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April 2009
TONIGHT! 8 PM: Monsters of Burlesque!!!
OK, kiddies, here’s something you don’t get to see in Dayton very often: Fresh from the Slipper Room and other cool venues in the Big Apple, the one and only “Monsters of Burlesque” show has arrived in Dayton… They’re playing TONITE at 8 PM till 10 at Gilly’s downtown.
The reason I know they’re there and ready to rock is because (full disclosure!) the troupe involves my brother and my sister-in-law, who do this performance art as a respectful nod to the old days of 1950s-era burlesque… You know, the whole Gypsy Rose Lee, fan and feathers stuff… along with a lot of the power of suggestion. Hint hint, wink wink.
I’ve seen the show in NYC, and it is a lot of fun. We’re heading down right now with some friends to see something that Dayton doesn’t get very often, performance-wise…. See you at the show!!! You won’t regret it.
$10 at the door, btw.
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Light Up Dayton!
Hey, shutterbugs and downtownistas… Just a friendly reminder from the good folks at the Downtown Dayton Partnership that this Friday night is “Light Up Dayton.”
Here’s their news release. See you downtown!
Light Up Dayton Photo Contest: Grab Your Nighttime Shot this Friday Downtown buildings will leave lights on for photo shoot on May 1
DAYTON, April 27, 2009 — The entire community is invited to participate in Light Up Dayton, a photo contest to find some new and distinctive angles of downtown. And this Friday, May 1, photographers will have a chance to capture a brightly lit shot of downtown at night.
Downtown buildings and businesses will be leaving their lights on Friday, May 1, until 11 p.m. so the skyline will glow especially brightly.
All area photographers, amateur and professional alike, are invited to participate. The contest comes as a result of some major changes to downtown’s skyline, including the addition of the CareSource headquarters, a new logo atop KeyBank Tower, and other new points of light.
Photographers can enter the following categories: City of Lights (general skyline); Rivers Run Through It (including the river); Dayton Originals (unique or unusual perspectives); and Street Life (people and places).
A special exhibit of competing photos will be held during the Urban Nights event on Friday, May 15, in the lobby of the Kettering Tower (Second and Jefferson Streets), during which the public may vote for a “People’s Choice” winner. Photographers are also encouraged to upload digital photos to www.DaytonDailyNews.com.
Prizes include $250 awarded to Best in Show winners in amateur and professional divisions. The People’s Choice winner will receive a special prize basket. Winning photos in all categories will be published in the Dayton Daily News.
The Light Up Dayton contest is presented by the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the Dayton Daily News and the City of Dayton. For contest guidelines, go to www.downtowndayton.org, www.daytondailynews.com or www.cityofdayton.org or call the Downtown Dayton Partnership at (937) 224-1518.
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Missing a friend and arts lover
A few years ago when I was the editor in charge of arts and entertainment coverage, my mailbox overflowed with press releases, review CDs, books, faxes and more. I used to spend hours sorting it. After I’d had the job for a while, I started getting letters and postcards from Anne.
At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of Anne Hubler’s correspondence. It was frequent, and truly one of a kind. She saved postcards from long-past art exhibitions, for instance, and filled them with tight scribblings that wound up one margin and down the next. She sent tons of marked-up news clippings. Each time, she signed with a cheerfully lopsided little heart and “Anne.”
Hard as these missives were to dicipher, their content was always worthwhile. Anne was an artist, an arts lover, an arts follower and an arts supporter, and she shared her endless ideas on what was worth seeing and noting on the Dayton-area scene. She suggested stories, and pointed out trends. She offered encouragement about what she liked in our paper, and gently scolded when she thought we had undercovered some worthy event.
I soon learned Anne sent these to dozens and dozens of people around town. All our arts reporters got them, along with artists, donors, administrators. “I think she sent them to anybody she thought could make a difference,” says artist and sculptor Terry Welker of Kettering, who knew Anne for years. “It was flattering on one hand, informative on the other. She was a perennial clipper, and she felt these were important things that, by golly, everybody should join her on.”
“She was totally into recycling, reusing and repurposing things earlier than anyone else, I think,” said Oakwood’s Sharon Weltner, an art quilter.
