Spass Nacht literally means “fun night.” “There will be dancing and authentic Austrian/Bavarian music by PROST. Come out and join the fun! There will be brats, sauerkraut, hot dogs, baked goods galore, pretzels … and beverages!” said Bob Van Leeuwen, Kettering Sister City Executive Committee member. Domestic and imported beers will be available, as well as non-alcoholic drinks. A free event open to the public, Spass Nacht will be held at the Fraze Pavilion Wednesday, June 19, from 5:30–9:30 p.m. The Austrian festival is presented by the Kettering Sister City Association. The event has taken place for more than 33 years, with great success in the Dayton area.

“We always have good feedback.” Van Leeuwen added. “It’s always a good time, positive experience … a great time! I am most looking forward to sunshine and the very large crowd.” The event expects to draw 1,200-1,500 people.

Executive Committee Chairperson Paul Fleitz explained, “Our motto is ‘Fun with Family and Friends.’ The event is a great opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones. Many folks enjoy dancing to the music or just watching others.” As the annual fundraiser for the Kettering Sister City Association, co-chair Andrew Rathweg added, “The Kettering City Council established the Kettering Sister City Committee on March 28, 1967. Our mission is to build people-to-people relationships, based on youth and adult exchange visits, and social and cultural gatherings. The Kettering Sister Cities Committee is part of Sister Cities International, formerly known as the Town Affiliation Association of the U.S., Inc. President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated the program in 1957. Its purpose is to help further international understanding at all levels of the community on a continuing long-term basis through cultural, educational, professional and technical exchanges. The city of Kettering has two sister city affiliations. Our relationship with Steyr, Austria, was established by city ordinance in March 1970, and our relationship with the Borough of Kettering, England, in February, 1978.”

The Kettering Sister City student exchange with Steyr, Austria, started in 1977. Fleitz commented, “This July, 10 Austrian high school students and their chaperones will visit Kettering and stay with host families. While here, they will enjoy participating in local activities and experience what it is like to be a teenager in Kettering, Ohio. Next year, our students will travel to Steyr, Austria, and stay with families of the students visiting us this year. Lasting friendships have been established through this exchange.”

Spass Nacht welcomes back a live performance by PROST, who will be returning to the event for the first time since 2006. Back by popular demand, PROST is a self-described Euro-American “party band.”

Rathweg explained, “Spass Nacht is like Oktoberfest in the summer. It’s a great way to spend a beautiful June evening … the event continues to gain popularity each year. With the return of PROST, it is going to be a lot of fun – they know how to keep the party going!” Live music will begin at 6 p.m. PROST provides a variety of energetic music, setting the tone of the party. PROST has both American and European band members and they are a regular act at the Hofbrau Haus in Newport, Ky. Band members Michael, Lee, Chad and Terry Duncan along with Gerhard Albinus, Carly Hood and Joe Blank invite you to come out and enjoy the music and ride the “PROST-Coaster.”

The band shared, “The accordion and a driving beat are the cornerstone of our sound and our vast song list includes many new and old German songs, as well as pop/rock, country, swing and other varieties of ethnic music.” Fleitz added, “PROST has a strong and loyal following in southwest Ohio.” If you enjoy live music while surrounded by friends and family, you don’t want to miss PROST’s performance at Spass Nacht.

All of the authentic food and drinks will be prepared and sold by volunteers to raise much needed funds for the exchange program. In addition to live music, authentic Austrian/German food and drinks, a 50/50 raffle along with balloon animals and face painting for children, while attending Spass Nacht you will enjoy dancing and meeting new people. Come out and enjoy a “fun night” while supporting a great program.

Fleitz recalled one of his favorite memories from the event, “One year the winner of the 50/50 raffle donated the money they won to the organization because he believed in our mission. It is great to see how many volunteers come together to support this worthwhile cause. Many of the volunteers come back year after year because they have personally seen the positive results of our student exchange.”

Spass Nacht will take place Wednesday, June 19, from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at the Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd. in Kettering. Admission to the event is free of charge. For more information, visit fraze.com/spass-nacht.

Reach DCP freelance writer Stacey Ritz at StaceyRitz@DaytonCityPaper.com.

