Ed Dixon LIVE from the Edward A. Dixon Gallery

Gallery owner Ed Dixon joins Rodney live at the Edward A. Dixon Gallery in downtown Dayton to trace his journey from aspiring scientist and hip-hop label co-founder to community-focused curator and arts leader.

Ed shares how music, fashion, and arts activism led him to open a gallery dedicated to elevating local, regional, national, and international artists while staying deeply rooted in Dayton, Ohio

Listen to more episodes of Rodney Veal’s Inspired By and catch The Art Show anytime on YouTube or the PBS app.

Learn more about the gallery online: https://shop.eadgallery.com/

Follow the gallery on Instagram: @eadgallery

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Rodney Veal, Promo, Ed Dixon, Mike Shea

Rodney Veal  00:10

Well, hello everyone. Welcome to Rodney Veal's Inspired by Podcast Live. So you can you can applaud. So it's a good thing. So yay, we have an audience, people. This is a good thing. It's a very good thing. Super excited to be doing it live, and I'm super excited to have a conversation in the space, the Ed Dixon Gallery, and talking to Ed Dickson. I think you are. I said it to someone before we started. I said we're going to get to know Ed. We're going to go way back in a hot tub, time machine, and take it forward, because I because I just I really do feel strongly that our journeys lead us to the to the epiphanies of where we are and the where we are now and where we go in the future. So it's it's all there. It's like so it's okay. Don't worry. I'm a very safe space. It's all good. But Ed is really fantastic. What I love about Ed is Ed's commitment with Ed Dixon Gallery is not only to presenting local and and regional artists and national artists and international artists. It's a commitment to downtown Dayton. It is a commitment to what Dayton is all about, as far as art and culture and as a community. He is a community activist as well as gallery owner, and he really feels strongly. And I, we're going to talk about Core Four too. So we're going to get that all in. You guys are going to get to know about Core Four too. It's a really fun, fun project that we work on. That's how we know each other because that's all Rodney ever does is work and connect and engage. But like I said, hot tub time machine time. Did you ever think when you were growing up that you were going to end up being a gallery owner? Because that is not something that a five-year-old or a nine-year-old says. I'm going to be a gallery owner one day.

Ed Dixon  01:55

Gallery owner, no, no. And I think mostly because, especially growing up, is just not something that I would have seen. You know, I wouldn't have seen somebody, especially that you know looked like myself, having an art gallery. You know, of course, doing art. Yes, I was familiar with the you know famous you know a lot of famous artists, but yeah, it took a long time before the idea, yeah, finally came.

Rodney Veal  02:26

So, what was the childhood dream? What was it before? Before? Oh, I got to, I got to know this.

Ed Dixon  02:31

Well, you know, it depends. I, I was thinking about this the other day. I think I started off with scientists because I was sure I could just fix everything, you know. Come up with the cures and all that kind of stuff, and because I was thinking about it recently, because I was thinking, why didn't I do that? But that ship was kind of sailed. But okay, yeah, and then it probably from there, and then more creative things started.

Rodney Veal  02:59

Oh, okay. Started coming along. So how how did those creative things come along for you? Because you know we sometimes the things happen by accident, surprise. Mine was I found out I can put color between the lines.

Ed Dixon  03:11

Yeah, and I think I never really thought I had like talent to really be an artist or or musician or a singer-all those things which I loved, but I didn't have that kind of talent. But wanted to be affiliated with it in some kind of way. And growing up, we had-you know-my parents were, you know, did enough things around the house where I was aware of art and you know different things. So, like I said, again, I was always, you know, aware of it. But at some point, yeah, like I said, I knew I didn't have the talent to to do those things like I would want to. But I really appreciated art and appreciated music and you know fashion and all those different things.

Rodney Veal  03:57

And so one of the things is because I kind of I started diving because the internet allows you to dive into someone's life. That when you talk about well oh no what you talk about you talk about music you talk about fashion you promoting you were you were you were into you you did promotions and for fashion shows and you were working with musicians, talk about that. I mean, how did you get into that? I mean,

Ed Dixon  04:22

the furthest Ashton

Rodney Veal  04:23

in Ohio. I'm just saying. Yeah,

Ed Dixon  04:25

the furthest back again downtown Dayton, down Main Street. Me and some of my friends, we had a record label in you know 90 something, and

Rodney Veal  04:38

oh yeah, yeah, record label. It was a lot of

Ed Dixon  04:41

yeah, it was a lot of fun, and that really probably was the first genuine effort to try and do something here. You know, to not just have a record label or whatever, but have some success come out of the Dayton area because we have so many. Artists, actors, athletes-all these different things from Dayton, but sometimes their success comes after they leave Dayton.

