![]() Cedric Michael Cox is best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction. As a student at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), Cox was awarded a fellowship to study at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1999, he began to exhibit regionally and nationally. Cox’s paintings catapult color into rhythmic action with abstract and recognizable images that create compositions inspired by themes in music and the natural world. His work remains true to sharing Cox’s innermost self as his passion radiates from the canvas. Working under several influences which include architecture and art history, Cox’s work ranges from the geometric, to the curvilinear, to floral-like forms, all dancing within surrealistic shapes. In addition to his work being in corporate collections, Cox has executed several large-scale public murals, as well as murals in various public and private schools in The Cincinnati Region. Cox’s past exhibitions include: The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, The Weston Art Gallery, The Columbus Art Museum, Dayton Art Institute, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, Museum of Science and Industry and Gallery Guichard in Chicago, and The Taft Museum of Art. In 2019, Cox’s work was on exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati, and in 2020, he had a solo exhibition at James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. A 20-year retrospective exhibition at Caza Sikes Gallery and a commissioned body of work was created for the New Kinley Hotel Cincinnati in 2020 and in 2021, a series of 64 paintings for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was installed. Throughout his career, Cox’s work has been featured in books, magazines, and in the media. Be sure to visit Cox's Art Exhibition, opening May 13th. with a free reception at 6:30p.
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Rodney Veil's Artist Statement for Beautiful Remains
What is a magazine? The process of making a magazine is art. Magazines are carefully choreographed and crafted windows onto a world of ideas, images, and flights of fantasy that act as guides to worlds beyond our imaginations. What if I took pieces of magazine paper and wove them into shapes and forms? I began this process of weaving paper over two years ago, rooted in childhood memories of weaving sweetgrass with family and caretakers. Gentle reminders of southern traditions handed down for generations, of the common practice of people of color in “making do” and employing the alchemist feat of turning something so easily disposable into works of art. This particular exhibition is all about slowing down and seeing the familiar in the abstract. Taking common everyday materials that I have rearranged to speak in new ways, a language of desire, a swirl of color, and patterns redefined. Taking the used, and discarded and crafting something that can remain beautiful inherently, is my way of challenging us all to see the beauty surrounding us. ![]() Rodney Veal is an independent choreographer and multi-disciplinary artist. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a B.S in Political Science and Visual Arts. In 2010, he received an M.F.A in Choreography from The Ohio State University. Rodney is an adjunct faculty in dance at Sinclair College in addition to serving as a Completion Coordinator for the Creative Arts Career Community. Rodney currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Dance, as President, and on the boards of Levitt Pavilion Dayton, HomeFull, Dayton Live!, as well as the Community Advisory board of WYSO. Mr. Veal is the recipient of several Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District grants and fellowships, including a MCACD Individual Artist Fellowship in 2010-2011. He was one of five artists chosen nationwide to participate in the Blue Sky Dayton Project Artist in Residency Program held in collaboration with the University of Dayton in the summer of 2009. Mr. Veal has choreographed and presented performance installations all over the Miami Valley; recent notable projects are: Reveal: Five Zones of Beauty presented at the Springfield Museum of Art in 2011 and the GHETTO installation at the University of Dayton’s ArtStreet in 2015. Rodney can currently be seen as the Host of the Emmy© Award winning Television series THE ART SHOW on Think TV Channel 16, which is currently in production for its 12th season. Beautiful Remains: the work of Rodney Veal opens March 18 with a free opening reception at Harmon Museum. The exhibition closes May 7. Samuel Robert Bailey (1847-1906) Around 145 years ago, Bailey was the first African-American teacher and principal in the public schools of Lebanon, Ohio. Born a slave in northern Alabama, in 1863 during of the Civil War, he left the war torn South as a teenager and went to Sandusky, Ohio. Although illiterate, he saved enough money working to enter Wilberforce University. Seven years later he graduated. In 1876, He was hired to teach in the “colored” school, or African Union School, as it was sometimes called, in Lebanon. Paid as much or more than most of the district’s 9 teachers, around 1879, he was designated “principal of the colored school” and overlooked a staff of one other Black teacher. In 1883, he became the principal of the Lincoln “colored” School in Kansas City, Missouri. When he left Lebanon, The Western Star newspaper proclaimed, “Mr. Bailey is an intelligent colored gentleman, fully competent, to discharge the duties to the high position to which he has ascended. He was a good citizen and we wish him success in his home in the West.”
