DVAC presents Art Werger: Below the Surface: A solo exhibition featuring large scale intaglio prints

DAYTON (September 18, 2017) – The Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) is pleased to present Art Werger: Below the Surface, a solo exhibition featuring the works of noted Ohio University professor and printmaker Art Werger. The exhibition begins October 6th and continues through November 4th , 2017.

Below The Surface will feature several of Werger’s large-scale intaglio prints and a 400-print installation.

“Below The Surface is a breathtaking show,” said Eva Buttacavoli, DVAC Executive Director. “Printmaking is a true labor of love and this exhibition showcases Werger’s incredible commitment to his craft. The images are large, intense and absolutely stunning.”

Werger grew up in the suburbs of New York where he developed a passion for drawing at an early age. After studying illustration and painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, he switched to the field of printmaking. Over the last thirty years, he has focused on etching, aquatint and mezzotint and has become an internationally renowned artist in those media having received over 250 awards in national and international exhibitions. In 2012, he received the Award of the Rector at the International Print Triennial in Krakow, Poland and the Prize for Full Correspondence between technique and imagery at the First International Mezzotint Festival in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Werger has works in the collection of the Guanlan Printmaking Base in China, The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Boston Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Trenton Museum in New Jersey and over three hundred corporate and private collections.

The opening reception for Art Werger: Below the Surface will take place on October 6th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. A Gallery Talk will take place October 19th from 5:30- 8:00 p.m. Both events will take place at DVAC, located at 118 N. Jefferson St. in Downtown Dayton. Entry to the exhibition and programs are free and open to the public.

Werger was selected through the 2014 Biennial Call for Exhibitions, juried by Jason Franz, Founding Executive Director & Chief Curator, Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Cincinnati; John Kortlander, Professor, Drawing & Painting, Columbus College of Art and Design and 2012 DVAC Biennial Call Artist; and Liz Maugens, Co-Founder & Director, Zygote Press, Cleveland.

The Presenting Sponsors for Art Werger: Below the Surface are Susan & Ira Thomsen, Exhibition Partners are Amelia Hounshell & Brian Albrecht, and the Education & Public Program Sponsor is Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr.

For more information about DVAC or the Art Werger: Below the Surface exhibition visit www.daytonvisualarts.org, and follow DVAC on Facebook (Dayton Visual Arts Center), Twitter (@DaytonVisArtCtr) and Instagram (daytonvisualartscenter).

Download Press Release

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY DAYTON

Mission: To provide art for the community and a community for artists.

Overview: The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) is the region’s contemporary art center. Established in 1991 as Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC), a 501c3, The Co produces and presents original exhibitions and programs, art events, community partnerships, and artist opportunities. Exhibitions and education programs feature artists living and working today, both nationally and in Ohio, with an emphasis on those whose work focuses on issues of social justice. In addition to its three galleries—open to all and always free—its retail store, the CoSHOP, provides income for Ohio artists and extends The Co’s accessibility to art, from visitor engagement to educational outreach through store products, programs, and experiences.

The Co is proud to support the creation of connections among the arts, community building, civic engagement, community planning, and use of public space, and makes an annual economic impact of 3.4 million to the region. Recently raising 1 million during the Pandemic to expand and move into its new home in downtown’s historic Dayton Arcade, The Co is led by Executive Director Eva Buttacavoli, a 30-year art museum administrator, curator, and educator, whose previous roles were at The Contemporary Austin, TX and The Perez Art Museum Miami, FL; and Curator Michael Goodson, who previously served as Curator at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Beeler Gallery, Columbus College of Art and Design, OH; and as Director at James Cohan Gallery, NY.

The Contemporary Dayton receives operating support from Culture Works, Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District, Ohio Arts Council, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation, and Members.