Their Eyes All Aglow

If You Go

Journey Borealis
Pyramid Hill Museum & Sculpture Park
1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton,

Cost: $25 a car load for non-members; $15 for members.

Open until Jan. 1, 2023

Installations by local artists

For more info at Journey Borealis.

Ever wanted to see 1,000,000 + Christmas lights at the same time?!

Well, your wish is Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park’s command.

This is Pyramid Hill’s biggest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going to park improvements. From now until January 1st, check ou- a glittering, winding, holiday spectacle for the whole family!

And don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a chance to win FREE passes to the event!

Visit our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook pages to enter!

A Perfect Circle

This month, we popped in for the December “One Night, One Craft” at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC).

At this monthly event, you can learn something new, meet new people and create a masterpiece that you can take home.

December’s event was Holiday Wreathmaking

Everyone made a unique holiday wreath with fresh greenery & accents!

Artist, advocate, and educator Kelsey Nihiser led us in the workshop

Drinks, light bites and everything you need to create your wreath was provided

Cost is $40 for CAC members, $45 for non-members

These craft nights are perfect for everyone, whether you’re a novice or professional. The hosts are happy to assist you with your creations or leave you to create your work of art on your own.

For more information on upcoming CAC craft nights, click here!

Stop by the CAC Shop

Looking for a last-minute gift for the artist in your life? Look no further than the CAC’s Shop, located in the front lobby. You’ll find unique, handmade–often locally – jewelry, books, artwork and more.

Holiday hours and more can be found here.

For the ultimate gift, you can purchase a membership, so you never miss an event, exhibition opening, or One Night, One Craft!

Now until Jan. 2, 2023, you can purchase TWO memberships at a 20% discount. Simply place your desired membership into your cart twice at cincycac.org, and enter the code "20PERCENT" during checkout.

Flights of Fancy

The Taft Museum of Art explores the theme of being home for the holidays through the installation Vuelo Sin Fronteras / Flight Without Borders.

If You Go

Vuelo Sin Fronteras / Flight Without Borders

Taft Museum of Art
316 Pike St., downtown
www.taftmuseum.org

Open Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission free on Sundays.

On view through Jan. 8.

The Taft invited three local artists who work with Wave Pool Art Center’s Welcome Project to decorate a six-foot Christmas tree in the museum’s Duncanson Foyer.

The artists – Gabriela Falconi-Piedra, Pedro Moreno, and Fabiola Rodríguez Ornelas – were born in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Mexico, respectively. Their installation features a fantastic array of paper and fabric birds, butterflies, and flowers, and a paper nest to explore the concepts of migration, belonging, and diversity.

Better Together

Along with funding major arts organizations throughout the region, ArtsWave also supports arts programming that connects communities through its affinity group grants.

“We’ve thankful that we’ve crossed the million-dollar mark in affinity group grants, says ArtsWave’s CEO Alecia Kintner. “These grants have allowed dozens of projects to happen that might not have happened otherwise, while engaging our next generation of philanthropists, LBGTQIA supporters, and supporters of African American arts.” 

ArtsWave’s Board of Trustees recently approved $102,500 in affinity grants to be distributed, marking more than $1.1 million made in cumulative impact since 2016.

Through ArtsWave Pride, the organization’s fastest growing affinity group, $53,500 of the funding will support seven projects which promote and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. Leaders within the LGBTQIA community, who were also supporters of ArtsWave, encouraged the organization to create the affinity group. ArtsWave Pride recently celebrated its five-year anniversary during a party at BLINK.

The remaining $49,000 in grants will fund arts programming designed for young professionals through ArtsWave Young Professionals. ArtsWave YP began in 2009 as a way to develop and grow arts philanthropy among those 40 and under. The group added grant programs focused on arts events that would attract and retain YPs in the region as well as strengthen connections between YPs and that individual arts organizations.

Grant selection for both sets of projects were made by volunteer community panelists. These grant approvals come on the heels of $200,000 approved at this past September’s board meeting for its Circle of African Americans for the Arts affinity group, also known as “the Circle.” 

artswave pride grants

Queen City Opera

Commission, Workshop, and Produce “The Post Office,” an episodic opera on LGBTQIA+ Marriage Equality

From the composer of “As One,” the most produced contemporary opera in North America, comes Laura Kaminsky’s latest work. “The Post Office,”is an episodic chamber opera in poems on LGBTQIA+ Marriage Equality, in collaboration with acclaimed poet Elaine Sexton. The two previously collaborated on “Marriage Equality,” commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.

 Know Theatre of Cincinnati

“Lizard Boy: a new musical”

Know Theatre of Cincinnati presents the regional premiere of "Lizard Boy,” a new musical by queer writer of color, Justin Huertas. Inspired by comic book lore and featuring an infectious indie-rock score, "Lizard Boy" unfolds in a fictional Seattle where the eruption of Mt. St. Helens was actually a dragon's attack. This coming-of-age and coming-out adventure is a celebration of queerness, of standing out in the crowd and of what can be possible when we let love win against all odds. "Lizard Boy" runs from November 18 to December 11, 2022.

 Pones

“Rainbow Box”

Pones will continue its “MOVE” initiative, which centers the voices of BIPOC artists, by partnering with local interdisciplinary artist Michael Coppage to create “Rainbow Box.” This new project, in the format of Coppage’s “Black Box,” will feature audio interviews about the lived experiences of seven local Black LGBTQIA+ individuals. Interpretive choreography and photographs of the individuals will accompany the audio in a gallery exhibition. The timeline of the project will coincide with Pride 2023, and videos of the performances will be submitted to the 2023 Cincinnati Fringe Festival and OutReels Cincinnati.

 Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

“ShakesQueer – A Celebration of Bards and Burlesque”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will partner with Smoke and Queers, a local drag and burlesque troupe, to host a Shakespearean Pride celebration. This event will coincide with Pride Month and will enliven the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood by offering a unique participatory opportunity for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company to create niche programming with, and for, the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Church of Our Saviour / La Iglesia de Nuestro Salvador

“LGBTQ+ Arts Showcase”

“LGBTQIA+ Arts Showcase” is a long-awaited celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community's contributions to the performing, visual and culinary arts in Cincinnati. Church of Our Saviour in Mount Auburn, which has been a home to the queer community since the 1970s, will host the showcase on Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. An hour-long performance will feature LGBTQIA+ composers, instrumentalists, singers, poets and dancers who live and work in Cincinnati. A reception catered by Jeff Thomas with a visual art installation will follow.

