Community Voices

Antioch College and the University of Dayton have teamed up to sponsor a visit by environmental artist Basia Irland this September and again next March. Irland is known internationally as a pioneer in the field of “eco-art”. She conducts community-oriented projects designed to aid in restoring the health of waterways. Irland’s project for the Dayton region began with a summer exhibition of artwork at Antioch’s Herndon Gallery, and continues in September with events at the University of Dayton.

At the Glen Helen Nature Preserve near Yellow Springs, there’s a problem. For decades, non-native plants such as bush honeysuckle have been taking over the understory of the forest.

Community Voices producer Alan Staiger speaks with Sam Salazar from Yellow Springs band Wheels following their CD release show at Canal Street Tavern for Big Feeling.  The new album adds keyboards and a bit of percussion to the band's string-based lineup and was funded entirely by a Kickstarter campaign. 

Wheels will perform as part of the Downtown Dayton Revival Music Festival, September 8th and 9th in downtown Dayton.

Some of the world's most beloved artists are noted for having had a creative rebirth later in life. The phenomena has been written about and studied by art historians, who characterize it by artists taking more risks with their work, and quickly getting to the heart of what's being expressed.

Community Voices Producer Alexis Larsen introduces us to one local woman who tapped into her creative energy later in life and found that it has become a fountain of youth, and yielded an extraordinary body of work and a new lease on life.

Several new beer-makers are setting up shop in the Miami Valley thanks to a state law that makes it easier to start micro-breweries and distilleries. For Shane and Jacqui Creepingbear in Yellow Springs, a love for beer and a passion for science and art come together to bring you the Vitruvian Brew Company.

During the 1970’s, a new genre of music called funk was making its way into the American mainstream and Dayton, Ohio was at the epicenter. Community Voices Producer Basim Blunt says that more funk bands came from Dayton, than any other place in the world. This story is about the world famous funk bands that hailed from the city’s West Side, and one community’s attempt to honor their legacy before the music fades.

On a warm spring morning, a group of Burundian refugees gather on a Jefferson Township farm for the first day of planting. They work in pairs, turning the soil and tossing seeds into the earth. They’ll plant beans, corn, onions, tomatoes and various greens on the two acres, one of the largest community gardens in Montgomery County.

It’s the human voice that’s the sacred harp.  When a group of voices get together and turn up the volume, it can rattle the walls and make you feel like you’re on the inside of a musical instrument.