I had the chance to catch up with Dayton Art Institute Executive Director Michael Roediger, Special Events Coordinator Julie Cannon, Associate Director Jane Black and Art Ball Chairs Lisa and Michael Sandners about the event.

The DAI Art Ball is entering its 56th year. Do you know who had the original idea for the event? Are any of the founding organizers still involved? If not, of the current organizers, who’s been involved the longest?

Much of the credit for inaugurating the tradition of an annual gala fundraiser for the museum goes to the Junior League of Dayton. Their Holiday Ball, an early December event that originally took place at downtown hotels and country clubs, was relocated to the museum in 1957 and became the Art Ball. In 1965, the Junior League turned the planning and execution of the Art Ball over to the DAI’s Associate Board. Our Associate Board is still instrumental in planning and organizing the Art Ball each year. In terms of involvement, PNC has sponsored Art Ball for 18 years and has supported the DAI since 1957 – what an amazing legacy! –Michael Roediger

This year’s theme is “Art is in the Air” and John Safer’s sculpture “Pathway” is the evening’s centerpiece. The near 70-foot sculpture was installed in 2003 in celebration of the centennial of flight. How did you decide on this year’s theme? Is it in reference to 2013 being the 110th anniversary of flight? Aside from the sculpture, how else is the theme highlighted at this year’s Art Ball?

Each year, one couple from the Associate Board serves as Art Ball Chairs, and they choose a piece from the DAI’s collection as the centerpiece. –Julie Cannon

“Pathway” showcases the breadth of the DAI’s collection. It is a strong and elegant structure that displays different reflections at each curve; so at one angle you can see the reflection of the DAI and at another, you can see the city of Dayton skyline. We feel the theme, “Art is in the Air,” reflects different moments of time, illustrating the transition from sunset to twilight, just like the evening itself. We believe the color palette, vertical elements and strength of the piece will all be evident in the decor. The piece also spoke to us symbolically. “Pathway” represents the path or journey our lives take. As transplants from the East Coast, we could not have predicted this opportunity when we came to Dayton; yet here we find ourselves working with an amazing group of people to bring this moment to life in the form of Art Ball 2013. It is a privilege to share our moment with the community. – Lisa and Michael Sandners

The theme is highlighted in the colors, flowers and decorations used throughout the museum for the Art Ball. The colors will reflect a sunset, transitioning to an evening sky.  There will be lots of deep pinks, purples and blues, with pops of silver to tie back to the John Safer piece. The flower arrangements, provided by Furst Florist and Greenhouses, will have the same color scheme and will have bold metallic elements, reminiscent of “Pathway.” -JC

The Art Ball and Oktoberfest are the two biggest fundraisers for the DAI. In turn, they are extremely important events for the City of Dayton. Have you envisioned a third annual event to raise funds for the DAI? If so, what would it be?

Instead of creating another large event, we are focused on making the museum an active space for inspiration, fun and education, day in and day out. No matter when people come, they will always find something interesting and exciting to do. –Jane Black

Is there anything else you’d like to add about the 56th Annual Dayton Art Institute Art Ball? 

Although Art Ball reservations are sold out, the community can still get involved with Art Ball – and help us meet our fundraising goal – through our new Winners Raffle. Only 600 tickets are being sold for the raffle, and there are 100 prizes valued at $100 or more. That’s at least a one in six chance of winning! The raffle prizes include jewelry from our official jeweler, James Free Jewelers, salon services for an entire year from Square One Salon, and a fantastic Caribbean vacation package. You don’t have to be present at Art Ball to win. Tickets may be purchased in person at the museum, by calling 937.223.4ART (4278), or online at daytonartinstute.org/artball. -JC

The Dayton Art Institute’s 56th Annual Art Ball takes place on Saturday, June 8 at the Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North. For more information, visit daytonartinstitute.org.

What’s happening on Jefferson and Third Streets? Dayton’s Gay club district has a “seee-cret.” The intersection of the two streets is affectionately known as the “Fruit Loop” because of the four distinct nightspots in that area catering to the LBGT crowd. Dance clubs Masque and MJ’s along with two bars – The Right Corner and The Stage Door – are all within walking distance, so bouncing between them is a snap. My wife and I set off to find out what our experience might be spending Saturday making the LBGT-friendly Fruit Loop crawl.

