earl Reeder and Karen Planet of Earl Reeder Associates put their heads together with Tom Budde of Budde Sheet Metal Works, and they came up with a solution for how to hang the five massive panels, each weighing between 200 and 300 pounds.

And aptly, on Labor Day weekend, a large group turned out to grout the panels in. My one asthetic question revolved around the question of why one panel is smaller than the rest. Of course, Jerri had an answer. K12 is offering commemorative plaques for $100, made by local potter Bill Foremen, to help underwrite the project. It’s not too late to buy one!

Speaking of conglomerations, don’t forget that this is the time of year local galleries and arts centers create a mosaic of gifts made by area artists for the benefit of holiday shoppers. The Dayton Visual Arts Center has been mounting its ARTtoBUY Holiday Gift Gallery for 18 years and stocks work by more than 75 artists. Of late, it has been joined by The Cannery, which offers “Live Art, Give Art” with 50 artists. The way all these little pieces fall together make it fun to be in Dayton.

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A Pocketful of Pretty (September 29-October 5, 2010)
There’s a south suburban art escalation going on.
By Jane A. Black

Fall is a nice time to visit the ’burbs – all the leaves turning color on those towering trees. Combine it with a trip to the south-of-town galleries, and you have a great October weekend ahead.

With a short drive down State Rte. 48 (aka Far Hills Avenue), from that main artery’s intersection with I-675 to just past Spring Valley Road, you can hit at least four galleries. I started at a storefront in Cross Pointe Centre, the farthest point north and closest to downtown Dayton, my center point. This gallery has been a favorite of mine since I moved back to Dayton, and has been bringing the best of contemporary American craft to the same location for thirty years!

ZIGZAG Gallery’s history is intertwined with that of one of the co-owners, Kim Megginson, who worked in the shop for 13 years as a buyer and retail specialist before purchasing it seven years ago. And does she have the eye! Kim ferrets out jewelry, creative clothing, pottery, and unique accent pieces from hundreds of small studios all across the country. The gallery also carries Pandora jewelry and sweet somethings from a variety of international fair trade organizations.

Kim has always been active in supporting American Craft Week, which runs this year from Oct. 1-10. Yes, I know – it’s more than a week, but the extra days allow for events both weekends. On Oct. 1, the shop’s annual “Soup for CERF” event will raise money for the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, a national organization that supports artists who have suffered a catastrophic loss. For just $10, you will pick out an artist-made ceramic bowl to keep, then fill it with soup donated by Flavors Eatery, Culinary Co. and other local restaurants. Pile on some bread, wine and brownies, and enjoy the event, which runs from 5-8 p.m.; Kim says, “Come early for the best selection!”

Other events at ZIGZAG include:
•    Kevin Tunstall demonstrating wheel-thrown pottery – Saturday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 
•    “Fabulous Friday” with Becka Strachan of “eye4dtale” with a trunk show of one-of-a-kind clothing – Friday, Oct. 8 4-7 p.m.
•    A “Meet the Artists” event with Greg Neal of Lebanon and Pamela Mattei of “DyeSigns” – Saturday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Continuing south on 48, you will come to the two-story Wind Fine Art Gallery, at 7300 Far Hills Ave., owned by Kee Hee Lee. They have mounted an encore exhibition of two-dimensional pieces by Russian painter Anna Razumovskaya. There will be a reception and demonstration on Friday, Oct. 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. (That makes three Fridays in a row you can find something fun and artistic to do in Centerville.)

Next on the tour is Visceral Gallery. Jog right at the light when you get to the center of town, and a few blocks down, at 65 W. Franklin St., you’ll find Francine and Terry Riley’s labor of love. This two-room gallery features a new show every single month that opens on “Third Friday,” Centerville’s monthly art hop night. The current show, “Color Restrained 2: A Black & White Fine Art Exhibit,” runs through Oct. 12. The show was juried by Gary Hinsche, executive vice president and creative director of Sabatino|Day and a sculptor. The opening was jam-packed, and Francine clearly loves the artists she is working with. Media ranges from photography to glass to ceramic, with a welcome and rare emphasis on drawing that pleased me tremendously. 

