Wilmington-Stroop
About the Wilmington-Stroop Art Installation and Artists
Brent Beck (b. 1974) American, CONVERGENCE, 2019, Acrylic on wood panels, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.3
Daytonian Brent Beck is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer and artist who grew up in Kettering and called this library home. In this large-scale relief sculpture, Beck creates a composition of shapes that relate to the modern geometric architecture of the library as well as the geometry of the Wilmington-Stroop intersection. The dynamic positioning of the boldly colored shapes creates a sense of energy and excitement as they intersect and interact with each other, like the Jon Kuhn’s inspiration work.
About the Artist
BRENT BECK | With a degree in graphic design, Brent Beck pursued many projects in the fields of design as well as fine art and Illustration. He has been able to utilize his love of illustration and the arts while designing environmental graphics and developing numerous corporate brands. Beck has also acted as a guest artist and professional critic for The University of Cincinnati and Mount St. Joseph University. In addition, Beck has illustrated children’s books giving him an opportunity to bring his artistic pursuits together with his love of storytelling. For more information about this artist please visit: www.brentbeck.com
Dan Cleary (b.1957) American, KETTERING, DEEDS & DELCO, 2018, Giclee pigment prints, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.4
Dayton photographer Dan Cleary pays homage to Charles Kettering and Edward Deeds in this large-scale photographic triptych. Cleary builds his imagery with many translucent layers interweaving a modern color image of Deeds’ barn, where the two men met to collaborate and invent, with historic photographs of them, along with images of patent drawings of Kettering’s inventions. Their association became a 50-year partnership leading to many joint ventures that changed the nature and quality of modern life. Most notable is the invention of the electric starter and the subsequent formation of DELCO which offered thousands of jobs to many individuals from this neighborhood.
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.
Suzanne Ley (b. 1954) American and Susan Cannon (b.1947) American, HARMONY, 2019, Acrylic on wood panel, fused glass, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.6
Springboro, Ohio artist Suzanne Ley and Dayton glass artist Susan Cannon combine their unique skills to create this expressive work. In this painting, with glass overlay, satellite imagery of the Library’s location on the corner of Wilmington and Stroop roads provides the underlying composition. The geometry of the intersecting lines and angles inspires the painting and the glass composition reflects both inspiration works in the use of material and geometry.
About the Artist
Suzanne Ley was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and studied painting and drawing at Arizona State University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Ley has won numerous local and regional awards and is represented in public and private collections. She lives and works from her studio in Springboro, Ohio. For more information visit www.suzanneleyart.com
Susan Cannon prefers to work in a graphic style, emphasizing line, shape and color. She draws her inspiration by studying art of different cultures and the works of other artists in various mediums. To promote understanding and appreciation of kiln formed glass, Susan provides individual and group instruction in her studio at the Front Street Buildings in Dayton, Ohio. For more information please visit www.saludamoon.com
Paula Willmot Kraus (b. 1957) American, THE NATURE OF LIGHT, 2018, Inkjet print, Collection of the Dayton Metro Library, 2019.5
Dayton artist Paula Willmot Kraus draws largely from her immediate surroundings, often using nature and natural forms to explore memory, emotions, and formal aesthetics in her photographic work. She began her career in photojournalism and moved into fine art photography to tell her own visual stories. Kraus relates photography or “drawing with light” to a painter’s process of mixing paint to create the initial palette of raw material. For Kraus, light is her raw material. In this series of photographs, images are isolated and distilled until they form an abstract composition.
About the Artist
PAULA KRAUS | Dayton artist, Paula Kraus is currently Gallery Coordinator at Rosewood Arts Centre in Kettering. She holds an MA in Photography from Antioch University and a BS from Pennsylvania State University. Kraus’ photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally, including The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Visual Arts Center, Fort Wayne Museum, Tiffin University, Riffe Gallery, and Eastern Washington University. She has been awarded two Montgomery County Individual Artist Fellowships and one Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Grant. For more information, please visit: paulawillmotkraus.com
The Stories Behind the Wilmington-Stroop Art Inspiration
From the Collection of the Dayton Art Institute
Jon Kuhn (b. 1949) American, BOLD ENDEAVOR, 1998, Laminated, cut, and polished glass, overall assembled: 24 1/2 x 45 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches, The Dayton Art Institute, Museum purchase with funds provided by the James F. Dicke Family, 1999.29
Jon Kuhn and his team take some of the purest glass and craft it with precision tools to produce perfect sculptures that fuse the scientific with the artistic, the physical with the spiritual. Using optical sheet glass and industrial grinders Kuhn creates sculptures that focus on the penetration of the exterior to reveal a brilliant, illuminating interior. His sculptures are assembled around a core, composed of pieces of thinly ground and polished clear glass layered with colored powders. The resulting stacks are fused together to form a checkerboard block which is then sliced. The pieces are then polished and laminated so that colored and colorless pieces alternate at various intervals. Kuhn’s intricate patterns reflect his interest in music, mathematics and weaving.
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.
How did these pieces inspired our artists?
“Convergence was inspired by a few key aspects of the DAI inspiration art. Jon Kuhn’s Bold Endeavor emphasizes the interaction of planes, lines, and shapes. These intersections create unexpected and beautiful surprises. I was also inspired by Dwinell Grant’s bold use of color. I built on these ideas utilizing a clean, modern aesthetic to convey the energy and excitement of those moments of convergence.” Brent Beck, artist
“Deed’s Barn provides the focal point of the narrative anchoring the various overlaid images and reflecting the shape and layers in the inspiration piece, Bold Endeavor, by Jon Kuhn. I used imagery of Kettering’s patent drawings of his many inventions to reflect the depth and fractured quality of the inspiration piece.” Dan Cleary, artist
“In approaching this project, we reflected on what could be expressed if two distinctly different artists combined their talents and mediums. We reconciled our differences in materials, artistic sensibilities, and creative processes to build a harmonious collaboration. We believe that a library has similar potential for bringing together diverse knowledge, perspectives, and interests. Harmony represents those opportunities.” Suzanne Ley and Susan Cannon, artists
“The pairing of Jon Kuhn's Bold Endeavor and Dwinell Grant's Red Circle provided duel inspiration for my work. The bold circles and minimal color and shapes that Grant employs and the floating isolation of color and shape that Kuhn's employs speak to me in a vocabulary well suited to photographs. By isolating and distilling light, color, and shape in the lens, compositions of pure geometry emerge.” Paula Kraus, artist
Thank you to our partner,
the Dayton Art Institute, opens a new window.
Photos of ReImagining Works pieces taken by Andy Snow.
