Community

Exciting indie tour at Brightside Sunday Jan 26th

January 23, 2020 By LIbby Ballengee

You know what they say in the live music world: Never miss a Sunday show! This Sunday, January 26th is certainly one of those instances. BravoArtist is bringing an exciting indie tour to The Brightside Music & Event Venue featuring the up-and-coming pop-rock band Mike Mains & The Branches.

Mike Mains and The Branches is a pop-rock band based in Michigan. Since their conception in 2012, the group has built a reputation for their fantastical instrumentation and unforgettable live performances. Mains began writing songs early in his career between shifts at a casino, which is an apt illustration of Mains perspective on life: it’s a comedy, a tragedy, and a fairytale. (Check out their music for yourself at link below).

A big bonus to this particular show: three amazing area bands kicking off an evening of live music: Gabe Maas and the Bruins, The American Landscape and Year of the Buffalo. The best part? The value. Tickets are only $13 advance, $15 day of show. Such a deal for this amount of raw musical talent!

How to Go?

Where: The Brightside Music & Event Venue (905 E 3rd St, Dayton)

When: Sunday, January 26, 2020. Doors 6pm. Show 7pm.

Who: All ages welcome! Handicapped accessible. On site parking.

Cost: $13 advance. $15 day of show.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mike-mains-the-branches-at-brightside-126-tickets-86353751395

CSA Fair and Seed Swap at 2nd Street Market

January 23, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

Make 2020 the year of personal and environmental health. Come to the annual “Meet Your CSA Farmer, Share Your Seeds” event on Saturday, Jan. 25, 9 AM to 2 PM, in the Market Pavilion. Swap your labeled heirloom or open-pollinated seeds with other gardeners and sign up for a fee-based CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription.

Seed swapping promotes diversity in and increases the quantity of locally grown produce, which farmers pack into CSA boxes that subscribers pick up at a designated location every week, from late spring to early fall. Buying seasonal produce directly from local farms not only supports small business owners in our community, it provides fresher food and cuts down on the carbon waste inherent in grocery store produce, which is often transported from other states and countries.

If picking up a CSA box would be challenging for you, ask one of the farmers at the event about delivery options.

Once you’ve signed up, you may be looking for creative ways to use all that produce from your new CSA box? Come to the Contemporary Cuisine: A Market Cooking Demonstration With Invoke, with Invoke owners Larry and Lester Gates, on Feb. 13 from 11 AM to noon The class is free to attend, no reservations required.. Take notes while Chef Lester prepares one of his favorite dishes, and then join in the exclusive tasting option. Lester is an accomplished chef, having worked for such local restaurants as L’Auberge, Sidebar, Salar, Taste Creative Cuisine and Lucky’s Taproom, and we’re thrilled that he’ll be hosting this cooking demonstration for 2nd Street Market patrons.

Technology First Announces New Executive Director

January 22, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

After an extensive search led by Technology First’s Board of Directors, we are proud to announce that Melissa Cutcher has accepted the position of Executive Director to begin February 1, 2020. Melissa will be stepping into the leadership role currently held by Marcia Albers who will be retiring March 31^st.

Melissa’s professional achievements include leading many facets of a non-profit organization, having been with the Better Business Bureau for over fourteen years and most recently was their Chief Business Officer. Her responsibilities included relationship and financial management as well as oversight for their Women in Business Networking program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in organization management and MBA in organization leadership from Bluffton University.

Melissa has been in the Miami Valley since 1985 and is a contributing member to many groups and organizations. She enjoys connecting people, golf, reading books, spending time with her daughter Ashley, husband Jeff, and puppies Cooper and Bailey.

It has been said “Melissa is a person of strong character and integrity and expects that of others. She is very objective and realistic while being a self-starter and innovative”.

As Executive Director, Melissa will lead the promotion of Technology First, ensure revenue growth, manage the operational budget and drive expansion of provided services in support of the region’s IT industry.

Humane Society of Greater Dayton to Expand

January 21, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton is excited to announce they have fully raised the funds required to expand their current facility to better serve the needs of the animals and people in our community.

“In 2014, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton began an in-depth strategic plan where we worked with staff, board, volunteers, community leaders and residents to see what we can do to better serve the needs of our community,” said Brian Weltge, President & CEO of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. “Through this process, we pinpointed several key needs to be addressed. With this expansion we are taking steps to impact the animals and we are excited to continue to grow and expand to better serve our community. In the past few years, we began quietly fundraising to make this big vision to transform animal welfare a reality. We are proud to say that we are fully funded with the first phase of this campaign.”