Rodney Veal  05:09

Oh,

Ed Dixon  05:10

and so you know that record label was the first attempt to really try and have somebody from here, you know, be elevated while they're still here in

Rodney Veal  05:20

Dayton. That's what I mean. That's why I talk when I when I introduce you. That's what that's what I love being around you, Ed. It's like that. That there's an underpinning of always thinking about it from a bigger purpose versus just I have a gallery space or I'm going to just start a record label because it's fun. It's it's it's to serve a purpose, and so I'm like, I mean, that's that's pretty like in the '90s. That means that we've probably crossed paths and we didn't know it. Probably dancing at Dayton Ballet back in the day in the second company. For me, I was running around these streets.

Ed Dixon  05:56

Yeah, yeah, I was. Yeah, I was out there. I was busy. Yeah. from then till now, pretty interesting life, I guess you could say, when it comes to those kind of things. So, yeah.

Rodney Veal  06:13

Oh, you. Oh, yeah. I like. Okay. So, what other secrets can we can we divulge here, especially in regard to well, I mean, but the thing is, like, you you you started a record a record company. Like, is it was it just was it with a group of friends? I mean, was it or just was it just a

Ed Dixon  06:35

yeah with a group of friends? Actually, well, a couple ways it happened. One was I did want to kind of make music, so this was back when the MPC, I think it was NPC 3,001st came out, and all the hip hop hip hop artists were using these to do sampling and different things. And so once I got a hold of one of those, I was really interested in trying to make music, and then one of my friends played professional football, so he kind of had the money to kind of help push push this forward. So yeah, so that's yeah, that's what happened there. So I

Rodney Veal  07:18

love the fact that you're you know do you still kind of dabble in?

Ed Dixon  07:24

Yeah, I I have new equipment. I'm about to get a new piece

Rodney Veal  07:29

soon. Ooh, see, we're finding out. I'm telling you, don't do much.

Ed Dixon  07:33

Not as much as I I would like though, just because I'm just scattered and and I blame not being organized because, like the the area that I like to create is kind of buried right now in other. Is it buried in our stuff? Just no. Just I wish just just in stuff.

Rodney Veal  07:54

Just in stuff like life and all the things. Yeah. And so so talk about I I don't know how many people in this room are kind of familiar with Dayton in the '90s. That was a kind of, in many ways, like the wild, wild west. In many ways, because there was a lot of things happening at the same time, like positive and negative, with downtown. But mostly the undercurrent of the positive was, like I said, when I say running the streets, yes, I did. You know, back in the day, but but it was there was this sense of no one. I'm kind of curious about you starting to have these kind of inklings and these inclinations in downtown Dayton, and just kind of describe down Dayton at that time, because I think that's important, because I think it kind of informs where we're at today.

Ed Dixon  08:45

Yeah, and you know, again, just growing up, my mom worked downtown, so I had just been coming downtown forever. So, you know, back when Reichs and Elder Behrman's were downtown, and you know, you know, I remember they had an eighth eighth floor of Reichs was nothing but toys. So yeah, I mean, but you know that's I remember that toy, and that's how different things were. You know, downtown back then, you can't couldn't even imagine something like that now today. But but yeah, so since then I've been coming downtown. Downtown Dayton days used to be a big deal, and and so just continued to be a supporter of downtown until I became an adult, and and then I just continued trying to figure out ways to support it and be here. I've had probably three or four offices downtown over the years, at least, and and that's not including

Rodney Veal  09:41

gallery spaces. Yeah, I mean that's so. Right. I mean, I mean it's it's one of the situations where, like I said, Dayton was such a different place and time, but it was always committed to anyone who had a big dream or big idea that no one ever said, you can't do these things, like so. I'm. So you've done music, and now, like, how did the first iteration of the Ed Dixon Gallery come about?

Ed Dixon  10:07

Like I said, yeah, it was music. Then I would say

Rodney Veal  10:13

the fashion. If

Ed Dixon  10:14

I'm not skipping, if I'm not skipping anything, I would say fashion probably came where I started helping because I saw somebody else trying to promote a fashion week here in Dayton, and I thought, "Wow, that would be great if we had that happen and become big here in Dayton. So I just went and volunteered, and you know that was 2012, and then you know it's gone through different iterations, but I've been involved with it in some form or fashion, yeah. Ever since, yeah. So, and there's been a lot of successes with that as well, like especially individual like designers and models that have went on to have some type of success.

