Life in the City

Twenty Seven artists take us on a journey of exploring diverse urban lifestyles, architecture, and culture through a variety of mediums in Front Street’s 6th Annual  “Life in the City.”  This year’s show features a large scale installation, sculpture work, paintings, mixed media work, glass and more.

Opening Reception: August 2, 2024 5-9PM

Closing Reception August 18, 2024 11-4PM

MEET OUR GUEST JUROR

Michael Coppage is a conceptual artist using an interdisciplinary, dialectical approach to address social issues surrounding race and language. Originally from Chicago, He has lived and worked in Cincinnati since 2007. Coppage is the three-time recipient of Artswave’s Truth and Reconciliation grant, Ohio Pretrial Justice grant, and received Awesome Foundation grants in New York and Philadelphia. He is the recipient of the Ohio Arts Councils Individual Artistic Excellence award, Artist Opportunities Grant and The Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Foundation Enlightenment Award. He completed a TEDx Talk titled “Everybody’s Racist...and it’s O.K” and he gained international attention with his recent project “BLACK BOX” : a community impact project aimed at demystifying blackness and creating authentic experiences that replaces bias and preconceived notions related to “Black”. This series has impacted over 2 million people in 29 countries and has been exhibited in Puerto Rico, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 21c Museum Hotel, Medici Museum, Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery and at Art Crawl Harlem on Governors Island in New York two consecutive years in a row to name a few. Coppage has gained some attention recently with a body of work entitled “American+” and has completed several public works in the United States. Read more about Michael here.

Maria McGinnis

"Sunrise"
acrylic on canvas
38" x 48" x 2"
$2500

"Sunrise is influenced by the Dayton I know for invention and innovation. I have chosen the architecture of the engine to change perspective of what it can be and represent Dayton's resilience." 

Artist Statement: Art has been my therapy for many years.  In that time I have gained creative problem-solving skills. Where I work to create honest interpretations that represent my life and experiences within it. I push mark making, palette knife and creative use of the media to express my reactions and experience as I move through my life. The Vibrations of life became my inspiration. I search to find more ways to represent that in the process of being creative. My work is a development of processes to express the exploration of myself and family experiences. To express creatively the genuine self. Where I can explore more recovery and color in my life that allows me to appreciate more of where I have been and where I am headed in the future.

"Marin Had a Dream"
Oil on canvas
11" x 14"
$400

"Now You See Me Now You Don't"
Video Installation
NFS

"Nightly Walk"
acrylic on canvas panel
"5x7"
$50

Jen Hunter

"Oregon District, Dayton" 2024
Digital print on canvas
30" x 40"
$400

"Post Covid wee hours of the beautiful misty morning, life in my City."

Artist Statement: "Endlessly treasure hunting the next frame of conscious connection."

Connie Weber

"Buildings in the Mist"
acrylic on canvas board
16" x 20" 
$200

"I was raised in rural settings, so later living in more of a city life, I relate to my beginnings as very calm, quiet , no electricity or very many modern conveniences to the fast pace & seemingly electric life the city sparks inside of me! This includes large structures such as bridges over massive rivers, tall well lit buildings & traffic that continuously is never ending. I can understand how all of these impressions have now filtered into my art vision, since becoming an adult!"

Artist Statement: I believe art should open minds & free spirits allowing them to escape to a reality which is new to them! All art has value, if we just take the time to look & then to see!

Samantha Wott

"Backstage"
acrylic on canvas, framed
12" x 16"
$160

"I feel my work portrays the life of the people in the city along with the culture of city life. In my travels I find the theatre district tells a lot about a place and its people."

Artist Statement: I associate life of the city from the theatre districts. Pulling inspiration from shows and plays to make bright vibrant pieces. In this work I wanted to convey the live of the theatre. Backstage is set before large mirror the subject facing the mirror seeing their persona from stage staring back at them. This piece was inspired by the musical Pippin from the final song.

Lorna Mantia Conley

"4:52am"
digital photograph, framed
16"x 20" 
$100

"My lifestyle has changed this past year, going to music events all over and making new friends. Exploring the city at night-experiencing a world I never had before."

Artist Statement: I’m a fine photographer who sees a world of beauty in decaying urban landscapes. Dayton has always been my muse but this year I was able to explore other cities. Looking through my lens allows me to share how I see the world.

