Southeast
About the Southeast Art Installation and Artists
Gail Christofferson (b.1960) American, TRANSITIONS, 2018, Glass Mosaic, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.7
Bowling Green, Ohio based mosaic artist, Gail Christofferson worked with illustrator Debra Buchanan to create Transitions. Christofferson is known for her large-scale mosaics designed for community spaces. Composed of naturally reflective, individual pieces of colored glass Christofferson’s mural is a diverse but unified whole, suggestive of the community of individuals who live, work and in this case, visit the library. With themes often inspired by nature, history and community, her boldly colored work invites contemplation.
About the Artists
GAIL CHRISTOFFERSON and DEBRA BUCHANAN | Gail Christofferson is a mosaic artist from Bowling Green Ohio. Known for her large–scale mosaic murals, Christofferson’s work is often community based, offering a sense of ownership and pride as everyone’s contributions combine with others to form a finished piece that is both aesthetically and socially engaging. Visit www.animalhouseglass.com for more information about this artist. Debra Buchanan is an illustrator from Toledo, Ohio whose works have been included in numerous exhibitions nationally and regionally. She is represented by the Toledo Museum of Art's Collectors Corner. Her website is www.debra-buchanan.squarespace.com.
![Gail Christofferson](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/GAIL.png)
Andrea Myers (b. 1979) American, Soft Leaves Fall, 2019, Fabric, dye, thread, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.8
Wooster, Ohio based artist Andrea Myers identifies herself as a painter who constructs painterly sculptures and installations. Myers explores the boundaries between two-and three-dimensions in her textile wall pieces. For this work, Myers hand dyed her fabrics to evoke the soft painterly colors and forms in O’Keefe’s work, while the leaves of the Sycamore tree inspire the imagery.
About the Artist
ANDREA MYERS A Columbus, Ohio resident, Myers studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning a BFA in print media in 2002 and an MFA in fiber and material studies in 2006. Myers stretches the boundaries of what is traditionally considered painting by exploring the relationship between two- and three-dimensional objects. These colorful examinations often combine painting with printmaking and sculpture. Her work was recently part of solo exhibitions in Dallas, Chicago, Boston, Columbus and Germany, as well as numerous other venues. For more information please visit www.andreamyersartist.com.
![Andrea Myers](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/ANDREA-1.png)
Kate Huser Santucci (b.1971) American, SEASONAL, 2018, Encaustic on wood panel, linen thread, acrylic, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.9
Dayton artist Kate Huser Santucci works with encaustic and mixed media to create work which is inspired by the natural world. Santucci explores our place in nature, and our interconnectedness to the world outside and within our physical selves. With intricate drawings and heavily textured surfaces this work explores the beauty of the sycamore tree and the plants native to Southeast Dayton.
About the Artist
GARY HINSCHE | Dayton artist, Gary Hinsche studied design at Santa Monica College, Long Beach State and Art Center College of Design before joining the legendary design firm of Robert Miles Runyan & Associates in 1968. Runyan had a profound influence on his life as a mentor, a partner and a friend for more than forty years. For Hinshce, the creative process is a reductive exercise that guides him to the simplest place. He constantly removes elements in search of the perfect relationship between the art and the viewer in order to control the experience. He is driven by the need to control everything. Every element is there for a purpose. Everything is precise. Doubt is the enemy. To learn more about this artist, please visit www.garyhinsche.com
![Kate Huser Santucci](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/KATE.png)
Chris Welker (b.1984) American, PAGES OF PURPLE, 2019, Paper, adhesive and paint on Aluminum Composite Panel, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.10
Dayton artist, Chris Welker considers himself an artist of texture. To create Pages of Purple, Welker collected hundreds of paperback books from free bins and discarded collections and assembled 500 cross sections of these books to form the base of his painting. Hand cutting the books’ edges, he creates dimensionality to which he applies heavy layers of paint until obtaining the texture he desires.
About the Artist
CHRIS WELKER | Chris lives and works in Dayton. He earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial design from Ohio State University and works as a graphic designer. He describes himself as an artist of texture, embracing a painterly abstract style while focusing on the intricate details of paper, texture, type & image, His work explores the boundaries between painting and relief sculpture. While composing his work, Welker elicits his viewers to have more than one opinion of a single piece. For more information please visit: art by c. welker on Facebook.
