UD Stander Symposium celebrates community and education

Sew unique, sew chic – Sew Dayton

Evans Bakery returns to Old North Dayton

Original West Side Wright Factory to be preserved

Daytonian Cayee’ delivers handmade products with vintage flair

By Tim Anderl

Drawing the film industry to the Miami Valley

By Kevin J. Gray

Earlier this year, representatives from film advocacy groups in Dayton, Cincinnati and Cleveland joined forces in Columbus to persuade lawmakers to increase the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, a substantial tax credit for films that shoot and hire within Ohio. The efforts worked and the tax credit doubled. Now one of those groups, FilmDayton, a Miami Valley non-profit dedicated to advancing Dayton’s stature in the film industry, is hard at work promoting film in the Dayton area.

As the name implies, FilmDayton advocates for all things film. Their mission is to promote art, education and economic development, and they do so by shining a spotlight on the art form, educating local aspiring filmmakers and making it easier for films to shoot in the Miami Valley.

The organization is probably best known for the FilmDayton Festival, held this past August. This year marked the 4th annual iteration of the festival, a showcase that celebrates the long legs of Dayton’s film community. More than 1,300 people came out to eight screenings to see more than 40 films, as well as to participate in workshops and other film events over the course of the three-day festival.

The festival highlights films with a connection to the Miami Valley. Some of the films are shot and produced in Dayton; others may be shot elsewhere, but hold some tie to the Gem City, often because the writer, director or producer trained in the Dayton area before moving to their current residence. Locally produced shorts – created by area film students and aspiring filmmakers – open each feature film. The result is a large-scale festival with a local feel.

In addition to producing and hosting the annual film festival, FilmDayton also helps promote local films. Earlier this month, the organization worked to promote the local premier of Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar’s latest work, “Sparkle,” which won the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at SilverDocs, America’s largest documentary film festival, and has been picked up by PBS. FilmDayton also helped promote the Neon premier of “True Nature,” a supernatural thriller shot entirely in Dayton that has played at over 40 film festivals here and abroad.

Megan Cooper, the executive director of FilmDayton, explains that the organization wants to help spread the word about local film to make the community aware: “There’s so much great stuff happening, but a lot of times people don’t know where to find it or what’s going on. At FilmDayton … we want to make sure that people are aware of everything that is available.”

In addition to promoting the art, FilmDayton educates filmmakers. The non-profit hosts three major education initiatives. The first is 48-Hour Filmmaker Boot Camp. This intensive program brings professional filmmakers and their equipment into schools and community centers. Participants walk through story telling, production and post-production. Over the course of a weekend, the group creates their own short film. The program not only allows entry into the art form, but it also teaches important soft skills, such as story telling, collaboration and problem solving.

FilmDayton also sponsors Film Connections, a monthly meeting that combines education with networking. Typically held at ThinkTV on the last Tuesday of the month, the event features an industry speaker and a social hour where local filmmakers talk about their projects and team up with potential resources.

Finally, FilmDayton hosts several professional development workshops annually. The events are geared towards those in the industry, and tend to cover topics more in-depth than those covered at the Film Connections meetings. Recent workshops have included topics ranging from how to become a production assistant to financing your indie film.

The education programs also tie into the third area of focus for FilmDayton, economic development. The programs seek to create local know-how that enables the area to provide logistical support for feature films shot in the Miami Valley. Film is good business for the area. FilmDayton noted in a recent Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce business briefing, for every $1.00 spent attracting a film, $1.20 goes back into community.

To that end, FilmDayton is working to leverage Dayton’s diverse landscape by building a location database to attract films to the area. From upscale mansions to gritty urban landscapes to woodsy locales, the Miami Valley is rich in potential film locations. FilmDayton is cataloging available sites so that the group can provide multiple location options to scouting directors. The organization is working with not only individuals, but also local visitor’s bureaus and Chambers of Commerce to flesh out the database.

In addition to attracting films to the area and educating filmmakers, the organization is producing a series of its own. FilmDayton is eager to announce the release of “Freak Club,” a six episode web series. The idea for a web series grew out of several Film Connections meetings, where members agreed to volunteer their time to put their ideas to work. Professionals and amateurs in the area came together, donating time and equipment, to produce this series. It was pitched last year and over three weekends this August, the episodes were shot. They are in post-production now, and they are expected to launch in late winter/early fall. The episodes are 100 percent shot in Dayton, with cast, crew and location all from the Gem City.

