Community Calendar

Every Thursday night at Whisperz Speakeasy, we will be crafting a variety of fabulous martinis for just $10 each. Come have a few, this will be your favorite way to try something new and flavorful! The menu will rotate from time to time, but our attention to detail for the perfect handcrafted martinis never will! Check the calendar to see who is playing alongside our weekday specials. We have free live music five nights a week. Our martini menu is below, and our in-depth menu is linked here. We hope to see you soon!

Taking the stage from 7-10 pm on Thursday, September 24th is local blues favorite, Doug Hart. Known for his high-energy guitar work and soulful vocals, Doug’s performances always pack the house! Not to mention, Thursdays are $10 Tini Time when all premium, handcrafted martinis are just $10! View our menu here.

Please remember, guests are seated on a first-come, first-serve basis. We request guests dress appropriately, meaning business casual through evening elegance or period-appropriate attire, if you wish (jeans are acceptable but must be well-kempt). We are 25 & up and require a valid ID for entry!

There is no cover charge for FREE LIVE MUSIC at Whisperz Speakeasy, but the password is required for entry and can be found on our website: www.thedrinkerys.com

Take part in a self-guided geocache-style passport adventure to explore 12 meaningful locations across Kettering, each connected to an America 250 Ohio monthly theme. Pick-up a passport at select locations to get started!

More information and passport locations are at http://www.ketteringoh.org/america-250-kettering-passport

MEMOIR: WRITE YOUR STORY
A 5-week in-person class
Every person has a story. Whether you want to honor someone who’s made a difference in your life, document unique experiences or travels, record your family history, or capture a particular slice of your life, this five-week class will help beginning or experienced writers put their stories on paper. This course will help you narrow the focus of your story, give it shape, and define its underlying theme. We’ll examine memoir techniques and pitfalls, and plenty of prompts and exercise will help you dig deeper into your life and mine important memories that add depth to your story. Class members will be asked to obtain a copy of the memoir The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr, which we will be discussing throughout the course.
Saturdays, September 12, 19, 26, October 3, 10 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am

Conference Room 1A, Dayton Metro Library, Main Campus, 215 E Third Street, Dayton, OH, free parking at meters on weekends or garage, beneath the library, accessible from St. Clair Street.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE LIBRARY WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CLASS, SEND ALL QUERIES TO WORDSWORTHDAYTON@GMAIL.COM

Register today to take advantage of Early Bird Pricing through August 29.

Rosewood Arts Center’s Community Gallery will feature three Rosewood faculty artist’s work this fall in a group exhibit: INSPIRE. The exhibition highlights the work of Heather Ballard, Eli Flannagan and Nicole Reading who teach photography, screen-printing and watercolor respectively.

Heather Ballard will be exhibiting her photographic work which utilizes the cyanotype process. Her work is a fleeting portrait of our natural surroundings and touches on elements of chance and control. Eli Flannagan’s meticulous pen and ink drawings are inspired by surrealism. Inward looking and metaphoric, Flannagan’s drawings illustrate societal pressures and expectations. Nicole Reading’s work represents the natural world through abstraction, distortion, and accuracy. She explores the relationship between collecting and categorizing objects with their display for scientific purposes.

The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present Stacy Kranitz: Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down, the culmination of a landmark multi-year project that challenges long-held stereotypes of Appalachia by Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Stacy Kranitz.

Featuring more than 40 photographs drawn from historical archives, Kranitz’s own images, historical texts, installations, and an accompanying film, the exhibition examines how Appalachia has been represented—and misrepresented—across generations. Together, these works reveal a region shaped by myth, exploitation, resilience, and the uneasy tension between representation and reality.

The exhibition’s title references the gospel song “Ain’t No Grave,” made famous by Johnny Cash, evoking the resilience and resistance that run throughout the project. Recipient of the prestigious Images Vevey Book Award, Kranitz has published a companion monograph, available for purchase in The Contemporary Dayton’s CoSHOP.

Born in Kentucky and based in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, Kranitz is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among many other awards. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is held in numerous public collections.

Stacy Kranitz: Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky.

The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present Ella Kraimer: Appearances, a world-premiere exhibition of large-scale photographs. Kraimer transforms herself into a cast of fictional personas through striking self-portraits, using secondhand garments gathered from thrift stores across the country. Layered with irony, humor, and cultural critique, she explores the blurred boundaries between authenticity and performance, memory and invention, self and society.

Previously viewed only as a digital project, Appearances reflects on life in an age of social media, image culture, and spectacle. Inspired by childhood memories of paper dolls, Kraimer fragments and reconstructs her own likeness through costume, collage, and assemblage. At once playful and provocative, Appearances invites viewers to reconsider not only the images we create, but the stories they tell about who we are.

Kraimer spent her formative years in Berlin, Germany and is now based in New Bremen, Ohio. She earned a BA in Design and Visual Communication from the University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Berlin, and an MA in Visual and Media Anthropology from HMKW University of Applied Sciences for Media, Communication, and Management, Berlin.

Ella Kraimer: Appearances is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky.

The Member’s Spotlight Exhibitions at The Contemporary Dayton celebrate the vibrant creativity of our local and regional artist community. Open to all current artist members, this ongoing series offers participants the unique opportunity to present a focused body of work in a solo exhibition curated by Heather Jones, Interim Director and Chief Curator.

Each exhibition is installed in The T. Chase Hale & Jonathan A. Hale Gallery and remains on view for one month, opening with a public reception on the first Wednesday and continuing through the last Saturday of the month. These exhibitions not only highlight the diverse practices and perspectives of our members but also provide a professional platform for artists to gain visibility and engage directly with audiences.

Most artworks are available for purchase, with proceeds supporting both the artist and The Contemporary Dayton’s mission to advance equity, diversity, and access through contemporary art. Participation in the Member Spotlight series is one of the many valuable benefits of being an artist member of The Contemporary Dayton.

The Village of Yellow Springs Public Arts & Culture Commission — in partnership with The Yellow Springs Community Foundation and the The Beloved Community Project — proudly presents Revival: A Celebration of American Music, September 25–27, as part of the Village's America 250 celebration.

In the spirit of Help Us Make A Nation (HUMAN) and the AACW Blues Fest, Revival honors arguably our nation's greatest cultural exports by celebrating the diverse musical traditions that have shaped America's story, bringing people together through live music, culture, and shared history.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

FULL SCHEDULE

Friday, September 25

5:00 PM: arrival and gathering
5:30 PM: Joseph Zavaan Johnson presentation
6:30 PM: intermission
6:45 PM: Joseph Zavaan Johnson banjo performance
7:45 PM: Q&A

Saturday, September 26

3:00 PM: Phil's Big Ass Brass Band
4:00 PM: Eric Henry Band
5:00 PM: Sharon Lane and Danny Sauers
6:00 PM: MoJo Power
7:00 PM: Tony Huston and Prime Time Blues Band w/ Snapper Mitchum
8:00 PM: Georgia Anne Muldrow

Sunday, September 27

3:00 PM: Open Mic
4:00 PM: Geoff Hohwald
5:00 PM: Mark Babb
6:00 PM: George Byrd

Opening Reception of two new exhibitions:

Stacy Kranitz: Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down

Ella Kraimer: Appearances

Light Refreshments provided.
Public Reception: 6-8 pm
Remarks: 6:30 pm

FREE and open to all.