That carried over into her art, too. Anne was a fiber artist of considerable talent, coming to artmaking later in life. She turned bits of fabric, sewn with the same tight complexity as her handwriting, into mosaic quilts that were quite beautiful. “She made impressionistic art quilts,” Weltner said. “Up close it was a mess, but if you stepped back, it came into focus. People brought her garbage bags full of fabric and scraps; she told me she never bought fabric on her own, and I admired that.” And she was a doer: general manager of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company early on, president of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network, and more.
Anne showed up at everything — theater performances, gallery openings, receptions. I’d seek her out, looking forward to chatting about the work on display to see what I could learn. She knew everybody and had a great eye, along with a real depth of insight. She was always smiling.
A few years ago, Anne suffered a stroke about the time her husband died, and she quietly left her native Dayton to live with her daughters out of state. The postcards would occasionally arrive, but I really missed seeing Anne at the galleries. I wasn’t the only one.
She passed away at age 79 on April 13. In the DDN story on her, Dayton Visual Arts Center director Jane Black, a friend, said of Anne, “She was a rabble-rouser in the best possible way. She was always advocating for artists….”
I like to think she was also advocating for the rest of us, too. Anne Hubler understood, even before she was an artist herself, that being near art in whatever form is one of the things that makes life better and richer, and she wanted as many people to get that as possible.
I miss my friend. Here’s to her life and art, both inextricably linked, and both well done.
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Supreme Court rules: Shakespeare wasn’t!!!
Just in time for the celebration of the Bard’s baptism (April 26), which is a key date since his birth date isn’t known … comes this marvy little piece: The US Supreme Court rules (more or less) that Bill didn’t write his own plays!!!
Read on, McDuff….
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A local Pulitzer connection!
OK, OK, so them dang-nabbed Pulitzer jurors decided to pass on yours truly again, the swine…. When there’s an award for “Silliest Blog Post,” I think I’ll finally be in the running for something.
But still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some small Miami Valley connection to the awards announced Monday.
Here’s a news release just in from the good folks at the Antioch Writer’s Workshop in Yellow Springs. The workshop this year is July 11-17 at Antioch McGregor, and you can get more info at www.antiochwritersworkshop.com.
BTW, I’m on the board (full disclosure!).
Here’s the aforementioned release:
Pulitzer Prize Winner Has Local Connection
YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio—Elizabeth Strout has won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Olive Kitteridge (2008), a collection of connected short stories about a woman and her immediate family and friends on the coast of Maine, published by Random House. Strout was keynote speaker at the Antioch Writers’ Workshop (Yellow Springs, Ohio) in 2007. Strout is also the author of New York Times best-selling Amy and Isabelle, which won the L.A. Times Award for First Fiction among other awards. The novel was made into a television movie by Oprah Winfrey’s production company. Strout is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel Abide with Me.
The Antioch Writers’ Workshop (www.antiochwritersworkshop.com) is presented in partnership with Antioch University McGregor and is funded by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.
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The Cityfolk Festival strikes again!
Cityfolk has announced the lineup of its 12th Cityfolk Festival, which we broke on our website yesterday… You can still see the story here, and you can also find out more about the artists and the rest of the fest at cityfolk.org.
All in all, it looks like a good festival this year, with a couple of headliners that a lot of people know — Ralph Stanley and Bela Fleck — which is not always the case at the folk festival.
Not that that’s a bad thing either way. The strength of Cityfolk and its annual summer festival is that it exposes us to new acts, artists and sounds that we likely wouldn’t know unless we heard about ‘em from Cityfolk. That’s the idea. Sometimes, they bring in a more popular or better-known headliner to drive traffic … but it’s a free event, after all, and the idea is that we can head downtown to find out new stuff without having to be lured by a name we know.
Anyway, the organization always seems to know what it’s doing when it comes to booking, planning and programming, anyway. This year’s festival seems to promise the same lively, entertaining and educational (love that!) mix of sounds from around the nation and the world that we’ve come to expect from Cityfolk.
Got anybody you’re looking forward to seeing?
Do you look forward to the festival?
What’s your favorite part of it, usually?
Any old Cityfolk Festival stories to share?
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Great Guster!
