Yellow+Springs+Art+History+1970's

1951-1974: Howard Kahoe - Village Manager. Kahoe and Village Council applied for a grant to develop JB High School into a community center.

*Early 1970's: - Village Council establishes the Parks and Recreation Department. Funds were allocated for a paid position and a series of Recreation Coordinators were hired, beginning with Christine Snyder.

1970's: Christine Snyder - instrumental in beginning Center Stage Theatre at the John Bryan Center.

*1970's Gail Stenberg arranged for a charitable baking project for the whole community; bread was baked for and delivered to every villager.

1970's: Stained Glass Classes taught by Dixie Mauer through YSAC (out of her home).

1970's: Cooking class "Lettuce Entertain You" - taught by Bruce and Fran Rickenbach.

1970: Bryan building is declared a Community Activity Center; cleaned-up and rehabilitated for use as a community art space

Early 1970's: Phyllis Schmidt - asked the Village to pay for paint to paint inside JBC. She designed large graphics for the walls and painted the first floor, later recruited help to paint the second floor. Billy Eastman rode a tractor for creating sidewalk and other grounds work to enhance the community center.

1970's: thriving art classes continued at the John Bryan Community Activity Center in writing, painting, jewelry, fiber arts, dance, healing arts, aerobics, language, gardening, cooking and more. Adult Classes - Self-Defense for Women (Karate, Judo, Ju-jitsu), Stained Glass Workshop, Weaving and Textile Workshop, Beginning Steps in Macro-Biotic Cooking, Adult String Ensemble, Yoga, Adult Dance, Making and Flying Kites, Making Jewelry from Unconventional and Found Objects, Ceramics, Copper Enameling, Creative Stitchery. Teen Classes - Weaving and Textile Workshops, Rock and Folk-Rock Guitar and Piano. Children's Classes - Textile Workshops ( techniques in weaving, needlepoint, embroidery, applique, macrame, toy-making, wall hangings, rugs, pillows, etc.), Music and Rhythm, Girls' Dance, Advanced Dance, Ballet, Drama, Yoga.

1970's: Michael Jones and Michael Fajans made 4-5 large outdoor murals in town: Antioch campus off Xenia Rd., Richard Zopf's barn off Jacoby Rd., and the building which is now Duckwall Chiropractic.

1970's: Cyndi Jones and Bill Jones (not related) - produced Gilbert and Sullivan shows at Center Stage Space. It was separate from the shows produced by Center Stage.

1970's: The feminist group, Women, Inc. - formed and met monthly for 25 years over potlucks dinners open to all women. Members include Joan Ackerman, Mary Cargan, Debbie Henderson, Sylvia Carter Denny, Judy Williams, Mary Donnellan, Peggy Smith, Helen Eier, Barbara Krabec, Gertrude Chasen, Emily Fine, and Connie Crockett. The group was responsible for the creation of the Women's Park, the Feminist Health Fund, the Women's History Project of Greene County and a local celebration of Women's History Month.

1970: Current Cuisine rents space and manages catering out of John Bryan Center (kitchen was located in current Police Station space).

1970: Fran Gifford - YSAC President

*1970: YS Arts Council begins "Winterfest", an arts bazzaar run by Patsy Gardner. Started at the John Bryan Center gym, it became an annual community event for several years including adult wares and children's crafts and activities.

1970: The Pot shop moves to the old School Bus Garage (behind John Bryan Center) where it still resides today. Virginia Schaefer was the first manager. Originally they had the whole building, but after 10 years Terry Cox grounds manager took a third of the building for storage of the village equipment.

1970: Vie Design Studios (in the historic Fess House at 830 Xenia Ave.) - run by Read Viemeister

1970: Miami Deposit Bank became a venue to display artworks from the Arts Council Textile Workshop, taught by Sandy Koerlin. The venue showed work from a variety of age groups.

1970: Oten Gallery, designed and built by Alan Macbeth; A venue for Antioch students as well as community members, such as Antioch student Corrine Couture's vases and jars. Macbeth, and OSU graduate David Blair plan to revamp many aspects of the Oten building and program. [|more.]

1970: "The Inspiration Players" (traveling troupe) - visits Yellow Springs, performing a variety of morality plays including Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People," "The Tragedy of Doctor Faust," and "Everyman."

1970: Discussion begins of possible Conversion Program of transforming the Municipal Building into a Community Center.

1970: The Pacific Repertory Players perform "Cyrano" in Yellow Springs.

1970: James Joyce's "Ulysses in Nighttown" opened at Antioch Area Theatre. Directed by Ronald Johnston, with Leon Holster starring as Leopold Bloom.

1970: Mrs. Robert Biere - taught classes in Japanese brush painting.

