No matter what Tony Dotson paints, all of the scenes, characters and narratives are depicted in dark outlines and softly cartooned forms that evoke a childlike whimsy and draw inspiration from folk art and art legends like Keith Haring. Dotson has a new exhibition opening at PAC Gallery that will pair well with his hero Haring's show now on view at the Contemporary Arts Center.  

Keith Haring's images of jubilant figures — dogs, hearts and televisions all rendered in heavy black lines — are probably among the most popular and best known artworks of the 20th century, synonymous with Pop Art of the 1980s. The Contemporary Art Center opens 'Keith Haring: 1978-1982' this Friday with a talk by street artist JR for CAC members at 7 p.m., followed by an opening party at 8 p.m. that is free and open to the public.  

For most ambitious, hardworking artists, it can feel like a 24-hour-a-day job. The multi-disciplinary alternative space CS13 is highlighting this "go, go, go" spirit of the art world in the upcoming exhibition 'The Today Show.' Nine artists have been invited to use the space as a studio, gallery, printing press and office space for a 24-hour period, starting at 5 p.m. Friday and culminating in a reception from 5-7 p.m. Saturday.  

In the second episode of the new IFC comedy show 'Portlandia,' Fred Armisen exclaims, "We put birds on things!" in a hilarious sketch about the ubiquity of bird-decorated arts and crafts in hipster culture. Like Armisen, Northern Kentucky University's Director of Exhibitions David Knight has picked up on this trend. The NKU Gallery's new exhibition 'For the Birds' is on display through March 4.  

YES is one of several recent additions to Over-the-Rhine's art gallery culture that combines exhibition space with working studios. The space's current exhibition, 'Tonight we are stars aligning,' features the West Coast-based artist Mark Warren Jacques, who is showing small works on paper, wall paintings and in an installation. Jacques' work is precise and personable. In his vision, star patterns are really just geometry.  

Dan and Meghan Robson are both graduates of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and since May 2007, they have operated Creative Gallery in Over-the-Rhine. At the end of March, the gallery will close its doors, because the couple will be relocating to New York. The swan song of the space will be a three-month long exhibition of works by the Robsons. Their final send off opens this Friday from 6-11 p.m.  

NVISION is one of several funky retail spots around town that offers lots of clothing, art and furniture. Additionally, they host regular art exhibitions. This Friday the space presents an exhibition by Eric Deller and additional works on display by self-taught painter Angie Ziegler. Deller is a graphic design student at University of Cincinnati, but his work for this exhibition toys with a nave aesthetic in his paintings on wooden rounds.  

George Schmidt's solo exhibition 'Recent Paintings and Drawings' at PAC Gallery (2540 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills) closes this Friday with a reception from 5-8 p.m. In many of the works, porches, patios and other buildings are suggested with casual elegance in sunny, inviting hues. Backgrounds stretch off into hazy views of bays and coastlines, with occasional swimsuit clad figures strolling by.  

'Another Mis-en-scene' is an exhibition curated by local art collector Michael Lowe and is comprised almost entirely of art, antiquities and innovative design objects from his own collection. Such an exhibition handled less gracefully could read as a business-minded jumbled lot at an auction house. But Lowe treats these selections from his collection as an installation and his savvy sense of humor connects all of the pieces.  

Just coming off of his success in a two-person exhibition at Thunder-Sky Inc., Aaron Oliver Wood is set to open a solo project at another Northside gallery space. This Saturday, his exhibition 'Space Craft' opens at Fabricate with a reception from 7-11 p.m. Wood's work accumulates drawing, screenprinting and watercolor into nebulous layers of swirling psychedelic lines and cloud forms that glom together into larger images.