Through this expansion, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton has fully raised more than $5 million to grow their current facility at 1661 Nicholas Road. This expansion will include:

Regional Full-Service, Needs-Based Animal Hospital to help all pet owners in our community regardless of their income level. Through this Full-Service, Needs-Based Animal Hospital, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton can offer solutions for those in need while continuing to provide top-notch medical care to the animals in our community. This animal hospital will be open to not only Montgomery County residents, but surrounding counties as well.
Regional High-Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic that will positively impact the cat overpopulation concerns facing neighborhoods. With an estimated 50,000 stray or community cats within just Montgomery County, programs such as Trap-Neuter-Return are critical to humanely and effectively battle cat overpopulation. Through the High-Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic, we will have the resources available to scale up our already established Community Cat Initiative program, which is currently performing 4,000+ spay/neuter surgeries annually. With this new clinic, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton looks to increase surgeries over the next ten years by 400 percent.
Cruelty & Neglect Animal Rehabilitation Center to house, protect and rehabilitate all types of animals. Each year, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton investigates hundreds of cases of cruelty or neglect toward animals. We are the only organization in the Montgomery County that investigates cases against all types of animals. With such a large range of animals needing our assistance, the Animal Rehabilitation Center will provide us with the resources needed to house large-breed animals such as horses as well as give us the housing to help in large-scale cases. Right now, we rely solely on fosters to care for many of the animals that are part of cruelty and neglect investigations.

“As a leader in animal welfare that has been serving our community since 1902, it was very important for us to be responsible in planning this expansion,” said Weltge. “Although we are excited for this growth, we wanted to ensure that we were 100 percent fully funded before we moved forward with construction on this expansion. As good stewards to all donations we receive, we could not justify moving forward without having 100 percent of the funding in place.”

For the $5+ million raised for this first phase of their expansion, 99 percent of the gifts were secured from philanthropic individuals and private foundations including contributions by The Jesse & Caryl Philips Foundation, a $1 million gift from the Joanie Bernard Foundation, Harold & Mary Rieck, Charles D. Berry Foundation and the Berry Family Foundation. More than 80 percent of the money raised was cash donations and short-term pledges.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton plans to break ground this Spring on this phase of their expansion.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton continues to lead the way in creating a community where every animal is valued and free from suffering. We have already made great strides in this, but we still have more to do! In 2019, the Greater Dayton community was able to officially call itself a no-kill community. This is a huge step in the right direction and we could not have accomplished this alone. We are excited to see other rescues as well as our county animal control facility evolve to help improve the lives of companion pets in our community.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton has a big vision for the future of all animal welfare in the Miami Valley. Thanks to a small group of generous supporters, fundraising for expanding the services offered at our Nicholas Road location is complete. The next phase in our Master Plan to help more animals in need is the creation of a new adoption and community center at our site on Austin Boulevard. This new facility near Austin Landing will allow us to continue to move forward and impact the community to better meet the needs of all animals, while saving more lives! For more information on how you can be part of our expansion on Austin Boulevard near Austin Landing, contact Courtney Steckel at (937) 262-5923 or e-mail [email protected].

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and receives no government funding and is not affiliated with any other regional, state or national organization including the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society of Greater Dayton is proud to be a no-kill facility and the area’s oldest agency – serving the people and pets in our community for the past 118 years. For more information on our programs and services, visit www.hsdayton.org.

Rock Bands Unite to Help Beat Cancer at Blind Bob’s

January 20, 2020 By LIbby Ballengee

I say it often: the Dayton music community is full of the most generous people I know. It’s often a two way street, and this weekend, musicians take care of three of their biggest supporters, who are currently battling cancer. If you love rock’n’roll, this show is a win-win all around!

Night of the Beat (Cancer) takes place at Blind Bob’s on Saturday January 25th, to benefit Jaime Testa, Amanda Hensler and Tyler Gilcher. All three of them have been major supporters of the Dayton music community, staples in the Oregon District, and have huge hearts! They absolutely deserve a fantastic party in their honor, raising money to help them continue their fight.

Music is of course on the agenda! Four area rock bands that are donating their time and talents to this party, including: Abertooth Lincoln, Weathervein, Business Casuals, and We Are The Movies.