We found parking on Jefferson, then walked to the Stage Door, our first stop. It was late in the evening; the place was about as loud and exciting as a mouse chewing on his own fingernails. As we walked inside the dimly-lit hole-in-the wall, we felt we had located the bar where the ghosts of drinkers past might show up. We sampled a drink called a girl-scout cookie while we talked with Wayne, owner of the bar. He runs his place like it was an offshoot of his living room, so everyone knows him and feels comfortable enough to give him “sneak-up hugs” from behind. The few guys sitting in the bar were either in conversation with someone or were just staring into their drinks, sitting alone. Wayne told us that Stage Door is the bar that guys come to for a strong, stiff drink before continuing their night elsewhere, or it’s the last-call destination. He’s a dedicated guy and spends most of his free time keeping the Stage Door as a place where people relax and have a good drink. We decided one drink was it and left.

Next, we found MJ’s with its rear entrance adjacent to Masque. We had never been there, but even after only one drink, it was tough to locate. We were greeted by Bruce, the manager, who gave us a club tour. One side of the place is a bar, mostly. There’s a small dance space and elevated DJ booth. The other side is a narrow space, ideal for dancing. MJ’s had a more mixed, casual crowd. There were women mixing with women and men mixing with other men. The club gave off a very friendly vibe. People were all smiles as we saddled up to the bar, so we ordered another girl-scout cookie. Dancing men – one using a whip as a prop – were wearing just a bit more than leather straps strategically placed as to not offer too much junk exposure. Yeah, they did what they do – and the people paying attention were all smiles. DJ Miss Hill was playing dance music to help with the male dance revue. My wife was getting the random “Hi girl!” and smiles from the guys along with the shoulder-touch greeting. As for me, I felt I was getting the “Hmm, what is this all about?” glance a few times from the men. The crowd skewed a bit older, but MJ’s had the mid-range energy feel for a Saturday night. Bruce gave us the tour of the smoking area on the back patio. This boasts a super view of Dayton, and you get to enjoy watching the large video screen on display at Masque. He noted that his clientele likes to be able to shuttle between his club and Masque. We talked with guys standing outside having a smoke, finished our drinks and then Bruce walked us out a private exit to find our third stop, The Right Corner.

This place is a city bar, nothing fancy. A pool table guards a popcorn machine. The place was lightly busy, and here, a nice guy offered us a birthday cake. We talked with two guys while sitting outside on the patio facing Jefferson Street. My wife was getting all of the attention from these guys who feel comfortable enough to share an outdoor table with us while having a drink. No joke, the conversation turned to make-up products. They were fun people who made us both laugh and we felt safe having a locked parking lot surrounding the patio.

After finishing another girl-scout cookie, it was 2 a.m., and we still had not made our last stop on the Fruit Loop. No worries, there was no problem getting in at Club Masque, though security was tight. Inside the club, loud music was coming from upstairs and less-loud music was heard on the main floor. Both levels had different excitement to offer, but smoking on the outdoor patio had to be the most social spot. We got chatted up by a few guys, plus a few girls this time. One guy standing next to my wife declared that she looked amazing, and also like Madonna! But actually, he took a fancy toward me and even offered to give her sex tips on how to keep a straight man happy. Back inside we met Luke, the club’s owner, who welcomed us to his club. We grabbed some last call drinks and dashed up to the second floor to finish the night. I challenge anyone to experience the Fruit Loop and not have a great time and hey, change it up, do it in reverse.

Reach DCP freelance writer Wu W.A.N.G. at WuW.A.N.G.@DaytonCityPaper.com

Rainbow, sparkles and all things fabulous; this is what you might typically think of when you hear “Pride Weekend” and “Gay Pride Parade.” How about love, support, equality and acceptance? This Pride Weekend is about more than showing off, and it’s more than just a celebration limited to the gay people of Dayton. In fact, the more heterosexuals support these events, the more their purpose is achieved. Gay pride is about embracing the people who have been ignored, looked over and sometimes hated in our society that caters to heterosexuals 365 days out of the year. The LGBTQ community is not asking you to convert or change your fashion choices – even if you really should. They gay people of Dayton are simply throwing a weekend to celebrate their culture, which often gets hidden and overlooked in the far corners of our city. These individuals are brave enough to throw a massive public party and forgiving enough to invite everyone, despite all the years of being excluded themselves.