A few stray thoughts and mental amblings from Sunday night’s concert by Guster at UD Arena…
@ First off, it was terrific. Guster are a great live band who know just which of their many strengths to play up: Catchy, hooky pop-rock melodies; cheerful stage banter and an up-close involvement with the audience; first-rate musicianship; tight harmonies; a vast array of multi-instrumentalism that keeps everything interesting and surprising.
@ Speaking of surprises, they dropped the famous guitar break from “Don’t Fear the Reaper” into the middle of the set, of all things. It worked!
@ Their drummer/percussionist, Brian Rosenworcel, is amazing. He plays bongos, congas and cymbols with his hands for most of the band’s songs, and may be the finest rock drummer I’ve ever seen. Incredible to watch, and he adds a rare element to the songs.
@ Interesting that Guster has been able to remain successful through several successive generations of college students. Their original audience is in their mid-30s by now, I’m guessing, but the UD kids last night LOVED these guys.
@ Cool that the show is part of an eco-friendly tour of college campuses promoting green causes, thinking and issues… Nice to see a band trying to affect positive change instead of just picking out the green M&M’s.
@ Opening band Wild Sweet Orange, five guys from Birmingham, Ala., were stupendous. They reminded one of Death Cab for Cutie, with their dreamy, dense, moody arrangements and thoughtful songs, but their singer is much stronger. They put on a wonderful show and were a real surprise, at least to me.
@ The other opener was UD’s own the Jaywalkers, a bunch of local kids who are only on the fourth month or so of being their own band, and who still won the campus Battle of the Bands, earning a shot at the UD Arena stage. They did rather well, too, though I must admit my son is good friends with two of the members. My advice: Use the girl singer more! All in all, though, a great first big show.
Were you there? What did you think?
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Films, film fests and other fun stuff
What is it with lists?
Our film blogger at DaytonDailyNews.com, Eric “Sir Critic” Robinette, wrote this week about Turner Classic Movies and Entertainment Weekly’s list of the “15 Most Influential Films of All Time,” and invited reader comments — which he got in abundance.
The movies were “Birth of a Nation,” “Battleship Potemkin,” “Metropolis,” “42nd Street,” “It Happened One Night,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Citizen Kane,” “Bicycle Thieves,” “Rashomon,” “The Searchers,” “Breathless,” “Psycho” and “Star Wars.” Eric knows his movies, and made a good case for why each of them deserves such recognition.
He also, as did his readers/commenters, noted that the list hardly goes far enough. Among the movies folks felt were also keenly influential? “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Deep Throat,” “Halloween,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Easy Rider,” “The Graduate,” “The Wild Bunch,” “Tron,” “Toy Story,” “Shane,” “Seven Samurai,” “Casablanca,” “Philadelphia,” “Pulp Fiction,” Charlie Chaplin’s early films, and “The Wizard of Oz.” Eric suggested “Titanic,” “Jurassic Park” or “Terminator 2” for their digital-age pioneering.
All that just makes for even more suggestions.
Actually, my main problem with EW’s 15 is that they’re pretty much the same 15 some film prof gave me in college. Not at all faulting the esteemed Sir Critic for pointing this one out, I think lists have had a reductionist effect on actual thought and deep conversation. Anybody else getting list fatigue?
Speaking of films, Dayton has become something of a film-festival mecca all the sudden, with several happening in the next few weeks.
Today at the Neon Movies downtown, you can enjoy Lunafest, billed as a national city-to-city festival of short films about womens’ subjects. From April 22 to May 3, the Dayton Jewish International Film Festival embarks on its ninth year (see the schedule at www.jccdayton.com). It’s always a good event.
The first FilmDayton Festival, featuring films about Dayton, made in Dayton or made by Dayton filmmakers, happens at the Neon May 15-17 (check www.filmdayton.com for times and tickets).
That same weekend, on May 16 at 2 p.m., the sixth Sundog Festival of films by local middle- and high-school students unspools in Yellow Springs at the Little Art Theatre.
Don’t forget they just wrapped up a successful “Reel Stuff” festival of aviation films last month. And the Screenpeace Film Festival, the Dayton GBLT Film Festival and others are all coming our way later this year. How cool is all that?
