Celebrating ‘Art in the Blues’

DAYTON - Lael Loyd works with artists every day.

As manager and custom framer at Dayton's Wenaha Gallery, on Main Street, Loyd is a professional art appreciator.

"One question I'm asked often is, 'Do you have any work in here? Are you an artist?'" Loyd had always responded to this question with, "No, unfortunately not. I just work with framing the art."

But one day a conversation with an artist helped her define her role in the art community.

"She said, 'There are those who create and those who appreciate,'" Loyd explained. "Finally! I had a role to play. What if everyone created? Who would appreciate the beauty on display? What if everyone appreciated? What would there be for us to admire?"

Appreciating the scope and magnitude of the artist community here in the foothills of the Blue Mountains was the subject of Loyd's presentation to guests at Dayton's Annual Chamber Awards Banquet on Nov. 13. The banquet's theme was, appropriately, "Art in the Blues."

Together with local artist and community booster Kris Takemura, Loyd presented an introduction to the wealth of art in this small community as well as the remarkable sense of appreciation demonstrated by the number of places local art is showcased in and around Dayton.

"I thought it was fabulous," said local business owner Carolyn Suffield, who attended the banquet. "We do have a lot of talent in our community, and it's wonderful to see it so appreciated."

Loyd has worked at the Wenaha Gallery for ten years, but she continues to be pleasantly surprised over and over with the length and breadth of the artist community in the county.

"I often joke that it's unfortunate that artists in Dayton aren't required to come to the gallery and register as artists," she said. So they can be properly appreciated, of course.

Loyd and Takemura worked together on the 45-minute slide presentation aimed at "shining the spotlight" on local artists and the many ways the community supports their creativity. "But this is by no means an exhaustive list, as I meet and hear of new artists all the time," Loyd said.

The presentation showcased more than 50 artists, including those who live in and around Dayton and some of our regional artistic neighbors. It also called attention to local events sponsoring the art community, such as the art walk during the annual Dayton on Tour, the Boldman House Museum's "Art in the Garden," and the "Christmas Market at the Depot" during Dayton's annual Christmas Kickoff.

Art venues include the more obvious locations, such as the Wenaha Gallery, the Gallery at the Weinhard, featuring local artists Jill Ingram and Monica Stobie, Riverpath Studios, featuring the creative talents of Dayton resident Anne Strode, and Sun Lizard Studios on Wolf Fork Road featuring Raku pottery by Robbie and Ralph Zimmerman.

Other locations in the community where residents and visitors can expect to see local art on display include Village Shoppes, Dingles, the Weinhard Café, Manila Bay, Mace Mead Works, L&C at the Green, the Palus Museum and Country Cupboard.

Public art in the area includes the Sacajawea statue on East Commercial Street, the Stationmaster sculpture at the Depot, murals at the Depot and downtown, and the Lewis and Clark camp silhouettes on Patit Road.

Members of the Blue Mountain Artist's Guild show their work locally as well, rotating the art monthly through the Liberty Theater, Dayton General Hospital, and the Delaney Room at the Dayton Memorial Library.

"It is great when, after working with artists for ten years, I can be amazed at the number of them living here in Dayton," Loyd said. "Whether they were born and raised here or transplanted in from other communities, we are fortunate that they call Dayton home."

Anne Strode

Wilma Fletcher

Wes Hoskins

Lucy Day Jones

Alice Pool

Kevin Carson

Earnestine Peabody

Leslie Cain

George Touchette

Keith McMasters

Jackie Penner

Brian Graham

Robert Thomas

Vivian McCauley

Meredith Dedman

Paulette (Polly) Cowen

Judy Robertus

Carlos Acevado

Jordan Henderson

TerryLee Woodworth

Reggie Mace

Chris Rahn

Beth Rahn

Steve Henderson

Robbie Zimmerman

Ralph Zimmerman

Marilu Bryan

"Papa Jon"

Vicky Beckmeyer

Sylvia Buehler

Martha Mason

Andrea Wyant

Jill Ingram

Monica Stobie

Iola Bramhall

Fred Crowe

Scott Kirk

Anna Steinhoff

Kris Takemura

Vivian Eslick McCauley

Nick Page

Joey Thaut

Brenda North

Charlotte Williams

JoAnn Poolman

Bev Startin

Michele Smith

Elizabeth Wright

Susie Dunlap

Tracy Barthalow

Debbie Baxter

Loren Carson

David Frame

Teresa Hendrickson

Justin Jaech

Mary Kenyon Johnson

Jim Kime

Becky Leventis

Kay McFarland

Robert Randall

Tom Schirm

James Stayton

Paul Strohbehn

Roger Tumbocon

Amanda Wares

Charlotte Williams

And more!