Mutual Dance Theatre and Arts Centers

“Celebrating and Supporting LGBTQAI+ Artists Through Concert Dance Commissions”

 Mutual Dance Theatre (MDT) will commission the work of two local gay artists, Gabriel Martínez Rubio and Steven P. Evans. These modern dance works will be performed by MDT’s local company (of which 33% also identify as queer) in Cincinnati in December 2022 and June 2023. These events will include opportunities to interact with the artists through open workshops teaching the fundamentals of modern dance, as well as question and answer sessions with audiences. The December performance will occur in the experimental studio of Mutual Arts Center Hartwell, while the June performance will take place in the Aronoff Center for the Arts.

Women Writing for (a) Change

“Let's Be Perfectly Queer”

Women Writing for (a) Change will offer an eight-week, 2 ½ hour class on Tuesday evenings called “Let’s Be Perfectly Queer” in the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023. The class is a writing circle for participants to explore their queer identities and write within the broader context of queer literature and art. As is the practice at WWf(a)C, the two intergenerational facilitators, who are also part of the LGBTQIA+ community, will create a safe space to write in community. The classes include writing time, the opportunity to share in large and small groups and guidance in giving and receiving feedback.

ArtsWave Young Professionals Grants

Sweet Sistah Splash

“AfroArt After Dark”

The “AfroArt” community arts program features classes and events that support local artists, art patrons, and young professionals. “AfroArt After Dark” is an annual event offering an opportunity for young professionals to network and to become enriched in the arts. Sweet Sistah Splash commissions artists of color under 40 to create interactive art installations for the event that their peers can engage with, learn from, and be inspired by as arts patrons. “AfroArt After Dark" educates, inspires, and supports artists of color and young professionals through the arts. The outdoor event will be held in July 2023.

American Legacy Theatre

“Young Professionals Create Change”

American Legacy Theatre’s “Young Professionals Create Change” is a six-month cohort program that aims to amplify the voices of Cincinnati's up-and-coming workforce. Participants will learn how to write, produce and perform their own original stage play. At the same time, they will build critical leadership skills, including budgeting, emotional intelligence and empathic listening. American Legacy Theatre believes that theater should be the voice of our community, and this program encourages YPs to write the story.

Bi-Okoto

“Agidigbo”

In Nigeria, “Agidigbo” is a social gathering of young adults, during which young adults interact, learn, train, engage and are retained and/or hired to “deepen their roots” in the community. Bi-Okoto will bring this experience to college students in their senior year. Postgraduate students from select colleges and universities and young professionals from a variety of backgrounds, races, genders and sexual orientations in the Cincinnati region will come together though “Agidigbo,” a monthly gathering and inclusion program. “Agidigbo” seeks to foster positive interactions, meetings, drumming, dancing, play reading and networking amongst young adults ages 20-40. 

Young Professionals Choral Collective

YPCC Chamber Choir: “Requiem for COVID-19”

YPCC's Chamber Choir will collaborate with composer and sound artist Yvonne Freckman and a local chamber orchestra to perform a requiem for COVID-19, featuring the words and experiences of YPCC singers and audience members as powerful lyrics. The 35-minute piece will be performed at the 2023 Chamber Choir concert in the spring. The exact performance venue is to be determined. Singers will audition for the Chamber Choir, and those chosen to participate will undergo an eight-week rehearsal period to prepare for the culminating performance.

Action Tank USA

“Action Tank Civic Club” 

“Action Tank Civic Club” is a partnership between Action Tank and popular local businesses and nonprofits, including Findlay Market, Know Theater of Cincinnati and Lost & Found OTR. The program will provide young professionals with civic engagement opportunities and resources through clever and provocative art. In 2023, Action Tank will expand its programming for young professionals to include exciting, arts-driven, in-person events where civically-engaged artists will connect with the YP community and help deepen their local connections, fostering relationships with one another through programs that use art to empower civic engagement in our city.

Cincinnati Opera

Cincinnati Opera “Center Stage”

Cincinnati Opera’s young professionals group, “Center Stage,” engages young professional community members in operatic arts through unique events and collaborations with community partners. These events serve the Greater Cincinnati area, enrich the lives of developing professionals and create cultural interest and investment in the community. “Center Stage” events take place leading up to and throughout the 2023 summer season. The goal of this year’s programming is to reinvigorate interest following a decrease during the pandemic.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

Cincy Shakes “YP Preview Night”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's “YP Preview Night” brings young professionals to the first public preview performance night of each Mainstage Show by offering them a subsidized ticket rate that includes a complimentary beverage. Afterward, participants are invited to chat with members of the CSC artistic team and provide feedback. This program provides area young professionals with a mid-week outing to relax and socialize while giving them a chance to make their voices heard and to participate in the art-making process.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

“Show Up!”

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati’s “Show Up!” series brings together young professionals new to Cincinnati and lifelong resident to experience Cincinnati’s vibrant arts, culture and food scene. YP attendees will enjoy a performance of each of ETC’s premiere series productions, followed by complimentary small bites and a beverage while they mingle and discuss the show at our partner venues, 1215 Wine Bar and Coffee Lab and Copper & Flame.

Well Read

If You Go

Books by the Banks Festival
Saturday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Duke Energy Center, 525 Elm St.

Details at booksbythebanks.org.

As the weather gets chilly the urge to curl up with a good book gets stronger.

Start your new stack of must-read books this Saturday, as Books by the Banks returns to the Duke Energy Center. This free, day-long festival features national, regional, and local authors and illustrators, with book signings and panel discussions.

The “Kids Corner” has activities for the entire family to enjoy, with hourly story times, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “Musical Zoo,” crafts, balloon animals, and a dance party.

Celebrate the joy of reading and writing together with other bibliophiles and meet your new-favorite-author.

Notable authors scheuduled to appeare are W. Bruce Cameron, Will Hillenbrand, Erin Keane, R.F. Kuang, Adam Rex, Justin A. Reynolds, Laura Trujillo, and 80 more incredible, local, regional & national authors.