Sabrina Cox, one of the organizers of this event, explains what makes this event so special: “Last year was really hard for Oregon District, and Dayton as a whole. In the midst of all the tragedies, three beloved members of the Oregon District community were also fighting cancer. We are a community that comes together to love each other in every situation – and this is no exception. The Cancer Cuties, as we lovingly call them, are our friends, family, and neighbors. All the money collected at the door goes directly to them.”

Amander Hensler is one of the “Cancer Cuties” who is benefiting from Saturday night’s Night of the Beat concert.

How to Go?

Saturday January 25th at Blind Bob’s

Doors 9pm

$7 at the door (additional donations encouraged!)

21+

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1022647121404471/

Do you have what it takes to be on Jeopardy?

January 20, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

First, you must take and pass the Jeopardy! Test. If you pass the test and meet the minimum eligibility requirements, you will be placed into a random selection process for an invitation to an audition. Assuming you perform well at the audition, you will be placed into the contestant pool and could be invited to compete up to 18 months from your audition date. Making it to an audition is not a guarantee of being invited to compete on the show.

Applicants must meet the following requirements to meet basic eligibility:

Must be over 18 (except for the Teen Tournament and College Championship).
For the Teen Tournament, must be between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time of taping.
College Championship applicants must be full-time undergraduates with no previous bachelor’s degrees.
Must not have appeared on any version of the show with Alex Trebek.
Within the last five years, must not have been employed by or related to, or have known anyone who works for Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony Pictures Television Inc., Quadra Productions, Inc., CBS Television Distribution, Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy! prize suppliers, or any TV station (including advertisers and related radio stations) broadcasting Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!

The Jeopardy! Test is the primary entry point for anyone who wants to compete on Jeopardy! It allows fans to qualify for an audition by taking the 50-question Jeopardy! test at a convenient time, using their home or work computer.

Three-day testing events to qualify for our regular shows are offered to adults one to two times per year. You may take the test on any day that is convenient, but only once per event. Multiple entries could result in disqualification.

Next Testing:

January 28 2020, 5:00PM PT

January 29 2020, 6:00PM PT

January 30 2020, 8:00PM PT

If you have a disability and require assistance to complete the test, you may have a family member, friend or assistant read the clues to you and/or type in your responses. Please note that print-to-speech software and/or voice recognition programs might not allow you to answer quickly enough. If you are selected for an audition, our contestant coordinators will work with you on any necessary accommodations.

There is no fee to take any of the tests. If you are invited to participate in an in-person audition, all costs (including, but not limited to, accommodations, meals, transportation and parking) must come at your own expense.

Once you’ve taken the test, your MyJeopardy! account will be updated and within an hour of completing the test you will receive an email confirming your test has been received. Other than that, you will not need to do anything (although self-congratulation is also completely appropriate). If your scores qualify you, you will be placed in the pool for random selection for an in-person audition. If not, remember many of our greatest champions took the test multiple times before being invited to compete.

There’s a New Fire Chief In Town!

January 20, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

Deputy Chief Jeff Lykins has been promorted to Director and Chief of the Dayton Fire Department, effective January 17.

A public ceremony will be held Friday, Feb.7, at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 101 W. Third St. (Commission Chambers, second floor).

Lykins began his career as a firefighter with the Dayton Fire Department in 1992. He was promoted to fire lieutenant in 2000, fire captain in 2008, assistant fire chief in 2015, and deputy chief in 2017.

As Director and Chief, Lykins will oversee a department of 344 full-time employees, including 322 uniformed members (firefighters, lieutenants, captains, district chiefs, EMTs and paramedics).

“Dayton is very well-served by our professional fire department, and we are confident that the tradition of excellence will continue under Chief Lykins’ leadership,” said Dickstein. “His experience, training and commitment to innovation have prepared him for the demands of the Director and Chief position.”

Chief Lykins has been credentialed as a chief fire officer by the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association and has obtained fire officer I-IV certifications. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Anna Maria College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Waldorf University. Chief Lykins will graduate from the National Fire Academy’s executive fire officer program in March 2020.

Lykins has received numerous awards for his actions at fire scenes. He received the Box 21 Rescue Squad/Dayton Fire Department Firefighter of Year Award (1999-2000) and the Dayton Fire Department Medal of Honor in 2000. He was also the 1999 recipient of the Robert B. Jacob Award of Merit, presented by the Hundred Club of Dayton.

