Peace prizes, gallery shows and other stuff

By Ron Rollins | Friday, November 13, 2009, 02:25 PM

There was plenty of interesting stuff going on in town last weekend, but the main event had to be what was happening on the stage at the Schuster Performing Arts Center Sunday night, Nov. 8.

That was where the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prizes were awarded, the fourth year of a flourishing event that shines a truly elegant and worthy spotlight onto our city. This year’s winners — journalists E. Benjamin Skinner and Thomas Friedman, novelists Richard Bausch and Uwem Akpan, and New York Times reporters Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn — opened the eyes of the audience to such injustices as modern-day slavery and the horrors of warfare, and yet at the same time inspired with the idea that motivated individuals can make a difference in the world.

This event, an outgrowth of the famous Dayton Peace Accords, seems to be one of the city’s best bets for redefining its image on the national and world stage. At least, that is the hope of many. Let’s see how it goes.

— Still speaking of the Schuster Center, I often wonder when I see Dr. Ben wandering through the Wintergarden, always with a smile on his face, whether it isn’t just a bit surreal to stand inside a big building with your name on it.

— Speaking of surreal, bravo and a shout-out for Vol. 2 of the Dayton version of Pecha Kucha, the fast-paced, slam-style talk-about-anything program that’s caught on around the world and has finally come here. The second one happened Friday, Nov. 6, in the very cool Excelsior Building in the Oregon District, with a dozen or so speakers sharing their opinions and expertise by running through 20 slides for 20 seconds before a drinking, happy audience. From the history of Dayton’s 1970s funk scene to the fine points of creating the perfect backyard retreat, the event was a feast for the mind. Keep ‘em coming.

— Speaking of the Oregon District, there was a ton of other neat stuff going on that First Friday — almost too much to see and do, which is what you want. Hats off to the more than 130 local artists who closed out the “Creative Soul of Dayton” exhibition that evening in the new gallery space on the top floor of the Armory Building. It was great work, and an eye-popping show. Word is that the building’s owners, the law firm Gottschlich & Portune, are hoping to keep the space open for more art from now on. Stay tuned ..

— Still speaking of Oregon, I was prowling around Fifth Street on Thursday evening and was surprised how few folks I saw … Maybe just an off night. Thoughts, anyone?

— Speaking of the ’70s, here’s a question for anybody who had a ticket to Arrival from Sweden, the ABBA tribute show with the Dayton Philharmonic last night: Could any of us who were on dance floors in, oh, 1977 or so have imagined that some distant day in the future we would be paying good money to hear “Waterloo” played out in front of a symphony?

— Speaking of dancing, I’m still trying to imagine the local arts scene without Rhythm in Shoes in it…. As they wind down, I’m finding myself wishing I’d seen more of them over the years. Ah, regrets.

— Speaking of art, make a point to stop by the Dayton Visual Arts Center’s exhibition of sculpture by Pamela Decoker of Oxford, who turns tiny items like buttons and screws into crisp, monochromatic acrylic arrangements that delight the eye. And while you’re there, remember that DVAC’s “ARTtoBUY” Holiday Gift Gallery of local art is open, just in time for Christmas shopping.

— Speaking of Christmas: Good grief, already?

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Um, but aren’t they, like, undead?

By Ron Rollins | Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 01:21 PM

OK, I’ve gotten lots of goofy entertainment-related press releases and story pitches over the years, but this one from a PR company in NYC that will remain unnamed goes thusly:

Are Vampires Leading Young Girls to a Poor Body Image?

In a time when it is so easy for young girls to be persuaded by the media, are vampires the wrong image to achieve? I work with several clinical psychologists and behavioral health experts who can discuss the negative impact these shows have on body image. Some of the additional topics these experts can discuss are: Are these shows forcing girls into eating disorders? Forcing them to use diet pills? How can these girls embrace their body and have positive body image? How can parents help to combat these stereotypes that young girls are faced with?

All I can say is, now I’ve heard everything.

Hey, wait … you think Paris Hilton might be a vampire?

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The world could end!

By Ron Rollins | Monday, November 9, 2009, 11:17 PM

Funny!

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Mass murder as common culture…

By Ron Rollins | Saturday, November 7, 2009, 09:45 AM

You know, as I was reading the stories about Ft. Hood, I really hadn’t thought about the incident from the point of view this writer takes in a fascinating essay from The Daily Beast…

What do think? Does he have a point?

And if he does, what could be done?

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What’s the library really for?

By Ron Rollins | Friday, November 6, 2009, 01:47 PM

Since Wednesday, the Dayton Metro Library’s home page has sported a big, red-white-and-blue “Thank you” to voters for their support on Nov. 3 of the system’s tax levy — followed by, “We would hug you if we could. Really.”

That’d be about 80,000 hugs. The levy passed handily, throwing a $13.6-million-a-year lifeline to an institution that was foundering in the wake of heavy state budget cuts. The levy won’t make up for all that, but will help keep the doors open at the main library and its 21 branches.

Hugs and happiness aside, however, it seems worth considering what the victory says about us as a society — especially when you consider that according to the Associated Press, voters in Ohio approved levies for 30 library systems around the state last week.

Said the AP: “The Ohio Library Council had estimated that at least 15 percent of the state’s 251 systems had levies or a bond issue on Tuesday’s ballot and said only seven levies and one bond issue failed.” Those were by very slim margins.

