May 2024

May 2024

May Festival

curator Julia Wolfe

Polly Campbell: The life-affirming power of curiosity

FOCUS ON: Niche Museums & Cultural Institutions Sign Museum

doubles the dazzle

A haven for dummies

Lisa Sweasy of Vent Haven Museum

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“Trillium at Twin Lakes will offer luxury amenities, spacious floor plans, custom finishes and most importantly, the opportunity to join our community even if you aren’t already on our wait list.” -Lisa Zimmers, Executive Director at Twin Lakes

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to secure your future home at Twin Lakes. Visit lec.org/trillium or call 513-719-3504 today!

“That corner is haunted.” My son’s words came back to me as I sat crumpled on the sidewalk leaning against the build ing, cradling my right arm with my left. My husband crouched be tween me and my bike, peppering me with questions about what hurt.

My son’s comment was prompted by a series of events that began after the city of Cincinnati’s “calming of Liberty Street” project which, among other improvements, altered a dangerous intersection and changed the flow of traffic. A curb and sidewalk cut off access to Liberty Street at the corner of Liberty Hill and Broadway. We applauded this change; buses and other westbound vehicles on Liberty Hill were directed to a new light before they reached our building and no longer raced down the hill, flying past at breakneck speed to merge.

supernatural, but I liked this romantic notion that the historic neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine and Prospect Hill had a zeitgeist, a time spirit that resisted change.

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Then the incidents began. First, a speeding driver missed the new traffic pattern and slammed into the brick building on that corner, taking out the door and a window and leaving a pile of rubble on the sidewalk.

Second, came the water main break – same corner. As city workers jackhammered their way up the street looking for the crack in the 100-plus-year-old cast iron pipe, they managed to break a gas line, delaying repairs. Our building and others had no water for three days.

The next incident was the most bizarre. One day, we heard a loud explosion. The power went out. Duke Energy trucks converged on our street. I stood next to one of the drivers, staring up in disbelief at the telephone pole on the corner of Liberty Hill and Broadway. Inexplicably, on a calm afternoon, the top five feet of the pole snapped off, taking down the wires, which now rested on a lower, perpendicular set, blowing a transformer in the process.

It was this last incident that prompted my son, who lives a couple of blocks away, to propose the “haunted” theory.

“The spirit of the city is angry,” he said. “They cut off its flow. It’s taking revenge.”

I’m not one to believe in the

And this was not the first time this corner had seen major disruption. Liberty Hill was originally part of Liberty Street, but when the interstate highway system was built, Liberty Street was rerouted to connect to the on-ramps. Buildings were razed, families were displaced and Broadway to the south became a dead-end with a set of steps the only access to Liberty.

I sat contemplating this as my husband fetched the car to take me to the emergency room for what turned out to be a spiral fracture of the humerus. Although it had probably been angered decades before, I had collided with the unhappy zeitgeist of Broadway and Liberty when I caught my tire in a crack and body-slammed the foundation of the building on the corner.

Or perhaps I simply made a bad move, distracted by the wind in my face and the sun on my cheeks as we embarked on our first ride of the season on a beautiful spring Sunday.

®

My accident was on April 7, as we were going into production for this issue. Printing was delayed a week and design help was hired, as I planned pages, gingerly, and waited five days for surgery and stabilizing hardware. As I write this, we are putting the finishing touches on the issue and it has been one week since my surgery — still unnaturally mousing left-handed, but able to type and hit keystrokes with my right as it rests on a pillow.

Enjoy this issue. It’s a bit of a miracle. Thanks to my team and especially to designer Scott Bruno

for stepping in to lay out some pages; I could not have done it without you! But most of all to my husband and co-publisher, Thom, for his patience and loving care over the last two weeks. You are amazing.

And to you, Dear Reader, next time you are in OTR, raise a glass to those who built it, who lived here over the decades, who have preserved and restored it. Maybe leave a sip in the bottom as a peace offering to the zeitgeist. I will. Couldn’t hurt.

Elizabeth Mariner, co-publisher and creative director

• Tess Brown and Casey Weldon, associate editors

• Phil Fisher and Ray Cooklis, copy editors

Free direct mail subscriptions and email newsletter sign up: www.moversmakers.org/subscribe

• Tina Gutierrez, photographer

• Shasta Taber, proofreader

• Scott Bruno, assistant designer

• All the nonprofits that contributed news and photos. For their work on this issue, our gratitude to:

Arts coverage supported by:

Know Theatre announces 26 shows for Fringe Festival

The 21st annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival – the region’s largest and longest-running annual performing arts festival – will take place May 31-June 15. The celebration will showcase a variety of unique and sometimes over-the-top live performances at venues across Over-the-Rhine.

This year’s primary lineup features 26 productions, including 12 shows by local playwrights. The schedule also includes four FringeDevelopment projects, five

special events and “Kids Fringe” youth performances on weekend afternoons.

Cincy Fringe is presented by Know Theatre, which strives to showcase unexpected voices, new works and plays that embrace the live experience.

This year’s festival includes 12 world premieres, a national premiere and 12 regional premieres.

The Fringe Festival is made possible by a partnership with the Art Academy of Cincinnati,

Cincinnati Youth Choir founder to step down after 31 years

Cincinnati Youth Choir’s founding artistic director is stepping down from day-to-day operations after more than 31 years at the helm.

After CYC’s 2024-25 season, Robyn Lana will become director emerita and will continue to lead the alumni choir and its network.

CYC is an education-focused organization for young singers in first grade through high school.

“The Cincinnati Youth Choir has been an integral part of my life and my family,” said Lana, who formed the organization in 1993. She called it “the joy of a lifetime to share so

many years with the finest people.”

“Considering the best steps for a succession plan for the organization I have loved so deeply has been a priority over the past three years,” she added. “I know the search committee will find the best in the nation to lead the program into the future.”

Recognized as one of the nation’s leading children’s and youth choir conductors, Lana has worked with choruses ranging from children to adults for more than 40 years.

When she started CYC more than three decades ago, it was a small, 35-voice ensemble. Under her guidance, it has grown into one of the most revered youth choral programs in the country, serving nearly 1,000 singers each year.

While it started as an independent program, Lana joined forces with Earl Rivers in 2001 to bring CYC into the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Today, CYC is the resident children’s choir for all of CCM’s choral, orchestral and operatic works.

 cincinnatichoir.org

located across the street from the Know Theatre. AAC is also one of the venues hosting Fringe Festival performances this year. Shows will take place at Gabriel’s Corner on Sycamore Street as well.

Free nightly after-hours events unfold in the Know Theatre UnderGround Bar throughout the festival.

Know Theatre in Over-the-Rhine will host free nightly after-hours events in its UnderGround Bar throughout the festival.

Single tickets to the 2024 Cincy Fringe are $18. All-access and six-show flex passes are available as well. Half of all box office revenue goes to producing Fringe artists.

The full schedule is available on the Cincinnati Fringe Festival website.

 cincyfringe.com

‘American Dreams’: Langrée, CSO to release new recording

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Louis Langrée may be wrapping up his 11-year tenure this month, but a new recording aims to ensure local music fans will continue to enjoy his work for years to come.

“American Dreams,” which Langrée conducted, features live performances from the past two seasons. This digital-only release includes “Night Creature” by Duke Ellington, featuring pianist Courtney Bryan, “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from “On the Waterfront.”

“Ellington, Gershwin and Bernstein are in my pantheon of great 20th-century American composers,” Langrée wrote, referring to these “masterpieces” as “stunning examples of the heart of the American Dream.”

“Each piece on the album is an American tone poem and each is emblematic of the quintessential American music identity,” added Langrée, a native of Alsace, France. “They marry, juxtapose, infuse and weave together different musical ideas, styles and cultures to create a new language.”

The company’s leadership called the recording a celebration of Langrée’s final season as CSO’s music director. His final performances as director will take place May 10-12 during a weekendlong showcase at Cincinnati Music Hall called “Louis’ Grand Finale.”

