You Are My Superhero

Take a break from the everyday and join us for a summer of epic proportions ... a Superhero Summer at DAI! Our summer activities wrap around the special exhibition You Are My Superhero. Organized by The Dayton Art Institute and curated by Associate Director, Jane A. Black, You Are My Superhero explores the iconography of superheroes, and how contemporary artists use that imagery in their own bodies of work. Beginning with images that reflect the Golden Age of comics, the exhibition includes popular figures dating from the 1940s, showing how they have changed over the years.

You Are My Superhero includes animation art and memorabilia from the collection of Dr. Lawrence and Holley Thompson, original panels by Carmine Infantino from Maverick's Cards and Comics in Kettering, and classic comics from the Fairborn shop Bookery Fantasy. These, along with additional loans and one iconic piece from The Dayton Art Institute’s own collection, will delineate superhero variations (both well known and obscure), superhero sidekicks, and superhero hallmarks and behaviors. In addition, limited-edition prints, newer original panels and sketches, and toys and games will tell familiar stories and remind us of the iconic images that have bled into advertising and reflected current events.

The exhibition also includes the work of two artists who have incorporated superhero iconography within their bodies of work. We will feature the work of Michigan-based artist Mark Newport, who knits Superhero costumes and embroiders the covers of comic books, and we will mount a tribute to one of Dayton’s own Superheroes, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mike Peters.

MORE ABOUT YOU ARE MY SUPERHERO
Dayton Daily News: Relating Art to Life

Dayton City Paper: We Could Be (Super)heroes!

Bucher's Beat: Super Summer at the DAI

Cincinnati CityBeat: POW! 'Superhero' Saves Us From an Ordinary Summer

FOX 45 in the Morning: Superheroes at The Dayton Art Institute

Troy Daily News: Super(hero) Exhibit at DAI

WYSO: Superheroes Land at The Dayton Art Institute

Dayton Business Journal: DAI Sets Superhero Exhibit

PICTURE YOURSELF AT THE INCREDIBLE DAI
You Are My Superhero continued our popular “photo opp” feature, with an amazing original comic book cover backdrop created by local artist Randy Palmer. Visitors could strike their best superhero pose in front of THE INCREDIBLE DAI! DAI staff took photos on select days - watch here, on our Facebook page and our Flickr page for photos.

Exhibition Sponsors

Patron Sponsor
Premier Health Partners

Supporting Sponsor
Tridec Technologies, LLC