Willis ‘Bing’ Davis

Ancestral Spirit Dance #259, 1999

Oil pastel on rag board

Location: Kettering Government Center South

One of Dayton’s most celebrated artists, Willis ‘Bing’ Davis knew that he wanted to be an artist as an elementary school student. Influenced by his community, Davis has striven to celebrate humanity and creativity through his own artwork, teaching others, and activism through art and culture. A true advocate for arts education and its impact on youth, Davis has been instrumental in regional initiatives to bring art to people of all walks of life. “In my works, I’m concerned with taking a given medium and making a personal statement based on my perception, observations and response to my environment,” Davis wrote. Beginning in the 1970s, Davis reflected his experiences traveling to West Africa through the Ancestral Spirit Dance artwork series. “I attempt to blend my love for traditional African textiles, as reflected by the geometric patterns in the background, with my urban life experience which is symbolized by the improvisation or abstract gestural movement of a jazz soloist,” wrote Davis. “When I view the completed art work, I see it as a visual prayer of thanks for those on whose shoulders I stand…and dance for joy.”

Davis received his B.A. from DePauw University and M.Ed. from Miami University, and also attended the School of the Dayton Art Institute. He has exhibited internationally, including at the Studio Museum in Harlem, American Craft Museum, Renwick Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Savannah College of Art and Design, National Museum of Art of Senegal West Africa, U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana, and Museum fur Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany.

Hamilton Dixon

Motion, 2015

Location: Kettering Government Center South

Hamilton Dixon has created forged steel sculptures throughout the Dayton area, and his artwork is collected in numerous private and public commissions. “The most fluid design is sometimes the most complex thing to make—that’s what fun to me—to make a piece of steel look like it is a flowing, organic shape,” said Dixon. “There is a lot of satisfaction in that, and it gives me a feeling of worth.”

Dixon began welding metal on an offshore oil rig in the 1980s, and continued to learn metal working techniques at the Turley Forge School in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He relocated to Dayton in the early 1990s and has since created three-dimensional artworks at major landmarks in the region, including at the Dayton Art Institute, the Dayton International Airport, the University of Dayton, and more.  His practice includes functional works, sculpture and jewelry.

Old Man and His Dog, installed 2007
Bronze
Location: Lincoln Park Civic Commons

Nationally recognized sculptor, Glenna Goodacre, is well known for her larger than life bronze figures.  Among her best known works is the Women’s Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. on the mall adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial Wall.  Another well known figure of Glenna Goodacre’s is the Sacagawea dollar coin design commissioned by the United States Treasury Department. The City of Kettering’s CitySites public art program has recently completed the installation of three works by Glenna Goodacre.

Two works, Old Man and His Dog and The Runner were selected for installation at Commons Way entrance to Lincoln Park Civic Commons.  Placed on the concrete wall, both pieces are completely integrated into the park’s beautiful surroundings. The two bronzes are from Glenna Goodacre’s series entitled Park Place and are an edition of 16.

Who Are They?

Glenna Goodacre chooses her models for her bronze figures from people she knows and has become acquainted with in and around her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The dog in Old Man and His Dog was modeled from a mixed lab owned by Glenna Goodacre’s business manager and was very much part of Glenna’s extended family.  The old man was modeled after Don Blair, a 90-year old gentleman in Santa Fe.  He has an interesting early aviation history and still retains the honor as the oldest individual to have an active pilots license.

How Are They Made?

These bronze figures are produced through a casting process known as Lost Wax. The figure is first formed in clay from an actually model or idea depiction.  The clay is then covered with a plaster cast known as the mold.  The cast is applied in sections to easily pull from the clay and pieced back together to make a negative space of the clay figure.  The plaster mold is dampened to allow wax to be poured into the mold to about ¼ inch thickness, leaving a positive hollow shell, exactly like the original clay figure.  The wax is then in cased in a high temperature investment and heated in a kiln until the wax is evaporated.  At 2300 degrees, silicon bronze is melted and poured into the investment.  A very rough version of what you see in the parks is the results.  Many, many hours of cleaning, polishing and refining goes into each figure before a potash patina is applied. The mold is retained for editions to be made from each figure.

