Trotwood
About the Trotwood Art Installation and Artists
Michael J. Bashaw (b. 1949) American, STRENGTH IN UNITY, 2019, Vinyl, aluminum, metal binder rings, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2020.1
Dayton sculptor and musician Michael Bashaw is known for his Sound Sculpture concerts, featuring his large-scale metal sculptures that function as musical instruments, as well as numerous large-scale art installations and collaborative projects throughout the region. In this work, Bashaw responds to the bold black and white patterning seen in Centerpiece. Several thousand rhomboid shapes hang vertically in multiple layers creating depth and complexity. The dynamic use of black further references Centerpiece and adds to the sculpture’s rhythm.
About the Artist
MICHAEL BASHAW is a sculptor and musician well-known for his performances, sculptures, collaborations and workshops. He has been a featured artist at hundreds of venues and events. Bashaw’s sculptures are found in many private collections and public installations and his work has been inventoried by the Smithsonian Art Museum. He has performed with his Sound Sculpture Concert Ensemble and his quintet Puzzle of Light throughout the US and in Europe. In 2012, Bashaw was recognized for his outstanding work in arts education, when he was named Ohio Arts Council’s Governor’s Award for Individual Artist. For more information about this artist please visit: www.thepuzzleoflight.wixsite.com, opens a new window
Dwayne Daniel (b. 1961) American, PATHWAY TO CREATIVITY AND DISCOVERY, 2019, Inkjet print, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2020.2
Dayton artist Dwayne Daniel is a painter and graphic designer known for his portrayals of African Americans. Daniel’s narrative works celebrate the essential but often unrecognized achievements of African Americans in our shared history. In this work, Daniel applies his understanding of traditional painting techniques to this digital painting as he celebrates the courage of Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans and the Tuskegee Airman, the fist African American airmen allowed to pilot fighter jets in WW II.
About the Artist
DWAYNE DANIEL graduated with honors from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and received his MFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Central State University and serves as coordinator of the fine arts component of the Central State University Center of Excellence, as declared by the Ohio Board of Regents. Daniel is the recipient of many art awards, including being selected as a 2011 Top Ten African American Male for Dayton and the Miami Valley Region. In 2013 he was honored as a Dayton Skyscraper (An African American Visual Artists Tribute to African American Heroes of Dayton, Ohio). In 2017 Dwayne was among the inaugural inductees into the Paul Laurence Dunbar Alumni Wall of Fame.
Nick C. Stamas (b. 1945) American, RHYTHMS THAT UNITE, 2019, Alkyd oil on canvas, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2020.3
Dayton artist Nick Stamas paints in an expressive, colorful style exploring themes developed from his experiences with people, everyday situations and observations. Reflecting on Pathway’s inspiration to soar and the diversity of the patterns that are seen in Centerpiece, Stamas creates a visual montage representing an eclectic range of music and musicians all in sync yet expressing different points of view. Employing an energized composition and vibrant color Rhythms That Unite, celebrates the power of music to inspire community.
About the Artist
Nick C. Stamas is a professional artist with a degree from the Dayton Art Institute. He is the former president and creative director of Graphica Design and Communications Group, offering corporate design and marketing solutions to Fortune 500 companies nationally and internationally. Prior to becoming Graphica’s president, Stamas was an illustrator and designer, traveling extensively in Europe for several clients as an art director and design consultant. For more information about this artist please visit: www.nickstamasartist.com
Judy Campbell White (b. 1959) American, THE FOUR STAGES OF THE SOUL IN WOMANHOOD, 2019, Acrylic on board, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2020.4
Dayton artist Judy Campbell White is a painter and printmaker. THE FOUR STAGES OF THE SOUL IN WOMANHOOD reflects her interest in the female figure as subject matter and pays homage to the original women of the Vienna workshop as well as forgotten women artists of the past. Inspired by the female caryatids supporting the bowl of the Centerpiece, White depicts four women in various stages of life – daughter/sister, young wife/mother, mother/aunt and grandmother. This work celebrates the essential role women play as nurturer and creator.
About the Artist
JUDY CAMPBELL WHITE received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wright State University with a concentration in drawing and printmaking and a Master’s degree in Visual Arts Education. White has taught in many area schools and art centers, including the Dayton Art Institute, the Springfield Art Museum, Rosewood Arts Center, and Stiver’s School for the Arts. Her work has been in several solo exhibitions and included in many group exhibitions. Working in various media including drawing, printmaking and ceramics, her favorite subject matter is the female figure. To learn more about this artist, visit her at @judycampbellwhite on Instagram.
The Stories Behind the Trotwood Art Inspiration
From the Collection of the Dayton Art Institute
John Safer, American (b. 1922), PATHWAY, 2002, stainless steel, 65 ft. Gift of John and Joy Safer, 2002.47
A veteran of the Air Force, Safer has explored the theme of flight in many of his sculptures. Pathway is dedicated to the spirit of the Wright Brothers and was donated to the Dayton Art Institute to commemorate the 100th anniversary of flight. Soaring nearly seventy feet into the Dayton sky, Safer’s Pathway welcomes visitors into the museum for an adventure of discovery and launches them back out into the world for further explorations.
View this artwork and learn more by clicking here, opens a new window or visit The Dayton Art Institute.
Wiener Werkstätte, Austrian, Vienna (1903 – 1933), CENTERPIECE, c 1908, Porcelain with underglaze and silver enamel, Height: 11 inches, The Dayton Art Institute, Museum purchase with funds provided by the James F. Dicke Family, 1998.28
The enrichment of everyday life with splendidly designed and crafted objects was central to the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop), founded in 1903 by Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann. Vienna was a major center for architecture, painting, design, and the decorative arts in the early 20th century. The patterns of ovals, dots, and lines are modern in their application, simple yet visually leading the viewer’s eyes up and around the various surface planes. The function of this centerpiece was traditional, used to hold fruit or flowers, and the figures supporting the shallow oval bowl are a motif from antiquity called caryatids, which are support columns designed as female figures.
How did these pieces inspired our artists?
Pathway to Creativity and Discovery is inspired by John Safer’s Pathway which is dedicated to the spirit of the Wright Brothers. My composition is designed to be a snapshot of children learning about some of the tremendous contributions by great African Americans. Dwayne Daniel, artist
I was attracted to the positive/negative patterns in the columns of Centerpiece. My work explores the how elements can be combined to demonstrate how harmony can be created within diversity. Michael J. Bashaw, artist
Using the women shown on the Centerpiece as inspiration and a similar limited color palette, my work honors the lives of women, shown here in four stages, daughter, young mother, older mother, and grandmother. I was reminded that women hold up the world, the world of home, of hearth and of family. Judy Campbell White, artist
The patterns and textures of Centerpiece are reminiscent of the cultural backgrounds of varying musicians who retain their individuality while blending their talents with other artists to create moving music scores. Pathway, dedicated to the spirit of the Wright Brothers, inspires musicians to soar, to invite discovery and opportunity for the listener in every note. Nick Stamas, artist
Thank you to our partner,
the Dayton Art Institute, opens a new window.
Photos of ReImagining Works pieces taken by Andy Snow.