Each author will have their newest book for sale at the tables. You are also allowed to bring your own books to be signed!

Most of the authors will be at festival for the entire day, many participating in discussions with other writers. This is a great opportunity to hear your favorite writer talk about their work in a fun and informative way.

In addition to the author discussions, panels on writing and publishing, teen fiction, and local history/interest will be held.

A special screening of Marching On: The Fight for School Integration in Hillsboro, Ohio will take place at 10 and 10:30 a.m., followed by a Q & A.

Forward Progress

The Contemporary Arts Center has named Christina Vassallo as the institution’s new Alice & Harris Weston Director. An accomplished and effective arts administrator and curator, Vassallo brings more than ten years of executive-level experience at forward-thinking contemporary arts institutions, currently serving as executive director of The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia.

Vassallo comes to the CAC with a history of successful leadership in fundraising, education and outreach initiatives, and artistic collaborations of varying scope and size, as well as a deep understanding of the cultural ecosystems of Ohio and the Midwest, having previously served as Executive + Artistic Director of SPACES in Cleveland from 2014 to 2019.

Looking Ahead

In 2023, the CAC will celebrate its 20th year in its current location, the seven-story Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art—the first U.S. project designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid and the first US museum designed by a woman.

Hadid’s original design, an “urban carpet” that dynamically draws visitors from the sidewalks of one of the city’s busiest intersections into the building and up through the galleries, was visionary in establishing a critical connection to the center of urban life in Cincinnati. The building was instrumental in establishing downtown Cincinnati as a vibrant cultural hub with the CAC at its core and remains a local landmark.

She will begin her new role at the CAC in March.

“It was important to the Board that we select someone with an understanding of not just contemporary art, but the needs and interests of the region,” said CAC Board President Gale Beckett. “Christina is exceptionally qualified. She has experience collaborating with established and upcoming artists, passion and proven success in expanding outreach, and a strong track record of fundraising and fiscal stability. We are confident that she will help usher in an inspiring new era at the CAC.” Vassallo’s appointment is the result of a nationwide search led by Gale Beckett as Board President working with search firm Koya Partners and a Board subcommittee. 

“Before moving to Philadelphia, I spent six years in Cleveland, so moving back to Ohio feels like a homecoming for me. There is such a rich network of artists and creatives in the Midwest that I can’t wait to tap back into through the CAC, an organization at the cutting edge of the region’s cultural scene,” said Vassallo. “I’m looking forward to joining the CAC team and working to chart a new path forward that builds upon the institution’s deep history of supporting artists at the vanguard and nurturing curiosity and creativity in us all.”

Vassallo has served as the executive director of The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Philadelphia, since January 2020. Taking the reins at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vassallo immediately executed a deft strategic vision that allowed her to keep her staff of 30 fully intact, cultivate six new board members, stabilize the museum’s finances, and continue an ambitious program calendar of residencies and exhibitions by Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Rose B. Simpson, Henry Taylor, and others. During her tenure at the FWM, she has also secured the Mellon Foundation’s Art Museum Futures Fund to develop a permanent collection care plan and support DEAI initiatives; created an earned revenue initiative to support artists through the sale of limited-edition works; laid the groundwork for a new strategic plan; and advocated for the region’s cultural sector when city and state funding were at risk.

Prior to her work at FWM, Vassallo served as executive and artistic director of SPACES in Cleveland for nearly six years, where she provided creative direction and oversaw operations for one of the longest-running alternative art organizations in the country. At SPACES, she launched a $3 million capital campaign and spearheaded a relocation project, expanded the organization’s outreach initiatives, developed grant opportunities for local artists, and curated several critically acclaimed group exhibitions examining contemporary ideas and issues. From 2011 to 2014, she was Executive Director of Flux Factory in New York City, where she set the course for a thriving institution comprising an international artist residency program, acclaimed exhibitions program, and unconventional education initiatives.

“Christina brings a wealth of experience from various institutions to the CAC,” said Chief Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director Marcus Margerum. “I look forward to working with her to continue to rebuild the CAC after a tumultuous two years, with a focus on the future.” Margerum has served as Interim Executive Director since the departure of Raphaela Platow in July of 2021. Upon Vassallo’s arrival, he will continue to play a vital role at the CAC as the Chief Deputy Director.

Vassallo is a founding member of the Philadelphia Collaborative Arts Consortium, a member of the national association of Contemporary Art Museum Directors (CAMD), a 2022 Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund, and she completed the National Arts Strategies’ Chief Executive Program in 2020. Additionally, she has curated exhibitions for the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Jersey City Museum, NURTUREart, Lafayette College, and New Haven University. She holds a B.A. in art history and M.A. in nonprofit visual arts management from NYU. 

Two for the Show

If You Go

Opening reception: Driven and Digital Realities
Friday, Nov. 4, 5 to 8 p.m.
The McClure and Pearlman Galleries
1212 Jackson St. in Over-the-Rhine

More information at www.artacademy.edu/exhibitions.

For more than 150 years, the Art Academy of Cincinnati has been at the center of bringing local artists and students together and showcasing their work.

This Friday, two new exhibitions open with work from community artists from Visionaries + Voices and AAC faculty member Thomas Osorio.

The artists working at Visionaries + Voices (V+V) studio often create artwork with a heavy reliance on repetition, process, and intuition. At times, the process of following one’s intuition is more important than the work being shown in traditional spaces. When repetition is viewed in its entirety, it can communicate something larger about the everyday, and offer a look at the shared human experience. Driven, curated by Geoffrey “Skip” Cullen, includes works by V+V artists Kenny Barger, Antonia Baxter, Rob Bolubasz, Danielle Boyd, Curtis Davis, Aaron Evans, and Adam Maloney.

Thomas Osorio, AI_Monk, digital painting, 2022

Aaron Evans, Maybe, ballpoint pen on paper, 8” x 11”, 2021

Adam Maloney, SpongeBob Takka Takka, mixed media on paper, 9” x 11”, 2021

Established in 2003, Visionaries + Voices is a non-profit organization that provides exhibition opportunities, studio space, supplies, and support to more than 125 visual artists with disabilities. V+V artists actively contribute to the greater arts community through creative, educational, and strategic partnerships with local and regional artists, schools, and business leaders.

