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.

Are you looking for a fun and unique autumn activity? Then come to our Pumpkin Blow! With help from our professional glass artists, you can blow your own pumpkin from hot molten glass. Everyone must be 5 years or older to participate. It's scheduled in 30 minute increments per person and reservations are required. Pumpkins will be ready for pick up in 7 days but shipping is also available. Experience the wonder that is glassblown art this fall season with your loved ones!

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.

We invite you, whether you’re a musician, poet, comedian, or just a lover of live talent, this is your night to shine—or just sit back, sip something cold, and enjoy the show. Kyle and Rob are bringing their signature energy and laid-back charm, setting the perfect stage for an evening packed with creativity and community.

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.

Are you looking for a fun and unique autumn activity? Then come to our Pumpkin Blow! With help from our professional glass artists, you can blow your own pumpkin from hot molten glass. Everyone must be 5 years or older to participate. It's scheduled in 30 minute increments per person and reservations are required. Pumpkins will be ready for pick up in 7 days but shipping is also available. Experience the wonder that is glassblown art this fall season with your loved ones!

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.

Ring in the holidays with a tour of historic Dayton homes during the 2025 McPherson Town Holiday Home Tour.

Last held in 2023, the popular event returns this year the weekend after Thanksgiving. The tour will be Friday, Nov. 28 from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 29 from 3-7 p.m.

“This is a wonderful activity to share with family and friends visiting for Thanksgiving,” said Jenny Cruz, tour co-chair.

Seven historic homes featured on the guided walking tour include several houses not seen on tour for more than a decade. Tours are scheduled every 12 minutes and will accommodate 15-20 people. Guests will also make a stop in a dessert house for refreshments.

McPherson Town, known as ‘Dayton’s most neighborly neighborhood,’ was one of the Gem City’s first suburbs platted by Samuel McPherson in 1845. It was declared a historic district in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The neighborhood is known for its streetscapes of high style and Folk Victorian and Queen Anne architecture, popular during the late 19th century.

“The McPherson Town Historic District has become one of Dayton’s most sought-after neighborhoods,” said Cruz. “The residents are excited to show off their beautiful homes, each one with its own story to tell.”

The 2025 McPherson Town Holiday Home Tour is sponsored by Ed Smith Flowers and Gifts, Greater Dayton RTA, White Allen Honda, Lucky’s Taproom and Eatery.

Tickets for the timed tours are $20 in advance and can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2025-mcpherson-town-holiday-home-tour-2730169?aff=eivtefrnd&utm-campaign=social%2Cemail&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=strongmail&utm-term=checkoutwidget. Some of the homes require navigating stairs.

Tickets are $25 if purchased the day of the tour at Ed Smith Flowers and Gifts, 209 W. Riverview Ave., where the tour begins