Rodney Veal  10:54

Again, it's like you know you can start here and do some really incredible things, and I and I is that the the Dayton Fashion Dayton

Ed Dixon  11:05

Emerging Fashion Incubator Yeah Incubator Yeah, that's how what it started yeah that's what it started as yeah

Rodney Veal  11:11

yeah and so that's what I mean like your Ed is Ed Ed works a lot behind the scenes I'm like this I I that's why I find I find so fascinating because this is not a that's not for it's not for the weak or the shy to want to like engage with community development and engagement and and elevate a community. It's so you're you're committed to this in a full way, and so it's it's that question of the first gallery because you talked about creativity, like where was the first gallery space? Yeah,

Ed Dixon  11:43

so yeah.

Rodney Veal  11:44

What what what prompted the idea that you needed to do a gallery? I

Ed Dixon  11:48

think somewhere you know during that fashion phase, I was traveling, going to like New York Fashion Week and things like that. But while I was in New York, I'm going to the museums and the galleries, and more and more, as I did that, I started thinking about you know, kind of where's our version of these things. So like my my initial thing was okay in my office, I'll have a section where I'll put up some art, which I I did actually I did that initially, like in 2013, but I thought I would expand on that a little bit because that art was really just in the office. It didn't have its own section. So then I was pivoting to to have an office with art, but before I could get there, I just I changed. I said, no, I want to have its own space, and so I found a space on Ludlow right next to. At the time, the FedEx Kinkos was still on Main and Ludlow. Right, so I was yeah. So it was a little space, just kind of hitting the way, kind of right next to it, and yeah, it worked out for two and a half years until COVID hit.

Rodney Veal  13:05

COVID, oh, they dreaded C word. Yeah, but it was a so you found this space, and I love the fact that you went to New York and realized why is it not here, and and I because I find out really fast because a lot of people do the exact opposite. They they think oh it's all in New York. Let me go to New York. It's like no, no, no. I mean that takes a

Ed Dixon  13:25

yeah. And that first space, I even I made it so it was kind of combining some elements of the museums, other galleries. So that space, like this space we're in now, of course, is all like white walls, like a typical gallery. But that space had blue walls, so I wanted. It felt like a museum in a sense, but then I had leather couches and all these other things, so it was really intimate too. So it just had a vibe, you know, and that's what I was going for. And it, like I said, for two and a half years, it worked really well. And yeah,

Rodney Veal  14:01

it was it was a no. It's reminding me that I used to be. That was a spot. That was like, that was a stop on the on the art tour. Like if you were touring art in downtown and in Dayton and stuff at Dixon's, and you were yeah. So it was it was a it was a convening place. And so COVID, which I always find fascinating, like thinking about COVID altering and changing the trajectory of not just our our culture and our society, but it it really changed the directory of our arts and cultural institutions and entities and individuals. And I've always said, as the host of the art show, the art that's going to come and the the processes that are going to come out of COVID after COVID are going to be phenomenal, and so far that has shaped out to be very true. So, I have a subject for a book, but I mean, I'm I'm kind of curious about what what what when COVID struck. What was your you thinking? Oh, come on, like yeah, literally you're getting on you're getting on a groove

Ed Dixon  14:59

in January. Of 2020,

Rodney Veal  15:01

yeah,

Ed Dixon  15:01

I was like, yeah, this is the best the gallery has ever been. You know, it's it's moving in the right direction. You know, and you know, I was still learning too because when I started the gallery, I didn't have any real training or anything for running an art gallery. But by January of 2020, I kind of knew what I was doing. Right. So then, you know, like I said, your stride. Yeah, I was. I hit a stride, and and then the next month, it started going downhill.

Rodney Veal  15:35

Ah, ah, ah, and I remember. I I do remember. I do remember. I met some really great artists there.

Ed Dixon  15:42

Yeah, and then had to you know pivot and the building that I was in, you know, we were shut down, but the building that I was in didn't want to work with me at all. So, because my lease was up at that time, so I was trying to say, hey, you know, give me six months, something, you know, lower rent while we were shut down, something. But they were trying to do just the opposite. So even my neighbor, they raised their rent by $1,000 during that period. So I said, okay, this is my sign

Rodney Veal  16:18

to to leave. Wow, that is so short sighted. Yeah,

Ed Dixon  16:21

and that space is still empty.

Rodney Veal  16:23

Oh, I know, and I know. By the way, so what

Ed Dixon  16:25

was that? 2020 I laughed six years. It's six years, and it's

Rodney Veal  16:30

still empty. So, so, so they'll get to listen to this podcast and kind of, hopefully, kind of recognize the error of their ways in many ways.