Cullen is a conceptual artist working in Cincinnati. He is a member of the artist collective Slapface and a co-founder of Adobe Books and Arts Cooperative in San Francisco. He is a co-founder of WavePool, a Cincinnati-based non-profit, creating community fulfillment through artistic possibilities. He currently balances his own practice while working as the exhibitions director for Visionaries + Voices.

AAC adjunct professor Osorio works in the foundations department. He is a Cincinnati-based artist who works with glitch, collage, video, and digital painting. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018, and has exhibited work in galleries and DIY spaces in New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati, as well as online.

“Since 2013 I have been experimenting with creating digital pieces of art in Adobe Photoshop and later the iPad’s Procreate app,” Osorio says in his artist’s statement. “The creation of these works involves a search for imagery which is then copied, pasted, cut out, adjusted, and finally digitally painted on to create complex collage and painterly compositions. These works in many ways start as meditations and reactions to the increasingly complex physical/virtual worlds that are being built around us. They draw inspiration from dream-like worlds and a blurred distinction between what is real and imaginary.”

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The AAC galleries are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The galleries will be closed November 23 to 25 for Thanksgiving.

For more information visit www.artacademy.edu.

Can You Imagine?

With the new Creativity Center, the Contemporary Arts Center has transformed its sixth floor into a dynamic intergenerational learning space centered around creativity and exploration.

The Center, an environmentally conscious hub for creative learning, will amplify the CAC’s commitment to fostering innovation and curiosity in audiences of all ages

Creativity Center Grand Opening

Saturday, Oct. 29
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
FREE. Registration recommended.

Alongside interactive artwork found in the UnMuseum™, the Creativity Center offers a community gallery, sustainability-focused Art Lab, an innovation studio, and so much more.

Visitors of all ages are invited to explore, play, and create! Activities and entertainment will be plentiful. Guests will be able to meet the architects and artists who made the 6th floor an exciting space filled with wonder, interactive art, and opportunities for inventive making.

With 10,000 square feet of flexible space, the new Creativity Center will provide a vibrant spatial canvas for visitors to engage with art, connect with others, and use creative experimentation as a means to explore the increasingly complex issues of humanity, including environmental sustainability, global awareness, identity, health and wellbeing, and innovation. The Center will allow the CAC to further extend its mission of encouraging artists and visitors alike to tap into the boundless possibilities of their own creativity, placing an even greater emphasis on the creative process as a critical tool for learning, skill development, problem solving, and fostering empathy and understanding for all ages.

“As a non-collecting institution, the core of our work at the CAC revolves around the creative process of artists, performers, and makers around the globe and local artists from our region,” said Marcus Margerum, the CAC’s Interim Alice & Harris Weston Director. “The Creativity Center not only gives us more room to expand the work we’re currently doing with visual and performing arts programming, artist residencies, learning and community-based initiatives, and hands-on intergenerational engagement, but also to reinvent the notion of the contemporary arts institution as a robust resource for creativity.”

The CAC partnered with Chicago-based architecture firm Mir Collective to realize this bold new paradigm for learning within the museum space, which will merge interactive galleries, ample making spaces, and community-centric gathering and gallery areas—with a focus on environmental sustainability.  

“We are excited to be partnering with Mir Collective on this groundbreaking project, as their creative approach to community engagement, sustainability, and inclusivity aligns closely with our own mission and values as an institution,” says Margerum.

Centering Cincinnati’s own creative communities, the inaugural exhibition in the revitalized UnMuseum® will feature new interactive installations by local artists Batres Gilvin (Karla Batres and Bradly Gilvin), Michelle D’Cruz and Christopher Glenn, Garrett Goben, Terence Hammonds, Pam Kravetz, Anissa Lewis, Abby Peitsmeyer, and Karen Saunders. Installations in the UnMuseum® will rotate every one to three years to showcase a new slate of work designed to inspire, educate, and engage visitors of all ages.

“Even throughout the pandemic-induced challenges of the past two years, the CAC has remained committed to championing creativity in our communities, offering virtual programs, distributing art-making kits for at-home use, and supporting local artists through grants and residencies,” said Gale Beckett, president of the CAC’s Board of Trustees. “Through the Creativity Center, the CAC hopes to instill in future generations the capacity to be hyper-creative and hyper-entrepreneurial, empathetic and curious, while remaining environmentally conscious.” 

Since its opening, the sixth floor of the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art has housed the Sara M. and Patricia A. Vance UnMuseum® and provided space for children, family programs, and tours. The redesigned sixth floor will continue to host the UnMuseum® and will also expand to incorporate a large studio and a network of pavilions for exploration and gathering. Mir Collective’s design opens up the floor to Hadid’s “urban carpet,” creating a brighter, more inviting space that is integrated physically and programmatically with the city and its communities.

New in the Creativity Center

• A sustainable art lab where recycling, upcycling, and other forms of zero-waste and net-positive waste systems will be explored

• A large studio hosting intergenerational creative programs that deploy a full suite of analog and digital tools for making and creative experimentation

• The updated UnMuseum® interactive gallery, with projects by local and national artists that engage visitors in a hands-on exploration of the complexities of our world

• An archipelago of pod-like pavilions, offering a series of work niches for welcoming creative exploration opportunities and small gathering or comfortable observation of the studio activities

• An experimental “town square”-type space for art-inspired discourse with city skyline views through CAC- and community-curated programming

• An ever-changing community gallery with increased visual connection to the urban carpet and galleries below, dedicated to celebrating the creativity of CAC visitors of all ages by inviting them to display their own work

The Creativity Center also makes possible new initiatives like a sensory-friendly program, a recurring open mic night, therapeutic workshops for artists and creatives, and the expansion of current initiatives, such as the CAC’s Co-LAB program, which supports selected local artists with financial, marketing, and mentoring support. The Co-LAB program was initially launched by the CAC in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to create opportunities for local artists and organizations to work with the CAC to realize community-oriented projects. The Creativity Center will offer space to these artists to develop new projects and share their work with the community through programming and events. The CAC also expects to leverage the Creativity Center to extend the impact of other ongoing efforts to encourage creativity, learning, and engagement within the broader community, even beyond the CAC’s walls.  