Production was done by CSO’s Fanfare Cincinnati label and distribution is by Naxos of America.

“American Dreams” will be available on streaming platforms on May 3.

 cincinnatisymphony.org

Robyn Lana

Album cover of “American Dreams”

Composer as curator

Julia Wolfe shapes the 2024 May Festival

This spring marks the eighth year since the end of James Conlon’s landmark 37-year run as music director of the Cincinnati May Festival. For North America’s oldest choral festival, it was an ideal time to reflect on the path ahead.

As Steven Sunderman, the festival’s executive director, noted, “For a lot of years, we didn’t make many changes here.”

Those years are over.

On the heels of celebrating its 150th year, the May Festival starts this season adopting a new model for artistic leadership. Instead of having an ongoing music director, the festival intends for audiences to benefit from the changing perspectives of annual festival directors. The plan is to nurture artistic innovation and “exciting new collaborations,” according to a festival release.

While future festival directors may come from artistic disciplines besides music, the choice for the first year of this brave new world is one of the most respected names in contemporary choral music – as a composer. It also makes a strong statement about the festival’s commitment to remain relevant to today’s audiences.

A natural curator

In hindsight, Julia Wolfe’s selection as the 2024 festival director was almost obvious. The Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship – often dubbed the “genius grant” – has made a specialty of large-scale works for chorus and orchestra.

In a phone interview from her home in New York City, Wolfe said the role was instantly appealing. “It was out of the blue,” she said of the phone call from May Festival leaders. “That was exciting.”

More importantly, though, she said, “I could tell it was a very collaborative conversation. Curating and having conversations is natural for me. This idea of bringing it all into the orchestras is very interesting.”

As one would expect, Wolfe’s work is central to the 2024 festival, with three of four programs featuring her music. Those include the premiere of a commission from the May Festival and the work that earned her the 2015 Pulitzer.

Wolfe’s compositions are unique in contemporary music for incorporating movement and theatricality, multimedia elements and eclectic musical influences. The latter range from the

By Thomas Consolo

medieval (and “neo-medieval”) – there’s a definite taste of early 13th-century composer Pérotin and contemporary master Arvo Pärt in her vocal writing – to Appalachian folk music to rock music. “I once had an audience member tell me after a concert that it sounded like King Crimson,” she said.

New commission, Pulitzer winner

First up, on May 18, is the commission’s premiere, “All that breathes,” paired with “Pretty,” an orchestral piece written in 2023 for the Berlin Philharmonic.

Wolfe said “All that breathes” embraces the massive sound of collective breath and exhalation. “They thought it would be nice if there were a world premiere,” she said. “It was a really fun task – fun to think about what kind of sound can you get” from a chorus.

In “Pretty,” she said, “I very much went in what I call the opposite direction from their standard direction. I thought, ‘I’m going to go so American, down and earthy.’ It has raw, sonic music gestures – very rhythmic – and has got body energy to it.”

Her website describes it as “a raucous celebration – embracing the grit of fiddling, the relentlessness of work rhythms, and inspired by the distortion and reverberation of rock and roll.” She was a little concerned about the Berlin

2024 May Festival

All performances 7:30 p.m., Music Hall

May 17: Franz Joseph Haydn: “The Creation.” Robert Porco, conductor

May 18, “Anthems”: Julia Wolfe: “All that breathes” and “Pretty” • David Lang: “the national anthems” • Ralph Vaughan Williams: “Dona Nobis Pacem.”

Stephanie Childress, conductor

May 23, “Voices of the Earth”: Michael Gordon: “Natural History” • Julia Wolfe: “Anthracite Fields.” Bang on a Can All-Stars, Steiger Butte Singers.

Teddy Abrams, conductor

May 24: Faure: “Requiem” • Julia Wolfe: “Her Story.” François López-Ferrer, conductor

 mayfestival.com or 513-381-3300

audience’s response, but, “to my delight, it was an incredible response,” she said.

The festival’s second weekend, May 23 and 24, features two of the works that NPR dubbed “docutorios.” Combining characteristics of traditional large-scale choral compositions with investigations of issues that have historical roots but resonate today.

“There really is a documenting of historical documents, letters, speeches – anything is fair game for the text if it can convey the story,” Wolfe said. “I take tons and tons of notes and usually something jumps out to me.”

While absorbing elements of popular culture into classical music isn’t rare (technically, it never was; it just felt like it after the 1960s), mixing musical composition with social issues is unusual. For Wolfe, the key is that what she writes about still matters today. “If it was a subject that didn’t have resonance today, I might not be so interested.”

Slated for May 23 is the work that earned Wolfe her Pulitzer, 2015’s “Anthracite Fields.” The 65-minute work, for chorus and small instrumental ensemble, looks at America’s relationship to coal – particularly the anthracite coal mines near her childhood home in eastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite is more desirable because it burns more cleanly. It fueled much of the industrialization of the early 20th century, but it also took a heavy toll on those who mined it.

The work’s point isn’t political, though. “It’s an examination rather than a black and white,” Wolfe said. “It’s a dialogue with the audience.”

There’s a similar investigation in the work for May 24, “Her Story,” a 2022 co-commission by five of the nation’s major orchestras. Using

Composer Julia Wolfe is the inaugural season curator under the May Festival’s new artistic model. Photo by Peter Serling

letters of Abigail Adams and excerpts of Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I A Woman?”, the work for 10 women’s voices and orchestra traces the struggle for equality from 1776 to the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment, which enshrined women’s right to vote in federal elections.

“Her Story” is concert music, but with a major theatrical component. “It’s amazing how much the singers are doing,” Wolfe said. “There are lots of physical gestures embedded in the score. Then the director figures out how to realize it. Very much, the power of those women comes across on stage.”

Handling the instrumental duties in “Anthracite Fields” is the Bang on a Can All-Stars, an ensemble Wolfe cofounded. Its players flow easily to and from traditional and modern musical idioms. “There was a need to find a home for that kind of music,” she said about founding the All-Stars.

Singing in “Her Story” is the Lorelei Ensemble – again a group with which Wolfe has collaborated before.

Diverse voices

Wolfe has assembled programs that include plenty beyond her own work. David Lang’s “the national anthems,” to be heard May 18, explores common themes in the world’s national anthems, including that securing freedom is often a struggle, and it can be easily lost.

Paired with “Anthracite Fields” is Michael Gordon’s “Natural History,” featuring the Steiger Butte Singers of Chiloquin, Ore. Commissioned to mark the centennial of the National Park System, it’s a take on humans’ spiritual connection to nature and to Crater Lake in particular.

“It’s such a different kind of singing,” Wolfe said. “It’s a different way of using the voice. This raw crying is going to be so amazing to the audience.”

She’s not concerned that these works may be too different for the Music Hall audience. “I’m the beneficiary of people having heard so many things, having been exposed to so much sonic complexity. Everybody’s ears are open.

“I don’t need to spoon-feed audiences. They understand how to put pieces together.” 

Type & Print Museum honored for printing industry contributions

The Cincinnati Type & Print Museum is the first non-commercial graphic arts organization to receive the William Maxwell Award from the Graphic Media Alliance of the Southern Ohio region.

Given in honor of William Maxwell, Cincinnati’s first printer, the award recognizes a forward-thinking commercial printer or business whose work contributes to the community and the Queen City’s thriving commercial printing industry.

Located in Lower Price Hill, the CTPM opened in 2016 under the leadership of founder/director Gary Walton, who taught printing for 35 years at Cincinnati State and Technical College.

Of the roughly 100 letterpress museums in the United States, CTPM is the only one to combine the history of printing with a job training program to place second-chance and at-risk individuals in printing jobs among Cincinnati firms. Trainees screened by social service agencies include individuals emerging from prison, addiction, sex work and welfare.