Ed Dixon  16:38

Yeah.

Rodney Veal  16:39

So, and like, so because I know you transitioned from there, was that the transition from there to the Talbot Tower?

Ed Dixon  16:44

Yeah. So then I had this little small spot in the Talbot Tower that maybe was the size of my office or that room in there, and it was just a space which I was hoping would be temporary until things got better, and a place that like if somebody wanted to pick up some art that they saw online, at least I had a physical space that people could come, and I still did little small exhibitions in there and different things. But you know, it was always meant to be temporary, so that lasted I don't know two years, maybe. Yeah, about two years I think before I, you know, things got better, and then I found that space, and I actually had both both spaces for six to eight months, maybe something like that at least.

Rodney Veal  17:31

Wow!

Ed Dixon  17:31

Yeah,

Rodney Veal  17:32

this is so now you're in this space, and it's it's a journey. I mean, that's what I find very fascinating. Like you know that that you stuck with it. I mean you know it wasn't you like what what what what was the stick intuitiveness about the gallery?

Ed Dixon  17:52

Yeah, and because you know I had to move and put everything in storage, and even when I had the smaller space, everything wasn't coming out of storage into that smaller space, so I had to keep that storage. So that was one move, and then when I found this space, then that was another move. So it was just a lot within you know six months. But you know I had plans. I didn't want to. I didn't want to end it, and yeah. yeah, I just had you know still visions of what I would do later, like the "We're Doing It All Wrong" exhibition. I knew that was in my head at that point, and so

Rodney Veal  18:32

I love that. So that I love your time of your exhibition. So that was coming to

Ed Dixon  18:36

the point where that space was so small. I rented another space in that same building to do that exhibition because it was too big for that for that space,

Rodney Veal  18:47

and so like this transition from Talbot to here, like finally you made the decision that this is the spot. You're in this space, and and it's on the it's on the it's on the art the art hop tour. I have no other term for it other than people are aware, and there's a respect for that you are showing, even with the exhibition we have, the exhibition of work we have now, the absence of color, which I find very fascinating. The title: What's it like to have a space like this? And and it's not on the beaten path, but people find a way.

Ed Dixon  19:29

Right. Yeah, and it's in a it's in a decent area because the quadrant that it's in is the you know the outer larger quadrant is a good area. Just so happens there's no other businesses on the street but me. That's that's the problem right now. So I'm hoping three or four other art galleries will move in. You know, on this street. We

Rodney Veal  19:52

can only hope. Yeah. Look, come on, folks.

Ed Dixon  19:54

Yeah, we'll get somebody in the audience. You

Rodney Veal  19:55

need to kind of open another gallery space. Ask for some competition. Come on out.

Ed Dixon  19:58

Yeah, but. But other than that, you know, it's great being there, Riverscape, you know, the ballpark, you know, all the things that go on down here. So you know, it's definitely you know an improvement in many ways from, you know, obviously the Talbot Tower, but even the first space, it's an improvement from that. So I'm glad to be in this space the way it's laid out, and I'm glad to be physically where the you know space is, even though again I'm lonely on the block. You know, oh,

Rodney Veal  20:29

and then I'm hoping that we can change that because it's like we don't want Ed to be lonely. I'm

Promo  20:34

Bonnie Miles, membership coordinator of CET. Thank you for listening to Rodney Veals Inspired by this podcast. is a production of CET and Think TV, two local PBS stations. As PBS stations, the work we do online, on air, and in the community is supported by listeners like you. If you're enjoying the show and would like to support our work, please consider becoming a member at CETConnect.org or ThinkTV.org. Plus, when you sign up to donate at least $5 a month, you'll get access to special members-only streaming videos on the PBS app through Passport. Learn more at cetconnect.org or think TV.org.

Mike Shea  21:15

If you're enjoying this conversation, the art show, also hosted by Rodney Veal, is available to stream anytime from anywhere on YouTube or the PBS app.

Rodney Veal  21:23

Like I said, this commitment to owning a gallery in a gallery space. What would be the most surprising thing to people about having a gallery that they don't realize goes into it? Because I think that there's there's there's something that they probably are not aware of.

Ed Dixon  21:40

I mean, yeah, it's certainly a lot of work. I mean, I think what people would be surprised about the most, which I get a kick out of, is you know, like we're doing it all wrong. Exhibition and others, people are in other states because most of the people for that exhibition are outside of Ohio, so they'll send me emails and they'll say things like, "I really appreciate you and your team, because they can't imagine that I'm doing all this by myself. You know? Oh

Rodney Veal  22:15

my goodness! Yeah, and I get you and your team. Okay. Yeah, and I

Ed Dixon  22:19

get that a lot. So you know, taking down the art, you know, fixing the walls, hanging the art, creating the labels, promoting Facebook posts, Instagram posts, press releases, yeah, you name it.