Written by John Zimkus Our extensive textile collection is normally packed away, in many hiding places, and only seen by its curators. However, the group decided the collection should have an art exhibition all its own, Genius of the Needle. The Palampore was voted unanimously as the star of the show!
From around 1800, this exquisite cloth was made in India, for the European Market, in the bed sizes of Europe. Woven from expensive India Cotton, these large and light bed clothes or wall hangings were decorated with exotic trees, curious flora and strange fauna, with elements of the orient in bright, vibrant colors. These cloths were dyed with a Mordant or dye fixative. Usually made from an acid or an alkaline chemical, the mordant helps the dye bite or fix to the fiber being used. This is why the colors are still so beautiful. This particular cloth comes to us from a Ship’s captain, Captain Starbuck, in 1805. He more than likely brought it back to the United States as a present and it made its way to Ohio. It found its way to us when WCHS member, May Heary, picked it out of her mother’s trash! In 2009, an expert at the Dayton Art Institute verified its authenticity. We hope you'll get a chance to view this amazing work of fabric art, as well as the rest of the amazing textile works currently on display in Harmon Museum. Genius of the Needle opens January 28 with a free Opening Reception and runs until March 12. - Jeanne Doan, Assistant Director ![]() Today marks the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter and the day of the year with the shortest amount daylight. This is due to the Earth's axis and the Northern Hemisphere being the furthest from the sun it will be all year. Since pre-historic times, the Winter Solstice has been celebrated by cultures across the world. It's even speculated the day was important to the Fort Ancient people due to the fact that the Serpent Mound's tail perfectly aligns with the sunrise. (The head aligns with the sunset of the Summer Solstice.) ![]() Timothy Ryan grew up in Warren County exploring the streams, fields, and woods of the area. At the time of his youth, his home town of Springboro was a quaint one stoplight village nestled in the countryside surrounded by many opportunities for the curious to get outdoors and explore nature. The beauty of the area continues to entice Tim and has greatly influenced his art. Tim has exhibited art work throughout the states of Ohio and Kentucky including shows in Yellow Springs, Dayton, Loveland, Lancaster, Springfield, and Berea. In his studio, Tim explores the interaction of color and rhythm that he sees in nature. The exploration manifests itself in representational and abstract imagery. Through his work, he hopes to share remote places of the Ohio Valley with the viewer. Tim received his BFA from Berea College in Kentucky, working extensively in painting, sculpture, and printmaking and his M.A. from Marygrove College. He returned to the Miami Valley to teach fine art in the area public schools for 30 years. During those years he was always proud of the students’ accomplishments and enjoyed watching them grow into successful adults. Due to considerable hearing loss, Tim retired from public education in 2015. Tim continues to enjoy spending time hiking, biking, and kayaking as well as learning about the past of this great area. To learn more, visit SouthRiverStudio.fineart on Facebook and don't miss Ryan's show, Colors and Rhythms in Nature: Landscapes and Abstracts on display from December 10, 2021 to January 21, 2021, at Harmon Museum. - bio supplied by the artist A portion of this article was published in the November, 2021 issue of the Medallion, our membership newsletter. If you'd like to receive the Medallion and many other perks (including discounts to events and free admission to all our properties) you can become a member here. WARREN COUNTY’S OLYMPIC GOLD