The goal is to train 120 individuals for printing jobs in the next five years.

 cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

UC names new dean of CCM

After a yearlong search, the University of Cincinnati has found the next leader of its esteemed College-Conservatory of Music.

UC announced that it had selected Peter Jutras – a longtime professor and director of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia – as the new dean of CCM.

Jutras has been a member of the HHSOM faculty for 18 years, teaching piano instruction and pedagogy. He served as associate director for research and graduate studies prior to being named

director in 2019.

If approved by UC’s board of trustees, Jutras will assume his new position Aug. 1 in time for the start of the fall 2024 semester.

Jutras will take over for Jonathan Kregor, who has served as CCM’s interim dean since July 1, 2022. He assumed the role after Stanley Romanstein stepped down as dean.

UC identified members of the search committee a year ago. The actual search process began near the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

Clifton Cultural Arts Center names next ‘New Woman’ artist-in-residence

At its first opening reception in its new Clifton Avenue home, the Clifton Cultural Arts Center named its next artist-inresidence. Devan Horton, a Northern Kentucky artist who creates paintings that call attention to the ways in which humans have corrupted nature, will serve as the organization’s second “New Woman” Artist-inResidence for the next two years.

The program provides selected artists a platform for professional development and artistic expression. Horton will receive a $2,500 artist stipend, a solo show in the CCAC’s Elizabeth Nourse Gallery in 2025, a materials budget towards a class, workshop or community project at CCAC, meetings with studio and professional mentors, and inclusion in the Women in the Arts dinner hosted by CCAC.

Horton’s work was selected from over 250 submissions from 101 women artists.

 cliftonculturalarts.org

Gary Walton, founder/director of the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum, and volunteer Sue MacDonald display the William Maxwell Award.

Photo by Michael k eating Peter Jutras has been named dean of CCM.

Artist Devan Horton

The A&C List

Cultural Exhibits/Tours

American Legacy Tours | 859-9518560. americanlegacytours.com

ƒ Historic tours in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

American Sign Museum | Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. americansignmuseum.org

ƒ Permanent collection

Archaeological Research Institute | Lawrenceburg. 812-290-2966. exploreari.org

ƒ Hands-on educational experiences

ArtWorks Mural Tours | artworkscincinnati.org

ƒ Walking tours of Pendleton, Over-the-Rhine and downtown

Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org

ƒ Artifacts and history of Northern Kentucky

Brewing Heritage Trail Tour Center | Brewery District, Over-the-Rhine. 513-604-9812. brewingheritagetrail.org

ƒ Exploring Queen City beer heritage

Cincinnati Fire Museum | Downtown. 513-621-5553. cincyfiremuseum.com

ƒ Permanent collection

Cincinnati Food Tours | Findlay Market, Over-the-Rhine. 513-602-5602. cincinnatifoodtours.com

ƒ Exploring Queen City food culture and heritage

Cincinnati Museum Center | Union Terminal, Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org

ƒ Thru July 28. “Pompeii: The Exhibition”

Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford. cincynature.org

ƒ Hiking and exploring old-growth forest

Cincinnati Observatory | Hyde Park. cincinnatiobservatory.org

ƒ Oldest professional observatory in United States

Cincinnati Type & Print Museum | Lower Price Hill. cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

ƒ Equipment, tools and artifacts

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

ƒ World-class fauna and flora

Friends of Music Hall | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-2787. friendsofmusichall.org

ƒ Indoor tours available weekly; outdoor tours by appointment

ƒ May 30, 5 p.m. “Bricks & BeerCincinnati Music Hall History and Hops”

Glendale Heritage Preservation | Glendale. 513-771-8722. glendaleheritage.org

ƒ Thursdays & Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. “For 50 Years, Preserving the Past for the Future”

Greater Cincinnati Police Museum | Pendleton. 513-300-3664. police-museum.org

ƒ Permanent collection

Harriet Beecher Stowe House | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org (Under renovation)

ƒ May 11, 10 a.m. Walking tour: “Abolitionists and African Americans in Walnut Hills”

ƒ May 18, 10 a.m. Walking tour: “African American History Along the Cincinnati Riverfront” (Roebling Bridge, Smale Park)

Heritage Village Museum | Sharonville. 513-563-9484. heritagevillagecincinnati.org

ƒ May 22, 6-8 p.m. Period dinner: “Through the Looking Glass: Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ ”

Holocaust & Humanity Center | Cincinnati Museum Center, Union Terminal. 513-487-3055. holocaustandhumanity.org

ƒ May 5, 2-3 p.m. 2024 Yom HaShoah Commemoration

Krohn Conservatory | Eden Park. 513421-4086. cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks

ƒ May 10, 6-8 p.m. “Botany and Brews: ‘Butterflies in Space’ preview”

ƒ May 11-Aug. 18. “Butterflies in Space”

Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. “George Rieveschl Jr.: History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry”

Milford Historical Society | The Promont, Milford. 513-248-0324. milfordhistory.net

ƒ Historical displays of art, artifacts and more

Mt. Adams Civic Association | Mt. Adams. 513-235-3957. mtadamscincy.org

ƒ Historical walking tours by appointment

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | The Banks. 513-333-7500. freedomcenter.org

ƒ Exploring themes of individual freedom

National VOA Museum of Broadcasting | West Chester. 513-777-0027. voamuseum.org

ƒ Radio’s golden age and Cincinnati’s role in America’s global voice

Over-the-Rhine Museum | 513-813-7309. otrmuseum.org

ƒ Saturdays, May 4-July 21, 10 a.m.

North of Liberty Walking Tour

ƒ Sundays, May 12-June 15, 10 a.m.

Women’s History Walking Tour

ƒ Sundays, May 19-June 22, 10 a.m.

South of Liberty Walking Tour

ƒ May 25, 10 a.m. Labor History Walking Tour

RAPTOR Inc. | Milford. raptorinc.org

ƒ May 26, 1-4 p.m. Open house of birds of prey sanctuary

“Blake Works II (The Barre Project)”, created by choreographer William Forsythe and set to the music of James Blake, is part of “Playlist,” which closes Cincinnati Ballet ’s 60th season May 10-12

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. 513-221-1875. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Permanent exhibit: “An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience”

ƒ Thru July 28. “The Guiding Hand” The Barr Foundation Collection of Torah Pointers

Valley View Nature Preserve | Milford. valleyviewcampus.org

ƒ Preserved 190-acre farm and open land

Vent Haven Museum | Ft. Mitchell. 859-341-0461. venthaven.org

ƒ World’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquism. By appointment only

White Water Shaker Village | Harrison. whitewatervillage.org

ƒ May 26, 2-5 p.m. Open houses and guided tours

Dance

Cincinnati Ballet | Proctor & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-5219. cballet.org

ƒ May 9, 8 p.m. 60th Anniversary Celebration

ƒ May 10-12. “Playlist”

DE LA Dance Company | Kennedy Heights. 513-871-0914. deladancecompany.org

ƒ Thru May 12. “La Sylphide”

Miami Valley Ballet Theatre | Fairfield Community Arts Center, Fairfield. mvbtdance.org

ƒ May 11, 2 & 7 p.m. “A Walk Down Abbey Road”

Mutual Dance Theatre | Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-494-6526. mutualdance.org

ƒ May 31-June 2. Modern Mix ’24

Revolution Dance Theatre | JarsonKaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. revodance.com

ƒ May 10-11. “I Should Have Canceled”

Fairs/Festivals/Markets

Appalachian Festival | Coney Island. appalachianfestival.org

ƒ May 11-12. Celebration of Appalachian arts and culture

ArtsConnect | Community Arts Center, Springfield Twp. 513-522-2108. theartsconnect.us

ƒ May 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Artisan fair

Camp Washington Farmer’s Market | Valley Park, Camp Washington. wavepoolgallery.org

ƒ Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. Regional market

Cincy-Cinco | Fountain Square, downtown. hispanicchambercincinnati.com

ƒ May 4-5. Celebration of Hispanic culture marks 20th anniversary

City Flea | Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. thecityflea.com

ƒ May 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Spring market

Covington Farmers Market | Braxton Brewing Company, Covington. greatneighborhoods.org

ƒ Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Crafty Supermarket | Music Hall Ballroom, Over-the-Rhine. craftysupermarket.com

ƒ May 18, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Spring show

East Walnut Hills Farmers’ Market | Clayton Street, E. Walnut Hills. ewhfarmersmarket.com

ƒ Thursdays, May 30-Oct. 31, 3-6 p.m.

