Dayton Art Institute - Dayton
Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, OH, 45405
Committed to enriching the community by creating meaningful experiences with art that are available to all. Visit us often to enjoy our diverse collections, world class exhibits and more.
Founded in 1919, the Dayton Art Institute is one of the region’s premier fine art museums, known for its impressive collections of art, world-class traveling exhibitions and educational programming that includes a selection of offerings for diverse audiences.
The museum, originally known as The Dayton Museum of Arts, began as an art school with a small collection of art, located at the corner of Monument Avenue and St. Clair Street in downtown Dayton. During its first decade, the museum grew rapidly. In 1927, the name was changed to the Dayton Art Institute to reflect the increasing importance of the art school and in 1928, through the generosity of benefactor Julia Shaw Patterson Carnell, who pledged $2 million, and many others in the community, construction of a new home for the museum began.
Now, The Dayton Art Institute sits atop a hill on the edge of the Great Miami River, overlooking downtown Dayton. The beautiful museum building was designed by renowned museum architect Edward B. Green, in the vision of Julia’s favorite place–Italy, taking inspiration from two Italian Renaissance palazzos: the Villa d’Este near Rome and the Villa Farnese at Caprarola.
The new Dayton Art Institute opened to the public on a snowy day on January 7, 1930. A gift from Julia to the community, she is quoted saying “I feel as if I were giving you one of my children. Treat it kindly. I want this to be a friendly place. I want you to come again and again.”
Museum guests were greeted with spacious galleries, a glorious Great Hall and two open-air cloisters. Thousands sought respite from the difficult economic times of the Great Depression at the museum, which offered lovely galleries with approximately 200 objects in the collection, musical programs, classes, social events and even a collection of birds and animals. Julia Shaw Patterson Carnell had given the community a gift she would refer to as “Dayton’s Living Room.”
Today, the building, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, still houses the Dayton Art Institute. The museum’s collection, which spans 5,000 years of art history, including African, American, Ancient Americas, Antiquities, Asian, Contemporary, European, Glass, Photography, Textiles and Works on Paper, has grown to more than 27,000 objects. The museum is committed to collecting works that can add to its collection, especially those by underrepresented artists, particularly works by minorities and women.
Upcoming Events: Dayton Art Institute
Engaged: Rings from around the World
3/20/2026
Throughout human history, people have loved putting things on their fingers. Often made with precious materials, they serve a wide range of purposes, from enhancing one’s appearance and indicating social status.
Exploring Feminism
3/20/2026
Presenting feminist artwork from the newly acquired Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, this three-part, rotating exhibition will demystify the origins, history and commitments of the feminist movement.
Symbols of Hope: Eunshin Khang
3/20/2026
The paintings of Eunshin Khang invite dialogue. This may be dialogue with family and friends, dialogue across cultures or dialogue on a spiritual level, conversing with the life of faith.
Tony Foster, Exploring Time: A Painter’s Perspective
3/20/2026
In a world where environmental change is often conveyed through striking images of global warming, Foster offers a different perspective, one that considers Earth’s continual evolution and the visible traces of time’s passage
Botany Tour at the Dayton Art Institute
3/21/2026
Join us at the DAI for our Special Interest Botany Tour. Explore the unique expressions of plants in art and then create your own plant-inspired cyanotype print to take home! Plant enthusiasts welcome!
Family Open Studio
3/21/2026
Join us for a time of open-ended creativity and art making! No signup necessary. We encourage you and your family to just drop in!
Saturday Morning Community Tour
3/21/2026
This guided tour of the permanent galleries invites you to explore artworks through unexpected perspectives that connect art, culture and the world around us.
Skinner Pipe Organ Concerts at Dayton Art Institute
3/22/2026
Hear the museum’s restored Skinner pipe organ and see the beautifully renovated Mimi and Stuart Rose Auditorium.
Artist’s Talk: Tony Foster at the Dayton Art Institute
3/28/2026
Join us for a special presentation by artist Tony Foster, as he discusses his process, his long career of painting remote reaches of the world and his latest Journey, Exploring Time: An Artist’s Perspective.
