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The Contemporary Dayton Receives Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

DAYTON (July 13, 2022) – The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) is thrilled to announce that it is a first-time recipient of the prestigious Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Spring 2022 grant. The Co was selected as one of 50 organizations—and as one of only 19 of those being first-time recipients—that was awarded a part of the $3.9 million grant that was dispersed. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts seeks out creative risk-takers that are continually supporting the needs of artists in their communities in resourceful ways and will provide The Co with funding over the next two years to support their rotating exhibitions and expanded educational programs.

 

“We are honored to be recognized by this august and noble organization,” says Michael Goodson, Curator and Director of Programs at The Co. “The entire staff at The Contemporary Dayton started, in earnest, a shift in exhibitions, programming, philosophy, and mission in the summer of 2020. Amid the tumult of that time, our vision was clear that one of our first goals was to garner an Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts grant.” Goodson recalls that “at the time the idea seemed so far ahead of us; a year later much closer. And now, it has been announced. While this funding is crucial to our vision and mission, the trust and belief that the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has in The Contemporary Dayton is equally important.

 

“The Contemporary Dayton is an important point of connection and exchange for artists and audiences in the region,” said Rachel Bers, Program Director, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. “We are pleased to support its exhibitions and public programs that situate local artistic practices within global contemporary art discourse and create space for critical engagement with issues relevant to its immediate community.”

The Co’s three distinct galleries plus the CoSHOP at the Dayton Arcade are always free and open to the public. Exhibitions and educational programs feature artists living and working today, both nationally and in Ohio, with an emphasis on those whose work focuses on the ideas, concepts, and issues of contemporary life.

 

ABOUT THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS
In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The foundation manages an innovative and flexible grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalog raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has given over $260 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations in 49 states and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide.

 

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.

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