DAYTON, OH.- It’s going to be a summer of epic proportions at The Dayton Art Institute – a Superhero Summer – when the museum “unmasks” the special exhibition, You Are My Superhero, on view through September 23.

Organized by The Dayton Art Institute and curated by the museum’s Associate Director, Jane A. Black, You Are My Superhero explores the iconography of superheroes, and how contemporary artists use that imagery in their own bodies of work. Beginning with images that reflect the Golden Age of comics, the exhibition includes popular figures dating from the 1940s, showing how they have changed over the years.

You Are My Superhero is presented with support from Patron Sponsor Premier Health Partners and Supporting Sponsor Tridec Technologies, LLC.

You Are My Superhero includes animation art and memorabilia from the collection of Dr. Lawrence and Holley Thompson, original panels from the 1960s from Maverick’s Cards and Comics in Kettering, and classic comic books from the Fairborn shop Bookery Fantasy. These, along with additional loans and one iconic piece from The Dayton Art Institute’s own collection, will delineate superhero variations (both well known and obscure), superhero sidekicks, and superhero hallmarks and behaviors. In addition, limited-edition prints, newer original panels and sketches, and toys and games will tell familiar stories and remind us of the iconic images that have bled into advertising and reflected current events.

The exhibition also features two artists who have incorporated superhero iconography into their work. Michigan-based artist Mark Newport knits Superhero costumes and embroiders the covers of comic books. There is a tribute to one of Dayton’s own superheroes, Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters.