It's Great 'n Dayton

One Cover Charge Allows Entrance into multiple OD Bars

Bars in the Oregon District are trying an experiment to address suggestions made by patrons who complain that every bar has its own cover charge. Actually I say experiment but maybe it's on-going.

Anyway, starting Friday April 2 (coindidentally First Friday), the Dublin Pub, Trolley Stop, Blind Bob's, Tumbleweed and soon-to-be Sidebar will charge cover charges and distribute wrist bands that wave the charge if presented at one of the other participating establishments.

Make a night of it! Visit multiple places for the price of one! Check it out!

For a full story go to ActiveDayton.Com.

Time for the Old Boys network to go?

The Dayton Daily News has an opinion of the rally two days ago that is dead-on. While I portrayed the rally for what it tried to accomplish (in my last post), the DDN has written about the reality of how it failed. And I agree 100%.

Dayton's New Community Calendar

No sooner had I written a post about Dayton's online presence (see the last article) and I got a response from the folks at Dayton Most Metro who just happened to be re-vamping their site and also added a calendar! Ironically the work was happening well before the UpDayton Summit where it was expressed that people want one place to go for information about cool news and events in Dayton.

Dayton Most Metro and Dayton's other bloggers (see my blogroll) are usually chattering about cool things happening in the community that never make it into the regular press. We sometimes scoop the press if we print something first and we always give the press credit when we reprint their stories. If you want blood and drugs, and shootings, go to the media. If you're looking for interesting (and intelligent) thoughts about the city, blogs/forums are the place to go. With regular reader comments and regular forum participation the blogs/forums also create a sense of community. You won't find that at the Dayton Daily News, ActiveDayton.com, or at the Dayton City Paper.

So check out the DaytonMostMetro Calendar. You can check out events and you can post events for free. It's a community calendar! Use it! As the newest feature at MostMetro it needs to get populated. If you know of something happening and it's not listed, add it!! Enjoy discovering things that you never knew were happening!!

Put some rhythm into your holidays

If you've never seen them before, you'll want to see them now...before they don't exist anymore.

Local dance troupe Rhythm in Shoes is presenting it's annual "Holiday on Thin Ice" production this Friday and Saturday Night at Gilly's nightclub. Tickets are $20 each and the show promises to be a toe-tapping, hand-clapping good time. From live music and dancing to comedy sketches and political satire, this cabaret performance is sure to please.

To see a video of one of last year's popular pieces from the show check out "Christmas Boomwhackers" on YouTube.

 
photo credit: Andy Snow

To see a write up about the company, its history, it's holiday show, and its future check out Terry Morris' article in the Dayton Daily News.

When the Shoes stop tapping it will truly be a sad day for the arts in Dayton.

A Not-so-new blog (but new to me)

Just today I stumbled upon The Buddha Den. According to the site they post "Everything you wanted to know about the Dayton music scene and more but were afraid to ask."

Check out the bands and the venues!! Looks pretty thorough (and current) to me! They also have a Myspace page.

I'm adding them to my blog roll so that you can easily access them from here in the future.

Things To Do In Dayton

I recently became aware that Riverscape has a weekly email blast to let people know what's going on each week. Follow the Riverscape link and below the picture, in the blue box, click on the orange button to Sign Up to receive the email.

While we're on the subject, you can also find out about Downtown events by subscribing to the email from the Downtown Dayton Partnership.

If you're looking for more, the Dayton Daily News sends out emails of things to do during the week and things to do on the weekends.

Finally, explore the links on this site. I've identified most of the major arts and cultural organizations and institutions and I hope to be adding more grass-roots and local events in the future.

Can Art Be Defined?

Okay, I'm struggling with this one. I have for a while. I'm not raising this to insult anyone and hopefully I will become enlightened or at least offered a perspective that could shift my paradigm as it relates to art.

It all started a couple years ago with the creation of the Sideshow. The original poster caught my attention. I was intrigued by it. It was happening in a vacant space that needed some attention drawn to it. I welcomed it. I attended it. But I didn't get it. Then another one came around. I was intigued by it. A different space this time. I welcome it. I attended it. It's alternative and grassroots and I get that. But I definitely DIDN'T get it.

Personal expression? Yes. I get it. Something that I'd pay for? Probably not. Art? I think so. But I don't know. Isn't good art something that you pay for? Something that withstands time and place? What's experimental? What's the different between amateur and professional?

Along comes the Creative Incubator and the Dayton Dirt Collective. I get it. These are efforts to support grassroots artists, provide spaces to explore creativity without the confines of institutional expectations or pre-conceived ideas. Plus they provide spaces to artists who may not necessarily find a place in mainstream galleries, studios, and performance venues.

Enter Ladyfest. I thought I got it. It's a great concept, international even. Women doing great things. Ladyfest Dayton coincided with Dayton's Urban Nights. This was a neat initiative to support. I attended on Friday night but I DIDN'T get it. I got the music, I got most of the photography. I understood the workshops even though I didn't attend them. I got the conversion of an empty space into a colorful venue. But I wasn't sure if the paint was art or just part of the decor. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to walk across certain floors or just look at them. I wasn't sure about the poetry or ripped magazine pages and mutilated photographs mounted in cheap broken picture frames (for example). Maybe I was on sensory overload but I think I've seen better work by 5th graders. Was it personal expression? Was it art? Is there a difference? What is the value for the consumer versus the creator? Was it meant to be anti-establishment?

If you're as lost as me, check out:

• Low and High Art

• Low Art

• Low Art is Unafraid to Appeal to the Senses

• Culture and Art

•  A Forum of People Asking/Answering the Same Question

• What is Art?(Essay on the history of art. Make sure to check Section 5 on Art & Artists Today)

Please don't tell me how ignorant I am. Help me to see this differently. I've tried to learn different perspectives but I just don't get it. And I don't think I'm alone.