Ollie, installed 2007
Bronze
Location: Rob Dyrek /DC Shoes Skate Plaza

Nationally recognized sculptor, Glenna Goodacre is well known for her larger than life bronze figures.  Among her best known works is the Women’s Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. on the mall adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial Wall.  Another well known figure of Glenna Goodacre’s is the Sacagawea dollar coin design commissioned by the United States Treasury Department. The City of Kettering’s CitySites public art program has recently completed the installation of three works by Glenna Goodacre.

The installation site for the third bronze figure is the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza at Indian Riffle Park.  Ollie is a larger-than-life skater frozen in a skate maneuver of the same name. This bronze piece is from Glenna Goodacre’s series entitled Sidewalk Society and is an edition of 5.

The Runner, installed 2007
Bronze
Location: Lincoln Park Civic Commons

Nationally recognized sculptor, Glenna Goodacre is well known for her larger than life bronze figures.  Among her best known works is the Women’s Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. on the mall adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial Wall.  Another well known figure of Glenna Goodacre’s is the Sacagawea dollar coin design commissioned by the United States Treasury Department. The City of Kettering’s CitySites public art program has recently completed the installation of three works by Glenna Goodacre.

Two works, Old Man and His Dog and The Runner were selected for installation at Commons Way entrance to Lincoln Park Civic Commons.  Placed on the concrete wall, both pieces are completely integrated into the park’s beautiful surroundings. The two bronzes are from Glenna Goodacre’s series entitled Park Place and are an edition of 16.

Song and Dance, 2000
Aluminum, Brick Pavers and Concrete
Location: Lincoln Park Civic Commons

The first commissioned public sculpture was installed in the Lincoln Park Civic Commons area June 2001. The aluminum structure, depicting four stylized figures reaching skyward, was designed and fabricated by Gambier, Ohio, artist, Barry Gunderson.

Untitled
Elizabeth Hertz 1983
Cortin steel
Location: Polen Farm

Beth Holyoke and Käthi Seidl
EGG, 2010
J.F. Kennedy Park, Kettering

From a call for artist in producing a project that would engage the community in designing, planning and construction two public art works, Yellow Springs artists, Beth Holyoke and Käthi Seidl, worked with the community surrounding Kennedy Park in Kettering to design an EGG covered in made mosaic tiles.

Through a public meeting, Kennedy Park neighbors and  Kettering residents planned the theme of the project to reflect the adjacent historic site of Polen Farm.  Individuals expressed their desire to reflect their memories of the farm and what the park means to them today.

A series of 14 community, public school, and adult special needs workshops were conducted and involving all ages and emphasizing family involvement.  A total of 1500 tiles were produced by 500 individuals and permanently attached to the form.

Beth Hoyoke and Käthi Seidl are artists living and working in Yellow Springs, Ohio. They have created over 20 collaborative sculptures together since 2005. Holyoke is a Yellow Springs native and studied sculpture at Georgia State in Atlanta, and has taught across the region, including at Earlham College, Mills Lawn Elementary, the Dayton Art Institute. Seidl was born in Munich, Germany and learned ceramics at John Bryan Community Pottery studio when she moved to Yellow Springs in 1995.

The Interior Animal
Erika Inger
2002
Indiana Limestone and Steel
Location: Polen Farm

The sixth stone placed in Kettering was Italian artist Erika Inger’s work entitled “The Interior Animal.” The rough-cut block of stone is untouched from the quarry except for the graduating metal discs forming a backbone shape over the stone. The variation of sizes of the metal discs will form a musical tone if fanned by hand. The location of this stone is at Polen Farm off Bigger Road. The sculpture can be seen from the parking lot, house or barn, creating the greatest access in that park area. The site selected was a perfect location for the sculpture and its resemblance to farm cultivation equipment.
Erika Inger was born in Tscherms and currently lives and works in Vienna and Lana, South Tyrol, Italy. She has studied art at the Academy of Bildenden Kunste Ravenna in Stuttgart, Austria. Her studies have included work in Africa, India and Italy.
Erika has participated in international artists symposia since 1987 in Austria and Italy. Among her public artwork, Erika Inger has permanent work in Italy, Austria and South Korea.

