Dayton Visual Arts Center Presents 27th Annual Open Members’ Show: The Light Within & 20 Artists to Watch

DVAC’s First Online Exhibition featuring 2018-19 Emerging Artist Fellows
July 6 – August 11, 2018

The 27th Annual Open Members’ Show

DAYTON (June 20, 2018) – The Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) presents the 27th Annual Open Members’ Show, The Light Within, sponsored by the DP&L Foundation, opening July 6 and continuing through August 11, 2018. “For 27 years, DVAC has proudly given member artist the opportunity to submit a work of art to be presented in an exhibition with over 100 of their peers,” said Eva Buttacavoli, DVAC Executive Director. “Artists fresh from art school next to career artists, self-taught next to MFAs, Dayton-born next to just-arrived. All works are accepted and celebrated. And in fact, our audiences say this is one of their favorite shows of the year – a snapshot or microcosm of Dayton arts all in one gallery.”

This year’s exhibition theme, The Light Within, was selected in honor of Exhibition Sponsor Dayton Power & Light by the Exhibition and Programing Committee, with input from the DVAC staff. The theme is open to each artist’s own interpretation of the light within.

Over 100 works of art will be on display in a range of media including painting, drawing, photography and more. Many works will be for sale.

The opening reception for The Light Within will take place on First Friday, July 6, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at DVAC, located at 118 N. Jefferson St. in Downtown Dayton. A “lightning-round” Gallery Talk will take place during the closing reception for the show on August 11 from 4-6 p.m. The Gallery Talk will be followed by a reception with light snacks and an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists. All events are free and open to the public. The exhibition will close on August 11, 2017 after the Gallery Talk. This year’s prize juror is Jeffrey Cortland Jones, Professor of Art at the University of Dayton. Jones will select prizes in the following categories:

The Lombard Award for Best in Show
The Mayor’s Office Award
The 2019 Members Showcard Award
and new this year, The Mike Goheen Memorial Fund for Photographers Award

Awards will be announced at the Opening Reception, Fri, Jul 6, 2018

The Light Within is presented with support from Exhibition Partners Eileen and Richard Carr and Education & Public Program Sponsor Dr. Robert L. Brandt, Jr.

20 Artists to Watch

DVAC’s First Online Exhibition featuring 2018-19 Emerging Artist Fellows also opens July 6th. The exhibition is curated by Eva Buttacavoli, DVAC’s Executive Director and will be available to view on DVAC’s website.

The Fellowship is made possible from a grant from the Ohio Arts Council designed to grow ArtSource, DVAC’s art sales arm which connects businesses and healthcare organizations to local art.

The online show is the culmination of a 9 month training by 20 artists who applied to be part of the program and 8 Dayton-area arts professionals who presented workshops and critical reviews. The Fellowship was developed to help artists create a great portfolio to better attain exhibition, grant, residency and sales opportunities – and to help DVAC build a network of critical support.

The 2018 ArtSource Fellows are:

Michele Bondurant
Matthew Burgy
Dan Cleary
Rachel Dominguez-Brenner
Shawna Hatton
Gae Helton
Laura Howells
Mikee Huber
Cydnie King
Maureen O’Keefe
Christina Pereyma
Kate Huser Santucci
Ashley Simons
Stephanie Slowinski
Peggy Steinberg
Tina Louise Stewart
Jamie Strack
Winfred Taylor
Terry Welker
Mary Beth Whitley

The program’s arts professional partners are:

Tess Cortés, former university museum coordinator and multidisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited and screened nationally and internationally;
Ken Emerick, Individual Artist and Percent for Art Director, Ohio Arts Council;
Esther Hall, former director for the Ohio Art League independent fashion designer/fiber artist, and lecturer for VSA Ohio, a state organization on arts and disability;
Jean Koeller, regional artist who exhibits her work regionally and nationally;
David Leach, Professor Emeritus at Wright State University, where he taught printmaking, drawing, and color theory;
Jeremy Long, Associate Professor of painting and drawing at Wright State University;
Dr. Jerry Smith, Chief Curator, Dayton Art Institute;
John Sousa, artist and artwork photographer with over 38 years of photography experience;
Sean Wilkinson, Associate Professor of photography, University of Dayton.

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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.