Speaking of cameras, here’s a fun event coming up for all you photographers out there. The DDN is working with the city of Dayton and the Downtown Dayton Partnership on “Light Up Dayton,” a May 1 opportunity in which the downtown skyline will be all lit up from dusk till 10 p.m. so that you can get great shots of the city. You’ll be able to post your favorites on our website, too. Stay tuned.
Speaking of cool, you’d do well to take in the Guster show at UD Arena Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m. It’s reasonably priced, and the’re a good band. I hear the local opening acts aren’t bad, either.
Speaking of local bands, there’ll be a lot of them playing downtown next weekend (April 24-25) at the first Gem City Jam, a benefit music festival for Glen Helen, to be held at the new Garden Station Community Garden and Art Park at Fourth and Wayne. Details: www.myspace.com/gemcityjam.
Speaking of fun stuff lots of people look forward to, festival season officially kicks off this weekend in Bellbrook, where they’re throwing the Sugar Maple Festival. Mmmmm.
Speaking of speaking of, just remember: Dayton’s a dying city and nothing — nothing, I tell you! — happens here. I just had to mention that.
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Talented young people!
This just in from WDPR-FM (88.1):
Classical 88.1 Announces Six Honorees From Its First Young Talent Search
All six young artists will be interviewed and spotlighted Fridays at 7:55AM and 4:55PM on Classical 88.1 FM. All six winners will also perform in a free concert at University of Dayton’s Sears Recital Hall on May 17 at 3:00PM. Classical 88.1’s First Young Talent Search is sponsored by KeyBank.
Katherine Ballester, 17, Violin In her third season as co-concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Katherine currently studies under Dr. Won-Bin Yim at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. The winner of last year’s David L. Pierson Concerto Competition, Katherine also plays in a string quartet with three of her brothers.
Ina Liu, 15, Violin A sophomore at Centerville High School who began playing the violin when she was only 2, Ina is also a member of the French national Honor Society and a member of the national award-winning Centerville Co-Ed Dance Team. Her mother, Hong Chen, has been her primary teacher, along with her father, Jiang Liu, conductor of the University Orchestra at the University of Dayton. Ina won with her performance of the first movement from the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor.
Kanako Shimasaki, 15, Violin A sophomore at Springfield High School, Kanako began playing the violin at age 4. Kanako spent last summer at the Kennedy Center/ National Symphony Summer Music Institute and is currently a pre-college student of Dr. Won-Bin Yim at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Danielle Snyder, 17, Piano Danielle has been playing the piano since the age of four and performs with many area musical groups and ensembles, including the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and The Muse Machine. A junior at Stivers School for the Arts, Danielle ranks as valedictorian in her class and will attend Interlochen this summer.
Sara Sutton, 17, French Horn A junior at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City, Sara is a third year member of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and played in the 2009 All-State Band, Wright State University Tri-State Honor Band, BGSU Honor Band, and District XI Honor Band. Sara also attended the Interlochen Horn Institute and plans to study Music Performance.
Grant Wareham, 12, Organ A homeschooled 7th grader, Grant is only in his second year of organ studies under Jerry Taylor. Grant is also a member of the Junior String Orchestra, Middletown Youth Symphony, the Kettering Church Orchestra, and the Kettering Praise Ringers.
Honorable Mention/ Alternate: Damian Ballester, 15, violin A cellist since the age of 8, Damian is in his first year in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra after working his way up as the principal cellist of the Junior Strings Orchestra. Winner of last year’s Dayton Philharmonic Volunteers Association’s Solo Competition, Damian has also performed in the Dayton Music Club’s Annual Honors Recital the last two years, winning scholarships on both occasions. Damian is a student of Jane Katsuyama.
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The most influential movies? Check Sir Critic…
My colleague Eric Robinette, aka Sir Critic, has posted on his blog about TCM’s list of the supposed 15 most influential movies of all time…
There’s some good commentary going on there, and I weighed in too on the fun.
Have a looksee and add what you think!
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The New Yorker on media moguls…
OK, OK, so this essay compares us to dinosaurs… I figured that… But it’s an interesting read on the current state of the news biz, anyway…
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Arrrrr: The best thing I’ve read yet on the pirates
Nicely done piece by Tina Brown from The Daily Beast about the Somali pirate rescue op, and what we can learn about it…
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News about the FilmDayton Festival
You may have heard a bit of buzz about the first FilmDayton Festival, coming to the Neon May 15, 16 and 17 and featuring movies and docs made in Dayton, about Dayton or by Daytonians.