After riots and protests started in 1969 between Philadelphia and New York City, the first ever Gay Pride March was held in New York City June 28, 1970. It covered 51 blocks from Christopher Street to Central Park. In 1971, gay rights activists applied for a march in the city of Columbus. They were denied for several months before the officials finally agreed. In 1973, Cincinnati held its first ever Gay Pride Parade with 70 people participating. That same year Columbus had 150 people for the first regional Pride Parade. By 1985, the Columbus Pride Parade had 3,000 marchers. Cleveland hosted its first Gay Pride Parade in 1990, Toledo in 1995 and Akron in 1996.

In June 1999, the rainbow flag was flown from a Statehouse flagpole in Columbus. “This was the first time in Ohio and only the second time in the nation that a rainbow flag had been flown with official sanction at a state capitol. At the pride parade, Chuck Spingola climbed the pole and cut down the flag. He handed the flag to Toni Peters who set it on fire. Chuck Spingola felt that flying the rainbow flag at the Statehouse was “… sanctioning sin and encouraging people to go to hell.” Spingola and Peters were convicted of criminal damaging. In response to this incident, a state board adopted a policy that says only U.S. and state of Ohio flags can be flown on state property, unless approved by the governor.” [“Outlook” (July 8 – 21, 1999); The Toledo Blade (August 4, 1999); Gay People’s Chronicle (March 24, 2000)] Despite that huge setback and disappointing display of hatred, all across the country, rallies, parades and marches continued to pop up and grow every year.

Dayton had its first ever Pride Celebration in 1986. In 2002, we had our first Pride Parade and that tradition carries on today. Dayton is starting to develop an annual tradition that is filled with celebration, fun, parties, gorgeous costumes, acceptance and love.

Gay Pride Day officially starts at 9 a.m. with a fantastic breakfast being served at MJ’s Cafe. Line up for the Pride Parade starting at 11 a.m. in Cooper Park on the corner of Second and St. Clair downtown. The parade begins at noon and is led by Grand Marshals: Adam Hoover of Marriage Equality Ohio, Kim Welter and Elyzabeth Holford of Equality Ohio.

Masque nightclub, 34 N. Jefferson St., will open at noon with free admission and drink specials all day long. The main stage will feature local drag queens, kings, singers and dancers.

At 8 p.m. Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus present their concert “Turn It UP” at the Victoria Theatre. At 10 p.m. Masque will present a stage show featuring the winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 5, Jinkx Monsoon, along with Season 5 contestants Alaska and guest hostess Penny Tration. A meet-and-greet with Alaska, Jinkx and Penny will follow.

There are also events running throughout the week. On Friday, May 31, Masque is having “Ab Fab Friday-The Pride Edition,” which features the Masque Wrestling Team of male dancers, with emcee Montana McDaniels and the official Mr. and Miss Ohio Gay Pride from Columbus, all beginning at 11 p.m. On Sunday June 2, Masque will hold a fundraiser at 10 p.m. for the Dayton chapter of GLSEN – the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

June 15 is the Annual Pride Dinner at the David H. Ponitz Center on the campus of Sinclair Community College starting at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour and business expo. This event is headlined by the hilarious Poppy Champlin. To reserve tickets the website, daytonlgbtcenter.org and click on the “Pride Dinner” tab.

The movie “I Do” will be showing at the Neon Thursday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. This special screening is $9 for general admission, and $7 for Greater Dayton LGBT Center members.

Celebrate acceptance and have fun embracing this fun colorful culture. You don’t have to participate in order to support. All that is being sought here is an end to hate and maybe some equality.

Dayton Gay Pride Weekend officially begins Saturday, June 1 at 9 a.m. The Pride Parade begins at noon, lineup starts at 11 a.m. at Cooper Park, on the corner of Second and St. Clair Streets in downtown Dayton. Events continue throughout the day at various locations. 