Synesthesia Gallery is a multi-sensory gallery located within Wasson Music Center, our farthest point south, just off Far Hills at 35 Marco Lane.

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White space (July 28-August 3, 2010)
To be or not to be?
By Jane A. Black

I loathe writing about exhibitions I haven’t yet seen, and rarely do. How artwork is presented matters. The feel of the room, the lighting and spacing; and the relationships of color, form and content that occur as you walk from one piece and encounter the next; these elements greatly affect how I see the work. Undoubtedly, truly great art can overcome almost any impediment. It will shine through grime or chaos with a presence that is unmistakable. But when you take that piece into a great setting – well, it will defy words and knock you off your feet.

So, this column is definitely an anomaly. It’s about the side-by-side solo shows opening on Aug. 6 at Gallery 510 in the Oregon Arts District. I’m intrigued by the pairing of two artists, Amy Kollar Anderson and Bridgette Bogle, whose work I know quite well.

I talked with gallery owner/artist Loretta Puncer, who wisely suggested the artists talk about their own work; Amy and Bridgette are both incredibly articulate. While Loretta tends to step out of the limelight, one of the reasons I feel confident in recommending this show is that she is dedicated to creating respectful exhibitions of local art. And I like that Loretta features at least one new artist every First Friday and is always looking for new artists to add to the 24 she represents.  I know I can count on a nice presentation when I visit her space – and as I said, it’s a really interesting pairing.

Amy has named her show “The Laboratory,” encompassing various bodies of work that illustrate her fascination with science and pseudo-science. “My work uses the beauty of color and ornamentation to entice the viewer to explore an image that they might normally find disturbing.” 

Bridgette’s calling her show “Color Extend” (from the text on a bottle of hair conditioner), and it’s also a compendium of various bodies of work. Her series depict mundane subject matter (beer bottles, clouds, damask patterns) in vivid color, which “has an enlivening presence in all the work – hopefully invigorating that which goes unnoticed … becoming more the subject of the work than the original inspiration.” 

Both Bridgette and Amy are dedicated painters. When I ask what’s new, I learn how a body of work I know is evolving or am delighted to hear about a new strand that is developing. The one thing that really defines an artist, in my opinion, is putting in the studio time.  They share this characteristic, as well as a truly of-the-moment aesthetic, and, as Amy put it: “Both Bridgette and I focus heavily on color and patterning in our work … we both play with unconventional colors like metallics and neons, then pair them next to contrasting patterns to increase the intensity of both.”

But, as you can see from the images, the glaring difference is white space, an intrinsic element in art, by inclusion or omission. I’m drawn into a comparison, seeing so much, and none. I examine the importance of gesture and line in Bridgette’s paintings that are as direct and fresh and personal as drawings. I marvel at the amazing spatial relationships that run ever deeper in Amy’s canvases, as one highly detailed passage smacks up against the next. I walk back and forth and feel the difference. In my head, of course. That’s why I can’t wait to see the show.

You can also see one each of Amy’s and Bridgette’s paintings at DVAC through August 19 in “Darkness: The 19th Annual Open Members’ Show,” which is open until 8 p.m. on First Friday (Aug. 6) and features 5-minute, back-to-back gallery talks by some of the 172 artists in the show, starting at 5:30 p.m. I’m happy to count these two fine local artists among our long-time, active members.

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Springfield Rocks! (June 30-July 6, 2010)
Getting down to earth
By Jane A. Black

Yes. Springfield, Ohio rocks. No, it’s not Cleveland, which also certainly rocks. It’s a funny thing about cities. Those who live in the biggest one make fun of what’s in the next biggest one, make fun of what’s in the next biggest one, ad infinitum. Clevelanders poo-poo Cincinnati; Cincinnatians knock Dayton; Daytonians sniff at Springfield; Springfieldites mock Bellefontaine. But I think anywhere you go, you can find art – something that is original and inspired and fully executed. The medium, genre or style is secondary, and an offbeat location is as good (or better) than an expected one.  There’s art everywhere.