Well, tickets are on sale now online. Visit this link and while you’re there, browse the FilmDayton site and become one of our friends, why don’t ya?
Email me or leave a comment if you’ve got any questions about the festival.
cheers, ron
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Toddler races, etc….
Well, the entertainment team was back in full force at Fifth Third Field last night for the Dragons’ opener, and as usual a good time was had by all, or at least seemed to be.
I’ve always wondered if the little kids they draft for the Toddler Races might not end up in therapy someday: “I can see my mom, way far away, but I can’t get to her… And there are all these people yelling, and a hard thing on my head. What’s wrong? Mom!! Mom!” But then, maybe not. It sure is fun to watch the kidlets do their thing, and sometimes they seem to intuitively know just what to do … like the one last night who went straight to the end of the track and dove under the wire. It was a hoot.
Another crowd-pleaser came when they had two young men on opposite ends of a long rubber-band-thingy and they had to pull against one another to reach apples on poles, which they had to grab in their mouths, bite from and drop, without touching them. Sounds silly? It was, and it was also hilarious.
We missed Roofman, but figure he’ll show up sometime this season…
Whoever wears the Gem costume has seriously got her (I assume it’s a her) flirt on… She wandered over into our section and was all coquettish with the men, leaning into them, touching them, etc., and getting good laughs. Actually, it’s probably pretty hard to convey batting one’s eyelashes when one’s eyes are sewn on, but Gem’s inner actor does a pretty good job.
“Bob’s Instant Replay” was back, always a favorite. The “Fight Club” of seven young men from Wright State who sang the National Anthem were well-received, and it’s always strangely stirring when the warplanes tear overhead just as the song builds to its finish… Impressive timing, that, if nothing else, but it really does give me goosebumps.
What’d you like?
Dragons lost, btw…
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Photographers: Grab your cameras!
Those sharp-eyed amongst you have probably noticed a few changes to the downtown Dayton skyline, and we thought at the DDN that it would be neat to get some new lit-up nighttime skyline shots.
And then we thought: Hey, why not let everybody get some?
So we’re working with the City of Dayton and the Downtown Dayton Partnership to get businesses and building owners downtown to keep all their lights on for the next First Friday on May 1 — and we’re running a contest to see who comes up with the best downtown lights photographs.
You’ll be able to upload your faves to share on our website, and also enter prints in a contest.
Here’s all the info, in a news release from the Partnership.
Grab your cameras and come on down! It should be a fun evening.
“Light Up Dayton” Photo Contest to Capture City Skyline
Amateurs and Professionals Encouraged to Compete and Upload Photos to DaytonDailyNews.com -
Skyline Will Glow Brightly During May 1 Photo Shoot -
DAYTON, April 9, 2009 — Calling all amateur and professional photographers! It’s time for fresh perspectives on the downtown Dayton skyline, which has changed in recent months with the addition of the CareSource headquarters, a new logo atop KeyBank Tower, and other new points of light.
Photographers are encouraged to visit the downtown area on the evening of Friday, May 1, from dusk to 11:00 p.m. The Dayton skyline will glow especially brightly as buildings and businesses “Light Up Dayton” to help photographers find some new and distinctive angles on downtown.
Photos are sought in the following categories: City of Lights (general skyline); Rivers Run Through It (including the river); Dayton Originals (unique or unusual perspectives); and Street Life (people and places).
A special exhibit of competing photos will be held during the Urban Nights event on Friday, May 15, in the lobby of the Kettering Tower (Second and Jefferson Streets), during which the public may vote for a “People’s Choice” winner. Photographers are also encouraged to upload digital photos to www.DaytonDailyNews.com.
Prizes include $250 awarded to Best in Show winners in amateur and professional divisions. The People’s Choice winner will receive a special prize basket. Winning photos in all categories will be published in the Dayton Daily News.
Mayor Rhine McLin said the Light Up Dayton contest is an opportunity to showcase the remarkable creativity and talent of Dayton-area residents.
