Our artist-led workshops are designed to make community connections between our guests, local artists, and The Dayton Art Institute through conversation and artmaking. Select from the session options above. Space is limited and spots fill up quickly. Advanced reservation is strongly encouraged. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your session.

Sponsored by AES Ohio Foundation

Drawn to the Face: A Portrait
Participants will explore the art of capturing human expression and emotion through charcoal. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, this series is designed to guide you through the fundamentals and advanced techniques of portraiture. Over the course of several sessions, you’ll learn how to sketch and shade the human face, focusing on proportion, light and shadow to bring your portraits to life. Each participant receives their own personal drawing kit to keep following the workshops. 

Still Waters, Bold Lines 
Unleash your creativity through the meditative blend of watercolor and ink in this expressive, beginner-friendly art workshop designed for adults 18 and older of all backgrounds. Participants will explore the fluid, intuitive nature of watercolor painting combined with the bold, intentional marks of ink. Whether you’re picking up a brush for the first time or rekindling a creative flame, this workshop invites you to relax, experiment and connect with yourself through art. 

Block Party: Linocut Edition
In this printmaking workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of relief printing, from carving their own linoleum block to inking and pressing their final prints! This is a meditative, tactile experience for beginners and creatives of all skill levels that sparks creativity. 

Community Workshop Series: The Clay Lab
Designed for adults who want to reconnect with their creativity through the grounding and meditative process of hand-building with clay. Each session introduces a simple yet satisfying ceramic technique from pinch pots to slab work to surface design.

Community Workshop Series: Sacred Circles: A Mandala Workshop
Participants will explore the ancient and symbolic art of mandala making. This practice is rooted in balance, unity, and self-expression. Through guided prompts and intuitive drawing, you’ll create your own unique mandalas using simple tools and soothing techniques.

Community Workshop Series: Sacred Circles: Intuitive Collage Journaling
Using a mix of found images, textures, and words, you'll create deeply personal, process-driven collages that reflect your emotions, thoughts and intentions.

Once you have completed your registration, you will receive an email with additional information. If you have questions, please email [email protected] or call 937-223-4278 during regular museum hours.

Please Note: The DAI implemented a new ticketing and membership system in 2021. If you have not previously used this system, you will need to create a user account in order to reserve your space. If you are a museum member, the system will connect that user account to your membership profile, in order to receive your member discount.

Download instructions to create a new user account