For more information about FilmDayton, including events listings, see their website at filmdayton.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Kevin J. Gray at KevinGray@daytoncitypaper.com

UD grad students empower homeowners with smart data

By Kevin J. Gray

What if your utility company could tell you about your energy usage in as much detail as you get from your cell phone company? How could this change your life?

This was the challenge that University of Dayton graduate students Mithun Mohan Nagabhairava, a software developer in UD’s renewable and clean energy program, and Dustin Pohlman, a mechanical engineer, answered earlier this year. The U.S. Department of Energy, through a challenge called “Apps for Energy,” asked programmers and engineers to look at ways that more detailed energy usage data could help residential and commercial building owners.

In response, Nagabhairava and Pohlman developed a computer program that allows homeowners with solar photovoltaic (solar PV) cells and batteries to maximize the economic benefits of their systems. Sounds complicated, but it really isn’t that hard to understand. You just need to know a few key details.

First, the Energy Department challenge references data from smart meters, high-tech energy meters in use in California and Texas. Residents with smart meters can receive energy usage data broken down by the hour. The advantage to this approach? Homeowners are able to see not just the total amount of energy used over a given month (which is the way bills in Ohio are calculated), but also see periods of peak usage.

For instance, in a given household, early evening might be the time of highest usage. Why? Everyone is home from work and school. Someone is cooking dinner, while the kids are on laptops or watching television. The thermostat, bumped down during the day when the house is empty, kicks on to heat the house. A smart meter reading would likely show this period as the highest energy usage.

Second, what many homeowners don’t know is that the usage rate, or tariff, on a utility bill is often an aggregate rate. Actual tariffs vary depending upon the times of usage. Tariffs during peak times are often higher than those of non-peak hours. The more energy being drawn from the grid, the more the power company has to produce. Additional production means ramping up equipment and labor hours. The cost is passed onto the consumer in terms of higher tariffs. Remember when folks would wait until after 10 p.m. to make a long distance call because the daytime rates were so high? Same case here –throughout the day, the actual cost of electricity fluctuates, with some hours being more expensive and some being less.

Finally, homes with solar PV cells can be configured in one of two ways. Most commonly, solar panels pump energy that isn’t used in the house back into the grid. When the solar PV cells are producing energy, that energy flows into the grid, and the homeowner can actually watch his or her electric meter run backwards. At night, when the solar PV cells are dormant, the meter draws from the grid. Most solar users with this type of configuration compensate by producing more electricity than they draw from the system, thereby creating a new balance in their favor. Yet a unit of energy sold back to the power company is often worth less than a unit bought (because the homeowner is credited for generation charges when selling, but is debited generation and transmission charges when buying).

However, some solar PV users combine their system with a battery. The solar PVs can either charge the battery or dump power into the grid. If the battery is charged, power can be drawn from it during times of high energy usage (and high tariffs), even if those are during times when the PV cells are dormant, like for instance, in the early evening hours.

Simple concepts, but a lot of data to manage. Nagabhairava and Pohlman’s software program makes it easier for homeowners to triangulate all of this information. Their program calculates the hourly usage in a household, the tariff information from the power company and the capacity of a home’s solar PV cells and battery. The results of this data are a sophisticated cost-benefits analysis customized to a specific home.

Using the UD grad students’ program, a household could, for instance, decide to use the solar PV energy produced during the day to charge a battery. The household could draw from the battery at the times when energy is the most expensive and draw from the grid during low cost energy times. Homeowners are able to more quickly recoup the cost of their solar PV/battery systems by making the most informed economic choices. Or households could make more effective purchasing decisions when buying their solar PV/battery system initially.

Pretty cool, huh? The Energy Department thought so, and awarded the duo a $4,000 prize. Their application came in second in the “Popular choice” category. As a result, Nagabhairava and Pohlman recently flew out to DC, where they received their award in a White House ceremony and got to meet with other prizewinners and companies working with the same energy data.

What’s next for these two? Nagabhairava is continuing to develop the software, adding more sophisticated algorithms and a user interface. He is also looking at other potential extensions to the software. The next phase of the project will be his Master’s thesis. Pohlman is working on energy conservation and recently won an award for a proposal titled “Energy Efficient Humidity Control in Manufacturing,” which deals with more effective air conditioning systems. He will be following that proposal through as part of his graduate work.