Usually when someone refers to Memorial Day, they mention this hugely popular U.S. Holiday that’s filled with BBQ’s and the official start of summer. Here in Dayton, we celebrate Memorial Day by highlighting more than 200 years of Dayton’s history during the annual Heritage Festival at Carillon Park. For the past four years, visitors from all over the Ohio area have enjoyed a massive celebration that includes food, vintage baseball, trivia games and interaction with other Dayton natives. Of course, what celebration is complete without fireworks? If you are looking for a change of pace this Memorial Day, search no further because the Heritage Festival never disappoints.

Brady Kress, president of Dayton History, recently discussed some of the goals of the organization: “I enjoy the festival. Each year I feel like it gets bigger and better. Each year we get to open the park in hopes of attracting new visitors that normally would not consider coming, I think that’s terrific. I love seeing new and familiar faces.”

This year, the festival will include many exhibits that showcase history in Dayton, Ohio. For instance, the Flood Exhibit that chronicles the tragic flood the Miami Valley experienced in 1913. “My hope is that the flood exhibit will spark conversation as well as educate anyone that visits,” said Kress.

During the festival, visitors will be granted the privilege of viewing more than 30 historical buildings and structures, in addition to participating in fun trivia that the entire family will thoroughly enjoy. If that’s not enough, there will be real-life historical demonstrations that will excite any history buff or theatre guru. The historical demonstration will be accompanied by a wide variety of special events and activities that will spread throughout the entire park.

So what about the kids? There is plenty to do at Carillon Park for smaller children or teens. Throughout the duration of the day the youth will receive a passport upon entering the park. The passports are relatively connected to each building or special exhibit at the park. “Our reasoning for the passports is to engage our younger visitors, it forces the children – as well the parents – to get excited about each exhibit, yet more importantly to learn some history,” Kress said. Another incentive to the passports is that if the child successfully completes one they ultimately get a prize. There will be a “kid’s fun zone,” so that the children can relax and enjoy themselves aside from viewing exhibits, which promises inflatables, crafts, face painting activities, and much more. The charge for the “kid’s fun zone” is $5 per child or $10 for an entire family.

The Heritage Festival has managed to bring back the Clodbusters Base Ball Club, a Dayton-based group who demonstrates their love for the game by playing good old-fashioned historical baseball. The Clodbusters will also allow children and their families the chance of playing baseball, which has always been a standout crowd favorite. Thankfully, the Clodbusters will show patrons the way baseball was played when it was referred to as a “gentleman’s game,” that was a long time ago during the American Civil War, way before the days of Vernon Wells or even Mariano Rivera.

One of the moments that keep the festival in high demand is the live music and entertainment, which is usually a show-stopping highlight for the 65-acre park. This year, the main stage will produce breakout performances from The Good Time Accordian Band, The Wind in the Woods, Carillon Park Concert Band and a special appearance from Todd the Fox. The main event will be none other than the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The DPO has been headlining the Heritage Festival since its inaugural festival in 2005. As their set closes, fans of the orchestra are always moved by the emotional tribute in honor of all of those who have served our country in the armed forces. During the tribute, Maestro Neal Gittleman invites former or recent individuals who have served in the armed forces to stand while the orchestra serenades them, meanwhile the audience claps with great approval.

So, the day is almost over, the children are well satisfied from all the fun activities, and everybody is ready to leave, then all of sudden you hear a large boom.

That’s right, fireworks. Fireworks are scheduled to start immediately following the performance from the DPO. The entire Deeds Carillon Bell tower near the front entrance will be decorated with lights as the staff of Carillon Park sets off the area’s best fireworks displays. The fireworks normally are a crowd pleaser amongst festival goers as they sit on the lawn and watch all 65 acres become lit up for 15 to 20 minutes. “My favorite part throughout the entire day is when the sun goes down and the fireworks begin to start,” said Kress.

The Heritage Festival takes place Sunday, May 26, with a rain date of Monday, May 27 Admission is $8 for adults to enter and $5 for children. Admission is free. There is a $5 parking fee from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Welcome Stadium along with a complimentary ride on the Wright Flyer Trolley to Carillon Park. For more information on the Dayton Heritage Festival and the Dayton History organization, visit daytonhistory.org or contact Dayton History at 937.293.2841.

