Artists will share full design proposals at the Dayton Metro Library on Tuesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 24.
May 17, 2023 (DAYTON, Ohio) – Five artist teams are preparing to present their proposed designs for the 8/4 Memorial. The five semi-finalists were selected by a local panel of jurors after 39 artist teams submitted RFQs in a national call for entries in late 2022. The same panel of jurors will select a final design later this summer to serve as a memorial for the victims of the tragic events that took place in the Oregon District neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, on August 4, 2019.
Artist presentations will be held at the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch, 215 E. Third St., on Tuesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 24. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. Starting on Monday, June 5, videos of each proposal will be available on Dayton.com. Following that date, community members are also invited to share feedback about the presentations on Dayton.com.
- Tuesday, May 23
- 2-2:45 p.m. Terry Welker, Jes McMillan & Sierra Leone based in Dayton, OH
- 3-3:45 p.m. James Dinh, based in Los Angeles, CA; Amy Deal and Landon Crowell based in Dayton, OH
- 4-4:45 p.m. Jon Barlow Hudson based in Yellow Springs, OH
- Wednesday, May 24
- 2-2:45 p.m. Shane Albritton and Norman Lee, of RE: site based in Houston, TX
- 3-3:45 p.m. Stephen Canneto, Judith Spater, based in Columbus, OH; Mike Ruestchle & Tyler Rogan of Dayton, OH
“We are eager to see what the semi-finalists have envisioned for the 8/4 Memorial project,” said Eva Buttacavoli, Executive Director of the Contemporary Dayton. “These artist teams were selected by a panel of experts and we know they have been working diligently over the past few months to create impactful designs.”
Working closely with the community continues to be a top priority of the 8/4 Memorial Committee. Starting Monday, June 5, members of the public are encouraged to review design proposals and share their feedback and comments through an online portal at Dayton.com. The 8/4 Memorial Selection Committee will take all public feedback into consideration before making their final design selection in late June with the goal of announcing the winner by August 4, 2023.
The winning artist team will receive $200,000 to create the public art memorial. The goal of the 8/4 Memorial Committee is to unveil the finished work by August 4, 2024. The completed memorial will be located in the plaza adjacent to the Trolley Stop, 530 E. Fifth Street.
Questions about the 8/4 Memorial Committee and the 8/4 Memorial may be directed to co-chairs Sandy Gudorf (email gudorf@downtowndayton.org or call 937-224-1518) and Sandy Hunt (email hunts@mcohio.org or call 937-225-6262). Questions about the RFP process should be directed to Cydnie King, Curatorial Assistant, The Contemporary Dayton, (cking@codayton.org or call 937-224-3882).
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Artist presentation timeline & bios (listed chronologically):
- 5/23 2-2:45 Terry Welker, Jes McMillan & Sierra Leone based in Dayton, OH
Terry Welker, Jes McMillan & Sierra Leone based in Dayton, Ohio: “We are bringing this unique team of artists together as equal partners with specific skills and diverse viewpoints to achieve an outcome better than any of us could accomplish on our own.” All three of this team’s artists are accomplished public artists in their own mediums. The Team Leader, is a renowned architect with four decades of experience working with architectural and engineering teams. - 5/23 3-3:45 James Dinh, based in Los Angeles, CA; Amy Deal and Landon Crowell based in Dayton, OH
James Dinh, Amy Deal & Landon Crowell based in Dayton, Ohio and California: “For the August 4th memorial project, we envision a contemplative space where people of all backgrounds and abilities will feel welcomed to be alone or gather; a place that will commemorate the victims of the mass shooting by honoring their lives; a community room that will inspire hope, unity, and healing.” Team members have worked on several local public art projects including the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Memorial, the “Love Dove” mural, and the 900 linear foot mural at RiverScape MetroPark. - 5/23 4-4:45 Jon Barlow Hudson based in Yellow Springs, OH
Jon Barlow Hudson based in Yellow Springs, Ohio: “I always thoroughly research a given project & create a sculpture or project that speaks to the pertinent characteristics of the situation, whether cultural, environmental or architectural. I am happy to work with the community as much as possible, getting inspiration from the community; including members in the making to the extent possible, relative to the techniques utilized.” Hudson has been creating large-scale sculpture projects for public environments since 1976 in 27 different countries. - 5/24 2-2:45 Shane Albritton and Norman Lee, of RE: site based in Houston, TX
Shane Albritton & Norman Lee of RE: site, based in Houston, Texas: “For the 8/4 Memorial, we seek to create a memorial that provides a contemplative, healing, and uplifting space for survivors and families dealing with the trauma of gun violence. Gun violence is something that affects our team personally, and this would be a deeply meaningful project for us.” Shane and Norman often engage the community as part of the creative process through workshops, interviews, and oral histories. The team has extensive experience with projects ranging from $200,000 to over $1 million and was named a finalist in the World Trade Center Memorial Competition. - 5/24 3-3:34 Stephen Canneto, Judith Spater, based in Columbus, OH; Mike Ruestchle & Tyler Rogan of Dayton, Ohio Stephen Canneto, Judith Spater, Mike Ruestchle & Tyler Rogan of Canneto Studios, based in Dayton, Ohio: “Our commitment to this project is deepened by our team members’ personal connections to the victims, to Dayton, and through the creation of memorials to victims of violence.” The team’s history includes creating memorials, public art, architecture, and art as well as designing and implementing US DOJ funded programs for at-risk and incarcerated youth. Canneto Studios is an established design / build public art studio whose past public art project budgets ranged from $20,000 to $850,000.
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