Spend An Afternoon with Artist Tony Foster
3/28/2026
Join us for a special presentation by artist Tony Foster, as he discusses his process, his long career of painting remote reaches of the world and his latest Journey.
Museums on Us at the Dayton Art Institute
4/04/2026
The Dayton Art Institute continues its participation in the Bank of America Museums on Us® program. Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders get free general admission during the first full weekend of each month.
Yeck Artist in Residence Community Workshops at Dayton Art Institute
4/04/2026
Our artist-led, two-day workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists and The Dayton Art Institute through conversation and art making. Select a session option and register early!
Curated: A DAI Signature Event
4/09/2026
Back for its second year, Curated offers you an opportunity to sample a variety of handcrafted cocktails created by the region’s best bartenders while raising funds for art protection and preservation.
Jazz & Beyond at Dayton Art Institute
4/16/2026
Jazz & Beyond 🎷series is back in 2026 with a seven-show season at the Dayton Art Institute 🎶
All the World’s a Stage
5/16/2026
Across cultures, the performing arts—drama, dance, music—have entertained and educated, bringing people together in communal spaces to celebrate and question what it means to be human.
Special Interest Tour – How’s the Weather? - Dayton Art Institute
5/30/2026
DAI’s Special Interest Tours are community tours with specialized themes! Explore the museum and make new connections! Invoke your creative spirit following the tour with a quick, make-and-take art activity.
Art Ball: DAI Signature Event
6/13/2026
Art Ball has been the Miami Valley’s premier social event for more than 60 years. This annual black-tie function raises critical funds for the museum’s mission of bringing art to all. Ticket sales start April 15.
Summer Art Camp - Dayton Art Institute (Grades 1-2)
6/22/2026
Introduce your children to the world of art! Campers explore the museum with fun gallery games, new interdisciplinary art lessons, creative art projects and more.
Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
6/27/2026
William H. Johnson (1901–1970) painted the Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s as tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers and performers as well as international leaders.
Summer Art Camp - Dayton Art Institute (Grades 3-5)
6/29/2026
Introduce your children to the world of art through Summer Art Camps at the DAI. Campers explore the museum with fun gallery games, new interdisciplinary art lessons, creative art projects and more.
Getting Technical: Alternative Photographic Processes
7/18/2026
This 2026 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition examines ways artists have used historical, non-traditional or experimental processes to make unusual and strange photographs - often through adjustments to chemistry.
Art in Bloom: DAI Signature Event
7/30/2026
Art in Bloom offers a unique blend of elegance, inspiration and summertime joy. Stroll among floral arrangements inspired by masterpieces from the DAI permanent collection. Tickets go on sale June 18.
Art For All Day - FREE ADMISSION at Dayton Art Institute
8/29/2026
During “Art For All” Days, the Dayton Art Institute offers free admission to all museum guests, including special and focus collections.
Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography
9/05/2026
The Meiji period (1868–1912) encompassed great change, as traditional institutions gave way to political and social upheavals, along with the Westernization of aspects of Japanese culture.
Oktoberfest at the Dayton Art Institute
9/26/2026
A Dayton tradition established in 1971, Oktoberfest is the museum’s largest annual fundraiser and vital to everything we do at the Dayton Art Institute. The fall festival takes place the fourth full weekend of September.
Wall Power! Spectacular Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum
10/17/2026
Quilts are America’s great art experiment: monumental compositions in color, pattern, geometry and representation, and traditionally, quilts are made mostly by women.
Good Book: Bible Stories from the Collection
11/14/2026
For hundreds of years, the Bible has been the most-printed and best-selling book in the world. It has served as a continual inspiration for visual art.
Related news & company posts for Dayton Art Institute
Dayton Art Institute Named 'Best of Weddings' Winner
1/24/2020: Dayton, OH - The Dayton Art Institute has been named a Best of Weddings winner by leading wedding-planning brand, The Knot.
Monet's Waterlilies at the Dayton Art Institute
4/29/2015: Dayton, OH - "Waterlilies" by French Impressionist Claude Monet is part of the permanent collection at The Dayton Art Institute.