Last October, I wrote an article in the Dayton City Paper about 63 things that have happened since the start of 2010. That list has already grown by another 15 items, but I want to take a moment to list some other facts that are not well known. It would appear that Dayton is experiencing a renaissance, and that renaissance has velocity. Forty-four new businesses and organizations opened in downtown Dayton in 2012. Downtown is also experiencing a restaurant boom. Three new eateries opened in the last quarter of 2012 and another four are opening in early 2013.

The formation of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance in July 2012 – being an administrative merger of the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra – may actually be the first of its kind in the nation and is being followed as a national model by other organizations.

The River Run Project, a kayaking feature in the heart of downtown – which was not part of the Greater Downtown Plan until late 2010 – reached its $4 million fundraising goal thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr. Michael Ervin and a $1 million challenge grant from the Cox Foundation.  This should begin to take shape in 2013 with the removal of the low dam and the construction of the two boulder-like structures with passageways for canoes and kayaks.

Downtown housing is extremely popular these days. Occupancy rates for owner and rental property average around 95 percent. The Patterson Square development of 18 townhomes sold out in just 54 weeks: a sale rate unequaled in some of the suburbs. The Litehouse homes across the street grew by an additional three units. The Sixth Street Lofts next to Jay’s Seafood in the Oregon District are seeing a new lease on life after almost a decade of vacancy. These should start to become available around April this year. If you have ever had an interest in Downtown Dayton living, stay tuned because there are more options opening up this year.

Dayton is marketing itself like never before. Three years ago the City Facebook page had 1,000 “likes” and today it has almost 17,000. This means that information can be distributed with the click of a mouse to many of our citizens. Citizens are promoting the great things about this city and the region. We have achieved some national and international publicity, which has injected a dose of patriotism into our citizens and it seems that numbers of people claiming to be proud Daytonians have increased exponentially. Even City Hall has taken a proactive marketing approach with the frequent “Talk to City Hall” videos on YouTube and the recent “Take Five with the City Manager” episodes on DATV and YouTube. Cross promotion during special events is happening. Restaurants downtown are offering special deals when Broadway shows come to Dayton. Businesses are promoting each other and partnering to host events so all benefit. You could call it co-opitition! More opportunities are coming in 2013, mark my words.

Technology is changing the face of Dayton. LED lighting is being used to brighten Dayton at night. Our bridges glow with color at night and buildings are starting to do the same. Public art is starting to appear on the street, making Dayton an attractive and friendly place to be. Credit card parking meters are appearing to make parking easier and more convenient to our customers. A new mobile search tool has been launched by the Downtown Dayton Partnership. With this app, you can locate downtown dining, nightlife, parking, shopping, arts and more on your smartphone. Just go to mobile.downtowndayton.org. We are also implementing a pilot program, using computer technology, to allow certain neighborhood leaders to report housing issues and track existing ones to reduce duplication of complaints and maximize the use of available staff. Our police department is leading the way in the use of technology to fight crime. In fact, we are probably years ahead of most other cities. Anytime technology can save time or money, it becomes an effective tool.

“Welcome Dayton,” our immigrant-friendly initiative is gaining ground. Most of the naturalizations of new citizens that occur every month involve an average of 50 new citizens from at least 20 different countries. The vast majority of the new naturalizations are people from Russia. (24 percent), followed by India (8 percent) and Turkey (8 percent). These new Americans are opening small businesses, buying property with cash and fixing it up, revitalizing Dayton’s neighborhoods.

I used to feel that Dayton was always behind the eight ball, but now we are way out in front of it. Stagnation is a thing of the past. The old paradigm of what Dayton was has completely shifted. Creativity is the new prosperity. Without creativity we will never prosper. Everyone is becoming creative these days, which is why Dayton is experiencing a rebirth. So, put your creative thinking cap on and let’s lead this trend for another decade at least!

