DAYTON, OH.- The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) has announced the completion of renovations for an outdoor garden space in front of the museum, known as the Velsey Garden. The Velsey Garden Project is part of an ongoing list of improvements for the DAI grounds. Funding for the renovations came from Shary and Matt Price.

"The Velsey Garden Project has been desired for over a decade," said DAI Director & President Michael R. Roediger. "Our goal was to offer a beautiful and engaging outdoor space for all guests, students and staff to enjoy, and we are so excited to see that dream come to fruition thanks to the support of Shary and Matt Price. Shary and Matt are lifelong friends of the DAI and philanthropic donors to the Dayton community. We are grateful for their generosity and enthusiasm for the project."

Named after the artist Seth M. Velsey, a former educator at the DAI School, whose three stone statues are featured prominently in the space, the Velsey Garden is located to the left of the museum's main entrance, visible from the museum's parking lot. The transformation of the space began in the Fall of 2023 by laying down paver stones to create two patio areas and building a stone knee wall, which, in addition to highlighting the garden space, offers extra seating in the area. During that time, Siebenthaler's planted trees and shrubs. The area was finalized in spring of 2024 when perennials and outdoor tables were added.

The paver stones selected for the project match the stones used in the museum's Hale Cloister, and in addition to the artworks by Velsey, the garden space features three stone tesserae statues by artist Ned Smyth. The renovation was conceptualized when the DAI education team expressed the need for an outdoor space for students touring the museum or attending Summer Art Camps to eat lunch during the warmer months of the year.

"Matt was particularly inspired to learn that the garden space would serve an educational purpose," Roediger added. "As Shary is a passionate gardener, this project was the perfect fit."

Shary and Matt Price are Dayton natives with a long history of philanthropy and support for the DAI. They notably funded the Sharon & Matthew Price Gallery of Early 20th Century American Modernism as part of the DAI Centennial Celebration. Shary, who took her first art class at the DAI, was a former Four Seasons Garden Club member. Between their family's history of involvement at the DAI and Shary's passion for plants and flowers, the Velsey Garden Project was one for which both Matt and Shary showed fervent support.

"The DAI is a cultural anchor in Dayton, and what better organization to partner with for their goal of constant improvement," Shary said. "Plus, I love gardens, so when the ‘seed’ was planted to help with the Velsey Garden Project, it totally 'grew' on me."