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Datebook
Prancers in the park
Year-round, Dublin
The city of Dublin has its share of interesting public art. Along with “Field of Corn (with Osage Orange Trees)” and “Leatherlips,” you’ll find “Dancing Hares,” located at Ballantrae Community Park. Impressive alone due to their 24-foot height, ears included, a closer look will reveal that London-based artist Sophie Ryder cast everyday items into the three statues, including a hammer, screws and coins. Stay awhile and see all the hidden objects you can find, or enjoy the other amenities of the park like the splash pad, which opened Memorial Day weekend. 6350 Woerner Temple Rd., Dublin 43016
TIM PERDUE Forces of Nature: This Cincinnati Museum Center exhibition showcases vast American landscapes by way of 33 large-scale paintings from artist Michael Scott. Calendar of Events: Your summer plans start here. Check out our guide to festivals, concerts and other happenings scheduled between now and the end of July.
exhibit
Topiary Takeover
June 4–Sept. 11: Columbus This summer, oversized animal topiaries are taking over Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Each topiary is filled with plants that mimic the colors and textures of fur, skin, scales and feathers, and the animals represent locations from around the world that have been designated a Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. From sea creatures of the Great Barrier Reef to a peacock with impressive feathers from India, take a journey around the globe by way of the 25 topiaries on display, including six large options that visitors can sit on and take a photo with. fpconservatory.org
music
Picnic with the Pops
June 18–July 30: Columbus Bring your blankets and chairs and grab a spot on the lawn for this summer concert series that ranges from R&B to rock ’n’ roll. Held at the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion at Columbus Commons, the series kicks off on June 18 with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The O’Jays and runs through a scarlet-and-gray celebration on July 29 and 30 with The Ohio State University Marching Band. The summer lineup also presents Patriotic Pops, the music of Fleetwood Mac, an orchestral take on the Rolling Stones and more. picnicwiththepops.com
other events
Paul Laurence Dunbar 150th
Celebration June 25: Dayton The first internationally renowned Black poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton on June 27, 1872. A series of sesquicentennial events are scheduled throughout the year, including this flagship event on June 25: an evening at the Victoria Theater with writer, commentator, activist, educator and renowned American poet Nikki Giovanni. Take part in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Dunbar’s birth, as the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and partners host the evening of recitation and visual and performance art. Tickets must be purchased in advance. nps.gov/daav
other events South Bass Island Kayak Rendezvous
June 10–12: Put-in-Bay A three-day event for paddlers of all skill levels, the annual South Bass Island Kayak Rendezvous highlights the islands in the western basin of Lake Erie. Get your feet wet in Put-in-Bay Harbor or explore miles of island coastline, then join dozens of other kayakers for camping and socializing. sbikayakrendezvous.com
Theater Tecumseh!
June 16–Sept. 4: Chillicothe Don’t miss the 50th anniversary season of the “Tecumseh!” outdoor drama at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre. With booming cannons, galloping horses and choreographed battle sequences, the epic life story of the legendary Shawnee leader comes to life, as he struggles to defend his homelands during the late 1700s. tecumsehdrama.com
Victorian Vineyards
Start Off Summer At These Ohio Wineries By Paige Cone
The Victorian Era revolutionized American society and culture. These four wineries grant guests a glimpse into this progressive society with sustained, original architecture from the 1800s at the same time that guests can enjoy tastes of modern winemaking. Built in the 1850s in Nevada, Ohio, White Shutter Winery and Brewery’s farmhouse turned tasting room welcomes guests to a historic and delicious experience. Enjoy the rustic views while sipping on one of their award-winning Blooze Man slushies — delicious wine slushies available in blueberry, raspberry or strawberry. Pleasant Hill Vineyards’ tasting room in Athens provides guests with a blast from the past as the room leads into an authentic 1830s log cabin where visitors may sit and sip. Guests can flavor 10 different wines while taking in the distinctive architectural features of the winery or rolling hills that lay just beyond. Historic roots accredit South River Vineyard with the nickname “church winery” given that an 1892 Methodist Episcopal Church houses all the vineyard’s wine. Owner of South River Vineyard, Gene Sigel, transported the old church from its original home in Shalersville, Ohio, to its current residence piece by piece. The winery contains original structures including pews, interior door, wainscotting, flooring and stained-glass windows. Admire the history with a glass of handcrafted sémillon from locally grown grapes or a malbec. The Baltic Mill used to be Ohio’s largest flour mill starting in the mid-1800s and tragically ending in 1907 with a fire. Today, Baltic Mill Winery replicates the brick and timber foundation while incorporating the mill’s original milling machinery, including a Russell Steam Engine. As Baltic Mill Winery says, “Step into our time machine” with your favorite selection of handcrafted wine. Its sauvignon blanc presents with a distinctive citrus flavor to pair with a clean and sharp finish.
614-728-6438 ohiowinesvip.com findohiowines.com 614-728-6438 ohiowinesvip.com findohiowines.com
FORCES OF
NATURE
This Cincinnati Museum Center exhibition showcases vast American landscapes by way of 33 large-scale paintings from artist Michael Scott. By Ilona Westfall
Water ripples over pebbles in a riverbed below vivid fall foliage as mist rolls off a steep cliff above. This serene image of the Buffalo River is one of the sprawling landscapes in “America’s Epic Treasures featuring Preternatural by Michael Scott” at Cincinnati Museum Center.
The exhibition, which runs through Jan. 8, features 33 of the artist’s large-scale paintings and a variety of field sketches organized around the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. The paintings include works from Scott’s “Preternatural,” a series painted at national parks and other wilderness areas. The exhibition also includes 19th- and 20th-century pieces from the center’s collections.
The result is a series of richly detailed, large-scale oil paintings depicting the vastness and beauty of places like Yosemite National Park and Glacier National Park. Scott presented the exhibition to the Cincinnati Museum Center and has added context to the art by way of fossils and animal specimens displayed alongside the paintings. He also recruited Cincinnati composer Rich Bitting to create a soundtrack for the galleries.
The 19th- and 20th-century pieces from the museum’s collection feature local landscapes from Cincinnati and the surrounding region by artists like William Louis Sonntag and John Casper Wild. They depict the forest that once surrounded Cincinnati as well as the smokestacks that rose during the Industrial Revolution.
“We have earlier paintings that have a primordial aspect, and others that frame Cincinnati as civilization in the wilderness,” says Cincinnati Museum Center registrar Maat Manninen.
These predecessors to Scott’s works show that the exhibition’s overarching themes of conservation in the face of climate change and habitat destruction are not new.
1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati 45203, 513/287-7000, cincymuseum.org
