Visual, Performing Arts Showcased in Virtual DP&L Summer in the City Event

The online event will includes performances, demonstrations and interactive arts experiences

July 15, 2020, DAYTON, Ohio — The fourth annual Art in the City, a celebration of downtown Dayton’s great collection of visual and performing art, will be held online this year in a Virtual Art in the City, beginning Saturday, August 8, at noon.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership, along with the members of the organizing committee for the annual event, will once again bring more than 100 Dayton artisans together to showcase the creativity of downtown and the Dayton region. A signature event of the DP&L Summer in the City, Virtual Art in the City will be an online experience that will give the community a glimpse into the vast creative offerings of Dayton artists, while also offering ways to participate in their own creative projects from home.

“The decision to move the event online was made after careful consideration regarding the impact of COVID-19, and following the suggestions set by state and local health officials regarding public gatherings,” said Sandra K. Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “We look forward to the opportunity to connect the community with hundreds of local artists and arts organizations in an online setting, and exploring new and innovative ways to be creative together, while apart.”

Virtual Art in the City will showcase artisans and their creative work through videos, photos, live-streamed performances and demonstrations, a juried art show, and more. The online event will also include parts of Art in the City that guests have grown to love, including interactive elements for individuals and families that will allow them to create from home and share their masterpieces with other Virtual Art in the City attendees. Details about the online event and its content will be released in the coming weeks on the Downtown Dayton Partnership website.

“For the past three years, Art in the City has connected people in our community with talented artists and organizations, and this year, Virtual Art in the City will be no exception,” Gudorf said. “While we miss being able to share this talent in person, guests can take advantage of being able to see and do more arts activities than they could usually fit into a typical Art in the City evening — and all from the comfort of home!”

DP&L Summer in the City and Virtual Art in the City is a program of the Downtown Dayton Partnership and is sponsored by Dayton Power & Light, Dayton.com, the Ohio Arts Council.

Art in the City program partners include The Contemporary, Culture Works, the Dayton Art Institute, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Five Rivers MetroParks, Front Street Studios, The Human Race Theatre Company, K12 Gallery & TEJAS, The Levitt Pavilion, and Dayton Live.

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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.