Dayton Art Institute

The Dayton Art Institute is committed to enriching the community by creating meaningful experiences with art that are available to all.

Founded in 1919, The Dayton Art Institute is one of the region’s premier fine arts museums. In addition to exhibiting outstanding special exhibitions and impressive collections of art from throughout the world, the museum is renowned for education programming that includes an array of offerings for diverse audiences.

The Dayton Art Institute sits atop a hill on the edge of the Great Miami River overlooking downtown Dayton. The museum’s founding patrons included prominent community leaders such as Orville Wright and the Pattersons of NCR. The museum’s landmark building, designed by prominent museum architect Edward B. Green of Buffalo and completed in 1930, was modeled after the Villa d’Este near Rome and the Villa Farnese at Caprarola in Italy, both examples of sixteenth century Italian Renaissance architecture. Today, The Dayton Art Institute's architecturally and historically significant facility is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum’s collection spans 5,000 years of art history, including important Oceanic art, Asian art, European art, and American fine and decorative art collections.

The Dayton Art Institute also hosts concerts, family and youth programs, classes, social events and more. The museum’s signature events include the annual Art Ball and Oktoberfest. The Lange Family Experiencenter, the museum’s interactive gallery for families and young people, offers thematically based exhibitions that stimulate curiosity and creativity. The Dayton Art Institute is one of the area’s premier settings for weddings, parties, corporate meetings and special events.

We invite you to explore this site to learn more about the museum and the many events and programs hosted by The Dayton Art Institute. If you have questions, please visit our Staff Directory page or call the museum at 937-223-4ART (4278).

Visit us often to enjoy our diverse permanent collection, world class special exhibitions, interesting educational programs and unique special events. [source]