Additionally, Davis is a native of Dayton who attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1959. He also attended the School of the Art Institute of Dayton and received a master's degree in education in 1967 from Miami University in Oxford.
When Davis retired from teaching in 1998, he opened the Davis Art Studio and Eponia Gallery in the Wright-Dunbar Historic Business District. Continue to provide arts and cultural activities to youth and the community through SHANGO: Center for the Study of African American Art and Culture.
“One of the reasons why it's important for people to support the arts in Dayton is because the arts add a quality to life that can't be added in any other way. Art is one of the best ways…to touch all people in all neighborhoods,” Davis said in a press release. The arts are one of the best ways to touch all people and add richness to life. It gives us all the good feeling of contributing to something worthwhile – art, music, dance, drama, creative words.
Veal is the host of the “Art Show” on Think TV as well as the “Inspired By” podcast. He has a long association with the arts in Dayton and with Culture Works, where in 1999 he served as a special assistant to then-President John Clark. He has also received grants and fellowships from the Montgomery County Arts and Culture District through Cultural Works.
He is particularly known for his work as a freelance choreographer and multidisciplinary artist. His work has been featured as part of the Ohio Dance Festival and other regional dance festivals. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Sinclair Community College and has mounted a visual arts show at Indy West in Oakwood.
A Dayton native, Rodney is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a BA in Political Science and Visual Arts, and an MFA in Choreography from The Ohio State University. Rodney is Chairman of the Ohio Dance Board of Trustees and serves on the boards of Friends of Levitt Pavilions Dayton, Dayton Live, Dayton Performance Arts Alliance, WYSO, and Homefull.
“Culture Works serves as a protector of the arts ecosystem in the region, to ensure that this platform is available to the people and organizations creating art, and to elevate the creativity that happens there,” Phil said. “They play an essential role in ensuring fair and equitable distribution of funding and services for artists of all types. We need the voices of artists who are making and sharing their stories from different and fascinating backgrounds, and they need support. Culture Works provides the opportunity for these different voices to be heard and to experience their creativity, making Our society is richer and more privileged.
2024 marks Cultural Works' 50th year supporting, promoting and advocating for the arts community in the Dayton area. Founded in 1974 under the name of the aforementioned Dayton Arts Fund, the organization was charged with raising money for arts groups in desperate need of assistance. In addition to serving the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Dayton Opera, recipients of Campaign for the Arts funding have included Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Moose Machine, Human Race Theater Company, Springfield Symphony Orchestra and more.
Organizers note that Campaign for the Arts, Culture Works' flagship grant program, combines gifts from individual donors, corporate supporters and workplace giving campaigns to fund community arts grants. Community Volunteers provide general operational support to local arts organizations through an open application review process.
“This year we celebrate Culture Works’ legacy of ensuring more artistic experiences for more people,” said Lisa Hanson, President and CEO of Culture Works. “We are celebrating 50 years of promoting and supporting cultural arts organizations and artists throughout the Dayton area. I am thrilled that our co-chairs, Bing Davis as Artistic Chair and Rodney Fell as Community Chair, have agreed to lead this year's 50th Arts Campaign. Bing and Rodney have played key roles in shaping the arts And the community. It will be an exciting fundraising season as they lead these efforts. As we move through this year's campaign season, we look forward to recognizing Dayton's incredible history of artistic creativity and expression through stories that have had a profound impact on our lives and our communities.”
Anyone who would like to participate in this year's campaign can donate at their workplace, donate online at CultureWorks.org or call 937-222-2787 x102 to speak to a staff member.
