As many of you know, the City of Dayton is facing a 6 million dollar budget shortfall for 2010. There is talk of raising taxes and further cutting bare bones services – city officials are asking residents to mow the lawns on vacant lots. In an atmosphere of all this trimming, you might think that the city would be, well, trimming themselves – focusing on essentials. That is not the case. We are told that yesterday a City of Dayton representative called one of our favorite Dayton Loving Knitters after hours and told her that someone witnessed her installing knitted art on Fifth Street; since she did not get the correct permits, the City would be removing the yarn and sending her a bill for the removal. Whoa!
Daytonians, is this cool with you!? Your tax dollars at work here, and for what… most likely one neighbor (a sour apple in the Oregon District –sound familiar?) complained to a buddy at the City about the art instillation and gave him this one Knitter’s name and telephone number. Meanwhile, the City is cutting back on police services and is unable to take care of painting over spray painted foul language, overgrown lots and vacant buildings. The non-permanent knitted art instillation in question, an art form 
which has been embraced by literally hundreds of communities around the world (including the London Olympics), has received positive response in our own community. Thriving cites around the world have the sense to appreciate art installations and recognize that art is the very heartbeat of a city. We should nurture that heartbeat not stamp it in to the ground. You better weigh in here people! Let your City Government know that you support our public art by contacting Mayor Gary Leitzell, Commissioner Dean Lovelace, Commissioner Joey Williams, Commissioner Matt Joseph and Commissioner Nan Whaley.
Update: We have been informed that the issue has been moved from Public Works to John Gower’s Office -Planning & Community Development (937) 333-3670. They reportedly have received a number of calls today from a variety of people who have requested that the art both be removed and let alone…
June 29, 2010
delectabledayton
4 responses to “Dayton Loves Art?”
kristie fisher
June 29th, 2010 at 20:46
I live in Kettering but always in Dayton and love to see any art or positive growth that cost the tax payers nothing! What a waste of money, time, and effort for removal when this should be something that attracts and uplifts the downtown patrons and promotes more spending through making people happy. This is just stupid. Someone obviously has to much time on their hands if they’re wasting it worrying about yarn.
Lisa Singh
June 30th, 2010 at 01:20
I hope they do keep the art. My Mother-in-law, an artist and knitter, once met with her group of knitting friends and installed their own “knitting graffiti” in Jerusalem. The pictures of horse statues with loving wreaths of knitted flowers and other wonders made so many smile. If only all graffiti created these chains of love.
jafagirls
July 1st, 2010 at 17:42
Unbelievable!!!!!!!!! KNit graffiti has brought a lot of international and national attention to our little village in yellow springs, the kids love it, tourist love it, it’s been highlighted in several books and a couple more to be published. If the oregon district wants to promote themselves as an arts district they sure are doing a GRAND job, NOT!!!!!!!!!!
Gary Leitzell
July 1st, 2010 at 21:09
Let me assure everyone involved that since this form of expression does not affect public safety, the City of Dayton has not involved itself with this issue. The anti-knitters and the pro-knitters need to communicate with each other and have a dialogue about what they each expect the Oregon Arts District to become. I am all for taking back our communities and being involved in decisions that shape our neighborhoods. This is a great opportunity for the community to come together to discuss what they will and will not tolerate. I personally welcome any publicity that puts Dayton on the world map. I only request that the information that gets published on a public forum be accurate and fair.
Gary Leitzell
Mayor.
City of Dayton, Ohio.
4 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
yet another setback. « ardentlyohio. June 29th, 2010 at 23:47
[...] http://delectabledayton.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/dayton-loves-art/ [...]
Knitters 1, Sour Apples 0 « Delectable Dayton July 1st, 2010 at 15:18
[...] Notify me of follow-up comments via email. Subscribe to this site by email « Dayton Loves Art? [...]
Downtown Dayton needs a Public Art Council | Dayton MostMetro July 4th, 2010 at 16:05
[...] graffiti” (or “yarn bombs”) that popped up in the Oregon District, and the subsequent heavy-handed reaction by public works employees who responded to a few complaints by removing this spontaneous street art and threatening to bill [...]
The Blind Leading the Indifferent « Delectable Dayton August 25th, 2010 at 22:29
[...] from one of those so-called young people. The recent complaints about kids chalk art and the knitted art installations are more of the same fear motivated short [...]