The Victoria Theatre Association collaborated with local artist Willis "Bing" Davis of EbonNia Gallery for the sixth annual exhibit, Visual Voices.

According to victoriatheatre.com, Visual Voices is "a visual arts tribute which identifies, celebrates and preserves the legacy of the many African-Americans who have made, or are making, significant contributions to the Miami Valley community."

The exhibit features a variety of pieces from oil paintings to black and white photography on canvas to three dimensional sculptures.

"Visual Voices represents 21 of Dayton's most gifted African-American artists and is itself a legacy of the rich African-American history that resonates throughout this city," said David Brush, education and outreach manager of the Victoria Theatre. "This year's collection represents the largest collection of individual artists in the history of the exhibit."

Davis contributed "Yitzah: After the Laughter," a 30 by 20 inch collage, to the exhibit. The abstract piece is visually dynamic with bright yellow, purple, blue and red, as well as two black hands that are held open in the center. Davis' work, which includes a variety of media from acrylic and oil pastels to clay and mixed-media, is featured in collections across America, as well as France, England, Japan, South America and Africa.

Artist Curtis Barnes, Sr. contributed "Obama," a large oil painting. The piece is a large, colorful abstract of President Barack Obama's last name written repeatedly. Barnes is an artist, scholar and community activist who first taught in the Dayton public school system, and later as an art professor at Sinclair Community College.

Davis and Barnes' works are just two of the many pieces that make up the exhibit.

"Visual Voices is now in its sixth year here at the Schuster Center, and what continues to be striking about it is the variety," Brush said. "There are representatives of nearly every major medium and every style of contemporary and classic art."

Visual Voices is on display 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. now through Feb. 28 at the Schuster Center. Admission is free.

"The great thing about Visual Voices is the artwork you're seeing was created not by artists throughout the country but by your neighbors and friends and community members," Brush said. "This greatly helps to foster the arts in Dayton. College students can experience a great deal of this history through this powerful exhibit."