Although smart meters and solar PV systems aren’t prevalent in Ohio (yet), it’s great to see solid work on green energy and energy conservation here in the Miami Valley.

Reach DCP freelance writer Kevin Gray at KevinGray@daytoncitypaper.com

Stivers students create art in the public space

By Kevin J. Gray

The sculpture students at Stivers School for the Arts had a busy summer. Nine students, working with adjunct Sculptural Studies Director and local artist Ryan McCullough, designed, fabricated and placed a new outdoor sculpture made with more than one and a half tons of steel at the entrance to the school parking lot, and on Friday, Oct. 5, the piece will receive its official dedication in a ceremony open to the public.

The work, entitled “Thresholds,” is described by the school as “an impressive example of public sculpture that extends an invitation to the community while enriching the visual legacy of the Stivers campus.” The intersection of blue, orange and grey painted steel planes provides the piece’s structure, and the work plays on the use of straight and curved edges. This sculpture invites the public to interact with it. Situated near the corner of Keowee and Fifth Streets, visitors can walk around and through the two main components of the structure.

“Thresholds” is the product of the 2012 Stivers School for the Arts Summer Sculpture Apprenticeship Program, a three-week intensive course. McCullough, who facilitated the program, had the goal of providing a hands-on workshop with a smaller number of students that could function as a true apprenticeship. As a result, all decisions on the piece were collaborative, from picking the design and color to choosing the location, placement and even the orientation of the piece to the school building.

The nine students were selected from thirty that applied, with ages ranging from incoming high school freshman to high school seniors. The 90-hour program provided an opportunity for students at varying skill levels to expand their technical and conceptual knowledge of the process of executing a large-scale sculpture. Over the course of the program, students gained experience with welding, grinding and painting steel. They also learned how to communicate their ideas and to assist other group members in individual learning processes. Every student played a part, with every step being a learning opportunity. Explains McCullough, “Everything had a purpose and the entire sequence was about having purpose in the studio and making your time well-spent, valuable, and focused and being present in the studio.”

Week one was a welding boot camp, which in and of itself is pretty impressive (how many other high school students do you know who can weld steel plates?). The next two weeks were dedicated to fabricating the piece. McCullough is proud of the group dynamic that evolved through the process: “More advanced students would help newer students, [with] little pockets of teaching and learning and everyone participated at every level; everyone chipped in in every aspect of fabrication and design.”

McCullough sees the 2012 summer program in a larger context, and expects to continue the program in future years. He hopes that the campus, which already houses some smaller pieces, can become a destination to see public sculpture. “Thresholds” is one step in that direction.

Stivers has always had a strong connection to the larger Dayton and regional arts community. In fact, the dedication of “Thresholds” is timed with an Artists Reception at the school’s Fifth Street Gallery. The show, which runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 26, is titled “Concentration: A Look at the Contemporary Object.” McCullough played a large part in arranging this show. The sculpture department wanted to recognize the detailed work that goes into fine craft and the abstract nature of more theoretical sculpture. This show blurs the line between crafts, often the realm of the everyday, usable object, and more abstract sculpture, with its tendencies toward the more philosophical. The show features works that straddle craft and sculpture, works made with non-traditional processes or materials. The artists presenting are professionals from across the United States, many with connections to the school or Stivers alumni.

Like the intensive sculpture workshop, the gallery, open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, provides another means for Stivers to nurture its students and to connect the school to a larger community. Over the course of a year, the gallery features three to four professional shows like “Concentration,” with artists associated in some way with the school. Shannon Grecula, the director of Fifth Street Gallery, explains that the gallery “is an opportunity to expose students to working artists, to show them that this is a realistic goal for them, to see how professionals are working and showing stuff in the area.” In addition, three times a year, the studio features student works. The school’s Soup Dressed Up fundraiser showcases work from students working in clay. There is also a photography fundraiser, and at the end of the year graduating students can showcase their works in the Senior Show.

“Thresholds” seeks to strengthen the interaction between the school and the larger community. While the gallery shows bring professional work to the students, the outdoor sculpture allows the students to give back to Dayton at large. Liz Whipp, Stivers Magnet Director, sees inspiration in this process. She notes that, “Our kids should serve as an inspiration to the city council and the city. That given nothing, and looking at how they can give of themselves through their head, hand, and heart should be an inspiration.” Whipp notes that while negative press abounds about the city, Stivers students are able to “put that aside and see what can be, instead of what people predict it to be and the city should celebrate this.”

