Learn as You Go

The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) has often been described as the place to see art of right now. Bringing that idea to life, the CAC recently announced its newest Artists in Residence.

These emerging artists all have tie to the Cincinnati area, and will spend the next year exploring concepts important to them through a variety of media and programs.

The program is designed to allow the artists a platform to grow as artists, explore personal works and engage with the public to create together.

“The CAC has long been a place for artists to experiment with new techniques and concepts within our gallery walls and the city,” said Elizabeth Hardin-Klink, the CAC’s Creative Learning director. “In this tradition, we invite contemporary artists to set-up shop in our Art Lab in the form of an educational residency.”

September–November 2021: Marin Emanuel

Marin Emanuel is a Cincinnati-native multimedia creator. An unyielding passion for the planet pulled the artist toward a practice guided by environmental imperatives. By incorporating material sustainability, scientific studies, and nature-sourced imagery, her work aims to instill viewers with reverence for the natural world. Through her residency, Emanuel hopes to enliven a wave of ecologically conscious citizens. Each week, she will lead a multimedia project focused around communicating specific sectors of human-driven climate change. As visitors engage within the space, they will be encouraged to express their responses with various source materials. Ultimately, guests will return home with knowledge of humanity’s historic path towards its own demise, and a hand-crafted reminder to make choices which push towards a stabilized future.

December 2021–January 2022: Rachel Linnemann

Rachel Linnemann is currently teaching at the University of Cincinnati where she received her Master’s in Fine Art. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art and a minor in Psychology. She has worked as a professional Artist, Educator, and Preparator for various organizations such as the Cincinnati Art Museum, Bucknell University (Pa.), Artworks Cincinnati, and Applied Imagination (Ky.). Linnemann recently showed at the Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati), Roy G Biv Gallery (Columbus, Ohio), and is a part of the upcoming Young Sculptors Competition at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). She works across media to develop a language surrounding mental health, growth, resilience, and joy. These topics will all be explored through found object sculpture during her residency with the Contemporary Art Center in December 2021.

March–May 2022: Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is a multimedia artist, designer, and poet. He takes on the role of artist as archivist; collecting things, spaces, and histories to add to his art and life. Thompson draws in sensibilities and practices from scientific and philosophical fields and enjoys collaborating outside the typical scope of the art world. His practice focuses on visual and human ecology, using both his art and poetry as a manner of abolishing the compartmentalized reality which he experiences as an observer of the world. His current work has found him using painting, sculpture, restoration, and installation as he explores the inherent holiness of the human person. During his residency, Mr. Thompson will facilitate projects exploring homeplace, identity, and worth through empathetic artistry. Individuals will create their own work and have the opportunity to contribute to Michael’s practice as they build, paint, and design together and bring beauty into their own lives.

June–August 2022: Jeni Jenkins

Jeni Jenkins, is a visual activist and social practice artist. She participates in and creates projects that engage community, build empathy and disrupt oppressive norms and institutions through empowerment, subversion and protest. Jenkins’ art practice is situated at the intersection of printmaking, Feminism, social practice, and critical pedagogy. At the core of her practice, she creates socially engaged projects that confront injustices against marginalized communities in order to reimagine inclusive and human centered systems of civic engagement and belonging. Jenkins holds a B.S. in social science from Boise State University, and an M.A. in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies from the University of Cincinnati where she is currently an MFA candidate in the School of Art at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.