Rodney Veal  22:40

Yeah, cheap cooking, bottle washer-it's-it's all. Yeah,

Ed Dixon  22:43

yeah. It is

Rodney Veal  22:45

truly everything in there.

Ed Dixon  22:46

Yeah, I'm-I'm doing it all. So yeah, like I said, I-I get a kick out of that when people say

Rodney Veal  22:51

things. I would love that. You and your team. Yeah, party of one, party of one, and that's when that's what I think for me is that Ed's still you still find time to go to everything in the community at at the same time? Yeah, I know. I I think we're like I think we're in competition for like how can we get to every art event that's in town. I mean, so Ed and I are like we have a little friendly competition there. So talk about. about because one of the things I was really curious about is like your connection to photo focus because I felt that was that's a really it's a beautiful beautiful connection and I always love the art that comes into your space. I feel like I I'm purposely come to see what's hanging here for Photo Focus first.

Ed Dixon  23:45

Yeah, a lot of people I know aren't aware of Photo Focus because it's out of Cincinnati, so sometimes they're not always aware. But I think that's changing to more people because of the biennial and different things. But yeah, I've been involved with Photo Focus in a couple ways. I was a patron, but then also, of course, this will be my second time being in the biennial biennial that they do. So, and I try to have local artists in that. So last time I had five local art photographers that were because Photo Focus is you know lens based art

Rodney Veal  24:26

is the

Ed Dixon  24:26

way they reference it. So yeah, has some really like pieces in it that people when I run into certain people they're like oh that those pieces that you had in in that Photo Focus exhibition were you know just so amazing and particularly Shanga Freeman's pieces that he did at the VA during Memorial, I think it was Memorial Day weekend, and he just captured this person who just went off. He had some. He had issues with these flags. With these Confederate symbols, and he just went and took down all these flags that were hanging, and took the poles, and and then put them in the sewer, and but he Shanga just happened to be there, and he got some great photos, and he had a you know maybe about 10 photos that we hung that were part of that, and yeah, when I run into people in Cincinnati and Dayton, a lot of times they they're still talking about that. So yeah,

Rodney Veal  25:30

it was it was it was it was it was incredibly powerful work. It was incredibly strong from all five photographers. And what I love about Photo Focus is that they're based in Cincinnati, but they really do believe it's all Southwest Ohio. There's not a we're Cincinnati. We're gonna keep everything Cincinnati, and that's you know that's I think that's I love that approach, and that's why I'm like oh yes thank you thank you for thinking bigger than and the fact that you're open to to showing the art and I remember that was a hopping opening, so it was. Yeah, it's really some really really great great stuff. And if he George Chunga Chunga Freeman, if you ever see his work, you need to go. You really, if you see his name attached to anything, run. He's capturing some really cool images. Yeah, he's doing it, real deal. And so, okay. So now we're at this we're we're at this juncture of like the coolness factor, and community engagement. So we got to talk about Core Four. So full disclosure, Ed and I are on the on the committee called Core Four. I want you to explain it. Oh, and I'll help. I'll assist. I'll assist. Yeah, because it's really it's a really neat project we're working in. So it's really cool.

Ed Dixon  26:46

And yeah, I wish some of the other members were here so they could easily give you the the the four tenets of of the group. But a lot of it is really just promoting, and that and that's one of them. But it's about promoting black art, but largely getting people to look at it in different ways and think about different things. Is you know promoting it, but how you collect it, how you preserve it, and I'm probably hitting on some of these tenets as I'm talking, but I think that's at least three of them right there. Right

Rodney Veal  27:25

there, yeah,

Ed Dixon  27:26

yeah. And so, and as part of that, we actually did a podcast here with a major art collector who has a phenomenal,

Rodney Veal  27:39

I mean,

Ed Dixon  27:40

really ridiculous collection of of artwork that is shown all over the country is in museums and different things. And Rodney did a interview of him for his podcast, and

Rodney Veal  27:53

yeah, and it's one of the things with the Core Four is it was this idea that we, as just a group of people could just get together and decide to do events that help you know elevate that they and and connect people and and highlight and and and carry forward the conversations because there are a lot of organizations there are a lot of individuals but there are and a lot of organizations in our community there's there's there are gaps and spaces where we can fill in, and we just took it upon ourselves to do it. We're talking about not knowing what we're doing. We just kind of, we just got. Yeah, it's not an

