DAYTON, OH.- Joel Whitaker, president, and the Board of Trustees of the Dayton Visual Arts Center, announced the appointment of Eva Buttacavoli as its new executive director. Beginning December 1, 2011, Buttacavoli will work closely with DVAC’s board and members to carry out DVAC’s mission to build art for the community and a community for artists. A meet and greet with Buttacavoli will take place at DVAC during December’s 1st Stop 1st Friday on December 2 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Whitaker commented "The Board is very excited. We all recognize the energy and rich experience in the arts Eva brings to the position.”

"Building resources for artists and cultivating an audience for contemporary art have been long-standing passions in both my professional and my personal life and I am delighted to bring them together again as the executive director of DVAC," said Buttacavoli. "I look forward to the position's challenges at this particular moment in Dayton’s economic and cultural history and to the opportunity to work closely with the board, the members and the community to make DVAC’s next era a testament to artistic expression as a vital community experience."

Buttacavoli received her B.A. and M.S. degrees in art history and art education from Florida International University, Miami, FL and began her career in the education department of the university’s museum. She taught art for several years; then co-founded the education department at the Miami Art Museum as the director of education. Subsequently, she was appointed director of education of the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA); then oversaw the merge of the curatorial and education divisions, and served as director of exhibitions and education until 2009. At AMOA, she developed the Museum’s fun, experimental and accessible programmatic identity.

Upon relocating to Dayton in 2009, including a period as director of teacher programs at Muse Machine and freelance curator, she served since this October as the first executive director of FilmDayton. At FilmDayton she developed the financial and operational infrastructure to serve as a resource for the region’s film crew base; presented the popular FilmDayton Festival; and hosted actors Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen for the Dayton premiere of their film THE WAY.