Findlay Market | Over-the-Rhine. findlaymarket.org

ƒ Ohio’s oldest surviving municipal market house

Fountain Square | Downtown. 513-621-4400. myfountainsquare.com

ƒ Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Strauss Troy Market on The Square

GeoFair | Sharonville Convention Center, Sharonville. geofair.com

ƒ May 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

ƒ May 5, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Gorman Heritage Farm | Evendale. gormanfarm.org

ƒ May 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May Farm Fest

Hyde Park Farmers’ Market | Hyde Park Square. hydeparkfarmersmarket.com

ƒ Sundays, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Spring-fall. Regional food and beverage market

Madeira Farmers Market | 4-7 p.m. Dawson Road at Miami Avenue, Madeira. madeirafarmersmarket.com

Movers_and_Makers_2024_Campaign_7.5x3.125 with bleed.pdf 1 3/29/2024 12:04:30 PM

Northside Farmers Market | Heart of Northside. northsidefm.org

ƒ Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m. Regional food and beverage market

The Real Taco Fest | Smale Riverfront Park, The Banks. realtacofest.com

ƒ May 11

Smoke on the River BBQ Fest | Newport’s Festival Park. thingstodocincinnati.com

ƒ May 10-12

Summerfair Cincinnati | Coney Island. 513-531-0050. summerfair.org

ƒ May 31-June 2

Taste of Cincinnati | Downtown. tasteofcincinnati.com

ƒ May 25-26, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Food and music festival

ƒ May 27, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Encore Film

Cincinnati Museum Center | OMNIMAX, Union Terminal. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org/omnimax

ƒ Now playing. “Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation” • “Deep Sky”

Cincinnati World Cinema | Garfield Theatre, downtown. 859-957-3456. cincyworldcinema.org

ƒ May 11, 4 & 7 p.m. “Blackwoods” by Cincinnati filmmaker Cameron Marshall

ƒ May 16, 7 p.m. “The People’s Joker” by Vera Drew

ƒ May 17, 8 p.m. Encore of previous

Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org

ƒ May 8, 7 p.m. Armco Night At The Movies

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ May 6, 7:30 p.m. “We’re All Going To The World’s Fair”

ƒ May 13, 7:30 p.m. “All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt”

ƒ May 20, 7:30 p.m. “Omen”

ƒ May 27, 7:30 p.m. “Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero”

Literary/Lectures

AIA Cincinnati | Union Hall, Over-theRhine. 513-421-4661. aiacincinnati.org

ƒ May 16, 5:30 p.m. Brett Randall Jones

“Voices in Design: Utilizing the Spectrum of Community Engagement”

Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park. 513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org

ƒ May 18, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. See the Story: Carol Anderson “We Are Not Yet Equal”

Cincinnati Poetry Slam | Madisonville. cincinnatipoetryslam.com

ƒ May 4, 5 p.m. DuWaup’s Cincinnati Poetry Slam

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

ƒ May 8, 7 p.m. Barrows Conservation

Lecture: Dr. Divya Vasudev & Dr. Varun Goswani

ArtsWave’s Community Campaign ends May 23. It’s not too late to make your gift to 150+ organizations, projects and artists who’ll go on to create thousands of shows, arts education programs, events like BLINK® and more. GIVE TODAY artswave.org

Our arts fuel our economy and bring us together. Your gift can make a vibrant future for everyone.

ƒ Thursdays, 4-7 p.m. Local growers and purveyors stronger

ARTS

Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 513-396-8960. josephbeth.com

ƒ May 7, 7 p.m. Discussion: Jennifer

Chiaverini “The Museum of Lost Quilts”

ƒ May 8, 7 p.m. Discussion: Erik Larson

“The Demon of Unrest” (School for Creative and Performing Arts)

ƒ May 10, 7 p.m. Discussion: Marcia Sells

“The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby”

ƒ May 14, 7 p.m. Discussion: Phil Eil “Prescription for Pain”

ƒ May 16, 7 p.m. Discussion: Kathleen Hanna “Rebel Girl” (Mason High School)

Sitwell’s Coffee House | Clifton. facebook.com/poetryatsitwells

ƒ May 7, 7-8:30 p.m. Open Mic Poetry

Night

Urban Appalachian Community Coalition | Virtual. uacvoice.org

ƒ Final Wednesday, 5-6:30 p.m. Place Keepers Wide Open Mic

Word of Mouth Cincinnati | MOTR Pub, Over-the-Rhine. cincywordofmouth.com

ƒ Final Sunday, 6 p.m. Open poetry

Music

20th Century Theater | Oakley Square. the20thcenturytheater.com

ƒ May 17, 7:30 p.m. Billy Watts

Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra | Tom Stone Amphitheater, Blue Ash. 513-549-2197. bamso.org

ƒ May 27, 7 p.m. Memorial Day Concert.

Michael Chertock, conductor

Bogart’s | Short Vine, Corryville. bogarts.com

ƒ May 1, 7 p.m. The 502s

ƒ May 3, 7 p.m. Hot Water Music

ƒ May 4, 7 p.m. Wakaan

ƒ May 7, 7 p.m. Stiff Little Fingers

ƒ May 9, 7 p.m. Thievery Corporation

ƒ May 11, 7 p.m. City Morgue

ƒ May 12, 6:30 p.m. Our Last Night

ƒ May 16, 7 p.m. Symphony X

ƒ May 17, 7 p.m. Saxon & Uriah Heep

ƒ May 21, 6 p.m. Alpha Wolf

ƒ May 23, 6 p.m. Kamelot

Brady Music Center | The Banks. bradymusiccenter.com

ƒ May 11, 8 p.m. James Arthur

ƒ May 12, 7 p.m. Social Distortion & Bad Religion

ƒ May 28, 8 p.m. Parliament Funkadelic feat. George Clinton

Bromwell’s Harth Room | Downtown. bromwellshearthroom.com/music

ƒ Wednesday-Saturday evenings

Live jazz

Caffe Vivace | Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. caffevivace.com

ƒ Most evenings, live jazz performances

Christ Church Cathedral | Downtown. 513-621-1817. cincinnaticathedral.com

ƒ May 5, 4:30 p.m. Choral Evensong w/ Andrew Hackett, organ

ƒ May 12, 3 p.m. Stephan Casurella, organ

◆ Tuesdays, 12:10 p.m. Music Live@Lunch

(Christ Church Chapel):

ƒ May 7. Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass

ƒ May 14. Cincinnati Recorder Consort

ƒ May 21. Phoenix Trio

ƒ May 28. Mitchell Sturges, tenor

Christ Church Glendale | Glendale. 513-771-1544. christchurchglendale.org

ƒ May 2, 12:05 p.m. Rhineburg Brass Quintet

Cincinnati Community Orchestra | Church of the Savior United Methodist, Montgomery. 513-317-0300. cincinnaticommunityorchestra.org

ƒ May 4, 7:30 p.m. “CCO at the Movies”

Jennifer Carpenter, cello

Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra | First Unitarian Church, Avondale. 513-280-8181. cincinnatijazz.org

ƒ May 5, 2 p.m. Jazz@First Series: Conrad Herwig Latin Jazz Septet

Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame | Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village. cincyjazzhof.org

ƒ May 19, 3 p.m. CJHOF Induction Ceremony

Cincinnati Men’s Chorus | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-542-2626. cincinnatimenschorus.org

ƒ May 18, 8 p.m. Glitter & Be Gay Pre-Pride Concert

ƒ May 19, 2 p.m. Encore

Cincinnati Song Initiative | Werner Recital Hall, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. cincinnatisonginitiative.org

ƒ May 21, 7:30 p.m. The Fellowship of the Song: Fellows’ Opening Concert

ƒ May 25, 7:30 p.m. The Fellowship of the Song: Fellows’ Closing Concert

Robert Porco leads his final performance as May Festival director of choruses – “The Creation” by Franz Joseph Haydn, May 17 at Music Hall.