Last weekend, I found some great art in Springfield, and, it rocked in every sense. I was in Clark County three-for-four, as I also drove up on Thursday for the next-to-last show from our local traditional-yet-innovative dance-and-music ensemble, Rhythm in Shoes. They performed at the beautiful Veteran’s Park Amphitheater, giving a tight, heartfelt show as part of the Springfield Arts Festival, which runs through July 17. RIS’s final, final, FINAL performance will be at the Cityfolk Festival on July 4. I don’t need to tell you to be there or be square; Rhythm in Shoes knows how to rock.

On Saturday, I headed northeast again for a couple of fine events. One celebrated something that is only in the area until fall, but the other will grace southwest Ohio for many generations to come.
On June 26, there was only one place to be: the Grand Opening of the Hartman Historical Rock Garden. This glorious backyard artwork was created by Ben Hartman, who lived in Springfield in the early 1930s. Like lots of guys, he was out of work during the Great Depression, but he definitely wasn’t the sitting-around type. Being a mold-maker, he decided to build a concrete fish pond in his backyard. He lined the edges in stonework, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. The pond was followed by concrete walkways graced with pebbly planters and rock-covered replicas of historical buildings. Soon he was adding statuary, ranging from multiple Madonnas to farm animals, a khaki-faced, black-gloved Santa Clause and a pick axe wielding troll, all in close proximity to frogs and chickens. The crowning glory is a concrete picket fence.

Two years ago, this fantabulous wonderland was a crumbling mess, a nearly lost treasure. It was days from the auction block when Hartman’s granddaughter contacted Terri Yoho, Executive Director of Wisconsin’s Kohler Foundation. Since the late 1970s, the preservation of folk architecture, art environments, and collections by self-taught artists has been a major thrust of the Foundation. But as Terri said at the opening, the Foundation did something in this case they had never done before – they bought the place sight unseen, without a community partner to whom they would gift the restored site. Aren’t we all lucky Terri took a chance with her own job?

On Sunday, The Springfield Art Museum held a lovely champagne reception for “Regional Dialect: American Scene Paintings from the John and Susan Horseman Collection,” which will remain on view through Sept. 4. The collectors visited from their home in St. Louis, and accepted accolades all around for their well-thought-out collection of paintings that encompass a similar slice of American history (a bit earlier, from the early teens of the 20th century).  If you enjoyed the recent California Impressionism show at the Dayton Art Institute, visit this one.

Long ago, I realized that I am drawn to artwork that is transitional in some way – within an era or an artist’s body of work, or both. So it wasn’t a surprise that my favorite piece had an unmistakably modern feel to it, speaking to the transition the world was just beginning to experience.  But, I had to laugh that it fit so tightly into the weekend’s theme, with its subject matter of rocks on a hillside!

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“IT WAS BUMPIN" (June 2-8, 2010)
Warm bodies are the key
By Jane A. Black

I have to begin with a big shout-out to the Downtown Dayton Partnership for taking the time to build something splendid in the city – and it’s not a building. It’s a crowd.

We are just winding down from Urban Nights, which gets wilder and swings harder every six months. This spring was over-the-top for Patrick, Janelle and me (“Team DVAC,” as we like to say). Having just come off our Annual Art Auction on the last Friday of April, we were hosting (along with Victoria Theatre Association) thousands of people on the roof of the Arts Garage for Steamroller Printing, while simultaneously opening a show I co-curated at the DVAC gallery. I wish I could have been both places all evening, as well as among the throngs in the Oregon District and at The Cannery; at The Sideshow, which had people lining up out the door; on Courthouse Square for music and more; and in the partying-est place of all, Wright Dunbar.  

The title quote is from my friend Ed, who can smell a party a mile away. His assessment made me think about what most people say after these biannual bacchanals. One: I wasn’t able to get to everything I wanted to see/do. And, two: Why can’t it be like this every night? You know, the answer is the same for both concerns. Don’t wait six more months before you come back downtown. Pick a day or night every week; meet friends; have some fun; make it a habit. Then you’ll have plenty of time to see the things you want to see – the restaurants, galleries and shops are here all the time. All that’s missing most of the time is people on the street. What makes it a party, of course, is the crowd.