Lykins assumes the office of Director and Chief following the retirement of Jeffrey L. Payne, who served the Dayton Fire Dept. for 31 years.

Dayton at Work and Play: Kendell Thompson – Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

January 20, 2020 By Bill Franz

Kendell Thompson, superintendent of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in the world’s first airplane factory. It’s off West Third Street, in Dayton’s Arlington Heights neighborhood.

It’s amazing to me that these buildings are still here. The Wright Brothers built them in 1910 and 1911 to put what they’d learned about flying to commercial use. Orville Wright sold the business in 1915, after the death of his brother, but airplanes continued to be made here.

In World War I the Dayton Wright Company was formed by Charles Kettering and William Deeds, with Orville Wright as a consultant. They built thousands of planes for the war effort in these buildings and two other locations.

General Motors bought the Dayton Wright Company in 1921 but they didn’t stay in the airplane business. Instead, they made steering wheels here. The business was so successful that GM formed a new division – the Inland Manufacturing Division. This plant grew to cover 54 acres with 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space. Fortunately, the original Wright buildings were not torn down during this period. They were just surrounded by larger, newer buildings.

17 Montgomery County Artists Awarded Opportunity Grants for 2020

January 17, 2020 By Lisa Grigsby

The Artist Opportunity Grant program, which is funded by the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD) and administered by Culture Works, provides funding for Montgomery County artists of all disciplines to pursue professional development opportunities and complete new works. Applications for funding are reviewed by an independent panel of artists, arts administrators, educators, and community leaders.

Based on the recommendations of the 2019-20 grant panel, 17 local artists will receive grants totaling $39,336 in 2020–the largest amount ever awarded through the program.

Read about their upcoming projects below:

LEROY BEAN

Opportunity: Travel to France for the 2020 Conference on James Baldwin for academics, artists, and activists celebrating the 50th anniversary of Baldwin’s arrival in Saint-Paul de Vence. Bean will be engaged in scholarly exploration of all things Baldwin and social justice, developing his skills in creative writing under the facilitation of Cornelius Eady, a co-founder of Cave Canem.

About the Artist: Leroy Bean is a spoken word poet, published author, and co-founder of Underdog Academy and Baldwin Café from Dayton, Ohio. An artist activist, he uses his gift to describe different aspects of beauty and life that all can relate to, but also to speak truth about racially charged, social and political issues. He has shared stages with accomplished artists such as Sierra Leone, HBO Def poet Black Ice, Sunny Patterson, and Bing Davis and has performed in many venues, including the PNC Arts Annex, Levitt Pavilion, Schuster Center, and Victoria Theatre.

Artist Statement: “Currently I am diving deeper into being a teaching artist, and I have launched my online writing workshop for writers of all kinds to learn communication skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity, how to apply literary devices, using writing as a tool of personal wellness, and more! I am also currently working between three poetry book ideas, all of which I am keeping in mind during my trip to France, and I hope to find a residency to be the resource of time, space, and funding I need to manifest either one or all of these projects in 2020.”

uapoetry.com

CURTIS BOWMAN

Opportunity: Attend the Algonkian Writers Retreat for five days of intensive work with established authors on a work in progress.

Artist Statement: “I have been a storyteller all my life, but up to now, most of my writing has been in service of a goal: selling something, recruiting volunteers, to make people laugh at a conference or to teach people at a workshop. Recently, I have been inspired to tell a larger story.”

oikamom.com

CAITLIN CARTWRIGHT

Opportunity: Create a body of work, an interactive workshop, and a gallery show inspired by the events in Dayton, Ohio, in the summer of 2019 focusing on the healing and resilience of our community.

About the Artist: Caitlin Cartwright is a social change artist whose vibrant narrative works combine painting, drawing, and collage to explore the stories that connect people across cultures. Although her intimate works deal with themes of loss and isolation, each piece contains elements of community, comfort, and hope. Many years spent living and working with vulnerable populations in locales such as Madagascar, Namibia, India, and elsewhere influence both the emotional and geographical scope of her pieces. Caitlin earned her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, as well as a masters degree in sustainable international development from SIT, and completed a six-moth residency at the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft in Columbia, NC. In combination with a long career in global health, she uses art as a storytelling tool for economic empowerment, peace building, and healing and wellness. Caitlin is currently based in Dayton, where she is the Director of Programming at We Care Arts. Her works and collaborative projects continue to be shown both nationally and abroad.

caitlincartwright.com

JANYCE DENISE GLASPER

Opportunity: Create “Black Women Writers A-Z,” a new body of large-scale paintings that depict past and present women writers of African descent having social gatherings much similar to classic literary salons and Harlem rent parties. These works–which will feature authors such as Toni Morrison and Helen Oyeyemi and poets such as Ntozake Shange and Upile Chisala–will be displayed at the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch gallery in August/September 2020.