by John Zimkus, WCHS Historian/Education Director Warren County, Ohio made it's first mark in Olympics history with three gold medals in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. The Modern day Olympics were eight years old at the time, and this was only the third time the revised international competition was held. The winner of the gold medals was Matilda Howell. Her sport was archery. Matilda Flora Scott was born on August 28, 1859, in Lebanon, Ohio. Called Lida by her family, she was the only daughter of Thomas and Amelia Scott. Her father was a merchant who grew up in Union Township, where his father had a successful wagon making business. Lida's mother was a member of the locally prominent Sausser family who were mostly merchants in Lebanon. Lida attended the Lebanon Union School, where Pleasant Square Park is today. By 1880, her family had move to Cincinnati. Lida became interested in archery around 1878 as a result of her reading a compilation of witty essays called The Witchery of Archery by Indiana-born poet, essayist, naturalist and archer, Maurice Thompson. It did not take Lida long to become extraordinarily proficient in archery. She won the Ohio State Archery Championship in 1881 and 1882. Also getting very involved in competitive archery at this time was her father, Thomas Scott. In the spring of 1883, Lida married Millard Cecil Howell a Norwood Ohio native. By trade he was a coffee broker. Together they would have three children. Millard Howell was also a competitive archer. It has been said that Lida Scott Howell “had one of the most incredible records ever to be recorded in archery (or for that matter in any other sport.)” Between 1883 and 1907, Lida shot in 20 National Championships, winning 17 of them. Her scores in the 1895 championship set records which were not broken until 1931 – 36 years later. Lida and Millard, won the National Archery Association's National Championships in 1899, the only time in the history of the association that husband and wife won both titles in the same year. Out of the nearly 100 sports at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis Missouri, archery was the only event in which women were allowed to compete. The competition took place on September 19 and 20 and involved six contestants, five of whom were part of Ohio’s Cincinnati Archers Club. Lida Howell, at 45 years of age, was the nation’s undisputed top lady archer, and coasted to the gold medal in both the Double Columbia and Double National rounds. She also received a gold medal as part of the winning United States archery team. Also competing in the St. Louis Olympics in archery was her father, Thomas Foster Scott. He competed in the men's double American round and the men's double York round, but did not medal. He was 71 years and 260 days at the time, making him the oldest person known to compete in an archery event at the Olympics. Born in 1833, Scott was also the 3rd-born known Olympian of the modern era, and the 1st-born known US Olympian. Lida Scott Howell retired from national competition in 1907. She died on December 20, 1938, and is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. Lida was inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame & Museum in 1975. In 1904 a reporter from the Cincinnati Times Star interviewed Lida Howell. When asked why she preferred archery over other sports, she replied, "Archery is a picturesque game, the range with its smooth green and distant glowing target with its gold and radiating red, blue, black, and white, the white-garbed players, with graceful big bows and flying arrows, makes a beautiful picture.” Adding to that beauty, no doubt, would be the privilege of watching the grace, form and extraordinary skill of an Olympic Champion archer like Warren County’s Lida Scott Howell. Do1. Test for bleeding of dye with a blotter or Q-tip 2. Vacuum with the tube covered with screen or hose 3. Prepare bath
6. Spread on a table; put several card tables together for large textiles. 7. Let piece dry in the shade outside 8. Ideal storage for textiles is flat on acid free paper 9. Ideal storage for quilts is rolled onto acid free tube with acid-free paper between layers 10. If framing, use acid-free paper behind textile and have spacer between textile and glass on front Do NOT
Linda Martin lives in Centerville, Ohio. She began collecting Halloween memorabilia in the 1980s. Currently she has well over 1000 vintage pieces in her collection. Linda began searching for these scarce items at a time when the hobby was relatively unknown. Since that time, Vintage Halloween items have become one of the most popular collectibles in the country.
