ART IN THE CITY

Art in the City is Downtown Dayton's annual celebration of the incredible collection of visual and performing arts experiences in our city! Dayton has an unbelievable breadth and depth of the arts for a city our size, and downtown is the center of it all. Each year, Art in the City showcases local art and artists of all kinds to highlight and celebrate that artistic variety.

New this year!

This year, Art in the City will stretch beyond its typical one-day event to celebrate the arts all month long!

The celebration will be comprised of three main components (see below for details on each). Those will include:

- An Art in the City Kickoff Festival on Saturday, August 1 - (See details)

- Special Art in the City art exhibits, installations, and pop-ups throughout downtown,
   including the annual Juried Art Show - (See details)

- A full month of arts-related events by downtown art organizations and others - (See details)

Art in the City Kickoff Festival - Saturday, August 1 - 1-7 p.m.

On the first day of August, we'll kick off the celebration with art of all kinds featured in several hot spots throughout downtown. Offerings will include a variety of Dayton’s best artistic talent - from performances and live music to screen printing and sculpture. The event's art hot spots and their highlights will include:

The Dayton Arcade

- Art in the City Juried Art Show & Art Show Vendors
- Artist Trading Card Exchange hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- Dayton Sewing Collaborative hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Instrument Petting Zoo hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- Patch Lab hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- TDS (Tornadic Debris Signature) interactive felt installation
- Music from DPAA String Quartet and Dayton Opera
- The Contemporary Dayton gallery and activities
- North Arcade shops

Levitt Pavilion Dayton

- Art demonstrations and hands-on activities
- Aerial arts
- Henna and face painting
- Crazy Craig juggling, Slam the Clown, Dan the Magician, Troupe Roja Middle Eastern Dance, The Bubble Woman with Bubble Trouble, Rosie Revolution hula hoop workshop
- Other roving performers
- Rock Fest (5:30-9:30 p.m.)

RiverScape MetroPark

- Live music on stage 
- Interactive mural hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- Fabric of Dayton hands-on experience (Grant winner)
- Otherworldly Productions Aerial Arts (1-4 p.m.)
- Paint-a-Park activity (1-4 p.m.)
- Art demonstrations and hands-on art activities
- Face painting

The Oregon District

- Car show and fashion photo shoot
- Art demonstrations and hands-on activities
- Artisan vendors
- Roving performers
- Live music and DJ sets on outdoor stages and inside bars (1-11 p.m.)
- Clash Dayton's Summerween Anniversary Party (Yellow Cab Tavern, 6 p.m.)
- Dayton Celebration Chorus (Newcom-Founders Park gazebo, 1 p.m.)

The Fire Blocks District

- Live music from Acoustic Junior, KimL, UD Horizons Jazz Combo & Linda Snyder, The Lavandulas
- Dine, drink, and shop along Third Street

K12 Gallery & TEJAS

- Hands-on fiber mural project
- Studio tours and art for sale

Chalk the Block - Chalk Artist Zones

See sidewalk chalk murals come to life!

- Outside of the Dayton Convention Center (22 E. Fifth St.)
- Outside of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center (136 N. St. Clair St.)

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Special Art in the City Exhibits, Installations, & Pop-Ups

Art in the City Juried Art Show

August 1-15 - The Dayton Arcade

In this special juried exhibit, you can vote for your favorite piece of artwork submitted by local artists! These pieces will be displayed in the newly opened North Arcade wing of The Dayton Arcade as part of Art in the City.

The Juried Art Show is organized by the Dayton Society of Artists.

LeMonde Light Lane

August 1-31 - Third Street in front of The Dayton Arcade

Light Lane is an interactive public art installation created by LeMonde Studio. It combines stationary bicycles, projection mapping, lighting, and sound to create a human-powered immersive experience that encourages play, sustainability, and community interaction. Four bicycles will be featured during this month-long exhibit - stay tuned for more details!

Light Lane is sponsored by PNC.

Art in the City Dance Pop-Up

August 15 - 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. - Dayton Metro Library Main Library 

Watch local artists perform a variety of dance, including ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, traditional, and more at this special Art in the City Dance Pop-Up event! Plus, check out the Digital Greeting Card Workshop from the African American Visual Artists Guild - create a digital card to print and take home!

Future Is Now X Museum Group Exhibition

(Grant winner)

July 31-August 7 - 118 N. Jefferson St. and 40 N. Ludlow St. 

Future Is Now X Museum presents its inaugural Group Exhibition, an eight-day multimedia event uniting 154 visual artists, live musicians, DJ performers, and digital innovators at 118 N. Jefferson St. and 40 N. Ludlow St. in downtown Dayton. Running July 31 through August 7, 2026, the exhibition is curator Kimyon Huggins’ first Dayton production since leaving for New York City in 1998, channeling thirty years of practice at the intersection of art, music, and technology back into the city where it began. More details and full schedule of happenings here.

TDS (Tornadic Debris Signature)

August 1-31 - The Dayton Arcade 

See Artist Leesa Haapapuro's Tornadic Debris Signature installation that will be part of a series of work investigating the effects of climate change.  Artwork from the series will be on display through August 31. During the Art in the City kickoff event on August 1, join Leesa as she creates elements for the installation. The artist invites participants to try their hand at needle felting wool.

Exhibits at The Contemporary Dayton

Niki Johnson: Pillars of Democracy - through August 15 
Niki Johnson: Pillars of Democracy presents four large-scale mixed-media portraits that reimagine the ideals of liberty, justice, freedom, and progress through layered collage.

Threads of History: Quilts by Carolyn Mazloomi - through September 12
A landmark exhibition of 20 quilts by acclaimed artist, historian, and curator Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, whose powerful black-and-white works honor the lives and legacies of Black freedom fighters.

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Arts Events All Month Long

Art in the City's celebration of downtown's visual and performing arts continues throughout the month of August!

Below is a calendar of arts-related events planned throughout the month. Be sure to support our great arts organizations and others who plan arts events in our city. Mark your calendar now and plan to experience the arts all month long!

↓ August 2026 Calendar of Arts Events ↓

More events will be added continually, so check back often!