Whack, Whack, Paddy Whack
Dale Johnson
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Kettering Recreation Complex

Located on the turn-around area off Glengarry Drive at the entrance of the Kettering water park, this stone sculpture, entitled “Whack, Whack, Paddy Whack ,” was created by artist Dale Johnson. Commissioned as a part of 2002’s Kettering Rocks! stone sculpture symposium, Johnson was assisted by Jack Oliver in creating this playful ten-foot structure depicting the tension between a cat and a dog, and a young girl, all standing on a turtle’s back.

Dale Johnson lives and works in Columbus, Ohio, and oversees the stone shop Old World Stone Carving. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the California College of Arts and Crafts. He has also studied arts at the University of California in Berkeley, Pilcuck Glass School in Washington State and the University of Minnesota. Johnson has been commissioned to complete work in stone for the Thurber House in Columbus, Dublin/Coffman High School in Dublin, Sullivan/Bruck Architects in Columbus, the Cities of Dublin and Columbus. His work can also be seen in New York City, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Hanover, Indiana.

Summer Garden, 2013
Oil on canvas

Spring Garden, 2013
Oil on canvas

Autumn Garden I and II, 2013
Oil on canvas

Location: CitySites Collection, Government Center South Building, Lower Level

Artist Katherine Kadish has exhibited her paintings and prints since the early 1970s around the world, including in museums and galleries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Inspired by nature, light, color and gesture, her work references calligraphy and expressionism. Drawing from her imagination and from the world around her, Kadish references “a remembered place, an arrangement of shapes, a particular sky or an emotional state.”

Kadish received her B.F.A. in painting and design from Carnegie Mellon University and her M.A. in art history from the University of Chicago. Kadish has exhibited her work internationally in addition to having been awarded a number of prestigious fellowships and residencies. Her work is included in collections around the world including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the New York Public Library. The artist lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and maintains her studio in an 1873 schoolhouse in Clifton and works regularly in New York City.

Virginia Kistler (Gahanna, OH)
Mutual Homes, 2018, Stainless steel, Location: Oak Park

Mutual Homes reflects the meaning of home to Oak Park residents. Kistler was inspired by the characteristics of Oak Park’s 1945 Cape Cod-style homes, the history of the neighborhood, and the words and images shared by its residents today. Kistler found the manufacturing aspect of the neighborhood history integral to the artwork, as Oak Park was developed across from the DELCO Plant (Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company). Mutual Homes includes a lenticular patterning of relevant images including Charles F. Kettering, who co-founded DELCO, including a 1912 Cadillac Model 30, the first car to have an electric start, which Kettering developed; a light system created for farmers in rural areas by DELCO; and B-24 bombers, whose parts were manufactured at DELCO. In addition, Kistler facilitated hands-on workshops and conversations with children, residents and veterans to capture the values and spirit of the Oak Park neighborhood. The imagery embedded in the sidewalk are the words and drawings by participants.

This artwork was commissioned by the City of Kettering CitySites, a percent for art program.

Mutual Homes was made possible by the generosity and partnerships with many Kettering residents and organizations, including the Oak Park art selection committee; Tim and Martha Baxter; Kettering’s Cities of Service and Art in Public Places committees; Greenmont Oak Park Community Church; Greenmont Elementary School and the PTO; VFW 9927; and Dayton History. Our appreciation to the City of Kettering Engineering Department, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department, and Mayor Patterson and the Kettering City Council.  Support for this project was made possible by CitySites, the Community Foundation for Kettering and the Ohio Arts Council.