There Will Be Blood

Music Hall is well known to paranormal enthusiasts as one of the nation's most active sites, with occurrences dating back to the 1800s. Built on the grounds of an old potter's field and purported to be haunted, Travel Channel lists Music Hall as one of the most terrifying places in America. Additionally, the building was featured in the Halloween 2014 episode of the TV show, Ghost Hunters.

It’s fitting then, that the Friends of Music Hall have created a free and spooky treat, just in time for Halloween! With Silent Movies Made Musical with the Mighty Wurlitzer, you can experience Nosferatu, the legendary 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire horror film, with a new soundtrack played by organist Trent Sims.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Nosferatu tells the story of a creepy count who is hunting for a new home and takes an unwelcome fancy to his real estate agent’s wife.

Scary Movie: Watch Nosferatu

The film is available for online Halloween streaming now through Nov. 13. (So if you get scared you can try to watch it a few times!)

Sims, a native of Dayton, Ohio, has played classical and theater organ concerts across the United States, England, and Germany. He has been associated with Music Hall’s Mighty Wurlitzer, having made the inaugural recording on that instrument in 2010.

Ghost Tours of Music Hall

Tours include:

Knowledgeable guides from Friends of Music Hall and CR&PS relate the history of Music Hall's founding and evolution with additional stories about the firsthand experiences of visitors and staff past and present

Tours will see public and private and areas of the building not open to the typical concert-goer.

Participants are welcome to bring their own ghost hunting equipment (none is required)*

Each tour is approximately 1 hour long

Current tours are sold out, but check for more at CAA’s website.

If you’re fascinated by the history of this unique venue, the Friends of Music Hall and Cincinnati Arts Association host special after-hours tours in partnership with a local group dedicated to investigating, documenting, and researching such claims. The Cincinnati Research & Paranormal Studies team will show you a side of Music Hall not often seen by patrons attending performances.

Ghost of a Chance

Ghost Tours of Music Hall

Tours include

• Knowledgeable guides from Friends of Music Hall and CR&PS relate the history of Music Hall's founding and evolution with additional stories about the firsthand experiences of visitors and staff past and present

• Tours will see public and private and areas of the building not open to the typical concert-goer. 

• Participants are welcome to bring their own ghost hunting equipment (none is required)*

• Each tour is approximately 1 hour long

Current tours are sold out, but check for more at CAA’s website.

Ghost Hunters but make it local.

Friends of Music Hall once again is offering a spooky look at Music Hall, one of Cincinnati's most iconic buildings and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

Music Hall is well known to paranormal enthusiasts as one of the nation's most active sites, with occurrences dating back to the 1800s. Built on the grounds of an old potter's field and purported to be haunted, Travel Channel lists Music Hall as one of the most terrifying places in America. Additionally, the building was featured in the Halloween 2014 episode of the TV show, Ghost Hunters.

For those fascinated by the history of this unique venue, the Friends of Music Hall and Cincinnati Arts Association host special after-hours tours in partnership with a local group dedicated to investigating, documenting, and researching such claims. The Cincinnati Research & Paranormal Studies team will show you a side of Music Hall not often seen by patrons attending performances.

Out of This World

Looking for a cool spot to take a date? Check this out.

The Cincinnati Observatory is hosting “Late Night Date ight” Saturday, Oct. 22 and Friday, Oct. 28.

On you date, you'll get to use telescopes to view astronomical objects that are not visible until late at night (weather permitting).

You’ll also get a sneak preview of the next season's planets and stars a month or two ahead of everyone else, and expreriene the observatory after hours.

The program runs rain or shine but space is limited! To make it a date, click here.

Wall to Wall

“This wall’s kind of got a bit of history in Cincinnati, says BLINK artist, Matthew Dayler. “It’s been painted by a lot of graffiti and street artists over the years. So it has a rich history in this part of town.”

“We wanted to bring a fresh approach, a community approach to this wall,” say Dayler and Gamble.

Less than half a mile from the hustle and bustle of the BLINK fun at Findlay Market, you’ll find this magnificent mural. Yyou don’t wanna miss it.

It sits in and around Hanna Park. Even the community pool was painted as part of the installation.)

“Most of the people in the park have been like ‘Oh, what’s this for?’ and we’re like, BLINK! And they’re like ‘No way, I can’t believe it’s coming up here!”

Dayler and three other artists collaborated on the project which he says took about two weeks to complete. The planning took around six months.

Dayler, alongside artist Danny Gamble, painted the mural and basketball court. It’s branded by Powerhouse Factories and Bunk News will create animations for the mural during BLINK.

There’s a lot to look at in the mural! Dayler explains there are four layers to this piece.

“The letters, keeping it authentic to the street and graffiti vibe with the playground graffiti coming through the piece,” he says. “Plus the portraits and the branded tropical shapes.”

“It’s family oriented, we want everyone to come but as it gets later, there’s a party vibe.”

“We just want to bring people together and celebrate the diversity of the area. The leave-behind is really important for us and always has been with our BLINK projects,” says Dayler “Not so much like, lighting it up but what happens after the lights go away.”

Watch the full interview below!

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Tour de Force

ArtsWave’s Guided BLINK Tours

Download at artswave.org/tours for a $10 donation.

BLINK is A LOT to see, but if you’re curious about the stories behind some of the murals, installations, and projects just listen.

ArtsWave, the nonprofit engine for the Cincinnati region’s arts and Illuminator of BLINK®, has developed a unique behind-the-scenes guided walking tour for the event.

“We are calling them digital tours rather than audio tours because they include video introductions from the artists, images, sketches, artist bios and more,” says Jeni Barton, ArtsWave’s executive-in-residence for creative technologies.

Using your own smartphone, and walking at your own pace, the walking tour features 10 stops on a 1.5-mile loop. Each stop offers an immersive experience, curated by the artist, including video introductions, along with an array of different materials per art piece, including tours of the artists' studios, in-progress sketches and photos, artwork installation videos and biographies.

“I hope people learn more about the people behind the artwork while doing the digital tour,” says Barton. “The festival features both local and international artists with such a variety of creative styles and methodologies. It is fascinating to see how this diverse group of people from around the world can create such a cohesive and unifying magical experience.”

The tour is available with a $10 donation to ArtsWave, and can be accessed at any time during BLINK. You will receive an email immediately after their purchase containing the confirmation and instructions.