I suggest starting this Friday, when the Partnership kicks off a whole summer of special programming on First Fridays. Artists are being engaged to provide street-and-venue entertainment around a monthly theme, thanks to grants from Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District and the Ohio Arts Council and the work of the Wonderful (Kristen) Wicker.  In June, it’s “Urban Outdoors.”  Rumor has it that restaurants will be offering patio “speed seating specials.” I’m sure you can find details on the DDP Web site – there’s a link to it at www.daytoncitypaper.com.

Another component in June will be “Fresh Art,” an annual en plein aire (French for “in the open air”) event, led this year by J. Austin Jennings. Visual artists will set up around town to paint, draw, sculpt or shoot while you watch. If you like the piece an artist is making, make them an offer!  But let them keep it until the following morning, when the artists will convene for a group critique. You are welcome to come hear what they have to say about each other’s work; the critique is at DVAC, on East Jefferson between First and Second streets, 10 a.m.

If you prefer daytime, try RiverScape Metro Park on June 11, for the annual United Rehabilitation Services Rubber Duck Regatta, which pairs up with Cookout for Scouting. URS has developed a new art-related component to their event. Local artists gathered earlier this month to work with clients, creating duck-themed artwork. Learn more about this event from the link posted to the Dayton City Paper Web site. 

So – lots of art in interesting places and partnerships downtown … and all around Dayton, for that matter. Since a trip to the south of France isn’t exactly in my budget, I’m definitely planning to enjoy Richard Mantia’s canvases of that countryside at Visceral Gallery in Centerville. Just remember – the art is out there. Grab some friends, hit the galleries, and you have just the kind of party you’ve been looking for.

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Side by Side (May 5-11, 2010)
Storefront twins, paired-up places and other collaborations
By Jane A. Black

Like most walkers, I love peering in windows while I am out looking about. Wait … did I just admit to being a voyeur? Let’s call it a tendency toward observation. I think there is a little bit of that in all of us; maybe a little extra in visual artists. When I look in the windows while I walk around downtown, I’m always grateful when they are filled with art! I am especially happy when there are a couple of places in a row where I can cast my eye.

One artist space/shop that has been around for a while is H. David Clay Studio and Gallery on St. Clair Street, near the corner of Fourth. Just a hop from the downtown branch of the Dayton Metro library, it is filled with truly spectacular ceramic pieces created by former educator David Kirchner. I happened to catch him in the shop the other day, and he showed me some of his newest hand-built work with a most interesting white glaze. He also told me about a fun collaboration he is starting on May 19 with Walk! Downtown Dayton. He is donating 20 mugs to people who make walking a part of their daily routine. Just stop by the studio 20 times during an 8-week period, between 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on any weekday except Thursday. If you are in the first score of walkers to do so, voila! You are the owner of a new, handmade mug. (BTW, there’s a “Walk Dayton” Web site with a bunch of different routes you can take, including an art crawl – there’s a link to it from the DCP Web site.)

David has held this corner of downtown on his own for a long time, but since January 2009, he’s had a neighbor just one storefront over. Sandra’s Art Emporium offers an eclectic mix, kinda traditional and kinda contemporary, with statuary and paintings surrounding the jewelry made by owner Sandra Salyer-Miller and other locals. If you are going to pop into one spot, you’ll sure want to pop in the other.  

That “hoteling” is the best part about the Oregon District. With its narrow brick street that is easy to cross and an almost full streetscape of mixed retail, it’s one of Dayton’s best city neighborhoods, and always a fun place to walk around if you like art, good food and interesting pre-owned items. Along with a number of antique shops, Dayton’s oldest Goodwill store is on Fifth; the nicest people work there, and it is open practically all the time.

