Cincinnati is a city in transformation that cares about the community through investing in art! It is home to a vibrant collection of over 150 public murals that celebrate the city's heritage, history, and culture. They are painted in every space and style imaginable including abstract, expressionist photorealistic, surrealist, and graffiti. They revive the architecture by adding color and narrative to places that previously would go unnoticed.
As visitors just passing through with only a few hours - and not sure where to start - there was no stopping us once we stumbled upon the first mural. Nearby was another and then another and seeing the murals became our agenda. The images portrayed made us imagine the dialogue that took place in the community about the artists and issues they cared about and chose to represent.
Viewing the art made us slow down and led us to diverse neighborhoods with people chatting in the historic Findlay Market and gathering by The Genius of Water fountain for special occasions. Cincinnati gave the impression of a progressive, cool, hip and a fun place to live.
Creating so many murals is no small feat. The teams of artists, talent and financial support needed to execute them are only possible with collaborative efforts of private and public partnership. Cincinnati has robust mentorship programs with many artists working together to paint them that brings the artworks to life. In our short visit we were able to see several of the highlights:
Martha, The Last Passenger Pigeon
Once the largest bird species in North America the last passenger pigeon died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. The mural is a reproduction of a painting by wildlife artist John A. Ruthven. It highlights the importance of wildlife conservation.
The Hands that Built our City
Portraying the pride of this historically creative and industrious town this mural mimics the Union Terminal mosaic murals by Winold Reiss and was painted to look like tile. The addition of new hands is a nod to Cincinnati’s vibrant future.
Mr. Dynamite
James Brown spent the formative years of his career on the Cincinnati-based King Records label producing some of his earliest hits. Brown played an important role in development of funk, soul, and hip hop, and was an advocate for civil rights and black self-empowerment.
Mother’s Bouquet
Detroit-based painter Louise “Ouizi” Jones large-scale floral mural installations are inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Tainted Love
Artist D*Face works in the world of image saturation through mass media. He encourages people to not just to ‘see’, but to look at what surrounds them and their lives, reflecting our increasingly bizarre popular culture, re-thinking and reworking cultural figures and genres.
Cincinnati Table
This surreal food composition is inspired by Dutch still life paintings. With delicacies, flying pigs and fantastical imagery the over-the-top details pay tribute to the culinary arts.
The Young Can Learn from the Old can Learn from the Young
Produced by the German duo Herakut this mural expresses the controversial change to this historic neighborhood and raises questions such as the benefit costs of "revitalization" and "gentrification." The title expresses that generations needing to be open to learning from each other.
