Donald L. Dodrill

Inducted: 2022

Don Dodrill was an important contributor to the arts. A co-founder of the Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival in 1966, he exhibited at the festival for 45 years, taught watercolor and drawing for the city’s lifelong learning adult education program, and provided graphic design expertise for the Parks & Recreation department. He was a founding member of the Upper Arlington Art League in 1973 and was an active exhibitor, award winner, and supporter of its fall and winter shows. He served on the Cultural Arts Commission, including three years as chair, and as co-chair of the Visual Arts Committee. He aided in the development of cultural arts for the broader community, including the Central Ohio Watercolor Society, Ohio Watercolor Society, American Watercolor Society, and Ohio State Fair. With his wife, Winifred, Mr. Dodrill’s advertising and graphics firm - Dodrill Design Studio - created graphics and advertisements in support of local organizations. They also operated the Windon Gallery in Grandview showcasing local and regional artists. Don painted hundreds of watercolors, examples of which were represented in his book, The Transparent Touch. At the 1996 Arts Festival, he received the first honored community artist award. Don left his children, grandchildren and others whose lives he touch with a lifelong appreciation of the visual arts.