Apparently, people still love their local library — even in our Wiki-Google-Yahoo age. With more information at our fingertips than we can possibly consume, why are people still so eager to pay for a big, expensive building full of books?

Tim Kambitsch, director of the Dayton Metro Library, has been musing on that very thing quite a lot this week.

He’s pretty sure there are two main groups who use the library and perceive it differently in this Internet era. One consists of people who want and need to be wired in but can’t afford it at home, and so use the library as their “only place to participate in the digital world.” That group, however, might not vote in great enough numbers to do the trick.

Then, he says, “there is that group of knowledge workers who are heavy Internet users, but may not be big library users for the things they used us for in the past — say, coming here to find that interesting piece of trivia you get so easily online now.

“But that group does see the intrinsic value of libraries; they know they’ve benefited from them in the past, and that other people do now, and they are supportive of that.”

That’s where this gets interesting — and a little abstract.

You may used the library for the audiobooks that make your commute a bit happier (I do), or a community group you belong to may meet there, or you may enjoy borrowing, rather than buying, picture books for your family’s young new reader. But after the practical, there’s something else, it seems.

The Internet, as it has broadened the web of information at our disposal, has also decentralized us — our interactions with each other are faster now, and less often face-to-face. We “meet” without actually going anywhere. We know more about each other, but seem to know each other less.

Do we still, possibly without realizing it, still crave a central place to go? Do we yearn for an emotional town square? And is the library the closest thing we’ve got?

“There is something to the idea of the library as that community gathering point,” Kambitsch said. “We found in our surveys that that informal interaction is one of the most important parts of what people think is important about libraries.

“There’s a writer who talks about ‘the third space’ people need, that isn’t work or home, but is somewhere else that you need to have, and I don’t think people get the same sort of intellectual satisfaction from having it be a lifestyle mall… But if you bump into somebody at the library, you almost feel proud of it — and you really aren’t celebrating the library itself, but the sense of community you both feel.

“It’s hard to nail down, but there is a sense of satisfaction, a sense of serendipity you get.”

Just think: If he’s right, a lot of people were willing to cast their votes, and put their money down, for something very intangibly, communally, cool. Either that, or the hugs.

They’re sort of the same thing, if you think about it.

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Love your e-mail? Hate your e-mail?

By Ron Rollins | Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 08:16 PM

Personally, I love mine.

But either way, there’s something in this interesting essay for you… Read all the way to the bottom, and see if you agree.

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Dang, what a month

By Ron Rollins | Monday, November 2, 2009, 06:16 PM

Well, now that we’re into November, voting happens tomorrow and the clocks are reset, it seems as though we’ve begun the slow slide into Thanksgiving and the holidays… A very nice time of year.

But dang, did anybody notice how much fun it was around here in October?

— DAYTON MUSIC FEST: The month started with a downtown bang when eight bars opened up to more than 30 local indie-rock bands for a great night full of music on Saturday, Oct. 3. The clubs were hopping as bands from the Smug Brothers to Yakuza Heart Attack to — hell, you name it, they were probably playing. My favorite of the night was catching up with the flat-out punk of Luxury Pushers, who rocked the ‘Weed and packed ‘em in. Seeya next year.

— YELLOW SPRINGS STREET FAIR: Where else do you get the mixture of people of all sorts and diverse varieties, than what you get at this event? Downtown YS bubbles over with folks, and this year the picture-perfect fall weather on Saturday, Oct. 10 made the event even more shoulder-to-shoulder. Whether you’re into belly dancing, petition-signing or munching a sloppy sandwich, this event gets better every year.

— MASQUERAGE: The best dress-up-and-dance-your-butt-off party in Dayton moved back to the round barn at the Fairgrounds this year, a great spot for the festivities. With an appropriate “freak show” theme, you got knife-throwers, bearded ladies and circus geeks galore to mix it up with the pole dancers and the barely-clad booty-shakers who kept it all interesting. Oct. 17 was the night, and yet again — the AIDS Resource Center sure-nuff knows how to throw a par-tay. Do not miss this one.

— CREATIVE SOUL OF DAYTON: This community art show of some 200 works from 130 artists was one of many cool outgrowths of the DaytonCREATE movement, and it filled the top floor of the Armory building with tons of great locallly made art. Closing reception and your chance to see it is this Friday, Nov. 6, from 5-10 PM on First Friday. Very good stuff on display, and from some artists you’ve not necessarily seen before. www.creativesouldayton.com for more. Oh yeah, it’s free.

— HARVEST TAVERN DINNERS: My wife and I had the chance, after years of association with Dayton History (full disclosure: I’m on the board) and Carillon Park, to attend one of the “Tavern Dinners” they throw there. You get to eat fare from recipes from the 1830s, right inside Dayton’s oldest building — Newcom Tavern. It’s a fun evening of learning and camaraderie with new friends. Roast bison cooked on an open fire? You want to try it.

OK, those were just a few of things that went on. You also had the Sauerkraut Festival and the Ohio Renaissance Festival, which I didn’t a chance to visit this year, alas. You had the opening of the new “Hello World!” show of attic treasure artworks at the Dayton Art Institute, a very fine show. You had the Garlic Festival at Cox Arboretum and tons of other festivals in the area…

And yep, you also had all that amazingly gorgeous autumnal color and wonderful weather, too.

October in SW Ohio? It’s my favorite month of the year; how about yours?

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