Dayton's Art Escapes tonight

Contemporary Dayton’s “Art Escape: Café Escape” is set for Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Wayne and Clover Coffee Shop in Dayton. (eventbrite.com) The event pairs a featured artist, Elisha Frontz, with coffee, tea, sweets and a spring plant sale from The Flower Shoppe. Tickets are listed at $10, with sales available online and at the door. (codayton.org) Contemporary Dayton describes Art Escapes as a series of small gatherings in spaces across the city, including cafés, historic homes and penthouses. Each event is built around meeting a member artist, seeing work in person and spending time in a social setting rather than a formal gallery program. (codayton.org) The format comes as Contemporary Dayton continues its 2026 exhibition season at 25 West Fourth Street in the Dayton Arcade. Its current spring lineup includes shows by Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Jason REVOK and Paul Verdell, all running from March 13 to June 6. (codayton.org) The organization says proceeds from Art Escapes support its Arts and Wellness initiatives, which it links to youth, caregivers and underserved communities in the region. Contemporary Dayton identifies itself as a nonprofit contemporary art center founded in 1991 as Dayton Visual Arts Center. (codayton.org 1) (codayton.org 2) Contemporary Dayton’s main galleries are free and open Wednesday through Saturday, while Art Escapes move some of that programming into off-site venues with paid admission. The group says the goal is to introduce new audiences to artists and to the organization through a more casual setting. (codayton.org 1) (codayton.org 2) Frontz has already been part of Contemporary Dayton’s 2026 calendar: the center’s exhibition archive lists “Member’s Spotlight Exhibition: Elisha Frontz” for March 4 through March 29. Wednesday’s event extends that artist connection into a neighborhood coffeehouse format. (codayton.org) For Dayton, the pitch is simple: a two-hour art event in a coffee shop, priced at $10, with one local artist at the center of the room. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. at 1201 Wayne Avenue. (wyso.org)