Ed Dixon  28:29

LLC. It's not a nonprofit. No, nonprofit. We're just like people that got together and had a yeah had

Rodney Veal  28:35

an idea like let's let's put on a show and and and Elijah Elijah is this major collector, and we've had him on the podcast. I encourage everyone to go back, go and listen to it. He's he you. If you saw him, you would think just an average guy, but he. We're talking serious, hardcore New York City, Miami, London base collector. in Dayton, Ohio. We're talking serious, not not. He's not playing. We're talking art in America. We're talking New York Times. We're talking that level, and he's amongst us. And so that's a thing. That's that, and that was what we were. That you can start your own collections, and and and I think that he he doesn't come. I don't believe he comes from an art background. If I remember correct from our conversation, I think he just he just loved art. He just loves art. So Elijah restores homes and buildings, and and that's how he makes his money. And he takes his extra money, and he goes and he buys this fabulous art, and he has it stored, and he shows it art art Basil. I always get that name wrong. Is it Art Basel or Basil? Basil. Thank you, because I will screw up a pronoun if ever if ever if there was one to exist. And so he's he's he's with the big dogs out there. Doing it from Dane, Ohio, and from Southwest Ohio, and I thought it was pretty cool to get his take and his story on it. And so, I always think about Ed's gallery as a space, as a as a starting point to someone collecting, because Ed is so approachable and it's a it has a comfortable vibe, and it's like you know. So talk about what you would to someone if they were kind of afraid because this is going out there, like they don't know how to start collecting art. What would you? What advice would you give to them?

Ed Dixon  30:32

Yeah, I mean, because yeah, you get people that are afraid to just come in the door. They want, they don't know if it costs to get in, you know you're starting there. So and so, yeah. It's it's about letting people know that, of course, first, yeah, you it's free to come in. Just come in, take your time. You know, spend as much time as you like looking at the art. But you know, I always tell people is your opinion is the only one that matters. That's the biggest thing. You don't know how have to know the fancy words and the the lingo, or you know, it's about if you like it, what do you like about it, and that's really all that counts. Because even you know, especially you know, a lot of people will say the same thing, but you know, if you're collecting art, the main thing is to get pieces that you love, no matter how much it costs. Don't worry about if it's you know lower price or even if it was higher price. But the fact that you love it means that if it costs 20,000 today, and then it's only worth on the market 2000 but you still love it just as much when you walk in the door. That's all that matters. So, if you're buying with that intent, then your collection will, you know, bring you joy for years to come, and which is the point should be the point of the artwork. Oh, say that again, please, because I think people need to understand that that it's it is about you have to enjoy it. You have to. There was a lot. There's a lot of hard work that goes into making art, but it's usually it's done out of love and joy, the joy of it's painful. And I got a couple artists in the space. They're like, yeah, Rodney, it's grueling work, but it's but it's not so grueling that it doesn't stop us from getting up and doing it every day, and so that joy part, and so that's what

Rodney Veal  32:30

I love about working with Ed with Core Four because we've done these events and we've we've we've we've had events at Black Palette Gallery, we've had events here at Edwin at Dixon's, we've we've met some incredible people in these conversations, and that's that's a big part of it. And that's why I find it very fascinating as a gallery owner, like your team, you and your team. How do you find the time to do core four? Well, I should be asking the same thing of myself, but I'm asking you. Like, how do you find the time to do all of these things, and why?

Ed Dixon  33:03

Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like I guess with everything, you find time for the things that that you want to do. If you didn't do it, you know, it probably wasn't something you really wanted to do. You know, it's not as much as you thought anyway. So, but this is something that I enjoy because people ask me all the time because I talk about how challenging doing the gallery itself is, and you know, like financially and everything, it's a huge challenge. But I enjoy it, so you know. And there's times where I just like, oh yeah, I really love doing this, and sometimes that's just when I finish putting up all the artwork, and I take a step back and just look at you know how you know how well it looks in the gallery, and then what I accomplished, and and just how much is connected to the outside world. Because if I'm like I said, I'm doing an exhibition that has 2530 pieces in it from probably 20 different states. That's a lot of connection to Dayton, Ohio, to other places, and you know the themes within it, and it's it's yeah, there's just so much that goes into it, and yeah, I just enjoy it. So

Rodney Veal  34:25

I love the fact that you step back and take it all in.

