Arts and Culture

When Good Samaritan Hospital turned 75 years old, a bronze statue depicting the parable of the Good Samaritan was commissioned and since then it has stood next to the main entrance of the hospital. And since its opening in 1932, on the surrounding grounds and throughout the halls and offices inside the hospital are countless other sculptures, paintings, and historic works of art - each piece with a story to tell.

We Care Arts in Kettering gives individuals with disabilities the opportunity to create, market and sell their own works of art. The mission is one that Executive Director Darlene Langhout was aware of before she came to lead the non-profit.

“I had experience with We Care Arts through a grief program. My husband passed away in 2013 and my daughter and I were able to work through that program, it was a ten-week program and have some therapeutic art in order to put us in a better place, and so having experienced it, I truly believe the ability for it to work for all individuals not just our primary client base,” she said.

There is a new, and perhaps unusual, monument in downtown Dayton. The massive stone sculpture pays tribute to the legacy of public servants living and dead.

The annual Fair at New Boston is celebrating 35 years in existence. The historical 'look back in time' event keeps growing according to organizers who say the fair became an annual event soon after successful bicentennial celebrations took place in the area.

Pam Cottrel, marketing director for the George Rogers Clark Heritage Association and the Fair at New Boston, says roughly 600 costumed history lovers, vendors and artisans will help create an authentic recreation of pioneer life 200 years ago.

Downtown Springfield has seen a flurry of development in the last year, with new small businesses, luxury lofts and a brewery all opening their doors.

One of the most high-profile new developments is Hatch Artist Studios, where a $500,000 renovation is transforming the long-vacant Metallic Casket Company complex into studios for artists and small business owners.

Springfield artist and Turner Foundation creative director Rod Hatfield says the complex was chosen for renovation because of its central downtown location and its significance to the city.

When Chris and Megan Burnside moved to Dayton about a year they immediately saw a thriving arts community and were drawn to a lot of the collaborative work that was taking place between various artists and organizations. 

Ohayo Ohio is a 10-day Japanese symposium and cultural event taking place in Yellow Springs from April 30 through May 9. A variety of workshops, presentations and exhibits on traditional and contemporary Japanese art, culture and language will be offered. In this excerpt from WYSO Weekend, Jerry Kenney spoke with Instructor of Cooperative Education at Antioch College and symposium organizer Beth Bridgeman. You can check out the full schedule of events here.    

  WYSO is licensed to Antioch College.

When you go to the theater, there are rules: sit still, don’t make noise, and clap at the end. If you get up to leave, you're often not let back in until intermission.

People on the autism spectrum can have a lot of trouble with those rules, which is why many Broadway shows have altered performances to make them more accessible. Now the Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse (YSKP) is following suit with Arts for All, a special production of their summer show “The Farm.” Organizers say it’s the first performance of its kind in the Dayton area.