Bruce Soifer

"Rhythm in Them their Shoes"
Photographic pricing, matted, framed, 
31" x 26"
$899
"I have been photographing Dayton and all areas around most of my life. When I am showing someone my images or prints, they often ask, "Where is this?" When I answer, “Dayton, Ohio,” they cannot believe the images are of our city’s architecture or the greenspace down a winding road in a neighborhood close to home. How I see the world around me is what I try to capture with my camera to communicate that perception to others. Each day is different offering unique opportunities to capture our city and community. I could never get enough times to take advantage of capturing our home town."

Artist Statement: I have the eye of a painter, the mind of a camera, and the heart of an Elephant. My passion is to capture the creation of art wherever it may come from, Nature, man or woman. Light has been the driving force in my art, I observe the direction it comes from, the color, the way it is reflected off different surfaces, or how light passes through materials, and the shadows it creates to show texture. I like to print on different materials, matching the image captured to what fits best.

Clarice Moore

"Sunday Service"
oil on canvas, framed
16" x 20"
$525

"Expressive Interpretation"

Artist Statement: Clarice Moore is a mixed media artist.

Roxanne Grooms

"Intervention"
mixed media on wood panel
14"x18”
$375

"Over 42,000 people died as the result of gun injuries in the U.S. in 2023. And on July 13th, 2024, there was an assignation attempt on a presidential candidate. As an artist, we have a unique way of bringing attention to this topic. I don’t know what the answer is. Is it the gun or the person? Regardless, something has to be done. My part is portraying hope that it can change."

Artist Statement: "I work in mixed media including acrylics, colored pencil, ink, graphite, and hand stitching on canvas. My paintings are layers upon layers of this collaboration. I lay down, take away, layer paint and wash the surface over and over until the painting becomes who it is destined to be. It is an exploration of what occurs and the decisions that are made as a result while exercising control and giving in to the randomness of the journey."

Paul Lyons

"Foggy Dayton"
giclee print, matted and framed
16" x 20"
$350

A city is a living, breathing thing. The structures, the streets, and most of all the people form the body, the arteries, and the life blood of the city. I like to capture cityscapes and street photos from unique perspectives and in unique light that showcases the diversity of the urban landscape.

Artist Statement: When I was very young, I fell in love with capturing moments on film, preserving memories, and sharing my interpretations of reality. Photography is an extension of my vision, a way to share what I experience with others. It is my true joy and passion. For me, photographs hold immense power, weaving joy and sorrow, light and shadow. They are more than mere images; they are timeless memories and a part of my soul. My goal is to share my vision and inspire others to experience and create so that my influence will continue to be remembered long after I have forgotten.

Kathleen Caffrey

"Gala Opening"
multimedia
16" x 20"
$200

There are moments that expand beyond the mundane of life. Away from the little moments that one works to appreciate, they are a wonder without effort. It is opening night at the Dayton Art Institute. The moon is full, the breeze is crisp, the lights are bright and new art awaits me. Perhaps a few art world altogether. I'll learn about a world I never knew, a person I've never met and see art in a way I've never imagined.
In this multimedia work mediums are used for effect. They express textures, perceptions and excitement. The defined lines share the markedness of the occasion, written in the calendar weeks ago and thought about since. The power of art to brush the dust off daily life, and add something new to how we live in the world.

Artist Statement: Mindfulness and transformation. The world we live in is precious in the passing moments and dynamic in the shifting sands under our feet. I express my observations and moments in my own efforts to make sense of these opposing forces.
I have always been interested in techniques and methods from the past and present. I have studied historical photographic methods as well as historic drawing, painting, drafting, and methods of perspective. I have also made a point to keep an eye on new products and methods, as well as pioneers exploring joint and evolved techniques.
The past is always present, the present is always passing and the future was planted long ago. While rooted in a lifelong personal study of the Humanities and Science, human beings experience life on emotional terms. This data is transformed into experience and reaction, relationship and connection, and community and focus.
The creative fields, including art, are a means of exploring these. And in my work, I use the emotive effect of art to explore the complex reality we all daily seek to understand.

Michael Higgins

"Connection"
mixed media including wood, paper, string, plaster, acrylic paint, tempera paint, spray paint
36" x 40" 
$850

This work is about how we rise above circumstance through connection with others. A narrative emerges amid the ruin of urban decay and warfare. Two lonely souls meet. Weapons become playthings cast aside. Connection is how we will really survive.

Life in the City can be difficult but the city provides for connection as it requires connection.

Artist Statement: Transcendence and transformation are common themes in my work. I see art as a tool for seeking meaning and connection. I am searching for a narrative that raises me above circumstance. Art is a by-product and record of this search.

I use a variety of materials and approaches to make art but mainly paint and draw on paper, panel and canvas - often with sculptural qualities. I have a BFA and MA with a fine arts focus.

