DAYTON, OH.- The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) announced the appointment of Heather Jones as its new Curator and Director of Programs and Engagement. A celebrated artist, educator, curator, and advocate for contemporary art, Jones brings a deep commitment to supporting artists and fostering meaningful community engagement.
Jones, known for her vibrant textile-based works and thoughtful curatorial vision, will lead The Co’s exhibition programming, advancing its mission to present thought provoking contemporary art that reflects and inspires the Dayton community.
“We are thrilled to welcome Heather Jones to The Co,” said Executive Director Eva Buttacavoli. “Her passion for elevating artists’ voices and her dynamic approach to curation will shape an exciting new chapter for our exhibitions and public programs.”
Jones’ curatorial leadership begins immediately, with upcoming exhibitions and projects designed to deepen connections between artists and audiences.
Heather Jones is an artist, writer, and curator who was born in Dayton, Ohio. She received her BA and MA (ABT) in Art History from the University of Cincinnati. Jones’ first book, Quilt Local: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday was published in 2015 by STC Craft, an imprint of Abrams, New York. She was selected as an artist-in-residence for Kehinde Wiley’s inaugural class at Black Rock Senegal in Dakar in 2019, and completed a 10-month residency at Silver Art Projects in New York City in 2023. Jones recently participated in an intensive residency program at Anderson Ranch, Colorado with acclaimed contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas and renowned curator Jasmine Wahi.
Jones’ work has been exhibited widely at national and international venues, most recently at the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio; the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; and the Dakar Biennale, Dakar, Senegal. Her work has been acquired by the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio; KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; Stiftung Konzeptuelle Kunst, Soest, Germany; the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago, Illinois; Fidelity Investments, Boston, Massachusetts; Churchill Asset Management, the Seagram Building, New York, New York; the Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio; the Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as many other private collections throughout the United States and abroad. She lives on a small farm with her husband and two children in Springboro, Ohio.
Jones knows firsthand the impact that exposure to art can have on both an individual as well as a community, as she credits her early experiences with her mother’s wheel thrown ceramics and visits to the Cincinnati Art Museum as a child as the foundation of her career in the arts. Jones draws on over twenty years of experience both as a professional working artist and in a variety of roles in the art, education, and museum fields. In addition to her degrees, she holds a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Cincinnati. Jones began her career as a Curatorial Assistant to Dr. Julie Aronson, Curator of American Art at the Cincinnati Art Museum, where she also later worked in the Education Department creating curriculum for K-12 schools and teachers. Jones has taught a variety of art, craft, and design workshops throughout the country and internationally, and has also taught classes on PBS’s “Fresh Quilting” and the online learning platform creativebug.com. Jones is the co curator of Divisible, a contemporary art project space founded in 2015 at the Front Street Studio complex in Dayton. She maintains a robust interdisciplinary studio practice focusing on textiles and paintings, and her work revolves around themes of feminism, migration, matrilineal connections, and hidden histories. She will bring a supportive and collaborative spirit with a commitment to equity, access, inclusion, and engagement between The Contemporary Dayton and the greater Dayton community.