The official “Thresholds” dedication is on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. outside of Stivers School for the Arts, 1313 E. Fifth St. While there, pop into the school for the opening of “Concentration: A Look at the Contemporary Object” from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Both events are free to attend and open to the public. For more information, please contact Shannon Grecula (937-542-7448 or SRGrecul@dps.k12.oh.us) or Ryan McCullough (937-408-3578 or ryanmcculloughart@gmail.com).

Reach DCP freelance writer Kevin Gray at KevinGray@daytoncitypaper.com

Darius Stephens’ controversial novel,  “just another ‘n’”

by Tim Walker

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” - Proverbs 23:7

Darius Stephens is more than just a writer. He’s a man on a mission, and he’s doing everything right.

The 45-year-old Dayton native has just published his first novel, “just another ‘n,’” and that novel is drawing high praise from some very heavy hitters indeed — Joe Morgan, as a matter of fact, the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and legendary former second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, has said “Author Darius Stephens has written a grand-slam book.” The book has also received positive reviews from two Academy Award winners: composer Bill Conti said “Darius Stephens brings great insight to the racial problems in America,” and famous B-movie director and writer Roger Corman added “Darius Stephens’ “just another ‘n’” was a great read! There is little question that it will be made into a motion picture.”

When he’s not busy writing novels, Darius devotes his time to groups working to end illiteracy and stop global human trafficking. He is director of the Midwest Group for Racial Reconciliation and is the founder of Jeremiah 29:11, a group dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential. He also serves as an advocate for disadvantaged adults and juveniles in the court system, interacting with both judges and local police departments.

Fresh from a lengthy interview about his book with Jordan Rich on WBZ-AM in Boston (a radio show that was heard all over New England) Darius took the time to speak with the Dayton City Paper recently.

“This is definitely a novel with something to say,” Darius said. “There’s a message here. I think most of my novels do have a message to share. I would say writing a fast-paced and pleasing book draws the reader in. But one of the cornerstones of everything I do is that there’s always a message in the book ­– without it being preachy.”

The novel, “just another ‘n,’” certainly has something to say. It is the story of David Williams, described on the book’s jacket as “a black man that does not like black people.” Williams is a powerful attorney in Columbus, Ohio who, at first glance, seems to have it all – a wildly successful practice, beautiful home and a beautiful wife – a white woman, which in this case seems indicative of the ambivalence Williams holds toward his own race.

Raised in an upper-class area, sent to all the best schools, surrounded by wealth and comfort, Williams had difficulty relating to his less affluent black relatives from the time he was a child. Later, after he becomes a success himself, Williams is sent to prison after being convicted of homicide at the hands of a corrupt prosecutor. Torn between two worlds – black and white, good and evil – he struggles to find his identity, connect with his culture and come to terms with his feelings about the word “nigger.”

Jolting, perhaps even a bit harsh at times, but with an honest desire to explore areas that are too often ignored, “just another ‘n’” is Darius Stephens’ attempt to bring to life, through fiction, a conflict and a divide which many members of our society deal with on a daily basis. By exploring the subjects of race and stereotypes, by shining a light on what the use of a single, brutal word can sometimes do to an individual, to a culture, and to a nation, Darius Stephens is aiming to do much more than merely entertain.

“We see this in our society frequently — what a word as divisive as this can do to people,” continued Darius. “There was the recent incident on “The View”, for example, where Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters had a conflict over the use of the phrase ‘Niggerhead Ranch.’ That’s what I want people to realize when they read the novel. This is about a black man, a man who is uncomfortable as a member of his own race, who shares many of the misconceptions so many people have about that race. And what happens to him when he is confronted, not only with who he is, but with who other people perceive him to be.”

A challenging and ultimately uplifting novel, “just another ‘n’” is well worth your time.

Darius Stephens has a website at www.dariusstephens.com, where you’ll find more information about his work, a link to his blog, and links to various online resources where you can purchase copies of his books. just another ‘n’ is available through Amazon.com as a paperback and as an e-book for the Kindle. You can also find it available in various formats at BarnesandNoble.com, at the Apple store and at Kobobooks.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Walker at TimWalker@DaytonCityPaper.com

 Sushi for all!