Cincinnati Symphony & Pops | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. cincinnatisymphony.org

ƒ May 3, 8 p.m. (CSO Proof) “Wires”

ƒ May 3-4. (CSO) “Beethoven 7 & Dessner Premieres” Bryce Dessner, composer; Alice Sara Ott, piano

ƒ May 10-12. (CSO) “Louis’ Grand Finale” Latonia Moore, soprano; Louis Langrée, conductor

Cincinnati Youth Choir | Corbett Auditorium, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. cincinnatichoir.org

ƒ May 5, 2 & 5 p.m. Joyful Voices

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

ƒ May 2, 6 p.m. Tunes & Blooms: The Tillers • Pickin’ Pear

Classical Revolution | TBA. classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com

ƒ May 12, 7:30 p.m. Chamber music in casual bar setting

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ May 2, 4:30 p.m. Curt Kiser (U-Square)

ƒ May 3, 4:30 p.m. Somos Música y Sabor (Short Vine Square)

ƒ May 9, 4:30 p.m. Rachel Louise (U-Square)

ƒ May 10, 4:30 p.m. Colin Palmieri (Short Vine Square)

College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu

ƒ May 1, 5:30 p.m. Prep Series: Suzuki

Strings Grand Finale

ƒ May 5, 12:15 p.m. Prep Series: Jazz Showcase

ƒ May 11, 11:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. Prep Series: CCM Prep Musical Theatre Showcase

ƒ May 12, 3 p.m. Prep Series: CCM Junior Strings

Fountain Square | Downtown. 513-621-4400. myfountainsquare.com

◆ Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. Jazz at the Square:

ƒ May 7. Sophia Troyer Duo

ƒ May 14. Dee Marie Quartet

ƒ May 21. Pamela Mallory Trio

ƒ May 28. Mandy Gaines

Hard Rock Casino | Downtown. hardrockcasinocincinnati.com

ƒ May 31, 7:30 p.m. Nate Smith

Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 513-3968960. josephbeth.com

ƒ Second Friday, 7 p.m. Ron Purdon Quintet

Kentucky Symphony Orchestra | Greaves Concert Hall, Northern Kentucky University. 859-431-6216. kyso.org

ƒ May 11, 7:30 p.m. “The Jumpin’ Jive”

Linton Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions | 513-381-6868. lintonmusic.org/pbj

◆ Music With Madcap: “Peter and the Wolf”

ƒ May 1, 11 a.m. (Northside Branch Library)

ƒ May 4, 10:30 a.m. (Sycamore Presbyterian Church)

ƒ May 11, 10:30 a.m. (Westwood First Presbyterian Church)

ƒ May 13, 6:30 p.m. (Living God Church)

ƒ May 18, 10:30 a.m. (Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church)

Ludlow Garage | Clifton. ludlowgaragecincinnati.com

ƒ May 2, 7:30 p.m. The Breakers (Tom Petty tribute)

ƒ May 3, 7:30 p.m. Chrisette Michele

ƒ May 4, 3 & 8 p.m. Leonid & Friends

ƒ May 7, 7:30 p.m. Rufus Wainwright

ƒ May 8, 7:30 p.m. EXTC (Radio Artifact) • Kamasi Washington

ƒ May 9, 7:30 p.m. Tenille Townes

ƒ May 10-11, 7:30 p.m. Stanley Clarke

ƒ May 17, 7:30 p.m. Live at the Fillmore

ƒ May 18, 7:30 p.m. Pure Prairie League

ƒ May 19, 7:30 p.m. Langhorne Slim & Oliver Wood

ƒ May 24-25, 7:30 p.m. Jon B.

ƒ May 29, 7:30 p.m. MR Big

ƒ May 30, 7:30 p.m. Ruth Moody

ƒ May 31, 7:30 p.m. The Alarm

Madison Theater | Covington. 859-491-2444. madisontheater.com

ƒ May 2, 8 p.m. Ekoostik Hookah, The Weathered Feather

ƒ May 3, 7 p.m. Muck Sticky

ƒ May 4, 8 p.m. Full Moon Fever

ƒ May 10, 8 p.m. Adam Paddock

ƒ May 14-15, 8 p.m. They Might Be Giants

ƒ May 17, 8 p.m. Houseplant

ƒ May 23, 7 p.m. Orgy

ƒ May 24, 8 p.m. Tab Benoit

ƒ May 26, 8 p.m. Laura Jane Grace

ƒ May 30, 8 p.m. The Earth Laid Bare

May Festival | Music Hall, Over-theRhine. 513-381-3300. mayfestival.com

ƒ May 17, 7:30 p.m. Haydn: “The Creation”

ƒ May 18, 7:30 p.m. “Anthems”

ƒ May 23, 7:30 p.m. “Voices of the Earth”

ƒ May 25, 7:30 p.m. “Her Story”

Michael Benson Jazz Festival | St. Xavier High School, Finneytown. stxavier.org/finearts

ƒ May 4, 2 p.m. Conrad Herwig, trombone w/ Phil DeGreg Trio, St. Xavier Bomber Big Band and Men for All Others Alumni Big Band

MegaCorp Pavilion at Ovation | Newport. promowestlive.com

ƒ May 9, 7 p.m. Prof

ƒ May 16, 7 p.m. Kraftwerk

ƒ May 24, 6 p.m. Knocked Loose

Memorial Hall | Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. memorialhallotr.com

ƒ May 5, 4 & 7 p.m. “Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons” Sold out.

ƒ May 9, 8 p.m. Will Downing

ƒ May 11, 8 p.m. Ernie Johnson From Detroit

ƒ May 25, 8 p.m. Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble

Miami University | Hall Auditorium, Oxford. 513-529-3200. miamioh.edu/music

ƒ May 1, 7:30 p.m. Symphony Orchestra

ƒ May 4, 7:30 p.m. Men’s Glee Club

ƒ May 7, 7:30 p.m. Symphony Band

ƒ May 10, 7:30 p.m. Wind Ensemble

Miami University Performing Arts Series | Oxford Uptown Parks, Oxford. 513-529-3200. miamioh.edu

ƒ May 4, 3-9 p.m. Electric Root Festival

New Downbeat | ARCO, Price Hill. newdownbeat.com

ƒ May 26, 3 p.m. Premieres concert

No Promises Vocal Band | The Redmoor, Mt Lookout Square. nopromisesvocalband.com

ƒ May 2, 6 p.m. Sweet Harmony w/Three Bald Guys

Queen City Cabaret | The Carnegie, Covington. queencitycabaretcincy.com

ƒ May 4, 7:30 p.m. “Light, Camera, Cabaret! 100 Years of MGM”

The Redmoor | Mt. Lookout Square. theredmoor.com

ƒ Most Fridays & Saturdays, 6 p.m. Rock and jazz

The Response Project | American Sign Museum, Camp Washington. theresponseproject.org

ƒ May 5, 6 p.m. “Tremor” (Part 2) Brianna Matzke, piano. Five world premieres and panel discussion

Riverbend Music Center | Coney Island. 513-232-6220. riverbend.org

ƒ May 18, 8 p.m. Brit Floyd

ƒ May 22, 7 p.m. 21 Savage

ƒ May 30, 7 p.m. Walker Hayes

RiversEdge | Hamilton. riversedgelive.com

ƒ May 22, 6 p.m. Scotty Bratcher • GA-20

ƒ May 30, 6 p.m. Ben Chapman & Co. • Abby Hamilton

Rockin’ the Roebling | Smale Riverfront Park, The Banks. facebook.com

ƒ May 16, 7 p.m. Floyd and the Walkmen

ƒ May 23, 7 p.m. Naked Karate Girls

ƒ May 30, 7 p.m. Noah Smith

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Concert Series | St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Montgomery. st-barnabas.org

ƒ May 5, 3 p.m. Cincinnati Boychoir

Schwartz’s Point | Over-the-Rhine. thepointclub.weebly.com

ƒ Thursdays-Saturdays. Live jazz and more

Seven Hills Baroque | First Lutheran Church, Over-the-Rhine. 7hillsbaroque.org

ƒ May 19, 6 p.m. Spring: Four Seasons

Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org

ƒ May 17, 8 p.m. Rockin’ with Rotary feat. Tyler Christopher’s Ultimate Elvis Show!

