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New mural taking shape on Levitt Dayton's walls

By Madeline Hart, Levitt Pavilion Dayton

Work on a mural designed by local artist Brent Beck will begin this month at the Levitt Pavilion Dayton. The architectural design of the Levitt was an inspiration, along with including the commissioned poem by Sierra Leone. The Contemporary Dayton led the call for artists, and a committee of Levitt Dayton staff, board trustees and local stakeholders, reviewed the submissions for the mural to bring public art to the Levitt and with the intent to share the poem with the community.

“The mural design is inspired by the clean angular geometry of the architecture and a dynamic sense of rhythm and spirit found in music, poetry, and the community,” said Beck. “The compositions are intended to complement the architecture, not to obscure it. The elements are meant to represent the sun rays filtering through the skyline bringing joy and life to a once forgotten corner of Dayton. The Levitt color palette has been utilized to represent the pavilion’s beautiful natural setting among the lawn, sky, and sunshine which is so wonderfully brought to life in Sierra’s [Leone] poem.”

Leone’s poem will be featured in full within the mural so that anyone can read it as they attend concerts or walk through the park. The poem will be performed at the first concert of the 2020 Eichelberger concert season.

The artist executing Beck’s design is Atalie Gagnet, a Dayton, Ohio native. Gagnet began her mural and logo signage business in 2003. After graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her career in art led her to Brooklyn, NY, where she was a studio manager for a prominent artist, executing his work and managing projects. From there, Gagnet worked with the exhibition construction crew at the Guggenheim Museum. She has had the privilege of sharing her painting skills locally and internationally managing and installing outdoor murals up to 7,000 sq. ft. for Architectural Digest for Art Basel Miami, Graniti, Sicily, Rockford, Illinois, Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. 


Friends of Levitt Pavilion Dayton is the non-profit that manages, programs and fundraises for the new Levitt Pavilion. Levitt Pavilion Dayton will help reinvigorate Dayton’s urban core by reactivating Dave Hall Plaza, which in turn will inspire people’s health, happiness, and well-being by offering enjoyable experiences through a rich spectrum of music genres.

The venue will also provide access to high quality cultural and educational experiences for all audiences from our community. Levitt Pavilion Dayton will present 50 free family-friendly concerts with an expected reach annually to over 100,000 individuals of all ages and backgrounds in the Dayton region. As the only free major outdoor performance space in Dayton, we will provide access to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status.


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