1970: The first of a series of monthly meetings for men interested in craft. These events often included film screenings, discussions on how to make Yellow Springs a better place to live, and quilting.

1970: Douglas Mazonowicz (a local printmaker and artist) spoke with second graders at Mills Lawn about the cave paintings of prehistoric man in the Sahara Desert.


 * 1970: Roscoe Wallence - opened new gallery space in Yellow Springs.

1970's Leon Holster - involved with early Center Stage productions.

1970's: "Craft Night at Trailside" - where the public could participate in weaving, natural dying, earthenware, and other craft demonstrations and workshops. These events often included "sawdust firings" for the earthenware, and were well-attended.


 * 1970's (Vernay) Music Camp for kids. Involved parties: John Ott (the Ott shop) and Decard Ritter (played in the army band, poet, minister).

1971: Ohio Silver opens - run by Tucker and Kris Viemeisters. [|More about Ohio Silver.]

1971-72: Nature and Art summer youth classes - taught by Beth Holyoke at Mills Lawn School.

1971-1975: Center Stage is housed at the John Bryan Center, under the direction of Jean Hooper. The first show is "The Amorous Flea."

1972: Fran Gifford wrote a grant asking OAC for funds for Kathy Moulton and Annie Gifford to do a summer drop in a class for kids called Caravan Crafts. They set up outside at the Golf Course or Mills Lawn or indoors at JBC. Kids would stop by and do arts and crafts.

1972: Yellow Springs Arts Council is incorporated as a 501(c)3.

1972: J//aques Brel is Alive and Well and Living In Paris// produced by Cyndi and Bill Jones

*1973 or '74: Epic Bookstore opens in original location.

1973 - ongoing: Yellow Springs Pottery was formed as a co-op of local Potters. Evelyn LaMer was a founding member.

1974: Sally Thorne became the Recreation Manager of the John Bryan Community Center. Kathy Moulton was her secretary for 6 months.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mid-70's: Mike Rench was hired as Recreation Manager, but focused more on facilities, grounds and sports. The focus on the arts diminished significantly under this management. Following this post, the Village cut the budget for a manager and hired Terry Cox as Recreation Director, but the position was redefined as part-time recreation, half-time facilities work. At this point the recreation position mainly involved setting up sports, maintaining the pool and mowing the grass.

Mid-70's: YSAC recieved a grant from Ohio Arts Council for $5000 to hire a 3/4 time class coordinator for 1 year ay the JB Community Center -- Sandy Koerlin.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1975: Corinne Whitesell bought Yellow Springs Strings. She also taught weaving classes in the store and through YSAC. She attended the Finnish Varpapuu Summer Weaving School and subsequently duplicated this curriculum in the U.S., importing the yarns, looms and teachers from Finland.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1975: Center Stage moves form the Bryan Center to 136 Dayton Street and continues productions through the year 2000.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*1975: Eileen Brown Gallery was part of Center Stage lobby on Dayton Street. Patsy Gartner managed the gallery.

1976: The Penguin Mural was painted on the side of the Community Pot Shop-Artists Phillis Bieri, Linnea Denman, Maria Donat, Chris Lipson, Maryellen Maneri, Pip McCaslin, DJ Schiff and Samantha Williams

1976: Dinah Anderson directed "Playboy of the Western World" at Center Stage. James Pierce designed the set.

1978: Sharon Shaver (playwright and painter) moved to Yellow Springs.

1979: Women's Voices Outloud started as a way for the writers of the Feminist Writers Group to read their work outloud to people. Visual art was later added.

1979: Ruth Bent becomes the director of the Yellow Springs Community Chorus and continues for over 20 years.

1979: Jean Hudson's novel "Rivers of Time" was published by Avon Books. She was a Poet, Writer, World Travelor and the first woman mayor of Yellow Springs.

1979: Patricia Olds founded the Early Music Center. The Early Music Group performed Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music at venues around the state.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Late 70's: Nationally known artist David Battle (selected for Peacecorps design logo in 1961), designs posters for Center Stage.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Late 70's: Art Circulation program begins at the Yellow Springs Library. Classic reproductions were purchased from a memorial gift from Ray Schiff in memory of his wife Corky Schiff.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Late 1970's Public Art “Big Toy” for kid play on the front lawn John Bryan Community Center.


 * Note: The Yellow Springs Art History Project is a wiki, a continually evolving historic document. We welcome edits and additions of facts, figures, dates and details that tell the story off the arts in Yellow Springs. Further research is particularly needed for items with an asterisk*. Email the moderator for edits and additions to the Yellow Springs Art History Project wiki. email **


 * Yellow Springs Art History 1980's**