ƒ May 25, 8 p.m. Dead Letter Office

Southgate House | Newport. 859-431-2201. southgatehouse.com

ƒ Nightly rock, alternative blues, etc.

Sycamore Community Singers | Sycamore Presbyterian Church, Symmes Twp. sycamorecommunitysingers.com

ƒ May 29-30. Spring concert

ARTS & CULTURE

TempleLive at River Front Live | East End. riverfrontlivecincy.com

ƒ May 31, 8 p.m. Leftover Salmon

Trinity Episcopal Church | Covington. 859-431-1786. trinitycovington.org

ƒ May 15, 12:15 p.m. Midday Musical

Menu: Jack K. Cox, tenor; William Willits, lute; John Deaver, piano

Turfway Park Events Center | Florence. turfway.com

ƒ May 3, 9 p.m. Buzz Bin

ƒ May 4, 9 p.m. Kristine Kabbes & The Skallywags

ƒ May 10, 9 p.m. Sly Band

ƒ May 11, 9 p.m. Varner/Netherton Revival

ƒ May 17, 9 p.m. Danny Frazier Band

ƒ May 18, 9 p.m. 3-Piece Revival

ƒ May 24, 9 p.m. Kevin McCoy Band

ƒ May 25, 9 p.m. Chuckies in Love

ƒ May 31, 9 p.m. Halfway Hammered

Urban Artifact | Northside. artifactbeer.com

ƒ Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Flight 88 weekly piano performances

Viva Voices | St. Henry District High School, Erlanger. vivavoices.net

ƒ May 5, 7 p.m. Children’s Choir & Youth Chorus: Spring concert

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org

ƒ May 9, 7 p.m. Gene Jestice & Table 15

Washington Park | Over-the-Rhine. washingtonpark.org/events

◆ Mondays, 6-9 p.m. Jazz at the Park:

ƒ May 6. Faux Frenchmen

ƒ May 13. Lili Shires & Steve Schmidt

ƒ May 20. Mambo Combo

◆ Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. Blues & Brews:

ƒ May 1. Issac Blueman & Pork City Slim

ƒ May 8. Joe Waters

ƒ May 22. Cheryle Renee & Shorty Star

◆ Thursdays & Fridays, 6-9 p.m. Live Music at the Porch

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ May 7, 7 p.m. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

ƒ May 9, 7:30 p.m. The Verve Pipe

ƒ May 11, 8 p.m. Snooper, Fruit LoOops, The Serfs

ƒ May 31, 8 p.m. Brainiac

Theater

Beechmont Players | Anderson Center, Anderson Twp. 513-233-2468. beechmontplayers.org

ƒ May 3-11. “Death By Fatal Murder”

Broadway Across America | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-721-3344. cincinnati.broadway.com

ƒ Thru May 5. “Six”

ƒ May 14-19. “Clue”

Cincy Fringe Festival | Over-the-Rhine. cincyfringe.com

ƒ May 31-June 15. Experimental theater in a variety of venues

Cincinnati Landmark Productions | Incline Theater, Price Hill. 513-241-6550. cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com

ƒ Thru May 12. “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”

ƒ May 29-June 23. “Jersey Boys”

Cincinnati Music Theatre | JarsonKaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. cincinnatimusictheatre.org

ƒ Thru May 4. “Children of Eden”

ƒ May 31-June 7. “Give My Regards to the Fourth Wall”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. cincyshakes.com

ƒ Thru May 5. “Much Ado About Nothing”

ƒ May 24-June 16. “The Play That Goes Wrong”

Drama Workshop | Cheviot. 513-598-8303. thedramaworkshop.org

ƒ May 3-19. “Dear World”

Ensemble Theatre | Over-the-Rhine. 513-421-3555. ensemblecincinnati.org

ƒ Thru May 5. “The Match Game”

Fairfield Footlighters | Fairfield. 513-867-5348. fairfieldfootlighters.org

ƒ May 24-26. “Four Old Broads”

Falcon Theatre | Newport. 513-479-6783. falcontheater.net

ƒ May 3-18. “The Other Place”

Fitton Center for Creative Arts | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ May 11, 7:30 p.m. “Drag Show 3: Through the Decades”

Footlighters | Stained Glass Theatre, Newport. 859-291-7464. footlighters.org

ƒ May 2-19. “Legally Blonde”

The Funny Bone | Liberty Twp. liberty.funnybone.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

The Ghostlight Stage Company | theghostlightstageco.com

ƒ May 17-19. “Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood” (Keehner Park Amphitheatre, West Chester)

ƒ May 6, 7 p.m. Shining a Light Workshop & Lecture Series: “Anti-Racism in the Arts” (First Financial Bank Innovation Center, downtown)

Heritage Bank Center | Downtown. heritagebankcenter.com

ƒ May 4, 7 p.m. Tom Segura, comedian

ƒ May 9-12. Cirque du Soleil: “Corteo”

Improv Cincinnati | Clifton Performance Theatre, Clifton. improvcincinnati.com

ƒ Most Friday & Saturday evenings Weekly comedy shows

Lebanon Theatre Company | Lebanon. 513-932-8300. ltcplays.com

ƒ Thru May 5. “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]”

Loveland Stage Company | Loveland. 513-443-4572. lovelandstagecompany.org

ƒ May 3-19. “The Red Velvet Cake War”

Lumos Players I Maineville. lumosplayers.com

ƒ May 8, 7:30 p.m. “Fetch The Plumber” by Maggie Merritt • “The Release of the Shrew” by Janine Sobeck Knighton (virtual)

Mariemont Players | Mariemont. 513-684-1236. mariemontplayers.com

ƒ May 2-19. “Boeing Boeing”

Miami University | Oxford. miamioh. edu/theatre

ƒ May 1-5. “Puffs”

Middletown Lyric Theatre | Finkelman Auditorium, Middletown. 513-425-7140. middletownlyric.org

ƒ May 3-11. “String of Pearls”

Huynmin Rhee and Sami Ma star in “Vietgone”

by Qui Nguyen, in the Playhouse’s Shelterhouse Theatre, closing June 2

Northern Kentucky University | Corbett Theatre, Highland Heights. 859-572-5464. theatre.nku.edu

ƒ May 3-4, 7 p.m. “Seussical, Jr.” (Greaves Concert Hall)

Playhouse in the Park | Mt. Adams. 513-421-3888. cincyplay.com

ƒ Thru May 12. “The Chosen” (Rouse Theatre)

ƒ Thru June 2. “Vietgone” (Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre)

Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org

ƒ May 18, 7:30 p.m. “Tyrus Live: Nuff Said Comedy Tour”

Sunset Players | Art Center at Dunham, Price Hill. sunsetplayers.org

ƒ May 10-18. “Southern Fried Nuptials”

Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org

ƒ May 1, 8 p.m. “Super Freak - The Rick James Story”

ƒ May 3, 8 p.m. Desi Banks, comedian

ƒ May 4, 8 p.m. Kathy Griffin, comedian

ƒ May 9, 8 p.m. “The Bald & The Beautiful” Live

ƒ May 11, 1 & 5 p.m. “Sesame Street” Live!

