Come see us! Mod: Visual, Social, Cultural Renaissance of the 1960s and Bottomless Cocktail: The Art of Shag are now open.
We will be following CDC protocols and state health orders. Face masks are welcome during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Social distance will be maintained and visitor numbers monitored. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff!
We look forward to seeing you!
We will be following CDC protocols and state health orders. Face masks are welcome during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Social distance will be maintained and visitor numbers monitored. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff!
We look forward to seeing you!
Current Exhibition
Mod: Visual, Social, Cultural Renaissance of the 1960s
Margaret Wunderlich, Curator
June 1 - August 25, 2024
Take a journey back to the iconic 1960s. Mod: Visual, Social, Cultural Renaissance of the 1960s showcases the decade’s influential social revolutions, which continue to shape our visual, societal and cultural landscapes today.
The 1960s were a decade of dramatic change in the United States and beyond. These years saw the election and assassination of JFK, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the moon landing, the Vietnam War, the activism and assassinations of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Stonewall riots. Americans also experienced major developments in reproductive healthcare, civil rights, media technology, workplace equality, medical science, fashion and the arts. The political, cultural and civil movements from this period continue their revolutions today.
The exhibition features a variety of art mediums that include prints, record albums, furniture, housewares, media, décor, jewelry and clothing that reflect the conflicts and creative spirit of a transformative society.
This exhibition is funded in part by the Wendel Family Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation and Krile Communications
Margaret Wunderlich, Curator
June 1 - August 25, 2024
Take a journey back to the iconic 1960s. Mod: Visual, Social, Cultural Renaissance of the 1960s showcases the decade’s influential social revolutions, which continue to shape our visual, societal and cultural landscapes today.
The 1960s were a decade of dramatic change in the United States and beyond. These years saw the election and assassination of JFK, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the moon landing, the Vietnam War, the activism and assassinations of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Stonewall riots. Americans also experienced major developments in reproductive healthcare, civil rights, media technology, workplace equality, medical science, fashion and the arts. The political, cultural and civil movements from this period continue their revolutions today.
The exhibition features a variety of art mediums that include prints, record albums, furniture, housewares, media, décor, jewelry and clothing that reflect the conflicts and creative spirit of a transformative society.
This exhibition is funded in part by the Wendel Family Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation and Krile Communications
Bottomless Cocktail: The Art of Shag
June 1 - August 25, 2024
Shag is a painter, designer and illustrator working in Southern California. His distinctive artistic style draws from commercial illustration from the past five decades, but the work is imbued with an attitude and sly sense of humor which is unmistakably of our time. Shag's artwork is paired with glassware from Gay Fad Studios.
June 1 - August 25, 2024
Shag is a painter, designer and illustrator working in Southern California. His distinctive artistic style draws from commercial illustration from the past five decades, but the work is imbued with an attitude and sly sense of humor which is unmistakably of our time. Shag's artwork is paired with glassware from Gay Fad Studios.
Exhibition Programming
Curator Talk
Saturday, June 29, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member in advance | $15 at door
Curator Margaret Wunderlich will share insights into the conflicts and creative spirit during the 1960s that inspired her exhibition.
Saturday, June 29, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member in advance | $15 at door
Curator Margaret Wunderlich will share insights into the conflicts and creative spirit during the 1960s that inspired her exhibition.
A Good Time is Guaranteed for All: The Soaring Sixties Roar into Central Ohio
Sunday, July 14, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member, $15 at the door
Author Bill Shkurti, Ohio State University in the Sixties: The Unraveling of the Old Order, will present images representing how the cultural revolution of the 60s captured the hearts and minds of the local youth—to the dismay of the elders.
Sunday, July 14, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member, $15 at the door
Author Bill Shkurti, Ohio State University in the Sixties: The Unraveling of the Old Order, will present images representing how the cultural revolution of the 60s captured the hearts and minds of the local youth—to the dismay of the elders.
Register for A Good Time is Guaranteed
The Mourning Train: Bobby Kennedy's Funeral and the Dying Gasp of American Unity
Sunday, August 4, 3:00 pm
Bexley Public Library, 2411 E Main St, Bexley
David Steigerwald, a Professor of History at The Ohio State University, will explore how Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1968 embodied and refracted many of the deep tensions streaming through American life in the Sixties, and marked the last death of the New Deal-Democratic Party coalition. Register through the Bexley Public Library.
Sunday, August 4, 3:00 pm
Bexley Public Library, 2411 E Main St, Bexley
David Steigerwald, a Professor of History at The Ohio State University, will explore how Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1968 embodied and refracted many of the deep tensions streaming through American life in the Sixties, and marked the last death of the New Deal-Democratic Party coalition. Register through the Bexley Public Library.
Selling at Auction
Sunday, August 18, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member in advance | $15 at door
Join Curator Margaret Wunderlich to learn about market trends, how to sell at auction and what to look for when assessing the value of antique, vintage and contemporary items. Bring photos of items you wish to sell at an auction and she will assess it during the Q & A.
Sunday, August 18, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 member in advance | $15 at door
Join Curator Margaret Wunderlich to learn about market trends, how to sell at auction and what to look for when assessing the value of antique, vintage and contemporary items. Bring photos of items you wish to sell at an auction and she will assess it during the Q & A.