View and download more information.

Great Mulberry Tree, 2013
Oil on canvas

Fraze Park, 2013
Oil on canvas

Passing, 2013
Oil on canvas

Location: CitySites Collection, Government Center North Building, Upper Level

Jean Koeller is a remarkable Dayton-area painter whose numerous commissions, exhibitions, presence in private and public collections, artist awards and her commercial gallery representation has established her as a significant regional artist.

Koeller received her BFA from Wright State University and her MFA from Parsons School of Design in New York. She has participated in the prestigious residency program Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and has received Individual Artist Fellowship Awards from the Ohio Arts Council and Montgomery County. Her work is found in many collections including the Evansville Museum of Art, Ohio Supreme Court, Kettering Hospital, University of Dayton, and the Springfield Museum of Art. She is currently represented by Keny Gallery in Columbus, Ohio.

Tess Little, Friendship Arch, 2011

Stainless steel

Wenzler Park

Local artist, Tess Little, created Friendship Arch with over 250 participants from the community. Located in Wenzler Park, the 12 foot, stainless steel arch and two benches represent hands traced by the participants with individualized symbols. The adult participants are shown on the arch while the youth participants’ hands are represented on the two stainless steel benches. Each individual contributing to the arch is noted on the bronze plaque next to the work of art.

Tess Little is a faculty member at Sinclair Community College and the founder and coordinator of REACH, an annual symposium promoting cross-cultural understanding and education between the African American, Appalachian, Latino, Native American, and all other ethnic communities in the Miami Valley area.

Untitled, 2010 Stained Glass

Location: CitySites Collection, Government Center South Building, Main Entrance

In 2009, a call for artists was made to select a glass artist to design and install a 700 square foot window or hanging glass design in the newly renovated Kettering Government Center. In 2010, after reviewing and interviewing artist from a three state area, the Art in Public Places Committee selected, LaGrange, Kentucky stained glass artist, Erin McIntyre. Erin McIntyre designed a beautiful window to fit within the council chambers window that will become a vocal point for the Kettering Government Center. In December of 2010, the installation of the window was complete.

Jes McMillan (Dayton, OH)
Bee Ambitious, 2019
Porcelain ceramic tiles, concrete
Location: Haverstick neighborhood

Jes McMillan, founder of the Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton, created a series of permanent sidewalk games for the Haverstick neighborhood of Kettering. McMillan saw an opportunity to engage children in outdoor recreation through her art and address the lack of a public park within the neighborhood. Installed in the summer of 2019, the public artwork “Bee Ambitious” is a collaboration with Haverstick residents, students from Beavertown Elementary and Kettering Middle School, and Kettering families and artists.

For details on the mosaic locations and sidewalk games, including game directions and word scramble clues, visit www.playkettering.org/bee-games.

Acknowledgements

Support for this project is made possible by CitySites, the Community Foundation for Kettering and the Ohio Arts Council. ArtLocal is implemented in partnership with Cities of Service (COS).  Special thanks to the Haverstick artist committee; Kettering’s Cities of Service team and the Art in Public Places committee. Our appreciation to the City of Kettering staff including Chad Ingle, Todd Livesay, Tom Luckett, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts department, and Mayor Donald Patterson and the Kettering City Council.  We are also thankful to the greater community for helping this project happen, including David Zimmerman, Kim Haverstick, Rachael Foster, Amelia Petreman, Ileana Del Campo-Gray, and Haverstick residents Wil and Beverly Samson, Andrew and Megan Kraemer, Mike Hill, Carissa Hostetler, Judy Reitz, Ashley Alexander Morris, Stan Perry, Tamara and Christopher Ball, and Debbie Smith.