ƒ May 18, 7 p.m. Ali Siddiq, comedian

ƒ May 22, 7:30 p.m. “Wheel of Fortune” Live

ƒ May 31, 7 p.m. Ms. Pat, comedian

Tri-County Players | Bell Tower Arts Pavilion, Evendale. 513-471-2030. facebook.com

ƒ Thru May 5. “The 39 Steps”

Village Players | Ft. Thomas. 859-392-0500. villageplayers.org

ƒ Thru May 4. “Spreading It Around”

Visual Art

21c Museum Hotel | Downtown. 513-578-6600. 21cmuseumhotels.com/cincinnati

ƒ Thru September. “The SuperNatural”

Art Beyond Boundaries | Over-the-Rhine. 513-421-8726. artbeyondboundaries.com

ƒ Thru May 12. “Ides of March”

Art on Vine | Washington Park. artonvinecincy.com

ƒ May 12, noon-6 p.m. Mother’s Day

ARTclectic Gallery | SIlverton. 513-822-5200. artclecticgallery.com

ƒ May 1-June 30. “Up-close and Personal.” Reception: May 10, 5-8 p.m.

Arts Alliance | Building B, Sinclair College, Mason. 513-309-8585. the-arts-alliance.org

ƒ Thru July 31. “Farm to Feast”

ArtWorks | V² Gallery, Walnut Hills. 513-333-0388. artworkscincinnati.org

ƒ Thru May 9. “Sawdust”

ƒ May 31-July 11. “Lavender Balm: Expressions of Queer Resistance”

Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center | Covington. 859-431-0020. bakerhunt.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 9. Community art showBaker Hunt & DBL Law

ƒ May 11, noon-5 p.m. 53rd annual Duveneck Art Show

The Barn | Mariemont. 513-272-3700. artatthebarn.org

ƒ May 8-21. Hog Bristle Painters: “Hog Heaven 24.” Reception: May 10, 6-8:30 p.m.

ƒ May 22-30. Jenny Farrell Graham and Robert Farrell: “Cincinnati Then and Now.” Reception: May 26, 2-4 p.m.

Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org

ƒ Current exhibit. “Race to Fame: Hometown Kentucky Derby Legends”

The Carnegie | Covington. 859-4912030. thecarnegie.com

ƒ Thru Aug. 17. “Suspended Between Forms,” inspired by curator Zito Madu’s new novel

Caza Sikes | Oakley Square. 513-290-3127. cazasikes.com

ƒ Thru May 10. Urban Sketchers group show

Cincinnati Art Club | Mt. Adams. 513-241-4591. cincinnatiartclub.org

ƒ May 12-14. Spring Signature member art exhibition

Cincinnati Art Galleries | Downtown. 513-381-2128. cincyart.com

ƒ May 11-June 29, “Celebrating Past Presidents of the Cincinnati Art Club and Other Notable Queen City Artists”

Reception: May 11, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park. 513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org

ƒ Thru May 12. “Accessible Expressions Ohio”

ƒ Thru May 26. “Whitfield Lovell: Passages”

ƒ Thru June 30. Modern and contemporary ceramics

ƒ May 10-Aug. 18. Woo Chong Yung: “From Shanghai to Ohio”

ƒ May 31, 5-9 p.m. Art After Dark

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ Thru May 3. Juried exhibition: “New Woman”

ƒ May 10-June 7. Brian Greer: “The Extraordinary Lives of We.”

Reception: May 10, 6-8 p.m.

Contemporary Arts Center | Downtown. 513-345-8400. contemporaryartscenter.org

ƒ Thru Sept. 8. Jayson Musson: “His History of Art”

Dearborn Highlands Arts Council | Lawrenceburg. 812-539-4251. dearbornhighlandsarts.org

ƒ May 1-June 30. Spring Into ArtFine arts, applied arts & photography by regional artists

Essex Studios | Walnut Hills. 513-476-2170. essexstudioscincinnati.com

ƒ May 3-4, 6-10 p.m. Art walk

Evendale Cultural Arts Center | Evendale. 513-563-1350.

evendaleohio.org

ƒ May 3-6. Evendale fine art exhibit. Reception: May 3, 6-9 p.m.

Fairfield Community Arts Center | Fairfield. 513-867-5348. fairfield-city.org

ƒ May 20-June 28. 2024 Colored pencil exhibit. Reception: May 17, 6-8 p.m.

Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ May 11-July 12. 30th Anniversary Fitton Member Show. Reception: May 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Iris BookCafe and Gallery | Over-theRhine. 513-260-8434. irisbookcafeotr.com

ƒ Thru May 31. Photography by Stu Levy

Kennedy Heights Arts Center | Kennedy Heights. 513-631-4278. kennedyarts.org

ƒ May 4-June 29. “Hearts of Liberation: A Celebration of Radical Black Love as Collective Care.” Reception: May 4, 6-8 p.m. (Kennedy Gallery)

Manifest Gallery | East Walnut Hills. 513-861-3638. manifestgallery.org

ƒ Thru May 17. “Drawn 2024” international drawing exhibit • “Soft” made of or about soft materials • “Modular” works that can be reconfigured

ƒ May 31-June 28. “Annual Rites of Passage” current/recent undergraduate students • “Annual Magnitude” small works. Reception: May 31, 6-9 p.m.

ARTS & CULTURE

Mean St. Gallery | Over-the-Rhine. meanstreetgallery.com

ƒ May 4-June 1. Quinn Guarino

Miami University/Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum | Oxford. 513-5292232. miamioh.edu/cca/art-museum

ƒ Thru June 8. “Minohsaya: Painted

Robes of the Myaamia and Peoria” • “Landscape in Art: An Art & Architecture History Capstone Exhibition” • “The World In Which We Live: The Art of Environmental Awareness”

Middletown Arts Center | Middletown. 513-424-2417. middletownartscenter.com

ƒ May 3-July 3. Annual student exhibition. Reception: May 3, 6-8 p.m.

Pendleton Art Center | Pendleton. 513-421-4339. pendletonartcenter.com

ƒ May 31, 5-9 p.m. Open studios

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum | Hamilton. 513-868-1234. pyramidhill.org

ƒ Thru July 28. “Mounds, Moon, and Stars”

Queen City Clay | Norwood. queencityclay.com

ƒ Thru May 3. “Influence/d”

Save Our Souls Art | sosartcincinnati.com

ƒ May 8-July 26. Michael Wilson: “Common Ground: Portraits of Cincinnati Area Artists.” Reception: May 18, 1-4 p.m. (Annex Gallery, Pendleton)

ƒ May 8-June 1. “For A Better World” • Prints by Greater Cincinnati Artists for SOS ART. Reception: May 18, 1-4 p.m. (Annex Gallery, Pendleton)

ƒ May 28, 5-8:30 p.m. “Hunger/Food Insufficiency” (Mt. Auburn Presbyterian)

Sharonville Cultural Arts Center | Sharonville. 513-554-1014. sharonvilleculturalarts.org

ƒ May 3-25. David Elmer

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Thru June. Modern Israeli art, Mark Podwal prints and recent gifts

Studio Kroner | Downtown. studiokroner.com

ƒ May 9-June 1. Brad Davis: “Heirlooms.” Reception: May 9, 6-9 p.m.