She'll be showing off her collection and taking a nostalgic look at the Halloween's evolution in America in our next Lunch & Learn on October 20th! ![]() Lebanon native, Gary Simendinger, dedicated his life to art and, as a teacher, served as an inspiration to the youth of the community. He encouraged his students to follow their artistic passions. "If you can imagine it, you can create it," one such student remembers Simendinger telling them. "He's the reason I pursued a degree in art." These kinds of memories are commonplace when it comes to Simendinger's students. Gary Simendinger sadly passed away in 2005 but his influence can still be felt. His wife, Connie, and their two daughters, Rozi & Carley, have gathered together an extensive collection that demonstrates the breadth and depth of Simendinger's abilities. Gary Simendinger "His Life, Art, and Legacy" opens October 8th with a free opening reception and will remain on display until December 3rd. ![]() On August 18th, local author Randy Overbeck will address a Lunch & Learn crowd. Overbeck is a Lebanon resident and former school administrator in the Lebanon City School and Xenia Communities Schools districts. An accomplished writer, he has been published in academia and in the popular press. Randy is a member of the Mystery Writers of America. His first novel, Leave No Child Behind, won the 2011 Silver Award for Thriller of the Year from ReadersFavorite.com. His second novel, Blood on the Chesapeake, has been described as “a bit of romance, a lot of mystery, and a good deal of old-fashioned ghost whispering.” It was released in 2019, and is the first in a new series called the "HAUNTED SHORES MYSTERIES." In this talk Randy will discuss some of the research into the spirit world that went into Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May, including intriguing reports on real ghosts, some common beliefs and misconceptions about “the spirit world” and even some controversial photos and a video of actual ghost hauntings. Lebanon native and wealthy real estate developer William Elmer Harmon founded the Harmon Foundation in New York in 1922. Originally the new foundation supported the creation of playgrounds throughout the United States, the production of films about biblical subjects, and health care programs. However, it is better known today as the first major foundation supporting African-American creativity and ingenuity. W.E. Harmon's father was an officer in the 10th Cavalry regiment, a black unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Being raised among the soldiers had an impact on the young boy, and formed an accepting attitude toward African-Americans. Later in life, Mr. Harmon was moved after meeting a young African American artist in New York who was unable to sell his paintings because of his race. With a new focus, the Harmon Foundation began presenting cash awards in 1925 to African-Americans for distinguished achievement in eight fields: fine arts, literature, music, race relations, business, religious service, education, and science. Between 1927 and 1933, the Harmon Foundation was one of the first to give national recognition to the achievements of African-Americans. It is best known for its impact on the art of the Harlem Renaissance. Among the many recipients of the awards were; Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Laura Wheeler Waring, Sargent Johnson, and Walter White. Hale Woodruff and Palmer Hayden were the very first recipients of the William E. Harmon Foundation award for Distinguished Achievement Among African Americans for the Fine Arts. The purpose of the awards were to stimulate creative achievement and bring attention to the work being accomplished by African American artists. The Foundation closed in 1967 and dispersed its considerable art collection to the Smithsonian’s Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, and other institutions. The Harmon Foundation is best known for its impact on the art of the Harlem Renaissance. Among the many recipients of the awards were; Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Laura Wheeler Waring, Sargent Johnson, and Walter White.
Hale Woodruff and Palmer Hayden were the very first recipients of the William E. Harmon Foundation award for Distinguished Achievement Among African Americans for the Fine Arts. The purpose of the awards were to stimulate creative achievement and bring attention to the work being accomplished by African American artists. The Foundation closed in 1967 and dispersed its considerable art collection to the Smithsonian’s Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, and other institutions. - Michael Coyan ![]() For over 60 years, Willis "Bing" Davis has been recognized as one of the premiere interpreters of art and the African-American experience in the United States. Originally from South Carolina, Bing and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio in his youth. His life has been devoted to the creative spirit, the creation of works of art, and art education. Teaching, mentoring and inspiring, Bing is still working to find an outlet for his muse, and his life experiences in many different mediums. The exhibition at the Harmon Museum, which opens August.13, 2021, is the culmination of his being inspired by the catalogs from the Harlem Renaissance exhibitions of African-American artists, performers and writers sponsored by The Harmon Foundation. Funded by real estate mogul, and Lebanon native, William Elmer Harmon, Bing said the inspiring works featured in those exhibitions fueled his desire to embrace art and make it his life's journey. To quote Mr. Davis, "At my age, I don't need another exhibition, but I want to do this to honor all Mr. Harmon did for African-American artists in American." |
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