Photograph courtesy ArtsWave
ArtsWave officially kicks off its 100th anniversary celebration in October during two of Cincinnati’s highest profile arts events, BLINK and FotoFocus Biennial. With those events happening every other year and the approaching anniversary of ArtsWave’s founding in 1927, CEO Alecia Kintner says it made sense to launch the organization’s centennial year a little early.
ArtsWave will have its own BLINK projection installation at the Aronoff Center for the Arts to honor 100 years of Cincinnatians’ personal support of the arts, “a storytelling opportunity we haven’t had before,” says Kintner. The piece is being designed by Cincinnati-based animator Greg D’Amico in conjunction with BLINK co-producers AGAR and will be projected outside of the Weston Art Gallery at Sixth and Walnut streets.
ArtsWave’s Cincy A&E app will offer dozens of special discounts from restaurants, bars, and other retail partners during BLINK. “Those businesses will link to the app, which you’ll need to show in order to access a special drink, a free appetizer, or other deal,” says Kintner. “It’s a great way for us to encourage people to take advantage of downtown amenities while they’re out and about, and our hope, of course, is that they’ll enjoy the app, engage with it, and see its value.”
The app’s ArtsWave Pass function will be free during the entire month of October, unlocking significant ticket discounts with area arts groups. The two-year-old app’s robust events calendar, which is also available online at cincyae.com, is always free, but the ArtsWave Pass normally costs $9.99 per month to give consumers access to 50 percent discounts on tickets at the Broadway Series, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse, and other local producers along with 20 percent discounts from the Broadway Series and last-minute “rush” offers.
ArtsWave and Fifth Third Bank are helping sponsor Cincinnati Art Week, a new program scheduled for October 3-10 to bridge the opening of FotoFocus and the BLINK weekend. Plans include pop-up art galleries in vacant storefronts, local artist activations, and artist talks.
Fifth Third CEO Tim Spence will lead ArtsWave’s annual community fundraising campaign February through May 2027. The nation’s oldest and largest united arts fund in the U.S., founded in 1927 as the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, raised $12.1 million from more than 20,000 donors in 2026.