“The coolest thing about the tour is getting to look at the creative process behind some of the installations at BLINK,” says Bartton. “Each video captures the artist's personality and creative style. You feel like you are meeting the artist while experiencing their work!”

All proceeds from the tours will local arts, festivals, performances, and more. Donors to the 2022 ArtsWave Campaign who qualified for the Team Cincinnati benefit do not need to purchase a tour and have access the tour compliments of ArtsWave.

“As the illuminating sponsor of BLINK, we wanted to create something that would inspire people to become arts donors,” says Barton. “Every year, through donations from the community, ArtsWave funds thousands of arts events, like BLINK. A $10 donation gives you a more engaging experience with the artwork while also helping fund the next great Cincinnati art event.”

Coming Into Focus

FotoFocus Biennial: World Record
Opening Reception

Four Exhibitions. One Celebration.

Friday, Sept. 30
5 p.m.–12 a.m.

5 p.m. – Cocktail Reception
in Kaplan Hall
CAC Members and FotoFocus Passport Holders Only

6 p.m. – Exhibition Preview
CAC Members and FotoFocus Passport Holders Only

7 p.m. – Film Screening + Discussion in CAC Black Box with artists Dara Friedman and Lizzi Bougatsos
CAC Members and FotoFocus Passport holders only

8 p.m. – Opening Celebration
Kaplan Hall, 4th and 5th Floor Galleries
Free and open to the public

Everyone has a camera at all times now, with filters and Facetune to perfect their shots. But that ubiquity allows the art of photography to be even more appreciated. Sure anyone can take a picture, but only some people can tell compelling human stories through their photos.

FotoFocus celebrates and champions photography as the medium of our time through programming that creates a dialogue between contemporary lens-based art and the history of photography.

The 2022 FotoFocus Biennial, now in its sixth iteration, activates over 100 projects at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio throughout October.

Each Biennial is structured around a unifying theme; for 2022 that theme, World Record, considers photography’s extensive record of life on earth while exploring humankind’s impact on the natural world. FotoFocus welcomes global artists, curators, critics, educators, and regional visitors to Cincinnati with exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and panel discussions during an expanded week of programming, Sep. 29–Oct. 8, 2022. Find details at www.fotofocus.org.

FotoFocus World Record officially begins Friday, Sept. 30 with an opening reception at the Contemporary Arts Center. The CAC has three FotoFocus curated exhibitions for the biennial, along with Cameron Granger: The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Heaven in the Kaplan Lobby, which is a FotoFocus participating venue.

On the Line: Documents of Risk and Faith

Mitch Epstein. Installation view, On The Line: Documents of Risk and Faith. Photo: Wes Battoclette, 2022. Image courtesy of the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati.

This group exhibition features artists whose work engages the complex and contested relationship humans have with notions of environment, wilderness, nature, and place. Drawing metaphorically from the phrase “on the line”—what is at risk; what is at stake; the body caught and captured; following the path of a line—the exhibition repositions various artistic interventions, with a focus on ephemeral acts to suggest an expanded conception of photographic time and the document. On the Line comprises a diverse selection of artists from the Americas and includes works in all media, with a special emphasis on photography, video, and performance.

On the Line is co-curated by Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel curator of photography at Harvard Art Museums, and Kevin Moore, FotoFocus artistic director and curator.

Images on which to build, 1970s-1990s

Allen Bérubé, Snapshot of pride parade [FTM Contingent], 1994, Color photograph, 4x6”, Allan Bérubé Papers (1995-17), Courtesy of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.

Through photographic documentation of activism, education, and media production within trans, queer, and feminist grassroots organizing of the 1970s through the 1990s, Images on which to build, 1970s-1990s reveals the technologies through which influential image cultures were constructed and circulated. The exhibition presents a range of photographic practices to explore the process of learning within alternative schools, workshops, demonstrations, dance clubs, slideshow presentations, correspondences, and community-based archive projects. Featured artists and collectives include Diana Solís, Joan E. Biren (JEB), Lola Flash, the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and the Sexual Minorities Archives, among others. The exhibition is co-organized by the Leslie-Lohman Museum, New York, where it will travel in the spring of 2023.

Images on which to build is curated by writer and curator Ariel Goldberg.

Baseera Khan: Weight on History

Baseera Khan. Installation view, Baseera Khan: Weight On History. Photo: Geoff Winningham, 2022. Image courtesy of the Moody Center for the Arts.

The CAC also presents Baseera Khan: Weight on History, the first institutional solo exhibition in the Midwest by this New York-based artist. Khan shifts seamlessly between media to explore the interconnectedness of capital, politics, and the body. Their work in video, photography, sculpture, and performance creates spaces of reprieve, beauty, and safety, while also critiquing power structures and knowledge systems that systemically exclude or misrepresent marginalized populations. The exhibition features a new body of sculptures, existing photographic collages, video, and sculptural work, as well as a site-specific installation, the exhibition addresses issues such as access, cultural appropriation, and migration. The exhibition is co-organized with the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, where it was recently on view.

The exhibition is co-curated by CAC Senior Curator Amara Antilla and curator Ylinka Barotto.

Cameron Granger: The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Heaven

Cameron Granger (b. Cleveland, OH; lives and works in Columbus, OH), This Must Be the Place (detail), 2018. Digital color video, with sound, 4 min., 32 sec. Courtesy of the artist.

For his solo project at the CAC, Cameron Granger: The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Heaven, the Ohio-based artist and filmmaker develops a new iteration of The Line (2021) for the CAC lobby that draws from his personal biography as a Black man raised by his mother and grandmother in Ohio. By juxtaposing live-action scenes, autobiographical texts, and found footage, Granger’s videos and installations weave stories that complicate accepted interpretations of the past and present. His works thus offer poignant meditations on Black history and culture, highlighting not only the systems of racial inequity that target and police Blackness, but the communities that continue to thrive, persist, and most importantly, demonstrate love.

This project is curated by Stephanie Kang, former assistant curator at the CAC.

Seeing (the) Reds

MLB HISTORY

“Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to highlight what we’re doing here.”

Los Rojos! The 2022 featured exhibit at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum is ready for you to explore.

And what a better time to do it than during Hispanic Heritage Month!

We stopped by recently and chatted with its Executive Director, Rick Walls.