Untitled
Velislav Minekov
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Indian Riffle Park

The City of Kettering has established a partnership with the Bulgarian City of Silistra over the past few years. Located in Indian Riffle Park, just south of the pond area, a proposed Silistra Corner has been designed by Bulgarian landscape architect, Toni Ogneva. Due to this unique Bulgarian influence of design and space, the Bulgarian stone sculptor Valislav Minekov was especially pleased with this site for his stone. His sculpture weighs approximately 13,500 pounds and was placed on the west bank of Indian Riffle Pond located next to the Kettering Recreation Complex. The proposed Bulgarian design will add a pier canter levered over the pond with plantings and a walking path. The limestone sculpture depicts a recurring theme of Velislav’s, incorporating stalactites which are leg and foot extensions sandwiched between a parted egg shape. The whimsical nature of his work is well known throughout Bulgaria.
Velislav Minekov was born and still resides in Sofia, Bulgaria. He received an undergraduate degree in the arts from the National Lyceum of Fine Arts in 1978 and Masters of Arts in Sculpture from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. As a student, he held a position as Visiting Student in Hamburg, Germany, at the Academy of Fine Arts. He has also served as senior lecturer and Assistant Professor at the National Academy of Fine Arts for six years.
His work is included in private collections and exhibitions in Germany, Bulgaria, Italy and Morocco. He is very active in the arts global community and is presently a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists and the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers. He is a board member of the Professional Sculptors in Bulgaria, member of the Union of Professional Artists in Germany, and Special Commission for Monuments and Sculpture in Bulgaria.

Terrestrial Formation
Irma Ortega Perez
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Governor’s Place

Spanish artist Irma Ortega Perez completed her 16,800 pound stone, “Terrestrial Formation” as a part of 2002’s Kettering Rocks! stone sculpture symposium. “Terrestrial Formation” is located in Kettering’s Governor’s Place off Dorothy Lane at the corner of Kettering Boulevard. Perez has spent years developing a series of formations on the growth and development of urban centers and the sewer systems, particularly in her hometown of Mexico City. The stone itself reflects the growing formation of a sewer grate, evolving to this beautiful and symmetrical elongated shape. The repetition of the colorful pavers and rolling mounds of precision planting in the park was designed to reflect the flow of water or a river.

Irma Ortega Perez was born in Mexico and currently resides in Valencia, Spain. Irma received her certificate from the National School of Plastic Arts in Mexico City, Mexico. She received a Master’s Degree in Sculpture from the Division of Studies of Graduate’s degree in San Carlos, Mexico. Irma was also awarded a full scholarship for a Doctorate degree in Twentieth Century Sculpture at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, which she completed in 2001.

Perez has received numerous honors and awards throughout Mexico and Spain. She was awarded a scholarship of artistic production from the Young Creative National Fund for the Culture and the Arts in Mexico City and a scholarship for Foreign Students in Valencia Spain from the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation. Irma Ortega Perez was chosen to participate in numerous international symposia in countries such as Mexico, Austria, Cuba, Germany and Spain. Her work has been commissioned and collected both privately and publicly in Mexico and Spain.

Inner View
Carolina Ramersdorfer
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Rosewood Arts Centre

The last stone sculpture placed from the International Stone Sculpting Exposition is by Austrian artist, Carolina Ramersdorfer. Her Indiana limestone sculpture is entitled “Inner View” and incorporates the partnering of organic and geometric forms with a hard-edge cube revealing an inner space where transformation of thought can develop.

This sculpture can be found at the entrance of Rosewood Arts Centre, 2566 Olson Drive in Kettering.

Carolina Ramersdorfer resides and works in Wein, Austria. In 1979, she began studying art in Paris, France. She later studied fresco restoration in Florence and Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy. She completed her thesis for a graduate degree in Sculpture and Environment. Carolina received scholarships for work in Japan from the Austrian Ministry of Art and Education. She also received funding from the Federal Chancellery Vienna for Project Carambolage, an arts and cultural exchange with Caribbean West Indies.

Carolina Ramersdorfer has been involved in international sculpture symposia since 1986 and has participated in events and exhibitions in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Taiwan. Her work is in permanent collections in Japan and Austria. Carolina has participated in international sculpture stone symposia in Italy, Austria, Japan, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and Canada.

