Art in the City

Discover the visual and performing arts experience in downtown Dayton at Art in the City, presented by AES Ohio, on Saturday, August 3, from 1 to 7 p.m.!

Celebrating its eighth year, Art in the City’s full day of offerings will include a variety of Dayton’s best artistic talent – from painting and drawing to spoken word poetry and dance – all together filling the streets of downtown Dayton and multiple stages with:

– Live performances (dance, theater, music & more)

– Live demonstrations (painting, sculpting, and other art-making)

– Hands-on & interactive activities

– Art Full Circle: A Fine Arts Showcase in the Dayton Arcade

– Patio performance parties

– A local Art Bazaar

– A Family Zone with art activities for kids and families

– New this year: “Chalk Walk” – Vote for your favorite chalk mural, completed by local Dayton artists, found throughout the Art in the City event footprint! (See details below)

– A Juried Art Show
(sponsored by Dayton.com and the Dayton Society of Artists)

Find art everywhere!

Artists and performers of all kinds will be sharing their talent on stages and sidewalks throughout Art in the City. Stages operating throughout the event footprint will feature music, spoken word, dance, theatre, and more. Street performances and other activities are planned between each stage and active area so visitors can easily follow the entertainment from one of the following art hubs to another.

Download the complete Art in the City event guide, map, and schedule now to start making your plan to see as much as possible during the event!

Art Hubs & Hot Spots

The Dayton Arcade
Art Full Circle: A Fine Arts Showcase – Twelve rotating artists perform demonstrations of their respective mediums

Dayton Metro Library
Dance performances – See dancers of all kinds take the stage. Participate in a multitude of hands-on activities

Schuster Center Wintergarden
Interactive Dance Stage – Pick up some steps and learn a variety of dance styles, along with a sketching workshop from Urban Sketchers Dayton and an Instrument Petting Zoo

Levitt Pavilion Dayton
Family Zone – Activities for all ages including a bubble zone, face painting, hula hooping, music, and more!

RiverScape MetroPark
Paint-a-Park activity, comedy improv, music, and more!

Courthouse Square
Live music, food trucks galore, and grab a DORA beverage! Play giant games and get your face painted while you’re here!

The International Peace Museum
Spoken word, poetry, healing and meditation with relaxing live performances

Oregon District
Art Bazaar on 5th – More than 40 local artists share their goods for sale and host live demonstrations. Participate in hands-on activities, too!

Dayton Convention Center
Live music and art demos, free caricature art, a photo booth, and more!

Fire Blocks District and St. Clair Lofts Businesses
Art pop-ups and street entertainment – Live musicians fill the street with sound as you travel Art in the City

Make your own creative mark!

Aspiring artists and art lovers of all ages are invited to get involved with hands-on community projects. Projects selected and funded through the 2024 Experiential Grant Program were chosen with YOUR participation in mind!

Unity Gem Mosaic Installation with The Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton

5 years ago at Art In The City, more than 1000 Daytonians came to Courthouse Square to place a piece of tile in the Unity Gem. The very next day we lost nine lives in the Oregon District and the city was changed forever. The DDP and The Mosaic Institute have teamed up to install this Mosaic right where it was made, across the street from the final entrance of the Dayton Arcade.

3rd Annual Playwright’s Race with The Human Race Theatre Company

Be on the lookout for The Human Race Theatre Company’s pop up performances! We’ve shaken it up and asked our playwrights to write about the juried artworks! Art and Theatre come alive with these interactive, site-specific performances.

Vibro-Vision with OKO STUDIO

A mysterious substance was found with a note reading “✋︎●︎□︎❖︎♏︎⬧︎□︎◆︎■︎♎︎” and the goo only seems to respond to sound?! Come see, hear, and interface with this fun and interactive experiment.

Moveable Figure Paper Collage with African American Visual Arts Guild

Create a fun landscape paper collage with movable dancing figures that you can take home.

Marbling Paper with Leesa Haapapuro

Experience the art of Marbling Paper. Swirl paint over top of a tray of water to create a colorful pattern over paper. Take the paper out of the tray to see what magic has been created!