About the Artist: Janyce Denise Glasper is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and independent scholar. She has a BFA in drawing from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and post baccalaureate and MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Artist Statement: “Through the disciplines of figurative drawing, painting, and writing, my artistic practices emphasize the collective beauty in the Black experience, especially in womanism, a term coined by Alice Walker. My primary goal is to continue dismantling the stereotypical perception of Black bodies.”

jdglasper.wixsite.com/artist-cv

SAM KELLY

Opportunity: Travel to the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture in New York, NY, to attend the Drawing Marathon and study under acclaimed artist Graham Nickson.

About the Artist: Sam Kelly is an artist currently residing in Dayton, Ohio. He earned a BFA in painting from Wright State University and an MFA in painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He also attended the Chautauqua School of Art. Sam is a member of the Dayton Society of Artists, The Contemporary Dayton, and the Dutoit Gallery. He has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally. Sam has taught at many institutions, including the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, University of Dayton and Indiana University East.

Sam’s work expresses a raw and energetic approach. He is interested in the relationship that exists between abstraction and representation. As an artist, he continues to pursue the ability to invoke a painting and drawing with authenticity and intensity for maximum engagement.

samkellyart.com

KELSEY LEE

Opportunity: Travel to Stolzenhagen, Germany to attend Ponderosa’s Winter Artist Exchange residency, which will guide and nourish the development of a new, solo dance performance.

About the Artist: Kelsey Lee is an interdisciplinary artist who holds a BFA degree in Contemporary Dance Performance and Choreography with a double major in Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lee fuses her trainings in ballet, contemporary dance styles, and theatre with the intention of generating empathy in an accessible and mindful approach through performance and education.

www.kelseyleedances.com

JOSH MERRITT

Opportunity: Attend the 2020 Glass Art Society Annual Conference in Smaland, Sweden to study new techniques and technological advances in glass blowing.

Artist Statement: “I began blowing glass in 2009 as an apprentice. I studied, created, and now enjoy teaching numerous glass art techniques, including vessels, ornaments, flowers and more.

In 2016, I moved to Columbus and enrolled at The Ohio State University. At OSU’s glass program, I continued to develop my skill and passion for glassblowing. I also expanded into other areas such as stained glass, fusing, engraving and sandblasting.

The magic of glass never ceases to amaze me: the challenge of creating an intricate glass piece; the delicate balance of heating and cooling at different times and stages; the planning and teamwork required for success. It all comes together into an intense moment from which either fine art or floor shards are created.”

jlmglass.studio

HYACINTH PAUL

Opportunity: Attend a seven-day plein air painting workshop in Provence and a four-day art tour in Barcelona with Dr. Yves M. Larocque (Ph.D.)–an art instructor, art theoretician, art historian, and artist–to learn the essential skill of painting plein air and to increase her knowledge of art by visiting museums with an art historian.

About the Artist: Dr. Hyacinth Paul is a retired scientist and Professor who recently started her career as an artist. Within the last year, Dr. Paul has exhibited in more than 10 solo/group exhibitions, as well as donated and sold her paintings. She currently showcases her work at Front street gallery in Dayton, Ohio, and has a significant online presence.

Artist Statement: “My work is both abstract and realistic, mostly done in oil, acrylics, and mixed media. My paintings are very colorful because I believe that color sparks synesthesia and involuntarily evokes feelings of joy. I look forward to improving my work as an artist and delving deeper into the question of whether color plays a role in uplifting the general well-being of individuals and thereby alleviating depression.”

fineartamerica.com/profiles/hyacinth-paul

JONATHAN PINCUS

Opportunity: Create an exhibition of new, original oil paintings reimagining Norman Rockwell’s four freedoms paintings that will be exhibited in conjunction with Peace Dayton 2020 to promote community, thoughtful dialogue, mutual understanding, healing, peace, civil engagement, and civic discourse.

About the Artist: Jonathan Pincus, MFA, is the Artist-in-Residence at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. An artist and educator, he divides his time between his professional studio art practice, based at Front Street Studios, and teaching at Wright State and the University of Dayton.

