The local art teacher who dressed Dayton funk bands

When iconic Dayton funk band Slave opened for Rick James on a Japanese stage in the early '80s, Dayton was represented in more than one way.

The band wore clothes designed by Dayton artist and educator Delora Buford-Buchanan.

The painter and "3D paper bag sculptor" designed costumes for about 13 Dayton funk acts in the 1970s and 1980s, including Hott Number and Funk Allegiance.

She explains how she did it in the VIDEO above.

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Buford-Buchanan sketches will be on display at the soon to be open Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center in downtown Dayton.

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Credit: Photo: Amelia Robinson

Credit: Photo: Amelia Robinson

A funk fan since she was a teenager, the retired long-time Beavercreek art teacher works a few days a week at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic School in Dayton and volunteers for the funk center.

She is painting murals that pay tribute to funk legends and venues on its walls, including a “Mount Funkmore.”

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The talent in Dayton amazes me. Just met Delora Buford-Buchanan at the The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center....
Posted by Amelia Robinson on Friday, June 23, 2017