Blooming Through the Waves, 2022Artist: Atalie Gagnet
Assistant: Chase Melendez
Apprentices: Yara Chaouali, Haley Franklin, Lily Rueckhaus
As part of Rosewood Arts Center’s renovation project a community mural was created in partnership with the community. Designed by Atalie Gagnet, the mural was made possible through a special partnership with the Dayton Printmakers Cooperative (DPC), students in the Kettering City Schools, and Kettering residents. Three Fairmont High School students were chosen from a pool of 21 applicants from across the Miami Valley to apprentice with Atalie and paint the mural. The apprentices are Fairmont High School 2022 graduates Yara Chaouali and Haley Franklin and rising senior Lily Rueckhaus (mural apprentices pictured, left).
Titling the work, Yara wrote: “I came up with Blooming Through the Waves because I feel like it encompasses both parts of the wave and the flowers. It shows the flowers blooming through the colorful waves. I kind of like to think of it like the flowers bloomed in the waves despite the adversity it faced. Kind of like a community together.”
Blooming Through the Waves was commissioned by CitySites Public Art Program with the City of Kettering with support from the Ohio Arts Council and the Montgomery County Arts and Culture District.
The Dayton Printmakers Cooperative (DPC) is a membership-based organization that provides specialized printmaking facilities to its members and educational opportunities to the public. Kim Vito is currently a Professor of Printmaking and Drawing at Wright State, and exhibits her work regionally, nationally, and internationally. Barbara Weinert-McBee has participated in numerous local and regional exhibitions and has received numerous awards. Jaclyn Stephens is a multi-disciplinary artist who has exhibited across the Dayton region. Micah Zavacky is a recent recipient of the Culture Works Artist Opportunity Grant, and has exhibited his work throughout the Dayton region.
Kettering City Schools students are participating through special in-class workshops with Lindsay Gustafson’s Art Club at Kettering Middle School, and Meghan Dillon’s International Baccalaureate students at Fairmont High School.
Atalie Gagnet is an artist and mural painter with over a decade of experience. Her notable murals are numerous and include commissioned works with the Levitt Pavilion, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, ArtWorks Cincinnati, and the Gem City Market.