“Creativity is part of Dayton’s remarkable legacy of innovation and invention,” said Mayor McLin. “Light Up Dayton will allow people from all walks of life to participate in our wonderful creative tradition and to help capture the sights and scenes that make downtown Dayton special.”
“All downtown buildings, businesses and residents are encouraged to leave their lights on until 11 p.m. on Friday, May 1, for this special night of illumination,” said Sandra K. Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “We look forward to seeing all of the wonderful images area photographers capture for this unique contest.”
“We do all we can in our paper and on our websites to encourage local artists and photographers, and we also like to spotlight for our readers things that are new and interesting in our downtown core. Light Up Dayton struck us as the perfect way to do both,” added Kevin Riley, editor of the Dayton Daily News.
The Light Up Dayton contest is presented by the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the Dayton Daily News and the City of Dayton.
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The harshest book review I’ve ever read…
Man, oh man… I’ve read a lot of negative book reviews, but I can’t remember one that used the word “repugnant.” This is a long, but rather entertaining, read…
The review, I mean…
For what it’s worth, this writer seems to agree with everybody else who’s written about this novel…
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‘Fess up: What’s your workout music?
A Facebook friend recently put out a general query that I found amusing, but also strangely true:
“Why is it that most of us would be embarrassed to admit what music we work out to?”
Um, I dunno… why?
Anybody want to share?
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WSU’s ArtsGala, “The Merry Widow” and other fun stuff
Keeping in the spirit of my last post about arts stuff to be happy about, as we’re all trying to stay upbeat, add to the list the Dayton Opera’s production of “The Merry Widow,” which concludes its run this afternoon.
If you’re going, you’re in for a treat. It’s a romantic operetta by Franz Lehar that is all about European royal-court intrigue, flirting, scheming, falling in love, competing for attention and, of course, the inability of people who clearly love each other to say so. That’s the great plot point, as always, isn’t it?
The music is charming and wise, well-sung by a cast that includes Mark Baker, Kettering’s own Laura Portune, the funny Curt Olds, Carol Chatfield, and the lovers — Matt Worth and Megan Monaghan, who have a nice chemistry as the merry (and rich!) widow and her once-spurned suitor, who hasn’t quite gotten over it.
The orchestra’s good, the choreography’s terrific — there is a dandy piece by the men on how crazy women can drive them, which brings down the house — and lots of great music to enjoy. I was only a bit familiar with the show before we saw Friday night’s performance, and was delighted.
Hmmm… That’s been two Dayton Operas in a row in which nobody dies on stage. What’s with that?? Gotta wait till next year.
Meanwhile, Wright State’s arts programs put on another bang-up ArtsGala last night at the Creative Arts Center. The Broadway/Pops review in the main Playhouse was smashing; I got outbid on the student painting I wanted; Michigan State provided some side-tent basketball fun; the Johnny Cash show was terrifically entertaining.
And you all looked grand!!! Photos
Is there a better way to raise scholarship money for wonderfully talented students? I think not. See you next year.
BTW, a reader left a post on my previous blog entry about a worthy student art show in Kettering. Check it out. Also, if you are near WSU, visit the drawing show at the Stein Galleries in the Creative Arts Center.
Seeya round…
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Perk up: Art brings good news in lean times
Sure, the news is gloomy these days, regardless of which business in you’re in, and it can seem even more so in the world of the arts. Money’s tight. Tickets go unsold. Budgets shrink.
And yet …
And yet there are bright spots aplenty in the Dayton area’s arts, leisure and entertainment realm, and you don’t even have to look that hard to find them.
Awards, awards: This week’s ceremony in Columbus at which the Ohio Arts Council gave its annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts turned into a giant celebration of the Dayton region. Dayton artist and teacher “Bing” Davis won the Irma Lazarus Award, essentially a lifetime achievement award. He fully deserves it, as everybody in Dayton knows. But that wasn’t all — the smart, hard-working team at Cityfolk was recognized for Community Development and Participation, an honor the arts presenter has deserved since about 1996. Wittenberg theater professor Dr. Corwin Georges, a Springfield resident, won for Arts Education. And the awards themselves were created by Dayton-area painter Jean Koeller, one of our finest artists. Dozens of Daytonians attended to cheer on their friends. Bravo to all.
