The show, on display at the art center through April 12, is a loving tribute from a son to the father who inspired him.
That son is Zachary Armstrong, a Dayton-based artist whose paintings, sculptures and large installations have been exhibited throughout the world — from Beijing to Copenhagen. He is represented by a New York Gallery, his art can be found in major international collections and he was featured in the inaugural exhibit when The Contemporary first opened at the downtown Dayton Arcade in 2021.
“As a kid, drawing was just as important in our home as eating dinner and remembering to brush your teeth,” Zachary wrote in the Gallery Guide to the exhibit. “I’m so thankful and lucky that he taught me anything can be art, depending on how you do it and how you think about it. These lessons have shaped and saved my life.”
His father, George, taught ceramics for more than 50 years, first at Fairborn High School for 30 years and later at Stivers School for the Arts for nine. Throughout his life, he also created the functional and sculptural art you’ll see at The Co --heavily textured stonework and raku clay coupled with metal, wood and found objects and finished with hand-mixed glazes and stains and fired multiple times.
“They took things out of my house ... and I had no idea,” George said. “When I walked into the gallery I first saw one of my pots with flowers in it and thought ‘that’s odd,' Then I walked around the corner and saw it all. It was a big surprise.”
In previous months, Zachary had been secretly taking inventory of his father’s work — making notes, snapping photos. On a night when he knew his dad had a doctor’s appointment, Zachary and his son arrived with a U-Haul to load the artwork for the surprise show. George never noticed the pieces were missing.
Unbeknownst to his dad, Zachary was also busily making glass cases, pedestals and shelving for the exhibit.
A dream fulfilled
The idea for this exhibit had been percolating in Zachary’s mind for more than 20 years.
“My father is one of the best kind of artists there is; he’s a natural and everything he does is art. He was consistently making it and never cared about showing it. He had this body of work and I wanted to put it in a nice professional context.”
The show is a retrospective with work dating back to the late ‘60s and continuing through today. Among Zachary’s favorites are two small paintings made years before he was born in the house he grew up in: a painting of a fireplace and one of the dining room. He’s guessing they were probably the first paintings he saw in his life.
“One of the nice things about ceramics is the quantity of it,” Zachary said. “My father fills the house he lives in. Pots can happen fast and you wind up with a lot of work. He’s a master and can throw beautiful pots in a few minutes. A lot of things get demolished and he probably makes five or six pots to get to the one he saves.”
Zachary has also included pieces his dad might never have chosen for an exhibit, like the wooden toys he made for his children — a truck, a Wright Flyer.
“It’s a lot of responsibility to deal with someone else’s work and not ask them,” Zachary said. “But I wanted to do it the way I visualized it. He does so much more than ceramics. He’s the best draftsman I’ve ever met. He’s made jewelry. He built his own house and his notes and architectural plans are such art. He’s got a touch that’s truly his own.”
That artistic touch has definitely been handed down through the generations. George’s grandson, Jackson Armstrong, does painting and silkscreen and has a line of clothing called Gugani.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. “My own dad wasn’t an artist but he was always drawing, building, sketching out ideas,” George said. “He would bring home unlimited supplies of scrap paper; one side of the paper was an order form for International Harvester in Springfield where he worked. The kids in the neighborhood and I would sit on the front porch of our home in Springfield and draw all day.”
George paid it forward by bringing home rolls of paper and clay for his own kids over the years.
“He would lay on the floor with me and the whole house was about making art,” Zachary said. “There were art books and magazines everywhere that I could look at when I was just a little kid.”
Whether his father is sculpting with clay, changing a leaky faucet , building a house or even going on trips to the dog park, Zachary said it’s all part of his life as an artist.
“He frequents Deeds Point Dog Park in Dayton which is filled with one-of-a-kind Adirondack chairs that he builds and drops off there.”
Choosing a profession
George attended Miami University thinking he would play sports but, after being injured, thought he’d be an architect or a builder. Because he also loved art, he ended up majoring in fine arts and eventually in art education.
“I loved teaching art, I loved the kids and it was different every day,” George said. “I never had discipline problems because once they start learning techniques, they really like it. It’s a physical kind of class and even some some of older boys you might think you’d have problems with, end up being star students. They liked throwing on the wheel, hand-building. Kneading the clay is a physical release. They had to make their own glazes and by the time they left they had a good background.”
George laments the fact that too often arts program get cut in schools.
“It’s a creative way of thinking, a puzzle you have to work on. Without art it would be a mundane world.”
He can’t say enough good things about Stivers.
“They nurture the kids to be artists and show them the importance of art and make them feel special and important,” he said. " Their work shows their accomplishments; it’s a wonderful school and the kids flourish like crazy once they get there."
The father/son bond
“We have a great relationship,” George said about his bond with Zachary. “He was always fun to be around, creative. He literally drew all the time--from the time he got up to the time he went to bed. We couldn’t go anywhere in the car without him drawing.”
So what does he think of the exhibit his son created in his honor?
“I like it, it is different,” George said. “I like that it shows what art teachers should be able to do: painting, sculpture, ceramics. I like seeing the sketch books that I scratch in all the time.”
Zachary is hoping those who see the exhibit will get excited and that young people will realize they can make art on their own.
“I want them to realize this isn’t work from just one year. It’s the life story of an artist who was a cornerstone, who has taught artists from many generations. Some of the best teachers and artists in Ohio were students of his.”
George advises other parents not to be critical when it comes to their children’s artwork.
“Let them have the time and freedom to develop,” he said. “On the other hand, I’ve found that kids do like to learn some basic techniques. So guide them. Then they will light up and take off.”
HOW TO GO
What: “George Armstrong: A Zachary Armstrong Curatorial Project”
Where: The Contemporary Dayton, 25 West Fourth St., Dayton
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Through April 12
Admission: Free
More info: 937-224-3822 or codayton.org
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