Reach Dayton Mayor Gary D. Leitzell at 937.333.3653 or GaryLeitzell@DaytonCityPaper.com

I’m going to say “quilt,” and I want you to conjure all of the images in your head that you can muster. It’s a free-association exercise. It’ll be fun. Okay, ready? Quilt! Are you thinking about … colorful, geometric patterns hanging on walls or draped over the ends of beds? Are you missing your grandmother and the endearing way she made a blanket for you out of all of your old baby clothes? Are you able to picture anything other than the animated commercial for Quilted Northern bath tissue where all of the ladies sit around hand-stitching toilet paper? Haha aww … that dedicated hen party, making sure we get all of the comfort we deserve. All right, now that that’s out of our system, try to stay with me while we explore the beauty, the challenge, the vision that is art quilting.

“Art quilting is art that happens to be quilted,” explained Miami Valley Art Quilt Network (MVAQN) President Sue DeSantis. “We’re using the medium of fabric and fiber to express our art.”

And express they have! MVAQN is currently showing their Dayton Landmark Quilt exhibit at the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library at Third and St. Clair Streets downtown. Seventeen members of MVAQN have contributed to the creation of six scenes depicting iconic Dayton landmarks. Each scene was sliced into panels to be designed by different artists and then brought together to create a tapestry as uniquely and intricately woven as Dayton itself.

Some panels are pieced, some appliquéd. Some were painted then quilted, others had the details drawn on then stitched. Some have added three-dimensional details like bells and skirt hooks. Rust-dying was used in some instances to give buildings texture. One artist used lace for the trees to imitate the dappling effect of the leaves.

“You’re dealing with color, and you’re dealing with texture in a way that really resonates with people,” explained project organizer and MVAQN member Lisa Quintana. “There’s no advantage of one technique over the other, just different styles, different looks, different ways of doing things.”

“We’re trying to do things to encourage and promote art quilting, versus your basic bed quilting,” added DeSantis. “We’re trying to start thinking in new directions, experimenting.”

When I inquired as to how long a panel would take to create, I was met with laughs from both Quintana and DeSantis. “Depends on how much pressure people put on you,” chuckled DeSantis.

The idea for the project was conceived in the spring of 2009. “Yeah, it took that long,” said Quintana. “A lot of the time that we spend doing this is actually thinking about it, then gathering the materials, seeing what works and so forth.” And to actually construct the piece? “I would say working a good five hour day, being realistic, probably took me a week and a half total, maybe. Maybe more. It takes a lot of time, a lot more time than you’d think.”

Some of the time that it took to put together the exhibit was spent wrangling the artists themselves. “By their nature, artists tend to be independent and often kind of solitary people not used to working with other people in a group project like this,” explained Quintana. “Made it a little bit hard,” she added with a smile.

But, oh, the results! After each artist was given their assignment, they went to work creating their individual panels, keeping their work from one another only to be revealed once everyone had finished. The end products are gasp-worthy.

“We were amazed at how all the lines really went together, not knowing exactly what the other people were going to use, how they would choose to interpret their piece of the photograph,” said DeSantis.

“I’ve done a lot of things over the years,” said DeSantis. “I taught stenciling for a long time, I did decorative painting, I did all the crafts and sewing and everything coming up through. Quilting is the one thing I have stuck with because you can do anything. You don’t have to just sew blocks together and make big bed quilts. You can paint, you can bead, you can piece, you can do anything! There are no rules. You just kind of pick your favorite thing and work from there.”

“For me, there is a connection to history,” said Quintana. “Traditionally, quilting has been a woman’s purveyance. It’s also a really long historical vent within the United States. When I work on it, there is a connection there that’s far longer and far more immediate than any other connection I could make. There’s a whole different kind of commentary that you can do with quilting that you can’t necessarily incorporate in oil painting, in watercolor. It is a much freer expression, and I think that’s another thing that quilting allows people to do, especially art quilts that give you the freedom to go right out there and try stuff and do something different.”

MVAQN is doing for quilting what dubstep is doing for music: making you question what defines the medium and pushing the limits of what people can accept. MVAQN won’t stop. They’re redefining art, one stitch at a time. “It just, it’s FUN,” declared Quintana. “You should try it!”

The Dayton Landmark Quilts exhibit will be on display at the main branch of Dayton Metro Library through Dec. 27. Additional showings will be held at South Park United Methodist Church from Jan. 6 to Feb. 27 and at Southminster Presbyterian Church from March through April. For more information about MVAQN, visit www.mvaqn.com.