FOR AMERICA at DAI

(Dayton, OH) - Our local, world-class, art museum is celebrating its Centennial in 2019 and will feature three special exhibitions this year in addition to other focus exhibitions and two significant Asian art loans.

For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design is the first of the special exhibitions planned at the Dayton Art Institute this year and opened to the public on February 23rd.  This exhibition of 100 paintings by 78 artists tells the story of the National Academy, from the early 19th century into the 21st.

This large exhibit filled the museums special exhibition space with artist's portraits and representative works including landscapes and other scenes and subjects.  For America is an exhibit worthy of multiple visits to view, interpret and enjoy your favorite works that display so much of the potential and talent of American artists and America itself.  Surprisingly, the National Academy membership including many women who are also represented in this exhibit.  Women have historically met resistance when trying to enter the Art world so it was refreshing to see them representative substantially here.  The exhibition really does feature a fair amount of diversity, especially for the era.

The Dayton Art Institute is the debut venue for this major traveling exhibition, organized by the American Federation of Arts and the National Academy of Design. Founded in 1825, the National Academy has long been a leading artistic voice in America as an honorary artists’ society, school, and museum.

The exhibition features masterworks from many of its prominent members along with portraits of several of the artists.  A donation of a representative work by the artist was required for membership  from the academy's inception.  A portrait also became a requirement for membership in subsequent years of the academy's history.  Included in the exhibition are works by some of the most recognizable names in American Art: Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Maxfield Parrish, William Merritt Chase, N.C. and Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Eakins, Robert Henri, Ernest Blumenschein, Isabel Bishop, Richard Estes, Wayne Thiebaud, Peter Saul and many more.

The exhibition runs from February 23 2019 - June 2 2019, and you can learn more about visiting the museum and exhibition here.

Video of the exhibition at the National Academy Museum

The national tour of For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design is supported by the JFM Foundation, Monique Schoen Warshaw, and Steph and Jody La Nasa.

The special exhibition at DAI is supported by:

FOUNDING SPONSOR
Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts

BENEFACTOR SPONSOR
DP&L Foundation

PATRON SPONSOR
Jerry and Patty Tatar

~ safe travels ~