Mary Rogero

RTA Bus Stops, 2007

Location: Throughout Kettering

Dayton-based artist and architect, Mary Rogero served as a principal architect with Rogero Buckman Architects during the time in which the RTA Bus Stops were created. Rogero’s background in both fine art sculpture and architectural design made her natural fit to design a series of bus stop shelters with the goal of creating a cohesive landscape within the Kettering community.

The shelters are linear in form and incorporate Kettering’s signature color of deep ruby. They are constructed of welded steel, which was provided by Budde Sheet Metal of Dayton and fabricated under Rogero’s supervision.

Rock Waves
Anno Seiberts
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Delco Park

German artist Anno Seiberts’ 26,000 pound sculpture Rock Waves simulates wave formations on the face and the rear of the stone and is repeated in the ripple effects of the water at its location by the pond at Delco Park. The setting surrounding the monolithic sculpture includes plant beds, fishing pier and a walking path.

Anno Sieiberts was born in Solingen, Germany, and currently resides in Ettenheim. He studied stone carving in Wurzburg, Germany, and art studies in Italy, France and Germany. Anno received a Masters of Art in stone sculpting in Freiberg, Germany, in 1989 and has been producing as a professional artist from that date. Seiberts has participated in symposiums since 1995 in both Germany and France. His material is centered on stone as well as steel and wood.

Untitled
Keizo Ushio
2002
Indiana Limestone
Location: Lincoln Park Civic Commons

The seventh stone placed in Kettering was sculpted by Japanese artist Keizo Ushio. His stone carving is recognized throughout the world for his mastery of the difficult technique in carving intertwining ribbons of stone and three-dimensional circles. This Indiana Limestone sculpture of intertwining ribbon of limestone incorporates the symbol of love. The sculpture is located on the banks of the Lincoln Park pond on Lincoln Park Boulevard.

Keizo Ushio was born and currently resides in Fukusaki Town, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Keizo is a member of the Japan Artists Association and the Hyogo Prefecture Sculptor Association. He lectured at the Kyoto Educational University and Awaji Architecture School. In addition to these accomplishments, he was vice chair and coordinator for the Nisiharima International Stone Sculpture Symposium in 1995 in Japan.

Keizo Ushio has been awarded numerous honors for his sculptures, which reside in countries such as Japan, India, Spain, Australia, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Bondi and Tasman Island. Since 1985, Keizo has participated in 17 international sculpture symposiums throughout the world.

Memorial for 9/11
John Van Alstine
Indiana Limestone and Painted Steel
2002
Location: Lincoln Park Civic Commons

Artist John Van Alstine create the piece “Memorial for 9/11” with a gathering and sitting space for the community. The 26,600 pound sculpture is also a solar calendar, allowing the solar noon sun to line up with the stylus on the monument each year on September 11. The sculpture is located on the northwest corner of Lincoln Park and Ackerman Boulevard in Kettering. The dedication of this piece was held on September 11, 2003, and includes a paved plaza surrounding the sculpture. Named the Seitz Plaza, this space was donated by the Seitz family through the Kettering Community Foundation.

John Van Alstine is a professional sculptor living in Wells, New York. He received a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1976 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, in 1974. He has received numerous awards, fellowship grants and honors for his work from private and public sources as well as internationally. His work is among public and private collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. His book has been published illustrating the sculpture and progress over the years entitled Bones of the Earth, Spirit of the Land written by Nick Capasso. His work has been displayed in solo exhibitions, both domestically and in international galleries since 1976.

PAST EVENTS

On September 11, 2011 and 2016, City of Kettering officials, police and firefighters gathered for a special commemoration of the 10th and 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The agenda included remarks by Kettering’s mayor and city manager, as well as presentations by community members from Kettering City Schools, We Care Arts and other organizations. Ceremonies honoring our nation’s flag were conducted by fire and police department representatives.