Family-friendly event slated for Dunbar’s birthday Opera Guild wins excellence award
A family-friendly event marking the birth date of renowned poet Paul Laurence Dunbar will take place from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in Dayton’s historic Wright Dunbar neighborhood. The festivities are hosted by Wright Dunbar Inc. and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
Organizers are hoping to enter the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest group reading of a poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Compensation.” The reading will take place at 3 p.m. in the Interpretive Center plaza, 16 Williams St. Poetry readings — scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 5 p.m. in the firstfloor theater of the Center — will feature Herbert Martin, professor emeritus, University of Dayton; Mitch Capel, storyteller and poet; and Joy Kinard, superintendent of the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument.
The National Park Service also will screen short videos of Walk of Fame inductees. At the 2 p.m. “Walk the Walk,” you’ll hear more about each honoree from each of the “stone hosts.” Hosting Dunbar’s stone will be one of his cousins. Birthday cake will be served.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar House, located at 219 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar St., will be free and open to the public for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Library announces additional artists
The Dayton Metro Library has just announced the artists whose work will grace the KetteringMoraine and Vandalia library branches of the Dayton Metro Library. The commissions are all part of the innovative ReImagining Works project, which will result in new, original artwork at each Dayton Metro Library location.
Artists were asked to come up with ideas inspired by artwork from the Dayton Art Institute’s permanent collection. The project is made possible by an anonymous bequest intended to integrate original art and innovative programming at the 17 new or renovated library buildings.
At the Kettering branch, three artists — Gail Christofferson of Bowling Green, Marsha Monroe Pippenger from Harrison Twp. and Mike Elsass from Kettering — will create artwork. Christofferson and her team will create a glass mosaic mural; Pippenger will create 12 to 16 small canvasses in paper collage that depict people, places and history of the Kettering community. Elsass will do an abstract painting on four pieces of shaped recycled steel.
At Vandalia, Columbus artist Stephen Canneto is planning a large installation suspended overhead that will reflect a continuously changing play of light and color visible both inside and outside. Suzanne Ley of Springboro will use library patrons as models for an oil painting; Elsass will create a large-scale painting on steel.
Artists interested in the ReImagining Works project should visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call 937-463-BOOK. A Request for Proposals for the Miamisburg Branch Library will come out later this summer. Eight additional opportunities will be announced during the next two years.
Guitarists selected for Schuster concert
Two local guitarists — Max Mobarry of Dayton and Mike Craft of West Carrollton — will perform at the Schuster Center on July 10 for the first concert of the Dayton Philharmonic Summer in the City Music Festival.
The two were chosen from 10 finalists last Saturday night by a four-judge panel at Dayton Beer Company. Three runnersup — Kelly Bush, Blaine Gordon and Michael Baumann — will join The Fries Band for the Summer in the City Street Party earlier in the evening. Tickets to “Guitar Heroes” can be ordered by calling Ticket Center Stage at 937-2283630 or by visiting www. daytonperformingarts. org.
Troy will show off Gebard’s talents
“Dinner, Movie and a Show,” showcasing the talent of Springfield native Tim Gebard, will take place at The Mayflower Arts Center in Troy at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27.
Gebard, who produced the documentary “The Fall League” about Dayton’s senior slow-pitch leagues, will screen the film and then present an acoustic concert celebrating the release of his new EP “Better Angels.”
The event is co-sponsored by three local restaurants — La Piazza, Basil’s on Market and The Caroline. A one-price ticket — $15 in advance, $20 day of show — includes the movie and concert and ticket-holders will receive a 20 percent meal discount at any of the three featured restaurants. For online tickets, visit www.BrownPaper Tickets.com/event/ 1677840.
In recognition for the Opera Guild of Dayton’s achievements, Opera Volunteers International presented the prestigious Partners in Excellence award to Dayton representative, Dana Kane, at the organization’s Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., on May 8.
Celebrating its 50th year in 2013, the Guild hosted four major events to remember and recognize its history and also published a book of remembrance.
Serving on National Symphony Orchestra
Nineteen-year-old Springfield violinist Mariko Shimasaki has been selected to participate in the 22nd annual National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute from June 29-July 26.
Sixty-two students from 27 states and two foreign countries will convene at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the program. During the course of the four weeks, participants will perform seven Kennedy Center concerts that are free and open to the public. The selected students will receive private lessons and intensive coaching in sectionals by members of the National Symphony Orchestra. They will also perform in the United States Capitol on July 21 in the historic Mansfield Room and will meet with Senators and Congressmen who represent their constituencies.
Shimasaki is attending the prestigious Julliard School in New York City.
Winston’s hats on stage at Human Race
The gorgeous hats worn by the talented cast of the Human Race’s current production of “Crowns” are definitely scene-stealers.
Several of them were designed by Samuel Winston, Jr., senior pastor of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton. Winston, designer/ proprietor of Bobbie J. Winston Custom Millinery, is the son of the senior pastor. The touching and exuberant musical runs through June 28 at the Loft Theater, 128 N. Main St. in Dayton.
Plein Air Painting workshop at Rosewood
Penny Park, associate professor of painting and drawing at Wright State University, will lead a workshop June 27-28 where participants will explore the colors, forms, lighting and architecture of a post-WW II Kettering neighborhood.
Preregistration is required, as is prior experience in observational painting. If you’re interested, contact Rosewood at 937-296-0294 for more information or to register. Preregistration is required, as is prior experience in observational painting.
Columnist Sharon Short wins film award
Author Sharon Short, who pens the Sunday “Literary Life” column for this newspaper, has been named a finalist for her first screenplay in the Alaska International Film Award competition. The script was adapted from her novel, “My One Square Inch of Alaska.”
Of her 10 published novels, Sharon says she was certain this one that would make the best independent film. After being approached by a former television actress and a small Italian production company, she was determined to learn more about adapting novels for film. She signed up for a FilmDayton feature film writing class led by Marisha Mukerjee, the Dayton area native who is cur- one of the writers on the NBC “Heroes Reborn” series.
Short said the next step is to continue to get feedback from trusted readers on the screenplay and then explore next steps toward finding an independent producer. We wish her luck!
African cultural event set for Troy-Hayner
“Experience Africa: An African Cultural Event,” will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28 at the TroyHayner Cultural Cente, 301 W. Main St. The free afternoon will feature music and dancing by G.O.R.E.E. Drum & Dance, a Columbusbased group that focuses on West African styles of dance.
Ousmane Wade, originally from the Repub- lic of Senegal and the owner of Sene-Store in Sidney, will provide food for the event. For more information, visit www.troyhayner.org or call 937-339-0457.
Civil rights photos at Antioch
“Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement,” is currently on display at Antioch’s Herndon Gallery. The documentary photo exhibit runs through Aug. 7. The gallery will present an artist talk with photographer Lyon via Skype from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, July 16.
Lyon, the first staff photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), has won two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Fellowship, and 10 National Endowment for the Arts awards. He is affiliated with Magnum Photos, and his work has appeared at MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Center for Creative Photography.
The exhibition also features the archival slide montage known as The Gegner Incident, created by Brian Springer. It includes archival newspaper clippings and photographs of a local civil rights protest held outside a local barbershop in Yellow Springs in the 1950s. For more information, see www.antiochcollege.org/ campus-life/herdonrently gallery.