Image: Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute will present two programs connected with the exhibition ‘Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice’ during its free Art for All Weekend on August 29–30, 2026. The museum will offer free admission to all visitors throughout the weekend, including access to its special and focus collections.
The first program is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, at 2 p.m. in the Leo Community Room. Ryan Qualls of the Paul Laurence Dunbar House and National Park Service will lead the session, according to the Dayton Art Institute’s announcement. The museum has not provided a program title or additional description for the Saturday event.
On Sunday, August 30, at 2 p.m., Dayton Poet Laureate Sierra Leone will participate in a conversation and spoken-word performance in the Special Exhibition gallery. The event is described as special programming for the August 29–30 weekend and is presented in connection with ‘Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice.’
The announcement identifies one featured work: William H. Johnson’s ‘Underground Railroad,’ about 1945, an oil painting on paperboard. The work is credited to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where it entered the collection as a gift of the Harmon Foundation. Johnson is identified by the museum as an American artist who lived from 1901 to 1970.
The weekend’s programming is part of Art for All Days, a Dayton Art Institute initiative that provides free admission to all museum guests. The museum’s calendar lists the 2026 Art for All dates as March 7–8, August 29–30 and November 14–15. The institution says the program supports its mission of creating diverse experiences through art, strengthening community connections and inspiring imagination.
The Dayton Art Institute is located at 456 Belmonte Park North in Dayton, Ohio. Its Saturday hours are listed as 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Sunday hours are noon to 5 p.m. The William H. Johnson programs will both begin at 2 p.m., with the Saturday event in the Leo Community Room and the Sunday conversation and performance in the Special Exhibition gallery.
