Warren County Culture Poachers

As many of you know (because I've already gotten two emails and a phone message about it), there was an op-ed in last Wednesday's DDN written by a Mr. Nathan Smallwood - president of the Warren County Arts Council that has many urban supporters a bit miffed.  Here is a link to the article... and here is my letter to both the DDN and Mr. Smallwood in its entirety:

RE:  "Arts sector should reach out to booming Warren"

Mr. Smallwood, your claim that the arts community in Dayton should focus less on the urban core and more on your bedroom community that is far away from the city's "perceived urban ills" is insulting to those of us who currently enjoy and support the fantastic culture that exists in the urban core of Dayton, and especially those of us who choose to live in and near Downtown Dayton.  It is one thing for you and your city-phobic neighbors to run away from the urban (and suburban) problems and choose a life of exurban isolation - it is quite another to expect the culture that you chose to flee from to simply up and follow you out to your land of sprawl.  And to use Warren County's high median income as justification for abandoning the arts downtown so that it can be unnecessarily duplicated in your exurbs is ridiculous - I guess the "poor city of Dayton" doesn't deserve arts and culture as much as your "wealthy" community does. 

The arts community of Dayton is ingrained into the urban fabric that makes up Dayton - it cannot simply be moved for your convenience, Mr. Smallwood.  Downtown Dayton is still the hub and soul of this region despite its struggles, and it is home to the region's premiere arts & theater venues.  These venues - including the Dayton Art Institute, Victoria Theater, Loft Theater and Schuster Performing Arts Center - are first-rate and most have very long histories.  The Cannery Arts & Design Centre, DVAC, Front Street Arts Complex and several small art galleries coming soon to the Oregon District are perfect examples of an urban arts scene that can never be duplicated in the suburbs, let alone the exurbs.  And a growing independent artist group called the Circus Creative Collective is very active in the urban core of Dayton because of the diversity and urban flavor here that places like Warren County simply don't have.

Finally, your assertion that "across the nation, massive numbers of families are trading their traditional suburban lifestyles for bigger homes and yards and increased distance from perceived urban ills" is questionable at best.  I'd argue that the opposite is true - many people are trading in their excessive commute times and uninspiring exurban surroundings for the excitement, diversity, social experience and walkability of the city.  Dayton may not be realizing this urban revitalization as fast as some other parts of the country (yet), but there are many people who are investing their time, money and passion in our city so that it does one day reach its potential.  The arts and culture scene in Dayton serves as an important anchor to these efforts, and those of us who choose to live in the city as opposed to your exurbs will simply not stand by and watch people like you try to poach it away from us.

Regards,
Bill Pote
Downtown Dayton Resident and Business Owner
bpote@mostmetro.com

 

Inspiration abounds from our Local Heroes

On Sunday we took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the Wright brothers at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, where guest blogger, MetroMark took us on a tour of the center and the field. It was a fascinating tour that ended with an extremely well done documentary about that Wright Brothers that was narrated by Martin Sheen and filmed in the Dayton area, highlighting the Wright Dunbar neighborhood.