Ed Dixon  34:28

Yeah, I I try. Yeah, I try, and sometimes it takes a while, but at some point, yeah, I always have to. You know, it may be the next day that I walk in, and it's like, okay, now I really see it, you know, because at some point I'm just working, I'm measuring, and doing all these different things. So I'm not quite you and your team. Yeah, me and my team doing all the work, doing all that. It may take the next day before I can take a deep breath and walk back in and just look like, oh wow, this is really beautiful, you know, that kind of thing. So.

Rodney Veal  34:59

Is there is there a dream artist or exhibition you would love to do in this space, if money was no object and your team was available?

Ed Dixon  35:09

Yeah, I don't know. That's that's interesting. I I can't think of anything in particular. The only thing is, is there's an artist in Dubai in Germany. She goes back and forth in between, but back to COVID, she was supposed to come here and do an exhibition back then, and so just it just hasn't worked out since then. So we're still trying to figure that out, but at some point that exhibition is going to happen. So

Rodney Veal  35:40

that's really cool. Like I love, I love the fact that you have these international connections of artists. And so, how much of your time is spent going outside of the Dayton region to look at art? How are you, how are you finding these artists?

Ed Dixon  35:56

Yeah, well, and that answers kind of one of your questions earlier too. When it comes to finding artists, I don't find artists; they find me. So, I yeah. So I rarely find an artist. It's usually somehow, you know, we we might just run into each other, but you know, they're reaching out different things, but and that's the thing. I have so many artists that I run into that way that I I don't really need to go out and look now. In a sense, when I do, you know, I do calls for art sometimes, so you can say you know in that respect I I look for artists, but for the most part it's all organic, you know. Just running into artists, meeting people. Of course, everybody I meet knows an artist, or you know, or any artist. That is, yeah,

Rodney Veal  36:51

yeah, those are true. I have a friend of a friend. My mom makes her, yeah. But that's a that that at least goes into the next question: Is like you know, what would your advice be to artists in building a relationship with a gallery and with a galleryist? What would you say things that they know they might need to know before they step into this realm?

Ed Dixon  37:16

Yeah, you know, well, I'm glad you you said that too. What you need to know before, because I think you need to be ready in a sense. And ready, when I'm saying that, means you have your artwork is ready for presentation. So, because a lot of artists, they're not thinking about that far head necessarily like simple things like making sure that there's a hanger on the back of your artwork, so when you give it to me, I can put it on the wall. I

Rodney Veal  37:52

mean, it's that sometimes it is that simple. Yeah, sometimes it's

Ed Dixon  37:56

that simple. But you know, when you're creating the work, making sure that it's presented in the way that you feel comfortable with, and that you know, I would say even maybe that you're proud of, but you know that the edges or the framing or whatever it is that you put your best effort into those factors, so that when it eventually ends up in somebody else's home, it looks, you know, like that. You know, like I said, it presents like you would want it to. And then that's just a kind of cosmetic thing. But also, when it comes to being ready, you know, I don't expect you know artists always to be just seasoned business people necessarily, of course, because they're worried about art. But you know, you have to be familiarize yourself with those kind of things. Kind of know what to expect when it comes to commissions and different things, and be ready to be still a spokesperson for your arts, or ready to do an artist talk, or ready to talk one-on-one with a viewer, somebody who's just in the gallery wants to know more about your art, or a big-time collector that wants to know more about your art. But yeah, just being ready for those things, and you know, not just showing up with the piece that you did, and and thinking that's all you need to do, because yeah, it's more than that.

Rodney Veal  39:29

Oh, thank you for saying that, because that's it's really really true. I think a lot of I was thinking about this. I was having a conversation with oh Megan Flynn and Teresa Vandenzorge, who are going to be on the podcast, and they are choreographers. And we talked about going to grad school, and they never taught us how to present our choreography and our work to the public and talk about it. That was like a missing gap. Like you know, it's really really. Really fascinating, and so so I always think about that in terms of artists and how you present and how you talk about your work because it does matter. It does matter that you know you be able to passionately talk about like why you love what you do and why you made the decisions that you made and directions that you're going.

Ed Dixon  40:19

Yeah, because a lot of times, people buy the art, but they're buying the artist too. So, you know that that makes a big difference. There's a lot of pieces that sell specifically, yeah, just because somebody got to talk to the artist and find out a little bit more behind the piece than what was obvious on the front, or a little bit more about that artist, and and that is what pushed them to say, yeah, to really connect with that piece. So they connect with the piece, and they connect with the artist.