Register for Selling at Auction
For more classes, visit our Programs, Classes and Events page. For information on the DACO Gala, visit the Gala page.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund
Caitlin McGurk, Curator
September 21 - December 28, 2024
Barbara Shermund was one of the first women cartoonists to work for The New Yorker. Beginning there in 1925, she contributed nine covers and hundreds of cartoons to the magazine, and later became a celebrated mainstay at Esquire. Shermund’s cartoons had a fierce and feminist electricity rarely seen in that era of male dominated cartooning. This exhibit celebrates the life and work of this essential cartoonist.
In collaboration with The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
With support from The Fox Foundation Inc.
Caitlin McGurk, Curator
September 21 - December 28, 2024
Barbara Shermund was one of the first women cartoonists to work for The New Yorker. Beginning there in 1925, she contributed nine covers and hundreds of cartoons to the magazine, and later became a celebrated mainstay at Esquire. Shermund’s cartoons had a fierce and feminist electricity rarely seen in that era of male dominated cartooning. This exhibit celebrates the life and work of this essential cartoonist.
In collaboration with The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
With support from The Fox Foundation Inc.
Previous Exhibitions
From Struggle to Strength: Inspiring Journeys of Central Ohio's Refugee Community
January 27 - April 28, 2024
- Jan. 27 - April 28, 2024 -- Perspective of Color
- Sept. 30 - Dec. 31, 2024 -- It's an Honor to Be Here: Ohio Nature Artists in Their Natural State
- Nov. 24 - Dec. 31, 2023 -- Homemade, Handmade & Artist-made Christmas
- Sept. 30 - Dec. 31, 2023 -- Duck Decoys of Ohio
- June 3 - August 27, 2023 -- Intrinsic Luminescence
- Feb. 4 - April 23, 2023 -- Flower Power: Flora in Fashion
- Sept. 24 - Dec. 31, 2022 -- Ohio: The Start of It All
- May 21 - August 28, 2022 -- Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
- Jan. 29 - April 24, 2022 -- Hindsight: The Art of Looking Back
- June 5, 2021 - Jan. 2, 2022 -- Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive
- Nov. 21, 2020 - February 28, 2021 -- Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR
- July 18 - October 25, 2020 -- 2 + 3 x 18: Diptychs and Triptychs by 18 Contemporary Ohio Artists
- Jan. 25 - April 26, 2020 -- Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund
- Sept. 21 - Dec. 29, 2019 -- The Ohio Presidents: Surprising Legacies
- May 25 - Aug. 18, 2019 -- Selections from the Pizzuti Collection
- Jan. 26 - April 28, 2019 -- Lilly's World: Decorative Arts & the Art of Lilly Martin Spencer, 1840-1900
- Sept. 15 - Dec. 30, 2018 -- Imagining a Better World: The Artwork of Nelly Toll
- May 19 - Aug. 19, 2018 -- Creating the Illusion: Costumes & Characters from the Paramount Pictures Archive
- Jan. 20 - April 15, 2018 -- Artists of the Winding Road A-Z
- Sept. 9- Dec. 31, 2017 -- In Our Own Image: The Genesis of Photography and the Contemporary Eye
- May 20 - Aug. 13, 2017 -- Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict
- Feb. 4 - April 23, 2017 -- Circular Abstractions: Bull's Eye Quilts
- Sept. 10 - Dec. 31, 2016 -- An Ohio Childhood: 200 Years of Growing Up
- May 21- Aug. 14, 2016 -- Edith Head and Company: Costumes and Jewelry, 1924-2015
- Jan 23 - April 24, 2016 -- Blue Walk: The Art of William Kortlander
- Sept. 12 – Dec. 31, 2015 -- Early Visions of Ohio - 1765-1865
- June 20 – Aug. 23, 2015 -- Persistence of Nature: Featuring the works of James Mason and Karen Rumora
- February 7 - May 17, 2015 -- A Tradition of Progress: Ohio Decorative Arts 1860-1945
- Oct. 25 - Dec. 31, 2014 -- Campana Brothers: Brazilian Design Now
- June 7 - Aug. 24, 2014 -- Designing Woman: Edith Head at Paramount 1924-1967
- Jan. 25 - April 13, 2014 -- My Best Friends are Potters: Ceramics from the Tim Frederich Collection
- Oct. 26 - Dec. 29, 2013 -- Joseph O'Sickey: Unifying Art, Life and Love
- May 4 - Sept. 1, 2013 -- Gorgeous Threads: A World of Textiles
- Jan. 26 - April 7, 2013 -- A Remarkable Menagerie: Animals in Art
- Oct. 20 - Dec. 30, 2012 -- Outcault/Stahler
- June 23 – Sept. 9, 2012 -- Appalachian Strings
- Jan. 21 – May 20, 2012 -- Looking Forward
- Oct. 22, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011 -- Once Upon a Page
- June 26 – Sept. 4, 2011 -- David Hostetler Unabridged
- Jan. 29 - June 5, 2011 -- Equal in Goodness: Ohio Decorative Arts
- Oct. 23, 2010 - Jan. 2, 2011 -- The Creative Spirit
- May 22 - Sept. 5, 2010 -- Paul Hamilton: Poetry of Place
- Jan. 30 - April 18, 2010 -- Artful Paper: Cut, Folded and Fabulous
- Oct. 3, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010 -- The Shakers: Abiding Inspiration in Faith and Design
- June 25 - Sept. 6, 2009 -- Along Water Street: New Work by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
- April 4 - June 7, 2009 -- Nancy Miller: An Artist's Creative Journey