Dayton Art Institute, Dayton,Ohio

Directory Profile

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.

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Upcoming Events: Dayton Art Institute

Bob Ross Auto Group Jazz & Beyond Concerts at DAI

7/17/2025

Featuring a great mix of familiar favorites and new faces from the region's jazz scene. We're excited to welcome the Bob Ross Auto Group back as series sponsor!

Captivating Clay: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection

7/17/2025

Special Exhibition at the Dayton Art Institute April 13, 2024–September, 2025, Gallery 106 Captivating Clay: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection

Cats in Art / Dogs in Art

7/17/2025

These complementary exhibitions look at images of our beloved pets within the Dayton Art Institute collection. June 18–September 14

Summer Art Camps at The Dayton Art Institute

7/17/2025

Introduce your children to the world of art through Summer Art Camps at The DAI. Register online today! Art Camps fill quickly!

Wonders in Color: Art by Alexander Calder & Others

7/17/2025

A sense of joy and wonder is apparent in the art of American artist Alexander Calder. Exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute June 18- October 26

Community Workshop – Still Waters, Bold Lines

7/19/2025

Our artist-led workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists, and the Dayton Art Institute through conversation and artmaking.

Curtis Barnes, Sr., Dayton Icon Community Tour

7/19/2025

A tour experience exploring the art and fun of the Curtis Barnes, Sr., Dayton Icon special exhibition.

Themes in Yoshitoshi’s 100 Aspects of the Moon

7/19/2025

One of the outstanding series in the history of Japanese woodblock prints, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s 100 Aspects of the Moon is the culmination of the artist’s career.

Special Exhibition Workshop Series: Everything is Everything

7/24/2025

Our artist-led workshops are designed to foster community connections among our guests, local artists and the Dayton Art Institute through conversation and art-making.

Museums on Us

8/02/2025

The Dayton Art Institute is pleased to continue its participation in the Bank of America Museums on Us® program.

Community Workshop Series – Drawn to the Face: A Portrait

8/07/2025

Our artist-led workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists, and the Dayton Art Institute through conversation and artmaking.

Special Interest Tour – Comedy Tour with Teddy

8/07/2025

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.

Community Workshop – Block Party: Linocut Edition

8/23/2025

Our artist-led workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists, and the Dayton Art Institute through conversation and artmaking.