Jamie Adkins

"The Takeover"
mixed media, framed
16" x 20"
$100

"The Takeover" is my interpretation of what happens when we give up on the beauty of our cities, when we abandon them and stop putting our love into them. When nature reclaims the land we originally took from them. Equally as beautiful."

Artist Statement: For me art is all about using color to create emotions, sometimes it’s a lot of color other times it’s minimal and sometimes the color is more important than the perspective.

Ginny Baughman

"Forest City" 2020
Cut, layered paper
16" x 20"

I use lots of subjects for my art including cityscapes.

Artist Statement: Through my art I promote a dialogue about issues that are close to my heart. My art is content, not media, based, because my choice of media is dictated by my theme. I utilize a variety of media for my art. I think of my art as contemporary, realism.

Chip Williamson

"Blue City"
photograph, matted, framed
16" x 20"
$100

"The city" as a term simply put is the place where a density of humanity gathers. Where, when and how the world expresses city is what makes travel so fascinating. The photo I'm submitting is from Chefchaouen, Morocco. Known as the blue city, built on a hillside, we found this city to be memorable for the people as much as the color. I caught this impromptu meeting of two mothers with their kids catching up on their families and life. To me, this is the intimate city portrait, two friends sharing a moment in the midst of their busy lives.

Artist Statement: Chip is a Dayton photographer, painter and gallerist whose work can be seen at the Front Street gallery Casablanca Studios and Gallery. He is inspired by photographers Sally Mann and Vivian Maier.

Lova Delis

"Mama, Are You Home?"
acrylic and oil pastel on stretched canvas
30" x 40"
$1200

The work I’ve submitted is of my mother, who is severely mentally ill, voluntarily homeless, and an immigrant. Behind her is a broken down home in my neighborhood here in Dayton. When I think of my life in the city, I think of HER life in the city. And that of all those who are in a similar place. I feel we can’t ignore these things when looking at culture through art.

Artist Statement: My current work is focused on layering images from personal photos with mixed media to create a new scope of perspective. This work reveals threads of connection between the deeply personal and wider issues we face today. Issues such as homelessness, mental health, and urban decay.

Libby Morgan

"Distance Redux #77"
Linocut, matted and framed
Installation measures apx. 6' x 4.5'
NFS

"Distance Redux #77" is an ongoing piece chronicling my commute between my home in Dayton and Miami University in Oxford. It is a study of the passage of time and its effect on memory as well as my personal impact on the environment. Distance began as a way of expressing the sorrow I felt in being so far away from home while studying for my master's degree. Since getting married and moving back to Dayton, the piece has become an expression of the importance of the city to me and my family and the joy I feel in returning to it at the end of each day.

Artist Statement: Growing up in a constantly changing environment, few things remained stable. We left behind friends, homes, and belongings that couldn’t fit on the moving truck. My artwork acknowledges this sense of loss and reflects upon my nomadic upbringing. Dayton serves as the scene for my healing journey and future as I start a family and make a home of my own.

Josh Arnold

"At Least We're Not Your Kids"
digital photography
30" x 20" x 1"
$250

I walk around cities during both day and night. I am documenting urban life that can be seen if paying attention to the city around you. Capturing the history of cities of what once was before the landscape changes to a more sterile, simplified, and economical architectural wasteland.

Artist Statement: From Dayton to Columbus, Josh Arnold has become a visionary multi-media artist. He's inspired by the forgotten and the unseen of the world most of us walk by, unnoticed. Whether it's an abandoned plank of wood, or the way lights play on an abandoned building, Josh's vision captures the everyday hidden world in his photography. He can also be found bonding together reclaimed wood to carve into unexpected items that challenge the juxtaposition of everyday life.

Sarah Wrona

Graceland II
fused glass
14" x 15"
$175

"Graceland II" is inspired by Paul Simon’s lyrics.  “There is a girl in New York City who calls herself the human trampoline and sometimes when I’m falling, flying or tumbling in turmoil I say whoa, so this is what she means. She means We’re bouncing into Graceland.”  I tried to capture that feeling that we all feel as we go through life and try to make it to our destination.

Artist Statement: Sarah is a multi-talented artist who works in a variety of mediums. Currently, her main emphasis is fused glass. She enjoys exploring how color and light unite to form exquisite designs. Sarah also enjoys creating welded metal sculptures, jewelry, alcohol inks paintings, found object sculptures, and crocheted items.  The beauty of nature inspires much of her artwork, trees and flowers are a recurring theme. Some of her work repurposes old and forgotten items. Sarah enjoys giving new life to the treasures she finds.