There’s a new side-by-side on Fifth Street, three artists in two storefronts. They scooted down Wayne from the Cannery a month ago. Elaine Balsley, Paula Vasquez and Nancy C. Snyder are now next to Link Gallery. I stopped in just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday and caught Elaine’s husband, Worth, there, who was “playing carpenter.” The shops both look great, and will be a fine place to find something special for Mother’s Day. While you’re there, cross the street to Gallery 510 – owner Loretta Puncer said you’ll find new metal-and-resin jewelry from Eileen Sutton of Philadelphia, in addition to a nice line-up of local art. Head west and turn the corner on Brown, and you will see Ann Kim’s work at the Color of Energy gallery. I mentioned her biology-and-mark-making-mash-up in my column a couple of months ago, when she had a piece at Link. It’s fun to see stuff moving around like that … just like it’s fun to move yourself around.

Speaking of moving and collaborations, don’t miss the partnership on May 14 between the Dayton Visual Arts Center and Victoria Theatre Association that involves moving inked linoleum blocks, paper and steamrollers around. Find us in the Arts Garage during Urban Nights, 6 to 10 p.m..

So – get out, take a walk. Enjoy the amazing light on these cool spring days. Look in the windows and imagine them ALL full of art.

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Museum Month (March 31-April 6, 2010)
Trading Light for Light
By Jane A. Black

It amazed me, when I became  director of the Dayton Visual Arts Center, that all the jobs I had run through, which seemed to be wholly unrelated at the time, are part of what I do now … artist, writer, cook, bartender/waitress, marketing publications editor, engine plant tour guide. I would add an earlier activity to that list – cheerleading, because forced positivism can be a plus in my line of work. But I’m not just being a cheerleader when I say Daytonians are lucky to have so many art museums so close by. It’s not Manhattan, where they are a walk away, but I can think of 10 without hesitating that are worth a visit and only a daytrip away. That includes the one in our own front yard.

Don’t forget the one in our backyard, too – the Springfield Museum of Art, currently hosting two super shows featuring regional artists.  Form Figure Function: Contemporary Ohio Clay is only on view through Sunday, April 4.  Up longer, through April 25, is the dynamite exchange of themed, hand-pulled prints, the sixth and last, between the Dayton Printmakers Cooperative and their friends in Japan.  The SMA is in a lovely spot on the banks of Buck Creek, nestled between downtown and Wittenberg University – well worth a visit.

But back to the place I can walk to from DVAC, the Dayton Art Institute. As much as I have been looking forward to seeing All Things Bright & Beautiful, the California Impressionism exhibit, I was disappointed when my planned visit fell on a delightful spring day. It felt wrong to be inside, especially by choice, but I had plans to see the show with Jean Koeller, a thoughtful, engaged, contemporary landscape painter, and Tim Keny (of Keny Galleries in Columbus), an expert in, among other things, 19th and 20th c. American paintings. I knew I was in for a rare treat, to experience these two sensibilities interacting with a third – the voices of the paintings on the wall.

Looking with paintings with a painter – especially an articulate, actively working artist – is incredibly enlightening. And this time, I also got to listen to an art dealer who has looked at millions of paintings with an eye for determining what makes a particular artwork stand out as topnotch. I learned a bunch of things that day … a little bit of history, something about conservation, an anecdote or two. And I burst out laughing when Tim called Clapp “Signac on steroids” – what a line!

I know I’ll be back to see that show again. There are certain paintings I want to feel and listen to again – they really are heartbreakingly beautiful. And I want to keep thinking about Tim and Jean’s murmured comments and conversation. There was the part about paintings breathing that I’m not sure I can see for myself yet.  If you know a painter, ask them for a museum date. It’s worth missing a spring day, and that’s high praise from this walker.

Final notes: Two shows I am heading to soon – an interesting pairing of Susan Byrnes and Francis Schanberger at Rosewood Art Centre in Kettering, April 5-30, and Shark’s Ink, an exhibit of works by a bunch of different artists published by a master printer who turns printmaking on its ear by including really innovative techniques. Bud Shark’s Gallery Talk is on April 18 at 2:30 p.m. See you there (gallery talks are a great place to meet artists with whom you can go look at paintings). And see you at DVAC’ 17th Annual Art Auction, of course, on April 30 – there will be more artists there than you can shake a stick at!