Walls says the exhibit looks at the impact Latino players have on the Reds and Major League Baseball.

Learn More

The Reds Hall of Fame encourages you to find out more about Los Rojos at their website and to learn more about the impact of Latino players on Reds’ baseball, integration in MLB, and more!

“It’s an annual exhibit, it’s a space we change out every year,” says Walls. “This year, we brought something new. A different color, a different look and just a great different feel and now, during Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to highlight what we’re doing here.”

Walls says the exhibit attracts baseball and Reds fans from all over. The exhibit also brings in a lot of education programs from local schools.

The exhibit is set up so you can explore at your own pace or simply follow the timelines. There’s also a 12-minute film that Walls suggests visitors watch before touring the exhibit.

“You’ll find jerseys, helmets, contracts, balls, contracts of players dating back to the 1800s,” says Walls.

lEADING THE WAY

“There’s always been a connection to Latin America and the Reds have been at the forefront of all this, signing two players as early as 1911.”

Walls points out that the exhibit includes contributions from all MLB teams.

Check back here next week for a special segment on the Los Rojos! exhibit.

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Refresher Course

If You Go

freshART
Sunday, September 11, 4-8 p.m. 
Behringer-Crawford Museum
1600 Montague Road, Devou Park

Tickets are $75. Order now or
call (859) 491-4003.

Event includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvre followed by a live auction.

The Behringer-Crawford Museum opened in 1950 with a life-sized stuffed black bear, a two-headed calf, and other “curiosities.” In the following decades, the museum has become a center of both local history and arts education.

This Sunday, the museum celebrates learning, loving, creating and collecting art in Northern Kentucky with their annual fundraiser freshART, a party and art auction of “fresh” art created en plein air by dozens of artists in Devou Park the previous week. 

A portion of the sale price of each piece goes to the artist, with the balance donated to the museum, benefiting area children through BCM’s educational programs.

Submitted freshART works were judged by a panel of experts, with $1000 in cash prizes awarded to the first, second, and third-place entries by the William & Patricia Applegate Fund.

The afternoon includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres from Funky's Catering along with music by violinist Preston Bell Charles III. John Lomax, retired LOCAL 12 news anchor, is the emcee and H. David Wallace, CEO and chairman of the board of Heritage Bank, will conduct the auction.

If you are unable to attend the event, there is a “silentART” option currently underway. View previously completed artwork by dozens of local artists and bid online  or use QR codes in the galleries. The silentART auction will close September 11 at 8:15 p.m.

Since freshART began in 1992, over $950,000 has been raised, bringing educational and cultural activities to more than 275,000 Northern Kentucky children. 

Setting the Scene

Ready for your closeup?

Backlot is Film Cincinnati’s annual fundraiser that allows the organization to continue to make our region a world-class destination for film and entertainment.

Oct. 29, 7 – 11 p.m.
Waypoint Aviation
4765 Airport Road, 45226

General admission – $150
Red carpet
Food & entertainment
Open bar

VIP – $250
6 p.m. – VIP celebrity cocktail mingle with Barry Levinson a

VIP Salon – $3,500
Private table of 8
6 p.m. – VIP celebrity cocktail mingle

Get tickets now!

Lights! Camera! Austin! 

Fresh from his star-making role in “Elvis,” Austin Butler heads to Cincinnati in October, for the new film “The Bikeriders.”

He will be joined by Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”), Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury": Road”) and Michael Shannon (“The Shape of Water”) in director Jeff Nichols’ next feature.

The film is Nichols’ sixth directorial effort, and his first since “Midnight Special” and “Loving” premiered in 2016. Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones will produce via Tri-State with Nichols, alongside New Regency. Fred Berger executive produces. The film will begin production in Cincinnati this October.

Based on the 1967 Danny Lyon photography book, “The Bikeriders.” tells an original story about a ’60s midwestern motorcycle club as it evolves over the course of a decade from a community for outsiders into a far more sinister gang.

“We are thrilled to host this incredibly talented team and provide tremendous opportunities for locals,” said Kristen Schlotman. “It’s a very exciting time for Cincinnati's own role in the film industry.”

The movie follows the recent filming of the docuseries produced by Film Cincinnati, “label•less.” Filmed earlier this month at the American Sign Museum, the show follows the making of a stage show of the same name. Performances featured a special appearance by actor Zack Gottagen, who had his breakout role in 2019’s The Peanut Butter Falcon. In 2020, he became the first person with Down Syndrome to be a presenter at the Academy Awards. 

Led by a talented young cast, “label•less” tells their stories of love, compassion and how they defy the labels they have experienced in their lifetimes. It’s an incredibly powerful show that people of all ages can embrace and experience together. With a diverse cast of 16-26-year-olds, this show tackles current social issues that this generation faces; everything from bullying to mental health to homophobia to racism. 

The docuseries is a collaboration of Drew and Lea Lachey, Brave Berlin, and TVACOM (LA/Cincinnati).

With “Shirley,” starring Regina King and an adaptation of John Green’s “Turtles All the Way Down” filming earlier this year, and Film Cincinnati has come roaring back from COVID shut downs. In 2017 and 2018, the motion picture industry had an economic impact of nearly $80 million in the Greater Cincinnati area, according to a study by the University of Cincinnati Economics Center. 

Filming of these productions during that time had a total economic impact of $142 million, with an employment impact of 1,054 jobs between FY 2014 and FY 2018.

The Backlot fundraiser helps Film Cincinnati continue its mission to develop programs, advocacy, and promotional events and support the continued growth of local film production.

The Next Stage

Broadway in Cincinnati 2022-23 Season

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Oct 25–Nov 6, 2022

Jesus Christ Superstar
Dec 6–18, 2022

Anastasia
Jan 3–15, 2023

Annie (season option)
Feb 7–12, 2023

Tootsie
March 7–19, 2023

Jagged Little Pill (season option)
March 28–April 2, 2023

Hadestown
April 18–30, 2023

Moulin Rouge! The Musical
May 17–June 4, 2023

Prepare for your favorite stories from music, mythology and movies to take the stage as gender-bending, gospel-singing, mashup-bringing musicals come to the Aronoff Center for Broadway in Cincinnati’s 2022-23 season.

