Simply the Best
Flow Pass subscribers receive premium access to the curated series, plus subscriber-only gatherings with food, drinks, artist talks and more at each event.
Cost: $200,
Subscriptions available at artswave.org/flow.
Looking for insider-access and behind-the-scenes opportunities for BLINK and beyond? Let the good time “Flow” with African American- focused arts experiences with ArtsWave.
ArtsWave, the region’s main source for arts funding, has announced a new season of Flow, An African American Arts Experience along with the return of the region’s first cross-venue subscription series, the Flow Pass, featuring five unique, Black-centered events.
“The return of Flow Pass is another opportunity for us to cultivate and grow a core audience that is asking for more Black-centered arts created and presented by local and national partners,” says Alecia Kintner, ArtsWave president and CEO.
Flow, which began in 2020, complements and expands the region’s existing multicultural experiences offered by local arts organizations.
The Flow Pass season kicks off on Oct. 5 with an “unveiling” event for Cincinnati-based Gee Horton’s “Coming of Age” three-part mural series, the first multi-building BLINK® series of its kind. An intimate exploration of African American Adolescence, the series fuses contemporary visuals with hip-hop iconography. Flow Pass subscribers will see the mural before the general public, meet the artist and enjoy food and drinks as paint is still going on the wall.
“I’m honored to kick off the Flow series this year with my work for BLINK,” says Horton. “ArtsWave’s commitment to supporting Black stories aligns with my mission to elevate and celebrate the Black experience through creative expression. Being featured alongside the Cincinnati Pops and Charles Gaines highlights the incredible diversity of talent this region has and continues to attract.”
On Jan. 17, 2025, Flow Pass subscribers will groove with the Cincinnati Pops as they perform “Simply the Best,” an exuberant tribute to Tina Turner. Conductor Damon Gupta leads the orchestra through hits like “Simply the Best,” “Private Dancer” and more. Subscribers will meet in the Wilks studio for a special Flow Social featuring themed food and drinks before seeing the show that evening.
Continuing the series on March 11, at the Aronoff Center, Flow Pass subscribers will experience a performance by Step Afrika!, one of the best African American dance companies in the country. The company blends percussive “step” dance styles practiced by historically Black fraternities and sororities, traditional African dance, and contemporary style for a unique and compelling experience. Subscribers will not only gain premium access to the show, but will gather before for an exclusive Flow Social gathering at the Aronoff Center for food, drinks, and great company.
Begin summer on June 19 as the series moves to Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with their production of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” The Tony-nominated story about the intersecting lives of the women in a bustling hair braiding shop in Harlem makes its regional premiere in the queen city, and Flow subscribers will guarantee their ticket to see it all. As always, the experience begins with the exclusive Flow Social event before the show.
The Flow Pass season continues in the summer with an exclusive, inspiring conversation with foremost conceptual artist Charles Gaines on his monumental project, “The American Manifest” – called “one of the most consequential works of public art of the century” – coming to Cincinnati after a successful stay in New York. The project was purpose-built to be exhibited both in New York and Cincinnati to tell the complicated story of the movement of African slaves from importation to captivity to liberation and the complicated and often misunderstood interplay between all three that underpin our nation’s foundation.
“Our continuing opportunity is to build an audience that appreciates the varied expressions of Black artistry,” says Mel Gravely, Flow’s co-chair, 2025 ArtsWave Community Campaign Chair and Triversity Construction Executive Chair. “In the end, we hope to cultivate a culturally curious and racially diverse audience that will create a level of demand that enables more and more Black artists to sustain, thrive and inspire. An audience that is ready and willing to connect with rhythm, vibe and yes, the flow of Black artists that may have been unfamiliar to them.”