Rodney Veal  40:53

And that's one of the I think what makes Ed's space, Ed's gallery great, and Ed great, is it is he's bringing it down to a level where you can access it and take your time with it. I think that's the other part of the factor as well, is that you know the the buyer has to kind of consider their relationship to the art as well, and they need time to consider it, and so it's not just a rash decision. Although I'm an impulsive buyer, I'm an Aries. I see it. I like it. My phrase is, "I'm done. If I say "I'm done, I'm in. I'm all in. I've done that on many occasions. I have a lot of stacks of art to prove that. So, what would you say to the buyers? A thing that they should be prepared to do as a as a collector before coming into once they get comfortable in gallery space. What are things that they may be surprised that they don't realize are options, and when it comes to obtaining art?

Ed Dixon  41:55

You know, I think one thing people don't think about is you know you don't always have to buy art flat out. You know, there's always ways to do installments and different things. I mean, and when I say that, there's stories of people buying like Andy Warhol pieces. You know, I don't know, 5060, years ago, that that piece may have been $1,500 and they couldn't afford the whole 1500 But they came and put $50 on it, or whatever it was, and ended up with this Andy Warhol piece, you know, because they loved it, and so they loved it enough to to do it that way. And it wasn't Andy Warhol at the time, you know, air quotes, and but because of that passion that they had, they ended up with a piece that you know could be worth six, seven figures now. So,

Rodney Veal  42:50

so it's like you know, it's it's layaway is not is is an option, and art is basically what you're telling me, Ed. That that layaway is a possibility. Absolutely, and I love that. I love that because I think that's that's I blue light special. I love that. Well, and I think that's a dispelling myth. And I think that's one of the reasons why I love doing this podcast and having these conversations. I knew I had I had a conversation with Dana Wiley. I've had a conversation with Ed. I'm looking forward to getting with a gallery owner in Cincinnati. And just because they have just common threads and just constant reinforcement of these things, that this world is not a the art world is not a there's a belief that it's about locked doors and closed doors. That's myths. That's a that's a trope. Southwest Ohio, you can't have locked doors. We're friendly. We're Midwesterners.

Ed Dixon  43:37

Yeah, especially in Ohio. Yeah, I mean.

Rodney Veal  43:40

Yeah, we're aggressively kind. Yeah, I

Ed Dixon  43:42

mean, yeah, I mean, the art world is a you know special place. I mean, there's there's galleries that in the world and probably in New York where there's pieces that it's on the wall, but they won't let you buy it. You know, unless they decide that you know you're worthy or you know, whatever, to buy that piece, but you know, in my mind, you know, that's a whole nother world. So I don't, you know, that's not about the art necessarily anymore. That's not us, not us.

Rodney Veal  44:13

And so, yeah, as we wrap it up, Ed, what's your what's your hope for? Because you're doing all of these things, and I think I'm kind of curious about what you hoped the future of art and culture in downtown Dayton, because you really have made it about a very regional presence. What would your hope be for the future of this?

Ed Dixon  44:43

Yeah, I would like to see you know just more emphasis put on it, and at some point, you know, when I was on Ludlow, and I probably can't remember the whole vision of this, but I know I probably asked. The Downtown Dayton Partnership, or somebody, to like put up flags down the street because at this time they were kind of doing that, putting those flags banners up on the poles, and I wanted because the PNC RNX I think had just opened, but anyway, I wanted it to be like a district, so it was going to be I forget what the L was. It was L E L E A D, and so whatever that probably entertainment arts district. What's the Ludlow Entertainment Arts District? So it was going to be leed. So I just I wanted flags all the way down the street, and and then hopefully more art to come, and then that whole street be a district, and so you know you can imagine you come, you park, and now you can walk from say Fourth Street to maybe even Monument, and that whole street would be filled with you know arts and entertainment, which the Shuster would be part of and different things. So you know, I I would like to see something like that still happen downtown, and in Dayton. Yeah,

Rodney Veal  46:07

I love it. See, that's the reason why we had you on the podcast, Ed. This is why we're having this conversation. You are a leader, and and that the arts, our our folks in the arts can be leaders, and I'm hoping this that our leaders or elected officials and our business leaders listen to this, especially in regards to leasing spaces for art and culture, and our community leaders for figuring out ways to integrate the arts into the conversation because it is

Ed Dixon  46:34

it's important. It's important.

Rodney Veal  46:35

It's an it's an industry, and you you you're doing the Ed is quiet in many ways. He's a quiet force, and he's making things happen mind his knees. That's why we brought up Core Four, but he's he's doing the good work, and so I'm glad we got this had this conversation together.

Ed Dixon  46:53

Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me

Rodney Veal  46:57

on. There we go.

Ed Dixon  46:58

Yeah.

Rodney Veal  47:00

Give it up for Ed Dickson. Thanks.