Togetherness: An Exhibition of 100 Postcards by Cincinnati-area artists Bailey Elder and Mark Neeley will open for one night only on Friday, Nov. 21 at Elliott Coffee, the cafe recently opened in the revamped 100-year-old gas station and auto garage in Dayton, Kentucky. Elder and Neeley formed the idea over coffee at Elliot Coffee and decided it would be the perfect venue, inspired by the space’s warmth and openness to community.
Each artist made 50 hand-painted and inked postcards with a theme of “togetherness” in mind, each using their own unique style.
Elder is the former art director for independent Brooklyn record label Mexican Summer, where she used her unique color palette and sensibilities for album covers for artists like Cate Le Bon, Allah-Las and Pharoah Sanders, among others. She’s also a painter and illustrator whose work has been shown in galleries between New York and California. She has also done graphic design work in campaigns for companies like Madewell and Gap.
Neeley is an artist, animator and writer who is a regular contributor to the music and art publication Aquarium Drunkard. He recently collaborated with Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh on the 2024 short film Pure Animation for Now People, which showcases Neeley’s hands-on style — painting, inking and photographing each frame on paper to create work that carries the unmistakable weight of something made directly from head and heart to hand. His work has also been featured in the New York Times, in a collaboration with Madewell and in music videos created for artists like Michael Rault and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, among others.
Elder and Neeley’s work and paths share a handful of parallels, making the collaboration a natural one. The press release reads: “This exhibition is a collaboration that came together via two artists moving in adjacent yet differing circles (with design, illustration & animation frequently centered around the world of underground music and beyond), and coming together through a mutual admiration and solidarity in their personal lives as artists and parents.”
The event will feature music curated by the artists to accompany the work with refreshments available from American Water, in addition to the Elliott Coffee menu. Original artwork will be available to purchase.
Togetherness: An Exhibition of 100 Postcards will take place at Elliott Coffee, located at 825 Sixth Ave. in Dayton, Kentucky, on Friday, Nov. 21. More info: markneeley.com.