Two of the large exhibitions are traveling to Dayton from other museums, the third is being mounted locally. It’s been obvious, in recent offerings, that the DAI is striving for more diversity and more local inclusion.
“For a time it felt like we didn’t want to compete with the Dayton Visual Arts Center,” said DAI head curator and curatorial affairs director Jerry N. Smith.
DVAC is now The Contemporary Dayton at the Dayton Arcade.
“I personally felt we had gotten too far away from working with local artists so I’ve been making it a point to work with more local people,” said Smith. “That’s why we had Aka Pereyma, the Ukrainian-American artist from Troy, African-American artist James Pate who grew up in Cincinnati, and the Women Artist show from a local collection which included several artists from our area.”
The good news is that since the pandemic, museum attendance has been steadily growing. “We had 63,146 visitors enjoying the art in 2024, which does not include outdoor events, like Octoberfest,” said Smith. “In comparison, we had a total of 53,199 in 2023.”
‘Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled’
The upcoming season opens with “Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled” on view from March 15-June 8.
Wyeth, who comes from an illustrious art family, is the son of renowned realist painter Andrew Wyeth and the grandson of illustrator N.C. Wyeth. This exhibit is organized by the museum that showcases the work of the Wyatts, The Brandywine Museum of Art located in Chadds Ford, Penn.
“Jamie was born in 1946 and is a major figure in the art world,” said Smith. “He has a naturalistic style so you can really tell what it is you’re looking at when you see his paintings. He’s known for barnyard scenes, rural life and coastal scenes because he has a place off the coast of Maine.”
The exhibit coming to Dayton spotlights Wyeth’s paintings that are a bit more unnerving. “They are a little ominous, strange, peculiar, even haunting in some instances,” Smith said. “Some of them make you want to look over your shoulder to see what’s coming at you! It’s been a thread throughout his career so organizers at the Brandywine wanted to explore this aspect of his art.”
The Wyeth exhibition is divided into three sections: “Strangers and Specters;” “Natural and Supernatural Worlds;” and “Haunted Places and Disturbing Spaces.” Drawn from museums and private collections from across the country, the DAI is the exclusive Ohio venue and the final stop for this traveling exhibition.
‘Curtis Barnes, Sr., Dayton Icon’
Curtis Barnes, Senior, a longtime fixture of Dayton’s arts scene, will be featured in the DAI’s second major exhibition from July 12-Sept. 14. The show is entitled “Curtis Barnes, Sr., Dayton Icon.” Barnes, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 84, was a co-founder of the African-American Visual Arts Guild and a highly regarded Ohio artist and educator who inspired many local students to pursue their dreams as artists.
Many may remember that when The Contemporary Dayton opened at the downtown Arcade in 2021, Barnes was one of the first artists to be exhibited. He was an educator in the Dayton Public Schools, a professor at Sinclair Community College and was also instrumental in organizing black cultural events.
“Images that I express reflect my fears, ignorance and superstition regarding the mysteries of the universe,” Barnes was quoted as saying.
He created more than 1,000 artworks in his lifetime.
“His work is bold, colorful abstract but with a sense of abstracting from nature,” said Smith. “He has lots of images of people he knew, a lot from our community. And there are several self-portraits and works inspired by African art. He wasn’t tied down to one style or subject; he was just an extremely creative individual who was always working and teaching.”
The exhibit will celebrate Barnes’ life and art and is presented during the 90th anniversary of his birth year.
‘Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art’
The final major exhibition of the year will focus on a period of art that folks in the Miami Valley have come to love and appreciate. You may recall that the DAI’s 2017 special exhibition season concluded with the Art Nouveau designs of Alphonse Mucha.
“That exhibit drew such a big audience that it was clear people here like art nouveau,” said Smith.
The style of decorative art, architecture, and design was prominent in western Europe and the United States from about 1890 until World War I. You’ll recognize it by the flowing lines inspired by nature, often flowers and leaves.
“Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art” is slated for October 18 through Jan. 11, 2026. More than 120 turn-of-the-20th century treasures will be on display including works by Tiffany, Mucha, Gallé, Beardsley and others. There will be furniture, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, books, posters, prints, lamps, glass art and more.
It’s exciting that the DAI is the exclusive Ohio venue for this major traveling exhibition which comes from Norfolk, Va.
“We were one of the first organizers contacted because we’ve worked with the Chrysler Museum in the past,” said Smith, who calls the new exhibit “a spectacularly beautiful show.”
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
The 2025 focus exhibitions:
The DAI’s Focus exhibits have become extremely popular. They’re typically in a single intimate gallery and most often come from the Museum’s own collection. “They are a good way to explore an idea or artist that whets your appetite for wanting to see more,” said Smith.
Did you know that the museum owns more than 27,000 objects? The Focus exhibits provide a wonderful opportunity to see and appreciate many of the treasures that reside right here in Dayton.
Here’s the rundown of the Focus exhibits:
- “A Taste for Pop: Gifts from S. Bradley Gillaugh” (Jan. 25-May 25). Gifts from Dayton native Stephen Bradley “Brad” Gillaugh. Featuring a collection of contemporary styles, particularly pop art, the exhibition showcases artists Gillaugh worked with during his career as an exhibition coordinator and consultant in New York and California.
- “Kind of Funny” (Feb. 8-May 4). Unusual compositions in photography in both color and black and white.
- “Themes in Yoshitoshi’s 100 Aspects of the Moon.” For those who missed this exhibit in 2020, this is an opportunity to see Yoshitoshi’s beautiful Japanese woodblock prints originally used as individual prints from 1885-1892. They will be shown in three exhibits: “Heroism & Loyalty” (April 12-July 13); “Mystery & Magic” (July 19-Oct. 19) and “Love & Longing” (Oct. 25-Jan. 25, 2026).
- “Cats in Art / Dogs in Art “(June 18–September 14). Animal lovers will be excited to see these complementary exhibits that pay tribute to our beloved pets. Objects across the collection feature a range of media including paintings, photos, prints and sculptures,
- “Wonders in Color: Art by Alexander Calder & Others” (June 18–Oct. 26, 2025). Calder was known for inventing wire sculptures and the mobile. The DAI will show his work from the collection as well as promised gifts and loans from private collectors.
- “Strange Worlds: Photographs by Jay Hoops” (Oct. 4, 2025–Jan. 4, 2026. Hopps is a commercial and fine art photographer from Long Island who uses the Polaroid format to create dreamy atmospheric scenes,
- “Engaged: Rings from around the World” (Nov. 8, 2025–April 19, 2026). A wide range of rings spanning thousands of years, the rings on display were donated by one of the DAI’s founders, Brainerd Thresher. Some date back to the third century BCE.
- Dayton Printmakers Cooperative: Dayton/Kyoto Invitational (December 6 –Feb. 22, 2026 ). This exhibit focuses on an international print exchange between Dayton and Japan which has been taking place since 2003. The theme for 2025 is “Water.” This is the first time this collaboration will be featured at the DAI.
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