By Kevin J. Gray

When Stephan Harman and brothers Zach and Josh Weprin opened Fusian on Brown Street, they were interested in creating more than just an upscale fast-casual sushi restaurant. They wanted to give back to a community that raised them, and they wanted to do so by establishing a business that promotes a healthy lifestyle and the team’s core values of quality and sustainability.

The idea for Fusian came while Stephan and Zach were living in Aspen, Colorado. The two friends had just graduated college and wanted to explore the West. Josh, a few years older, had been living in Denver, but had recently moved to Cincinnati. Josh worked in real estate, and found an opportunity to partner with a local sushi chef to open a lunchtime sushi establishment downtown. The idea evolved, and eventually Stephan, Zack and Josh, all former business majors, determined to go into business together. They opened their original location in downtown Cincinnati and began servicing the business lunch crowds. Several months later, the crew opened their Dayton operation.

When asked why Dayton, and specifically, why Brown Street, Stephan explains that this is where the three friends grew up. All three men are Oakwood natives, and Stephan is a University of Dayton graduate, so the trio was excited about the opportunity to give back to the community and to house their operation literally down the street from where they met as boys.

More than that, Fusian’s co-owners wanted to bring some of the ideas they discovered in Colorado to Ohio. It’s a case of reverse brain drain; instead of young professionals honing their skills in Ohio before setting out for larger cities throughout the U.S., these three have borrowed ideas from the West and brought them back to Dayton. Stephan explains, “What we took away from Colorado really brought a lot of our messaging, our branding and our philosophy here to Ohio. We compost and recycle in our restaurants because we think it’s the right thing to do. In Colorado, it’s a very green environment. People respect the environment that they live in. We thought, ‘that sounds great’. In Colorado, we lived and breathed it. Let’s bring that back here.”

The operation is founded on five key values. First, do the right thing. This value builds trust between employees and customers. Next, cultivate meaningful relationships. The group surrounds themselves with the best, creating relationships between Fusian and other like-minded operations. For instance, they’ve teamed up with a local school district for the Sushi in Schools program, where students learn about healthy eating and get to try new foods.

The operation’s third value is to create sustainability. Stephan notes that sustainability is not just about recycling, composting and using LED lights (all of which Fusian does – in fact, all of the waste from Fusian goes not to a landfill, but instead, to a commercial composting facility). Sustainability also means making decisions with a long view in mind. Fourth, Fusian team members are instructed to make service their passion. The operation prides itself not only on the healthy, high-quality food that it serves but, just as importantly, on the customer service it provides. The staff is fun and friendly, and they make an effort to ensure their guests enjoy themselves.

Finally, the fifth value is the simplest: Live it. The Fusian brand is also a lifestyle. From biking to yoga, the co-owners live very active lifestyles and encourage their employees to do the same. This is another idea borrowed from Colorado, where the balance of work and play is a way of life.

The core values appear to pay off. It’s not yet noon on a summer Thursday, when UD is not in session, and the brightly colored restaurant is buzzing. There’s a line nearly out the door and the few empty tables are filling up quickly. The clientele seems to be furthering one of the team’s other goals, to make sushi accessible to everyone. It’s hard to pigeonhole the lunchtime crowd. There are senior citizens and children, manual laborers and young professionals, UD staff and students. Customers from all walks of life are here, eating sushi.

Despite the rush, the staff seems to be enjoying themselves. A vibrant aura exudes from the open kitchen as team members zip about. Watching the staff joke with customers as they transform fresh wraps, proteins, rice and veggies into made-to-order rolls, it’s hard not to feel energized here. And the food is as good as it looks. Stephan dips behind the counter to make my order, and I’m impressed with the results. My spicy salmon roll is likely some of the best sushi I’ve had.

With all of this excitement, the natural question is: what next? How does Fusian grow and stay committed to its past? The answer, not surprisingly, is consistent with the group’s core values. While the restaurant has generated a lot of interest with potential investors and franchisees, the team has made a commitment to thoughtful and organic growth. Operating partners, as the team calls their general managers, are given all the tools they need to hire, train and motivate their employees, and growth comes from within. There are plans for other locations, possibly in Columbus and downtown Dayton, but expect with their eye toward sustainability, growth will be smart and measured.

Until other locations open up, check out the UD location at 1200 Brown Street or at www.fusian.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Kevin J. Gray at KevinGray@DaytonCityPaper.com