But before we get to the next season, remember that Hamilton rounds out the 2021–22 season with an almost month-long run from Sept. 6 to Oct. 2. Tickets – especially for weekday performances – still remain.

Now, let’s get a sneak peek into some of the upcoming shows.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Oct 25-Nov 6, 2022

Anastasia

Jan 3-15, 2023

Hadestown

April 18-30, 2023

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

May 17-June 4, 2023

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

The season kicks off with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which chronicles the life and legacy of Nutbush, Tennessee’s favorite daughter: the former Anna Mae Bullock. The show takes us through her transformation into the Tina Turner who graces stages and breaks barriers, while overcoming abuse and discrimination along the way.

Her volatile and violent relationship with Ike Turner is the focus of the first act. And you know what that means: time for a redemptive Act II. You’ll dance in your seat and sing along to Tina’s iconic songs, and the show’s finale is something special. If you love a jukebox musical (and who doesn’t), you might find yourself calling this one “Simply the Best.”

Anastasia

The legendary story of the Imperial Romanovs of Russia and their “lost princess” has been the subject of books, movies ,and an animated classic. Now, Anastasia takes the stage in a Broadway show that’s perfect for all ages.

Fans of the animated movie will recognize some of the classic songs like “Journey to the Past,” but 16 new songs by Lynn Ahrens and CCM grad Stephen Flaherty make the stage production feel even bigger. LED projection screens create and ever-changing background – and such a realistic experience during a train scene that I saw a patron in the front row of NYC’s Broadhurst Theatre get physically ill.

I promise this show won’t make you sick, though. Quite the contrary: you’ll find yourself humming song like“Once Upon and December” and “My Petersburg” for days.

Hadestown

Broadway delves into the mythology of Hades and Persephone, Orpheus and Eurydice. Thankfully, the Playbill offers a brief primer for those of us a bit removed from our studies of Greek gods.

This show chronicles these two couples on opposite ends of their own journeys; one pulling apart, one coming together. The story is set on earth and “way down” in Hadestown, and the juxtaposition of the two play out in sets, costumes, lighting and choreography.

Hadestown even takes the form of ancient Greek plays, with a narrator, Hermes, known in mythology as the messenger of the gods. The Three Fates at times tempt, and at others, shame the main characters for their actions. The ensemble takes the role of the Greek chorus, hammering home the show’s message and furthering the story.

Hadestown is beautiful performance that explores love and loss, and offers hope amid its despair. It’s one of those shows you could watch over and over and see something different each time.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Wrap a glitzy visual extravaganza in catchy “Glee”-style song mashups – and you’ve got Moulin Rouge. It’s based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie about a young Englishman in 1899 Paris who meets mysterious dancer at the can-can revue.

The story is secondary to the music, though. Yes, you’ll hear “Lady Marmalade,” as well about 576 other recognizable songs. Your brain will be doing somersaults trying to pick out each one, and by then, they’re on to the next.

The sets, costumes and lighting are among the best you’ll see on stage - and if excess is what you’re looking for, you’ve found it. The show is recommended for ages 12 and up, but I might lean a little older than that. Moulin Rouge is a visual and aural spectacle and it owns it.

– Kathrine Nero

Keep It 100

Celebration of Charley Harper
On His 100th Birthday

Aug. 4, 5–7 p.m.
Continues through Sunday, Aug. 14

Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Pearlman Gallery
1212 Jackson Street

More information.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati’s celebrates the 100th birthday of one of its most famous alumni, Charley Harper, today!

More than 40 prints from Harper’s career will be featured in a new exhibition in the AAC’s Pearlman Gallery.

Harper developed one of the most recognizable styles of American illustration in the 20th century.

With a body of work ranging from advertising and posters to murals and paintings, and a delicate approach to lines and colors, Harper’s love of nature led him to create an influential legacy that is now compiled in a new book, Wild Life: The Life and Work of Charley Harper.

Curated in collaboration with the Charley Harper Art Studio, led by his son Brett Harper, and offering insights into his private life, influences, and professional evolution, this book presents the Harper universe in its totality. He will attend celebration and sign copies of his new book.

Harper was named a Distinguished Art Academy Alumnus in 2019. He was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist, best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters, and book illustrations.

Ladybugs, birds, dogs, and owls. With a never-ending curiosity for the world around him, Charley Harper developed one of the most recognizable styles of American illustration in the 20th century. With a body of work ranging from advertising and posters to murals and paintings, and a delicate approach to lines and colors. Brett Harper, who wrote the preface for and is the co-editor of Wild Life, leads the Charley Harper Art Studio, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting the American illustrator’s work. Charley Harper's art is a beloved treasure which inspired an entire generation of artists and designers.

Born in Frenchtown, West Virginia in 1922, Harper’s upbringing on his family farm influenced his work to his last days. He left home to study art at the AAC, and won the school's first Stephen H. Wilder Traveling Scholarship. While at the AAC, and supposedly on his first day there, Harper met fellow artist (and fellow AAC Distinguished Alumna), Edie McKee, who he married after graduation in 1947.

Flood of Memories

If You Go

Contemporary Arts Center
44 E. Sixth St.

Admission is free.

Open Wednesday –Friday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

www.contemporaryartscenter.org

Launched in 2017, Center of Unfinished Business from Contemporary And (C&) is a roving reading room and discussion-based program. It has traveled to art spaces and museums around the world. The CAC’s iteration, in the lobby, features a curated selection of books and a series of discussions that respond to water as a literal and metaphorical framework for exploring African American and African experiences and cultures.

Breaking Water brings together works in installation, video, photography, painting, sculpture, and performance that offer a range of approaches to the subject of water, liquidity, and feminism. Co-curated by CAC Senior Curator Amara Antilla and independent curator and writer Clelia Coussonnet, Breaking Water opens on May 6 and continues through August 15, 2022. The exhibition will be accompanied by a parallel film screening program that extends the exhibition’s central themes.

Co-organized by the CAC and Wave Pool, Artist-Run Spaces explores a moment of self-reflection and reopening amid the pandemic. The needs and interests of these artist-run and independent spaces, which are often able to pivot and react to current events much quicker than larger organizations, are timely and important. This exhibition features ten artist-run spaces and collectives that developed an installation highlighting their work and ethos, with a focus on showcasing the work of artists and makers within their networks.