Judd Plattenburg

Cannery Apartments
photograph, framed
16" x 20" 

I have worked in Downtown Dayton for 47 years and watched the inner working of this city through its ups and downs. In my work I've tried to depict some of those experiences: Someone coming out of their apartment at the Cannery for a smoke, The last stragglers at the Fifth Street Brew Pub before it closes, the old bartender at corner Kitchen mixing a drink as you wait for your table...just some of the ordinary things that happen every day in an urban setting like Dayton.

Kimberly Weiss

“The Song of Civilization”
Ink on Paper, framed
8" x 15"
$250

When a major change in my life led me back to living in the city, the road into town became one of the most significant views in my daily adventures again. From the road, I can often see many of the amazing features of city life all at once, and at the same time, it often occurs to me that this view of the city from a distance only enhances the stark contrast between the edgy, hard structures of humanity’s making and the lush and beautiful softness of nature that the city resides in. Many of us try to blur the lines where we can to create as much harmony with our environment as possible, but the roads that lead to the creation of civilizations and communities are twisting and overlapping and have many exits for distraction. For the foreseeable future, my life will be the city, and at the end of my drive home, I know that all I can do today to keep the balance is to create my own harmony in the song of civilization. 

Sydney Joslin-Knapp

"Limp Bizkit 4Ever" 2023
marker on cardstock
8" x 10" 
$250

I am deeply inspired by Dayton—its socio-cultural histories, impact, and my own lived experience as a Dayton native. Witnessing Dayton’s evolution over the course of my lifetime has been surreal. It encompasses everything—from the impact of drugs, decades of institutional neglect, and erasure of our histories, to a reinvestment in recognizing the talent that comes from here and rectifying some of the long-term issues that have impacted our lives. I love the breadth of culture within Dayton. I love the people who work so hard to make a difference in our communities. I love the quirky particularities of small businesses, local lore, and old buildings that have been a constant throughout my life. As an artist, I feel it is important to honor the people, places, and things that have inspired me—giving credit where it is due and paying it forward. I’ve also found this is fertile ground for connection and understanding; making art that reflects the shared reality of place can make people feel seen, make space for more conversation about what these subjects mean to us. Often, the greatest resonance comes through the things that seem superficially silly. I try to walk the line between those lighter elements and deeper discussion, as everything is everything and all things deserve their due.

Artist Statement: Sydney Joslin-Knapp is a multidisciplinary artist from Dayton, Ohio. From hand-embroidered patches to paper-based installations, Sydney utilizes a wide range of sizes and materials to express themselves. They find the most inspiration in their community and the things that fulfill them, such as learning. In addition to their personal creative practice, Sydney is also a cake designing apprentice. They love growing their skills, learning new techniques, and expanding the ways they share joy with others.

Tami Beale

"City Markets From Above" 2024
mixed media including acrylic, saw dust, oil paint and oil pastels
30" x 40" x 2"
$700

This painting was created out of a love for all the city markets across the world and all they have to offer. They are filled with so much beauty and diversity, making them one of the most special places on earth.

Artist Statement: Tami Beale is a self-taught visual artist specializing in abstract oil and mixed media paintings. Her goal is to infuse boldness and beauty into every space. In addition, Tami strives to raise awareness about social injustice and women's rights through the titles of her artworks. She is currently working on a series titled "If You're Not Pissed Off, You're Not Paying Attention." Tami views art as therapeutic, not only for the creators, but also for those who immerse themselves in it. 

Alison Bour

"Downtown Vibes" 
digital photograph 
16" x 20" framed
$150

As much as I adore a quiet country spot, there's nothing like the way cities come to life - in lights, in dance, in architecture both new and old. In a word, cities are vibrant! That's what inspired my cityscape artwork for this competition. In it, the buildings are alive, they move and mesmerize us in a way nature cannot. I LOVE driving in and around downtown Dayton at night, watching the building lights change through cycles of color, and I love that we have a rainbow of color presented in our city. 

Artist Statement: Alison Bour started the formal study of photography in 2008 and quickly fell in love with digital artistry. She creates using a variety of techniques and programs and often uses one or more designs as a springboard for additional work. She loves to create both traditional and contemporary art, and never uses AI- or web-generated images, even in her pure abstract work. Her art is created using only her own photo images as a foundation. Her artwork has appeared in juried gallery shows, including the PA Center for Photography, the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center, and Middletown Arts Center, and her work was shown at Dayton’s Art in the City the past two summers. She is a member of the Dayton Society of Artists and shows her work at The ARTery gallery at Front Street.