FotoFocus in Dayton: A Dozen Shows You Don’t Want to Miss

Posted on October 14, 2022

Sometimes you need to get out of town, see something fresh, and stretch your brain muscles. And sometimes, that can mean just a short ride up I-75. If you’ve got the itch to get out of town, you’re in luck—FotoFocus has a road trip mapped out for you.

As part of the 2022 Biennial, FotoFocus is featuring a number of Neighborhood Spotlight Days: Opportunities to visit multiple Participating Venues in certain geographic locations on a day when artists, curators, and more will likely be present, along with other neighborhood activities—a great chance to dive into the energy of the Biennial… and map out a plan to get to venues in a year with such a chock-full exhibition list. Each day, you’re invited on a journey through art and the communities hosting it.

This fall, spend a day in Dayton and delve into a fascinating array of photography and lens-based Biennial exhibitions at a host of art havens around the Gem City. The Dayton-area exhibitions are being highlighted for the Dayton, Ohio Neighborhood Spotlight Day on Friday, October 14.

Below, our suggested itinerary to see it all:

01 Contemporary Dayton FF 22 Teju Cole Damascus Syria January 2016 , FotoFocus Cincinnati — Teju Cole, *Damascus, Syria, January, 2016*, printed 2017. Archival C-print, 28 x 22 inches (framed). Courtesy of Teju Cole and The Lannan Foundation

Stop #1: Rosewood Arts Centre
2655 Olson Dr, Kettering, OH 45420
Darren Lee Miller: How do you Want to be Seen? and Ivette Spradlin: From a Distance
Hours: Mon–Thur 10am–9pm, Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–3pm

Stop #2: University of Dayton Radial Gallery
Exhibitions: Beth Chucker: Family. Matter.
Location: 1529 Brown St, Dayton, OH 45469
Hours: Mon–Thur 9am–5pm, Fri 9am–2pm, Sun 11am–4pm

Stop #3: Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, OH 45405
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs (Opens October 15)
Hours: Wed 11am–5pm, Thur 11am–8pm, Fri & Sat 11am–5pm, Sun Noon–5pm

Stop #4: The Contemporary Dayton
25 W Fourth St, Dayton, OH 43209
Teju Cole: Blind Spot
James Nares: Street
Amy Powell: What Once Grew Straight and Tall T’ward the Sun is Absorbing Back Down to Dirt Like a Sponge
Hours: Tue–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 11am–4pm

Stop #5: University of Dayton Index Gallery
Exhibition: Mariquita “Micki” Davis: Pacific Concrete
Location: 31 South Main St, Dayton, OH 45402
Hours: Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sun Noon–6pm

Stop #6: Stivers School for the Arts
1313 E Fifth St, Dayton, OH 45402
Carol Golemboski: Mysteries and Magic
Hours: Mon–Fri 9am–3pm, Sat 10am–2pm

Stop #7: Dayton Society of Artists
48 High St, Dayton, OH 45403
Eyewitness
Hours: Fri & Sat Noon–5pm

Stop #8: Wright State University Robert & Elaine Stein Gallery
160 Creative Arts Center, Dayton, OH 45435
Eyewitness : Selections from the Permanent Collection and Jay Hoops: Polaroids
Hours: Tue & Thur 11am–4pm, Wed & Fri Noon–4pm, Sat 10am–4pm

Stop #9: Antioch College
1 Morgan Pl, Yellow Springs, OH 45387
Flourishing
Hours: Tue–Sat 1–4pm

FotoFocus collaborates—locally, nationally, and internationally—to present and support photography and lens-based projects that are accessible, enriching, and engaging to a diverse public. FotoFocus inspires conversations about the world through the art of photography and film, via its partnerships and signature programming including the FotoFocus Biennial, FotoFocus Symposium, FotoFocus Talks Series, and Film and Video programming.

The Lens is the FotoFocus editorial platform, highlighting our programming and featuring in-depth conversations on photography and the moving image drawn from perspectives and insights in our community, throughout our region, and around the globe.