Michael Bashaw earns 2012 Governor’s Award

Artist and musician is one of 7 recognized by the Ohio Arts Council.

A small cardboard mock-up of the eventual steel sound sculpture that Michael Bashaw hopes to create this summer. The piece is in honor of the late Roger Troutman.

Contributed photo A small cardboard mock-up of the eventual steel sound sculpture that Michael Bashaw hopes to create this summer. The piece is in honor of the late Roger Troutman.

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By Pamela Dillon, Contributing Writer 1:52 PM Saturday, January 7, 2012

For Michael Bashaw, visual art and music are one and the same. The ultimate artistic experience for viewers is one that engages both the eyes and the ears. Bashaw is well-known for his orchestral performances and sound sculptures.

A bio of him on the Ohio Arts Council’s website describes his work as a “seamless fusion of music and visual art.” He recently received an acknowledgement of excellence from the OAC as a 2012 Governor’s Award winner.

In all, there were 67 nominations for seven categories.

Bashaw received the Individual Artist Award, and will be one of the recipients of a Debra Joyce Dawson original work of art at the 2012 Governor’s Awards Luncheon on May 9 in Columbus.

The other six categories and winners are: Business Support of the Arts — Vectren Energy in Dayton; Arts Administration — Ed Stern and Buzz Ward of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Arts Patron — Louise D. Nippert of Cincinnati; Arts Education — Toledo School for the Arts; Community Development — ArtsinStark, in Canton; and the Irma Lazarus Award — Barbara S. Robinson of Cleveland.

“It’s really humbling,” Bashaw said. “I think of all the really fine artists, not only in Ohio but in our community, who are deserving of this honor. So I feel really privileged to receive this award.”

Bashaw, an accomplished musician, has composed soundtracks for film, television and radio along with his wife, Sandy Bashaw. He and Sandy lead the group Puzzle of Light.

He said, “This honor has caused me to reflect on all the great opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with other artists and musicians. That’s really been the richness of my own experience.”

And what’s more fun than public artworks that sing to you? One of his first forays into this art/music realm was with a large-scale interactive steel sound sculpture he updated in 2003 and installed in Troy.

That massive work received recognition from the Smithsonian Art Museum.

He has since installed numerous sound sculptures in other neighborhood parks and public venues.

One for Roger

Never one to rest for long, Bashaw is in the planning stages of a public work that will honor the late musician/record producer Roger Troutman, a local funk music legend who hit it big nationally.

This sound sculpture has been commissioned by the city of Dayton and Good Samaritan Hospital as part of CityWide Development Corporation’s Phoenix Project.

This program revitalizes neighborhoods around the hospital; in this case, the Dayton View Triangle region.

“They wanted me to somehow integrate a triangle into the design,” Bashaw said.

“There will be five rods to represent the five (Troutman) brothers, and I’ll be copying a certain pentatonic scale that he (Roger) used in one of his songs.”

The design is still evolving, and the placement of certain elements will depend upon getting the musical pitch just right. It will be a lot harder than just tuning the old piano.

The sculpture itself will be made of stainless steel, and the rods will be either bronze, an alloy, or anodized aluminum.

“The musical elements are very important because Roger Troutman was a fantastic musician and really brilliant at what he did,” Bashaw said.

The size of the “wind harp” will be determined by the length of the rods needed to get the exact pitch.

The width is expected to be from 4 to 5 feet across. The whole sculpture will sit on a round platform behind a low brick wall at the northwest corner of Catalpa Drive and Salem Avenue in Dayton.

“The best part of a project for me is coming up with the design. It’s exciting and gratifying to come up with an idea that works for all concerned,” Bashaw said. “Building it is the hard and dirty part.”

Fundraising for this project began about 18 months ago. Bashaw said that about half of the funds are still needed. CityWide Development hopes to have the monetary resources this spring, so he can build the actual sculpture this summer and into early fall.

Those interested in helping may access a contribution form online at phoenixprojectdayton.org, or at www.daytonfoundation.org. Make sure to specify “The Music Lives On,” or fund No. 7180 on the donation form.

Bashaw’s new sound sculpture will have the enthusiastic support of R&B and gospel singer Shirley Murdock, a Toledo native who has lived in Dayton since 1984.

“We are so excited that Shirley is working with us to help us make this happen,” said Lisa Hamilton, one of the project coordinators who works at Good Samaritan Hospital.

“She was Roger’s friend and protege and is so well-known in the community. She has her heart and soul in this project.”

Contact contributing writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.

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