The Dayton Art Institute opened the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Gallery for Feminist Art on February 7, a new permanent space dedicated to work by women artists and feminist themes. The gallery was made possible by a gift of close to 500 works from collectors Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell.

The donated collection includes paintings, sculptures, photography, textiles, and mixed media, most created in the late 20th and 21st centuries. The gallery will present the works in a three-part rotating exhibition called “Exploring Feminism,” with installations changing roughly every four months through January 2027. The first rotation runs February 7 through June 7, followed by a second from June 20 through September 20 and a third from October 3 through January 31, 2027.

The acquisition and gallery represent one of the largest gifts in the museum’s recent history and establish the DAI as a regional center for feminist art scholarship and exhibition.

Source: Dayton Art Institute