Our Mission Statement
The Dayton Art Institute is committed to enriching lives and serving the community by creating meaningful experiences with art.
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 Patterson Brothers, founders 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.
Over the past several years, the museum’s collection has grown significantly through generous gifts of artwork by local donors, including important Oceanic art, Asian art, and American fine and decorative art collections. The collection spans 5,000 years of art history.
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 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.
History
The Dayton Art Institute, one of the nation’s finest mid-sized art museums, was founded in 1919 as the Dayton Museum of Arts. Its founding patrons included community leaders such as Orville Wright and the Patterson brothers, founders of NCR. The museum, which also operated a traditional art school, was quickly embraced by the entire community.
Originally occupying an impressive mansion in downtown Dayton, the museum quickly outgrew its first home. Mrs. Julia Shaw Carnell, a prominent community leader, pledged to construct a new museum building if the community would then endow and pay for its operations. Mrs. Carnell’s generosity of nearly $2 million created a landmark building, designed by prominent museum architect Edward B. Green of Buffalo. Completed in 1930, it 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.
Sitting atop a hill on the edge of the Great Miami River over-looking downtown Dayton, the museum was renamed The Dayton Art Institute to reflect the growing importance of its school as well as its museum. The striking new building of nearly 60,000 square feet soon became known as “Dayton’s Living Room.” People from all walks of life came to the Art Institute to visit the permanent collections and special exhibitions, to attend a variety of classes, or to stroll in the gardens on a Sunday afternoon. More than 80 years later, the building still houses The Dayton Art Institute.
In September 1994, the museum announced its largest ever capital campaign to fund a major renovation and expansion of the museum. The Dayton Art Institute reopened in June 1997 with more than 35,000 square feet of additional exhibition space and completely renovated permanent collection galleries.
The museum’s collection has grown significantly over the years through generous gifts of artwork by local donors, including important Europeanart, Asian art, and American fine and decorative art collections. The collection is now comprised of more than 26,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art history.
The museum has also built a tradition for presenting and organizing outstanding special exhibitions. As early as 1960, the museum began organizing exceptional exhibitions such as the CHRYSLER COLLECTION OF FRENCH PAINTINGS, which attracted 56,000 visitors.
During the 1990s, the museum organized special exhibitions such as Theme & Improvisation: Kandinsky & the American Avant-Garde, which received international acclaim, EDGAR DEGAS: The Many Dimensions of a Master French Impressionist, which broke the existing attendance record, and ETERNAL CHINA: Splendors from the First Dynasties, which drew visitors from all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries.
During the past decade, the museum has reaffirmed its tradition of providing outstanding educational programs and special exhibitions.
Exhibition highlights have included THE TRIUMPH OF FRENCH PAINTING: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse, FORM FROM FIRE: Glass Sculpture by Dale Chihuly and THE QUEST FOR IMMORTALITY: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. The latter featured the largest selection of antiquities ever loaned by Egypt, including a life-sized reconstruction of the burial chamber of an Egyptian pharaoh.
The Dayton Art Institute continues to seek ways of better serving museum visitors and attracting underserved audiences, such as the African-American community, families with young children, and young professionals. With innovative programming, increased technology and expanded services, The Dayton Art Institute will continue to thrive in the 21st century.
Building
During its first decade in existence, The Dayton Art Institute outgrew its original home, a mansion located on Monument Avenue in downtown Dayton. Mrs. Julia Shaw Carnell, a prominent community leader, pledged to construct a new museum if the community would then endow and pay for its operations. Mrs. Carnell’s generosity of nearly $2 million created the landmark building that still housese the museum. Completed in 1930, the building 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. The museum facility was designed by prominent museum architect Edward B. Green of Buffalo.
Sitting atop a hill on the edge of the Great Miami River, overlooking downtown Dayton, the striking building of nearly 60,000 square feet soon became known as “Dayton’s Living Room.” People from all walks of life came to the Art Institute to visit the permanent collections and special exhibitions, to attend a variety of classes, or to stroll in the gardens on a Sunday afternoon.
In September 1994, the museum announced its largest ever capital campaign, with a goal of $22 million to fund a major renovation and expansion of the museum’s infrastructure; increase and improve our educational and outreach programs; and fund an endowment for the new facility. In December 1996, the museum reached $23.5 million in capital contributions. With the completion of the nearly two-year capital project, an even greater emphasis was placed on outreach toward under-served audiences, including our community’s African-American and Appalachian populations. The Dayton Art Institute reopened in June 1997 with more than 35,000 square feet of additional exhibition space and completely renovated permanent collection galleries.
