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Arts Patron

James F. Dicke II, New Bremen

Nominated By: The Dayton Art Institute

View video tribute (5:30 minutes, 21M)

James Dicke's multi-generational family tradition of support of the arts has made a profound impact on the growth of The Dayton Art Institute's Collection and the advancement of its mission. As a supporter of the Dayton Opera Association, Dicke became one of the lead sponsors of the Butterfly Project, a series of visual art exhibits at the Dayton Art Institute by world-renowned contemporary artist Jun Kaneko currently on exhibit in tandem with the Dayton Opera Association's 2006-2007 season opener, Madame Butterfly. His gift made it possible for thousands of Miami Valley art and opera lovers to experience this collaboration between the visual and performing arts. Dicke's business acumen, as chairman and CEO of New Bremen's Crown Equipment Corporation, the nation's largest manufacturer of steel lift trucks, has allowed him to create this kind of transforming synergy in every area of his and his family's philanthropy. The Dickes have endowed buildings at various universities in Ohio and across the country, housing schools of art and art history, theaters, and state-of-the-art centers of business education enriched with art from the Dickes collections. In New Bremen, the family's home and the headquarters of Crown Equipment, Dicke has worked to acquire, restore and repurpose nearly every building of the town's formerly empty business district to serve the community. Dicke serves as chairman emeritus of The Dayton Art Institute's Board of Trustees and has endowed a President's Distinguished Service Award to honor those who have followed his example in making outstanding contributions to the museum. A gifted photographer and painter from an early age, Dicke has work in the permanent collections of the National Museum of American Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, NASA and numerous private collections. Because of his generosity, passion for and commitment to the arts in Ohio Dicke is well deserving of the Governor's Award for Arts Patron.