Dayton, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the Phoenix: Symbols of Rebirth with Sarah Brashears

Create your own mixed media Phoenix Fire Bird while listening to a storyteller from Dayton Metro Library! All ages are welcome for this hands-on activity featuring the themes of perseverance and empathy.

Bubble Zone with Bubble Fun Events

Join Bubble Fun Events in creating your very own cool bubble art piece and then stop by the bubble wand making station. Don’t forget to play in the sea of magical bubbles. Fun for all ages!

Try Wheel Throwing with MADE a ceramic art studio

Try your hand at learning how to throw your very own masterpiece on a pottery wheel! Watch as talented artists demonstrate their craft on the wheel.

Birds of a Feather, Paper Bag Dragon and Bracelet Making with Delora Buford Buchanan

Join Delora and her daughters, Jacobee Buchanan and Peggathee Crutchfeld, in using paper bags to create fun art pieces, such as designing a beautiful bird from paper bags. Helping to construct a larger than life paper bag dragon. And while there, you can also craft beautiful bracelets wrapped in cloth.

Belly Dance Blast! with Belly Dance by Bronwen

Have a blast learning belly dance choreography by professional Belly Dancer Bronwen for fun and fitness! All levels including complete novices will leave with some moves. No experience required. Come ready to have fun!

Art Parkd in the City with Art Parkd

Art Parkd in the City is a creative community experience that welcomes everyone. Live music, dancing, interactive art experiences, art vendors, face painting and more in a parking lot near you.

Express Creativity with Dayton Art Institute

‘Express Creativity’ is an art-making activity for youths and families to make and produce a homemade badge featuring a piece of the DAI’s collection, or an original creation.

Button It Up Button Mosaics with Dayton Sewing Collaborative

Add colorful buttons to help create a series of large button mosaics. While you’re there, use the buttons to fashion a take home accessory like button flowers, bracelets and hair clips.

Rock Face Sculpture with Elexus Renner

Create a personal face sculpture using nature’s very own ROCKS! You can take your masterpiece with you to display at home or you can add it to the community “Faces” art piece that will be displayed at a later date!

Spin-Art T-Shirts with Front Street

Use paint markers to customize a t-shirt with your own artwork. Then put the shirt in a spinning drum and watch in awe as the paint creates a tie-dye design! You can take home your shirt once it’s dry.

Color Chaos: The Ultimate Splatter Painting Experience with Picture Perfect Paint Parties

Join us for an unforgettable day of colorful chaos at the ultimate platter painting experience in the heart of the city! Become the artist as you use paint to produce your very own take home splatter paint canvas.You can also help to create a larger collaborative art canvas.

Chalk Walk

Visit local artists as they create stunning, larger than life chalk murals throughout the Art in the City footprint. Vote for your favorite – The winning artists with the most votes will receive a grand prize of $300, 2nd place $200, and 3rd place $150!

– Melissa Robison – “A ‘Coy’ Pond” – corner of Fourth & Main sts.
– Jennifer Carine – “Gem City Funk Bubble” – corner of Jefferson & Fifth sts. near Levitt Pavilion
– Paul Arnold – “Kurt Cobain ‘Chalk As You Are’” corner of Third & Main sts. near Courthouse Square
– Tiffany Kelly from Chalk N’ Awe – “Alice Through the Stained Glass” outside of Rabbit Hole Books, 29 W. First St.
– Nichole Mix – “Mandala Blossom” – corner of Main & Second sts. near Schuster Center
– Jamaar Durr – “The Void”- corner of Fifth St. & Patterson Blvd. near Arby’s
– Melissa McWilliams – “bodhisattva” – corner of Third & S. St. Clair sts

Art in the City Juried Art Show

August 2-16

Starting on August 2, you can vote for your favorite piece of artwork submitted by local artists. These pieces will be displayed at businesses throughout downtown Dayton, as part of the AES Ohio Summer in the City – Art in the City event. Voting will be open until noon on Friday, Aug. 16 via Dayton.com.

Art in the City is a program of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, and the Juried Art Show is organized by the Dayton Society of Artists.

**Please note the following change: Number 8 on the map, “Beautiful Korean, Yu Ji-in” by Lydia Moon Hee Kim, is now located at 6888 Kitchen Incubator at 32 S. Ludlow Street.**