![Chris Welker](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/CHRIS.png)
Annie Lee-Zimerle (b.1977, South Korea) American, WISDOM IS STORED IN THE TREES, 2018, Woodcut and watercolor on paper, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019. 11
Dayton artist, Annie Lee-Zimerle is a drawer, a painter and a printmaker. Her work is often narrative based and a reflection of her thoughts on domesticity and the mundaneness of culture. In this work, Lee-Zimerle reflects on childhood and the joy of reading as well as the importance of the Sycamore tree to this library’s location.
About the Artist
ANNIE LEE-ZIMERLE is a Dayton based artist. She has exhibited her work across the United States and abroad in France and Japan. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Harold Washington Public Library in Chicago and the Joan Flash Artists’ Book Collection also in Chicago. In 2019, Lee-Zimerle had a solo exhibition titled Story Retold at the Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH. Lee-Zimerle holds a BFA and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently is an associate professor of art at Cedarville University. For more information about this artist please visit: www.annieleezimerle.com
![Annie Lee-Zimerle](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/ANNIE.png)
The Stories Behind the Southeast Art Inspiration
From the Collection of the Dayton Art Institute
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) American, Purple Leaves, 1922, Oil on canvas on board, 9 x 12 x 3/8 inches, The Dayton Art Institute, Bequest of Virginia Rike Haswell, 1977.60
Purple Leaves reveals Georgia O’Keeffe’s distinctive style of combining representation with abstraction. She frequently isolated and magnified natural objects, enabling the viewer to observe the world in new ways. Her color choices reinforce her creative originality as she alters naturalistic expectations of them.
View this artwork and learn more by clicking here, opens a new window or visit The Dayton Art Institute.
Willard Leroy Metcalf (1858 – 1925) American, Valley in Spring, 1920, Oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 36 inches, The Dayton Art Institute, Gift of Mr. John B. Hayward, 1929.3
The pastel palette, feathery brushwork and soft light are characteristic of Willard Metcalf’s impressionistic paintings. This painting’s tranquil mood and delicate, airy landscape make it easy to understand why Metcalf was called the “poet laureate” of New England.
Rationale for inclusion: Grassy lands for farming along the Great Miami River attracted the early settlers to West Carrollton. This painting complements the park-like setting of the West Carrollton library.
![Ovala Marea by Therman Statom](https://d4804za1f1gw.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/134/2023/08/shataom.png)
How did these pieces inspired our artists?
“The composition of Transitions is based on our research of the trees and leaves native to southern Ohio. We abstracted these shapes to create a bold, dynamic artwork in which the juxtaposition of the leaves and colors overlapping and intertwining, creates a feeling of movement and transition.” Gail Christofferson, artist
“Soft Leaves Fall was inspired by the Georgia O’Keefe painting, Purple Leaves. The wall piece is comprised of cut, sewn and appliqued leaf forms growing off a rectangular backing fabric. The piece not only echoes the colors and forms in O’Keefe’s piece, but the derived leaf abstractions are influenced by the Sycamore trees planted around the exterior of the library.” Andrea Myers, artist
“In Seasonal, I use repeated imagery of Sycamore trees and gardens to convey the importance of our green spaces within urban neighborhoods and how we relate to them in our daily lives. The structure of the pieces is inspired by Therman Statom’s work. I joined individual images within a larger frame and used floating acrylic panels to add a sculptural element to the works, creating a single piece composed of many parts.” Kate Huser Santucci, artist
"Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s Purple Leaves, my work is both ‘representation with abstraction.’ These books are made of paper that is made from trees. In the destruction and deconstruction of books, new purpose is given to the tree and new life is given to the book.” Chris Welker, artist
“I chose “Purple Leaves” by Georgia O’Keeffe as my inspiration. O’Keeffe provides a perfect balance of simplifying the leaves to their essence of form and color. She invites the viewer to an up-close experience of the subject matter, drawing us to the small parts that we may miss at a glance. I desire to give attention to the beauty in Sycamore trees, which will surround the site of the new library. Nature doesn’t have to stop when people walk inside the building. We can continue to experience nature while reading in the library.” Annie Lee-Zimerle, artist
Thank you to our partner,
the Dayton Art Institute, opens a new window.
Photos of ReImagining Works pieces taken by Andy Snow.