CONTACT: 937-223-5277
Kim Patton, ext. 223, kpatton@daytonartinstitute.org
Renee Roberts, ext. 222, rroberts@daytonartinstitute.org

LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN CURATE EXHIBITION
AT THE DAYTON ART INSTITUTE

(DAYTON, OH) - Look at art through the eyes of a child. A new exhibition at The Dayton Art Institute, KIDS AS CURATORS, was developed by 98 fifth and sixth grade students from four Dayton area schools - Belle Haven Elementary, Horace Mann Montessori, Trotwood-Madison Middle School, and Holy Angels School.

These young curators developed the exhibition theme of Ohio art and artists and then selected 24 works of art from The Dayton Art Institute’s collection for the exhibition. They also designed three hands-on activities for the gallery space, including textural rubbings to imitate relief printmaking, adding faces and color to student-designed drawings, and sculptural figures built with blocks. Visitors to KIDS AS CURATORS will also enjoy designing their own exhibition on a magnet wall, browsing a variety of books in the reading area, or going on a gallery hunt in the museum to find the works of art they would select as a curator.

The students also created their own artwork in response to the Ohio art and artists displayed in the exhibition. These artworks are on display and have been published as an exhibition catalog. The young curators wrote their own interpretations of the artwork, which are being used as label text throughout the exhibition.

KIDS AS CURATORS is sponsored by The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Pamela and George Houk, and the Iddings Foundation. The exhibition is on view at The Dayton Art Institute from May 10, 2008 to April 12, 2009. Admission is free.

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The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that supports public programs in the arts, helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.