Dayton Art Institute announces 2023 Special Exhibition season

May 30, 2024

Three diverse, traveling special exhibitions will be presented at the Dayton Art Institute in 2023.

The works include a look at the art of Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico in the early 1900s, dramatic works in traditional Japanese paper and modern-day ceramics, and more than 200 works by famed post-Impressionistic artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

“We are thrilled to be able to take our guests on a journey next season with artists from around the world,” said Michael R. Roediger, Director & CEO, in a release.

“The special exhibitions will be exceptional this year and will be some of the largest exhibitions hosted by the DAI in a long time,” added Jerry N. Smith, chief curator.

With descriptions provided by DAI, here’s a look at what’s in store.

New Beginnings: An American Story of Romantics and Modernists in the West

February 18–May 21, 2023

“New Beginnings explores the art of the American Southwest, primarily focusing on works from the 1910s through the 1940s. Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico were among the most important national and international arts colonies at the time, drawing American and European “movers and shakers” seduced by the diverse culture and natural beauty of the region. This exhibition, drawn from the private Tia Collection, features more than 150 paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs and offers a fresh perspective of the evolution of art in America, from the era of Romanticism to Modernism.”

Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper with Born of Fire: Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists

June 24–September 17, 2023

“Washi Transformed looks beyond origami and presents thirty-five highly textured two-dimensional works, expressive sculptures and dramatic installations that explore the astonishing potential of washi, traditional Japanese paper. In this exhibition, nine Japanese artists embrace the seemingly infinite possibilities of the medium, underscoring the unique stature this ancient art form has earned in the realm of international contemporary art. The breathtaking creativity of these artistic visionaries deepens our understanding of how the past informs the present, and how it can build lasting cultural bridges out of something as apparently simple and ephemeral as paper. ‘Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper’ was organized by Meher McArthur and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.”

Born of Fire complements ‘Washi Transformed’ and features a diverse selection of fourteen works by both emerging and internationally established Japanese women ceramic artists. Pioneering new forms and technical and aesthetic innovations in the medium, these remarkable artists are breaking barriers and forging new ways of creating and thinking about ceramics that reflect changes occurring in contemporary Japanese art and society. The works express the influence of nature, innovations in ceramic making techniques and an array of practices. The exhibition is organized by the Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas and works are drawn from the renowned collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, the largest collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics outside Japan.”

Toulouse-Lautrec: The Birth of Modern Paris

October 21, 2023–January 14, 2024

“Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is recognized internationally as one of the most significant post-Impressionist artists for his depictions of cabarets, theaters, dance halls and brothels of late 19th-century bohemian Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec used empathy and humor to capture life as he found it in the bustling “City of Light.” His interest lay in portraying people, not only those he met during his infamous nights on the town, but also his friends and the working-class citizens of Paris.”

“Toulouse-Lautrec: The Birth of Modern Paris includes more than 200 works of art and highlights some of the best-known images of this great artist as presented in many of his large original advertisement posters, letters, prints and drawings (including double-sided drawings), a rare lithographic stone, photographs and books with illustrations by the artist. This exhibition is organized by The Museum Box in collaboration with Pan Art Connections, Inc. (DE).”

For more information, go to www.daytonartinstitute.org/visit or call 937-223-4ART (4278).

About the Author

Russell Florence Jr. is team leader/coordinator of Lifestyles/Dayton.com. He has been an arts/lifestyles reporter for Dayton Daily News since 2012. He formerly served on the Dayton Daily News Community Board of Contributors and assisted the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board. He received his BA in mass communications from Wright State University.