Inside Crystal City – Dayton Found Object Art Experience Moving to Wisconsin

If you’ve ever walked past the big glass windows on the first floor of the Leigh Building on Second and Ludlow downtown, you’ve probably spotted the immersive found object art environment known as Crystal City created by the late artist, Robert Blackstone.

Recently, Crystal City was on display in all its glory one last time in Dayton before it is dismantled and rebuilt at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where it will be on exhibit starting in 2026 for two years.

Exploring Crystal City

Until Blackstone’s untimely passing in 2023, Crystal City was continuously growing and changing, originally starting on a kitchen table in 1990.

As an art environment, viewing Crystal City from a single still image really isn’t possible. This is a piece of art you step inside and walk around in, taking it in from all angles. There are also audio layers to the piece as well as video and living elements, too.

Looking from one vantage point doesn’t give you the full picture, either. I had to nearly sit down to see some of the lower elements and I know I missed things out of reach of my 5’0” height.

Found object art is a particularly visually interesting art form because each individual item is something you might see just about anywhere. All together, the items converge to become larger than the sum of their parts and take on new meaning depending on their proximity to other elements.

One thing I noticed in the piece was what looked like cut out sections from a sign-in sheet. I thought about the guestbook we signed when we walked in and it struck me that the environment changed with each person who viewed it.

To describe the parts and pieces, in my visit, I noticed floating electric guitars outlined in lights, a handheld Playstation game with the screen on ready for someone to play the game queued up, matchbox cars, hair, branches, a couch, globes, a TV facing inside but on and delivering a news broadcast, a simple electronic version of Jamiroquai’s 1996 hit song “Virtual Insanity” playing on repeat, crushed up automotive glass, caution tape, the guts of a piano, so much sand, a parasol, model trains, a lamp with beaded fringe, and little diorama-type scenes created inside the main structure with toys.

What does it all mean? It’s not every day you have a chance to step inside someone’s universe and walk around. It’s at times playful and optimistic and at other times contemplative and moving. On the sign-in table, there were handouts that described the piece from Blackstone’s family’s perspective and the author explained that “his belief was simple and profound: broken things and people still have worth.”

Why is Crystal City Moving from Dayton?

Per a conversation I had with Peter Benkendorf from The Collaboratory, the Kohler Center in Wisconsin has wanted to exhibit Crystal City for some time. They have the kind of space needed to set it up for display. It should debut there in the fall of 2026 and be there for two years.

What’s Next for Crystal City?

Unfortunately, at the moment, no one knows for sure where Crystal City will end up once the exhibit ends. It could be that the Kohler Center acquires it for their permanent collection. It could come back to Dayton in some way. The goal shared by many people close to the artist is that it stay preserved but not boxed up in storage. They want it available for people to view going forward no matter where that is on the map.

For more information about the artist and Crystal City, check out this article in the Dayton Daily News.