SARAH ROBERTSON

Opportunity: Travel to Pittsburgh, PA to attend the Kinderflute+Blockiflute certification course, which is considered by flute teachers as one of the ideal methods to teach young children flute. The unique method is designed to help flute students find and establish their innate potential as musicians and human beings. Through learning to listen, fingering their notes, producing a beautiful tone, reading music, composing, and creatively expressing themselves, students are firing areas of the brain to make learning in all areas more productive.

About the Artist: Sarah Robertson holds a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Indiana University of South Bend and a Master of Music in Music Education from Wright State University. She has over 15 years of professional experience as a performer, conductor, freelance musician, solo and ensemble adjudicator, and music educator. Presently, along with operating her private studio, she teaches Kindermusik, subs in local ensembles, and performs with the Springboro Wind Symphony and with her flute trio, Ama la Vita.

Artist Statement: “I am a flutist who is just as passionate about music education as I am about performing, and I am so excited to bring that passion to the young children of Dayton! As a Kindermusik teacher, I thrive on instilling a love for music in the youngest of music makers and I cannot wait to do so through Kinderflute as well!”

www.sanddollarmusic.com

YETUNDE RODRIGUEZ

Opportunity: Study with the artist Amira Rahim through her intensive eight-week painting e-course in order to develop skills to transition block prints into strong collectible paintings.

About the Artist: Yetunde Rodriguez is a textile artist and designer with a focus on block printing. Yetunde taps into her Nigerian heritage for inspiration. She creates bold, meaningful images interpreted in a joyful celebration of color.

Yetunde has a background in graphic design, with a BA from Hampton University. She has done a little bit of a lot over the years. She has taught both young and old, with the firm belief that when you teach, you learn.

She continues to teach, partnering with local arts organizations and public libraries to lead workshops and give presentations. She is passionate about empowering youth to see the possibilities in using creativity to shape their future and achieve their goals. Yetunde aims to leave her mark wherever she goes, and she believes that life can be made just a little more interesting with a few simple materials, some simple shapes, and fun colors!

yetunderodriguez.com

KATE HUSER SANTUCCI

Opportunity: Travel to Seattle to attend a studio workshop with encaustic artist Alicia Tormey, where participants will learn new techniques, work on professional marketing and the business of being an artist, learn how to ship encaustic paintings, and continue to develop their personal voices as encaustic painters.

About the Artist: Kate Huser Santucci graduated from Wright State University with a BFA in visual art, concentrating in sculpture. She now primarily works in mixed-media encaustic painting, using beeswax and pigments to create multi-layered images that reference her interest in the natural sciences.

Artist Statement: “In my current body of work, I use mixed-media encaustic painting techniques to explore themes such as time–both on a cosmic and human scale–communication outside of the human sphere, and the way things change, both for people during a single lifetime and for the universe we are in. I often use images of microbes, plants, animals, bones, and water to tell the story of the way we change and evolve. The work involves multiple layers and textures, inviting the viewer to look deeper into the piece and glimpse imagery floating beneath the surface of the wax.”

www.katehusersantucci.com

JESSECA YNEZ SIMMONS

Opportunity: Travel to New York City and Los Angeles to conduct on-camera interviews with four crucial interview subjects for “We Will Not Turn To Stone”–a feature-length hybrid documentary that re-conceptualizes Medusa, one of the most infamous mythic females of all time, through a non-patriarchal lens. Too quick to decapitate, too fearful of turning to stone, we finally look up to meet Medusa’s gaze.

About the Artist: Jesseca Ynez Simmons is a documentary filmmaker and has a special interest in hybridization. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Media Production at the University of Dayton and a Sustainability Scholar for the Hanley Sustainability Institute.

Artist Statement: “I create documentaries that explore the superimposed realm of reality and fantasy; what one experiences with both open and closed eyes. By letting the explicit factual and imaginative qualities of a story graze on the same plane, it is possible to gain something more than if they were treated separately. I aspire to push these boundaries by letting narrative and experimental techniques of cinema bleed into my documentary films.”

www.jessecaysimmons.com

A. SLATE

Opportunity: Stage a one-woman show that brings Lifelines and Legacies–an autobiography of short stories and poetry–to life in a dramatic, theatrical way.

About the Artist: A. Slate is a poet, spoken word artist, actress, and founder of The WRITElife Village Organization- where young people can express themselves, creatively, without judgment, bias, or fear through poetry.

