Community Calendar

Looking for new and fun holiday traditions? Then try our Ornament Blow! With help from our professional glassblowers, you can make your own ornament from hot molten glass! Everyone ages five years and older can participate, making this a perfect family activity. Since this event requires your participation, it gives you an enjoyable and memorable introduction to this unique and fascinating art form. Experience the wonder that is glassblowing this holiday season with your loved ones!

Scheduled in 15 minute increments per person and reservations are required. Excludes Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Ready for pickup in 7 days and shipping is available.

In her work, Eden Quispe creates interior scenes using inherited quilting techniques, embroidery, printing, and collage. Quispe expresses the precarious balance of her multiple roles as a mother, artist and teacher with symbols and materials;  her daughter’s baby clothes, grandfather's ties, and inherited fabric from her family and husband's Peruvian culture are painted and sewn upon and cut to become walls, tables, and chairs. These object memories are sewn together and printed on to create her patchwork paintings.

Denny Gerwin’s ceramic sculptures and vessels reference the female form, acknowledging artifacts created up to 30,000 years ago and illustrating universal human interest in precarious subject matter. Recognizing himself as the “other” in the equation, and noting that this is a rare position for him to sit in, the artist is grateful for lessons learned in vulnerability. More recent works in this series show clinched fists, an aberration from traditional depictions of Venus and an apt departure given the threat to women's power.

The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present Xaviera Simmons: Figure Eleven, a major solo exhibition bringing together recent works in photography, painting, video, and the world premiere of a new body of bronze sculptures by one of the most bold and visionary artists of our time.

Simmons’ practice is deeply rooted in art history, both through deliberate assertion and continuous engagement, drawing on references that span from antiquity and the American landscape to contemporary media. Her work unfolds through a cinematic sensibility, where narrative, movement, and stillness intersect. This is evident in her photographic series such as American Book Covers and Sundown, in her monumental text paintings, and now in this new body of bronze sculptures.

Performance, choreography, and the sensual are integral to Simmons’ artistic language. In this recent sculptural work, these elements coalesce into forms that feel both classical and contemporary. As with much of her practice, Figure Eleven situates art history within an ongoing continuum, like a film that resists final resolution.

The sculptures recall the Venus of Willendorf and Venus de Milo while simultaneously reflecting the multiplicity of contemporary bodies and motifs. Their power lies in their capacity to collapse and reconcile distinct historical and cultural narratives. The figures embody a poised stillness that resonates with the language of movement and performance. Figure Eleven, both the exhibition’s title and the newest figurative sculpture, appears as if drawn from a film still, a moment suspended between gesture and permanence.

In Small Measure is our inaugural fundraising exhibition where we ask participants to create a postcard sized work of art, donate it to us, and in exchange, it will be included in an exhibition on February 13-14, 2026 at The Contemporary Dayton, Dayton, Ohio’s contemporary art center.

Submission Deadline (Postmark): Feb 1, 2026

In-Person Drop-Off Deadline: Feb 4, 2026

Exhibition Dates: Feb 13-14, 2026

December 3 – 27, 2025

Opening Reception: December 3, 6 – 8 pm

Closing Reception: December 27, 2025, 4 – 6 pm

Lori Daugherty: Bold Whispers brings together a series of intimate encaustic works in which color, wax, and heat converge to form small but potent moments of energy. In each piece, Dayton-based artist Lori Daugherty coaxes organic bursts of form and pigment into being—gestures that feel alive, expanding, and quietly insistent. These works reward slow looking: what first appears delicate reveals surprising force, and what seems restrained carries a pulse of movement just beneath the surface.

Working with encaustic wax and inks, Daugherty builds her compositions through layered translucency, texture, and the dynamic unpredictability of a torch and flame. The resulting surfaces hover between control and spontaneity, abstraction and suggestion. Together, the paintings in Bold Whispers invite viewers to linger in the space where subtlety becomes powerful and small moments open into larger stories.

All artworks in this exhibition are available for purchase. Please visit the reception desk or speak to a staff member to purchase. Proceeds support both the artist and The Contemporary Dayton’s mission to connect artists and audiences through accessible, engaging contemporary art experiences.

Creepy Christmas: A Bizarre for the Strange & Unusual

Sunday, December 7th | 12 PM – 5 PM

Free Admission!

❄️ As winter’s chill creeps in and the veil between merry and macabre grows thin, join us for a hauntingly festive gathering of artists, makers, and vintage curators who celebrate the darker side of the holiday season.

Shop from over 35 artisans and vintage vendors offering handcrafted curiosities, mystical wares, gothic décor, and eerie treasures—perfect for those who find beauty in the shadows. Sip, shop, and soak in the strange holiday spirit beneath the glow of twinkling lights and dark delights. Embrace the magic! ✨

Celebrate a Creepy Christmas at The Brightside. Vendor applications for the event are now closed. However, this is an annual event. Feel free to message us to be added to our mailing list for future events.

Here’s the truth: shopping local really matters. Every time you choose to buy from people instead of big corporations, you are supporting real folks in our area and helping to strengthen the whole community.

Step into a world of enchantment and winter bad-assery at the Temple’s 2025 Winter Mystical Market and Fundraiser! This season’s market brings together crafty vendors, rebel souls, and exquisite artisans, each offering a unique collection of handmade treasures perfect for the season.

As you explore, you will find gifts that inspire, whether you are shopping for loved ones or treating yourself. From jewelry and adornments, to crystals, herbs, teas, art, and snacks, our creators have something magical for everyone.

And the magic does not stop there! Enjoy raffles, prizes, and the chance to win big in our beloved 50/50 drawing. The Temple of the Rebel Goddess is a fully self-supporting spiritual community, sustained by your contributions.

Embrace the mystical wonderland within our four walls in Dayton and discover a marketplace of rebel spirit and endless possibilities.

Entrance is $3 at the door. Hope to see you there!

Join us at Wright Library for a Gingerbread Jamboree Puppet Show with River City Puppets on Sunday, December 7 from 2 - 3 p.m.

Ralphie the Elf has one dangerous job; he has to feed the Gingerbread Beast! It gobbles up cookies, houses, and most of all… stories! With help from the audience, Ralphie must entertain the beast with hilarious versions of The Gingerbread Man, Hansel and Gretel, and a surprising new tale starring the Gingerbread Beast himself.

You will be mesmerized by the puppetry, music, and masterful storytelling in this original puppet show by Dylan Shelton of River City Puppets, a national touring puppet theatre that creates original performances perfectly suited for children and families.

The Casuals Band
Christmas Dance for the Needy!
(please donate a personal, paper product or $$)
Ballroom selections and more!
Sunday: December 7, 2025
2–2:45 Free Beginner Dance Lessons
3 – 7pm
American Czechoslovakian Club
922 Valley Street, Dayton OH
$10 Members, $11 non-Members
cash or check only
Includes: Beer * Wine * Soft Drinks * Snacks
(Food Available)
Reservations if desired:
937-222-9771
reservations1@accdayton.com
www.accdayton.com

We're delighted to have National Theatre Live's production of LIFE OF PI on our schedule for Sunday, Dec. 7 at 5:00.

"Puppetry, magic and storytelling combine in a unique, Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the best-selling novel. After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. Filmed live in London’s West End and featuring state-of-the-art visuals, the epic journey of endurance and hope is bought to life in a breath-taking new way for cinemas screens."