Sprucing up: MetroParks announced last week that it’s got the money in hand for a multi-million dollar upgrade at downtown’s RiverScape. Groundbreaking is set for this week on a project that will add a large covered pavilion for concerts and ice skating, a bike hub and more improvements. It’s all supposed to be ready in 2010. Hats off to MetroParks as one of the most dependable organizations in town for getting good things done
Speaking of facelifts: Finally, the city fixed up “Flyover.” The wonderful, modern sculpture honoring the Wrights’ first flight has always been one of my favorite local landmarks, but the dilapidated condition of its blue-tile base has been distressing. The city this week made it look good again. Much appreciated.
Speaking of the Wright brothers: Orville’s family home in Oakwood, Hawthorn Hill, was added by the federal government this week to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which ties together the region’s many pieces of early flight history. This was long in coming.
Gifts keep rolling in: Times may be tough, but public-radio listeners again proved their generosity when Dayton’s all-classical station, WDPR-FM (88.1) went $1,000 over its spring fund-raising campaign goal of $125,000. This came on the heels of WYSO’s listeners at 91.3 FM donating $2,000 more than the eclectic Yellow Springs station sought.
Keep at it: Kudos to the local poet Lucy Owens, who writes as Sierra Leone, and who has become a one-woman arts organization dedicated to promoting urban arts in Dayton. She organized a conference this weekend to celebrate poetry, hip-hop culture and music and brought in the esteemed rapper Common as the centerpiece. Good work.
Good show: One of the best performances I’ve seen in a while was last weekend’s presentation of Bach’s Magnificats, choral celebrations of Mary, by the Dayton Bach Society. The society drew a good-sized crowd to Kettering’s Seventh-day Adventist Church and knocked it out of the park. If you haven’t attended a Bach Society concert, you’re missing out.
Speaking of knocking it out of the park: Spring’s here at last, and that means baseball! The Dragons are back, so you can get ready for lots of affordable family fun at the Fifth/Third Field, which has pretty much become Dayton’s central meet-and-greet spot. Nothing wrong with that.
Smart, talented kids: By the time you read this, they’ll be cleaning up after the most recent ArtsGala at Wright State University — an annual celebration of the school’s excellent visual and performing arts programs and the students who attend them. It’s an evening of song, dance, painting and music, and an entertaining reminder of the enormous well of talent, intelligence and enthusiasm in our fair town
All nice things to be reminded of, especially in chaotic times.
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Money, money, money…
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, Cindy Lauper may have said it best: Money changes everything.
Great song. Her best.
Now you should read this. Turns out, it really does. Change everything, that is.
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Arts as economic development
At Wednesday’s ceremony for the annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts, from the Ohio Arts Council, they passed out some interesting stats from a study done recently by Bowling Green State U on the economic impact of the arts. It contained the following:
@ “Creative industries” contribute more than $25 billion to Ohio’s economy each year;
@ The same industries — which generally include museums, performing arts groups, radio, film and TV, design and publishing, schools and services and visual arts/photography businesses or groups — support more than 230,000 jobs in Ohio;
@ They generate $1.06 billion in annual state and local tax revenues;
@ They also raise $1.78 billion in federal tax revenues each year.
As Gov. Ted Strickland said at the awards ceremony, “a vibrant arts community fuels success for our state, especially in a rebounding economy.”
True enough.
For more on the BGSU study, which was funded by state arts groups, visit www.bgsu.edu/crd.
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Another April Fool’s Day nears an end…
Well, I can remember the time as a kid when April 1 really seemed to be something. When it seemed to be a special day.
We’d actually plan pranks, my sisters and I. Didn’t you? Not horrible stuff, but little hijinks to keep things lively, knowing we had the cover of “April Fools!” to help us get away with whatever we cooked up.
And now? Well, it’s different now.
Now April 1 just seems like a nice spring day. Maybe I’m older. Maybe things have changed. Does April Fool’s Day still resonate? Or is it yet another once-fun thing that has fallen by the wayside in our Weinie Nation, killed by the lawyers along with all the rest of the fun stuff?
Just askin’…
Meanwhile, who’d YOU prank today?