Artist Statement: “In this one-woman show, where life is a poem and everyone is writing, telling stories of triumph, grace, gratitude and love, I am inviting you into the worlds that I have created for myself as a single mother, high school dropout, and young grandmother suffering from mental illness. Now standing before the world whole and grateful, finding reasons to give thanks for it all. Healing is a process. Grace refines.”

JUDE WALSH

Opportunity: Enroll in the Write Your Memoir in Six Months intensive mentoring experience to expand her craft from personal essay (short) to memoir (book length).

About the Artist: Jude Walsh is a writer and life coach dedicated to helping women not just survive midlife divorce but also thrive as they create a beautiful new reality. A Writing Mindset and Legacy Writing teacher, she is also active in the literary community and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Jude travels frequently, writes daily, and leans into the abundant adventure her life has become. She lives with her son and three lively dogs in Dayton, Ohio.

secondbloomcoaching.com

ERIC WRIGHT

Opportunity: Travel to London, England to study photographic technique from one of the preeminent street and portrait photographers, Alan Schaller.

About the Artist: Eric Wright grew up in Dayton and found photography as an artistic outlet while in high school. Life took him away from it for awhile, but now it is one of the deepest passions in his life.

Artist Statement: “Learning and growing as an artist is something I am always working on; adding new skills and approaches and then giving them time to gel in new ways in my work. This year, I am looking forward to working on my street photography along with my black and white photography skills in both digital and film so I can deepen my understanding of people going about their daily lives.”

www.flywrightphotography.com

MICAH ZAVACKY

Opportunity: Frame recent work and create additional work for two upcoming solo exhibitions at Front Street – Dutoit Gallery in April and the Wright State University Alumni Gallery in May.

About the Artist: Micah Zavacky grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where he attended Wright State University, completing a BFA in Studio Art in 2014. After completing his MFA in Studio Art at Illinois State University, Micah returned home and has been teaching at the University of Dayton since 2018 and continuing his artistic practice.

Artist Statement: “I am indebted to early ventures with en plein air painting because it instilled a reverence, love, and dedication to the natural world. Primarily, my work represents plant forms, gardens, and landscapes (woods, river-views, and meadows). My practice has pushed me to become an avid gardener, composter, and builder; in turn, these activities have deepened my understanding and commitment to my artwork and the earth.”

www.micahzavacky.com

Goldman Sachs FREE Small Businesses Program Links Learning to Action

January 17, 2020 By Dayton Most Metro

Sinclair is partnering with Goldman Sachs to prepare 10,000 small business owners who want to take their business to the next level. It’s like an intensive MBA delivered over 14 weeks.

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is designed to link learning to action. Through the program, participants will gain practical skills in topics such as negotiation, marketing, and employee management that can immediately be put into action. In addition, they will receive the tools and professional support they need to develop a strategic and customized business growth plan that will take their company to the next level.

EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

Designed by Babson College, the nation’s top-ranked entrepreneurship school, the 10,000 Small Businesses curriculum focuses on practical skills that small business managers can immediately put into action within their company. Over the course of the program, small business owners will gain the skills needed to recognize new opportunities, embrace practices that increase business growth and ultimately develop a customized growth plan for their business.

The curriculum is organized into nine modules and four clinics geared around small business management training, each of which includes classroom discussion, peer learning exercises, skill building and experiential applications. Classroom activities are complemented by an integrated portfolio of business services, including: one-on-one business advice, legal and financial clinics, and networking opportunities.

Module 1: You and Your Business

Module 2: Growth and Opportunities

Module 3: Money and Metrics

Module 4: You Are the Leader

Module 5: It’s the People

Module 6: Marketing and Selling

Module 7: Strategic Growth Through Operations

Module 8: Being Bankable

Module 9: Action for Growth

A Supportive Network of Advisors and Peers

Participants will receive one-on-one business advising and the opportunity to learn from other like-minded business owners. The 10,000 Small Businesses program provides this expert advice and technical assistance through partnerships with national and local business organizations and professional services firms.

Criteria to qualify includes:
-Small business owner or small business co-owner
-Business in operation for at least two years
-Business revenues over $150,000 in the most recent fiscal year
-Business with a minimum of four employees (including the owner)

This link provides more details about program eligibility.

The Dayton cohort runs May 7-July 31. This program is underwritten by Goldman Sachs, so there’s no cost business owners. The greatest investment is your time and commitment!