Photograph by Andrea Sabugo
Cincinnati Art Week isn’t trying to turn Cincinnati into an art city because, if you live here, you know it already is one. BLINK is the nation’s largest immersive art event, drawing millions of people to the city every other year. We were voted the nation’s best city for street art, and our arts institutions continue to produce and attract artists of the highest caliber. Now, Cincinnati Art Week is creating more opportunities for the people who make, support and experience art in Cincinnati to connect.
William Thomas, co-founder of Cincinnati Art Week, sees that sense of connection as part of what makes Cincinnati special. “Cincinnati is an art city. The quality of art and artists is top tier,” he says. “There is a creative connective energy that is unique to Cincinnati.”
Destinee Thomas, co-founder and creative director, describes CAW as “connective tissue” for Cincinnati’s creative scene,“CAW is a platform to facilitate all of the movement within our local creative economy.” The goal isn’t to replace what’s already happening. It’s to create more connections between the artists, creatives, neighborhoods and audiences that make up the city’s creative community.
The event’s timing was very purposeful. October has become one of Cincinnati’s busiest months for arts and culture. Travel + Leisure named Cincinnati one of the best places to visit in October; a month that brings BLINK, FotoFocus, StartupCincy Week and a packed calendar of exhibitions, performances and events to the city. Each event has its own audience and purpose. Together, they create a concentrated moment for people to experience Cincinnati’s creative scene. CAW is stepping into that moment as another way to connect the dots, putting more attention on the artists and creatives behind it.
Photograph by Andrea Sabugo
The people behind Cincinnati Art Week—namely the studio teams at Cincy Nice and No Standing—have spent years creating spaces for art to bring people together. Founders Destinee Thomas, William Thomas, and Megyn Norbut have also worked as producing partners on BLINK. Those experiences showed them what can happen when a city comes together around art. CAW takes a slightly different approach, creating more room to slow down, build relationships and deepen connections.
As the team started to build Cincinnati Art Week, they began looking for places to make it happen and saw an opportunity in vacant storefronts in Over-the-Rhine. Working with Urban Sites and 3CDC, they found a way to turn those empty spaces into temporary homes for art and creative projects.
“We’re civic problem solvers,” says Thomas. An empty storefront becomes a place to see an artist’s work. Someone who comes for the art might stop at a local café, shop at a small business, or grab dinner at a restaurant. Suddenly, there’s a reason to slow down, look around and see what else is there.
Photograph by Andrea Sabugo
So what’s the best way to experience Cincinnati Art Week? Begin at the Welcome Center at 1600 Race St., the main hub for the week. There, you can ask questions, grab a map and pick up merch before heading out to explore. Across over eight spaces, artists and creatives will bring their work to life in different ways. You might find an experiential art piece by Mz. Icar, an installation exploring identity by local architect Chas Wiederhold, or Prints and Plants, a pop-up with local artist Gee Horton.
There will also be pop-up spaces, artist talks, performances, and other mostly free events throughout the week like NO GRID—a creative conversation series by Jason Snell that’ll bring six artists together across three venues. If you’re thirsty and willing to venture out into Walnut Hills, you can try the exclusive Art City beer at Esoteric Brewing. This Japanese-Style Rice Lager was made in collaboration with CAW for an evening of gallery-hopping.
To get the most updated maps and schedules, check in the Cincinnati Art Week website or Instagram.