THE GUIDING HAND

THE BARR FOUNDATION COLLECTION OF TORAH POINTERS

OPEN THROUGH JULY 28

Mayerson Hall

Hebrew Union College-

Jewish Institute of Religion

3101 Clifton Avenue

Cincinnati, OH

Be dazzled by over 100 antique and contemporary Torah pointers, known by the Hebrew word yad for hand. Created by artists from different ages and cultures and made of diverse materials including wood, precious metals, jewels, ceramics, paper, and more, these yads chronicle the timeless, universal aesthetic guide in reading the Torah.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Make Your Own Yad, May 5 at 10:30 am

Lunch and Learn, June 6 at 12 pm

Functional and Fabulous Lecture, July 16 at 7 pm

Program information/registration: csm.huc.edu

Skirball Museum Hours: Tues and Thurs 11 am–3 pm; Sun 1–4 pm

Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery | Mount St. Joseph University, Delhi Twp. msj.edu

ƒ Thru May 11. 2024 Senior thesis exhibition: art education, fine art and graphic design

Summit Hotel | Madisonville. 513-527-9900. thesummithotel.com

ƒ Thru May 18. “Circles, Squiggles, and Lines”

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

ƒ Thru May 19. “African Modernism in America” • “A Breath of Fresh Air: Nature Inspires Rarely Seen Works from the Taft Collection”

University of Cincinnati Clermont College | Park National Bank Art Gallery, Batavia. 513-558-2787. ucclermont.edu

ƒ Thru June 27. “Eighteen Years in Service” Queen City Clay

Visionaries & Voices | Northside. 513-861-4333. visionariesandvoices.com

ƒ May 17-June 28. Pride exhibition. Reception: May 17, 5-8 p.m.

“Heirlooms,” by Cincinnati painter Brad Davis, opens with a reception at Studio Kroner, May 10, 6-9 p.m., and closes June 1.

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org

ƒ May 10-June 22. “Sensational Samplers from a Simpler Time”

The Well | Camp Washington. thewell.world

ƒ Thru May 26. “The Response Project: Tremor”

Weston Art Gallery | Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-977-4165. cincinnatiarts. org/weston-art-gallery

ƒ Thru June 9. “A New World: Ohio Women To Watch 2023”

Wyoming Art Show | Wyoming. 513761-1749. https://wyomingartshow.org

ƒ May 19, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Annual juried art show

Xavier University Art Gallery | A.B. Cohen Center. xavier.edu/art-department

ƒ Thru May 3. Solo thesis exhibition: Aleni Antalis, graphic design and photography 

Get listed

Arts & Culture listings are free. Send event info to: editor@moversmakers.org

Visit moversmakers.org for more

 Click ARTS CALENDAR for A&C listings

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Email tmariner@moversmakers.org for digital & print options.

Image credit: Jennifer Banks (American), Torah Pointer and Stand, 2007, ebony, copper, silver, resin.

CINCINNATI’S ONE-OF-A-KIND TREASURE

The Lloyd Library & Museum

Cincinnati and the world’s unique destination for:

Artists

Gardeners

Scientists

Students

Educators

Neighbors

Environmentalists

Healthcare Practitioners

Historians

Naturalists

Engineers Scholars

Cultural Site Visitors

Casual Researchers

Pharmacists

Genealogists

To learn more about the Lloyd Library & Museum, call us at (513) 721-3707, visit us on the web at LloydLibrary.org

or come explore the Lloyd located at 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, with free parking available in our lot behind the Lloyd.

Datebook

MAY 1-5, WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY

CET, Action Auction | Bid on packages and gift certificates for activities best enjoyed during the summer.

 cetconnect.org

MAY 2, THURSDAY

Green Umbrella, Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Duke Energy Convention Center. Keynote: Jacqueline Patterson, founder and executive director of Chisholm Legacy Project. Speakers, exhibitor expo, art show, breakfast, lunch and networking reception. Tickets: $175.

 midwestsustainabilitysummit.org

MAY 3-5, FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Flying Pig Marathon | Races of varying lengths for all, culminating in full marathon. Proceeds benefit multiple charities.

 flyingpigmarathon.com

MAY 3, FRIDAY

Taft Museum of Art, A Race to the Taft Gala | 7-11 p.m. Taft Museum of Art. Kentucky Derby-themed evening with cocktails, music and Southern-inspired food. Tickets: $200.

 taftmuseum.org/events

Visionaries + Voices, Double Vision XV | 6:30-10:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, OTR. Music, live auction, silent auction and pop-up shop. Tickets: $75.

 visionariesandvoices.com/double-vision

MAY 4, SATURDAY

Melanoma Know More, Susan Roebuck Memorial Golf Outing | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aston Oaks Golf Club, North Bend. Golf, lunch buffet, contests and raffle. Cost: $100/golfer; $400/foursome.

 melanomaknowmore.com

Women’s Alliance, Annual “Hats Galore 2024 Run for the Roses” Brunch | Backstage Event Center, downtown. Honoring Dr. Odayme Quesada as 2024 Jewel of the Community. Tickets: $80.

 womensallianceinc.com

MAY 5, SUNDAY

Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, Carryout Italian Dinner and Open House | 3-6 p.m. 5530 Colerain Ave. Learn more about LBFE, meet the team and support by purchasing a dinner.

 littlebrotherscincinnati.org/italian-dinner

MAY 7, TUESDAY

Assistance League, Books & Brunch Event | 10:30 a.m. Kenwood Country Club. Local authors: Jenn Bishop, Rick Pender, Loren Long and Heather Webber. Brunch, silent auction, raffle, lottery tree and wine pull. Tickets: $95.

 assistanceleaguecincinnati.org

MAY 8, WEDNESDAY

AJC Cincinnati, Annual Meeting | 5:30 p.m. Mayerson JCC. Keynote: Benjamin Rogers, AJC director, Middle East and North Africa affairs. Free event.

 eventbrite.com

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Partners in Action Luncheon | Noon-1 p.m. Cintas Center. Lunch and learn more about the Sisters. Tickets free; donations accepted.  sndohio.org

YWCA Greater Cincinnati, Annual Career Women of Achievement Luncheon | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Hard Rock Casino.

Keynote: Yvette R. Simpson. Lunch, networking and after-party. Awardees: Tracey Artis, Bridgit Chayt, Chara Fisher Jackson, Christie Kuhns, Kimm M. Lauterbach, Jill Miller, Alicia Reece, Kristen Schlotman, Alicia Townsend and Kelly Wittich. Tickets: $125.

 ywcacareerwomen.org

MAY 9, THURSDAY

Cincinnati Art Club, Art for a Lifetime | 6-9 p.m. Award ceremony, art auction, food, raffles, historic exhibition of Cincinnati artists. Proceeds benefit CAC capital campaign. Tickets: $150.

 cincinnatiartclub.org/art-for-a-lifetime

Cincinnati Preservation Association, 2024 Preservation Awards | 6-9 p.m. Peterloon Estate. Light bites, drinks, raffle and awards ceremony. Tickets: $75.

 cincinnatipreservation.org/awards

Jenn Bishop, Rick Pender, Loren Long and Heather Webber are this year’s featured local authors for Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati’s Books & Brunch event May 7 at the Kenwood Country Club.

Young Professionals

Choral Collective ’s Pure Imagination Gala will feature Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell, a VIP cabaret dinner with Lady Phaedra and after-party on May 11 at the Cincinnati Masonic Center.

Ioanna Paraskevopoulos and Aaron Weiner are co-chairs of the Clifton Home & Garden Tour on May 12, beginning at Clifton Cultural Arts Center. All proceeds will support a neighborhood arts and culture festival.

Karen Olberding and Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin are co-chairs for the Alzheimer's Association Greater Cincinnati Chapter ’s “Great Gatsby”-themed spring gala on May 16 at Cincinnati Music Hall.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center, Cheers to 20 Years | 6 p.m. Lindner Annex, Kennedy Heights Arts Center. Emcee: Tiana Henry from WCPO. Presentations, testimonials, performances and special 20th anniversary exhibition. Free, tickets required.

 kennedyarts.org

Sam Hubbard Foundation, 2024 Fowling Tournament | 5 p.m. Cincinnati Fowling Warehouse. Food, drinks, games and prizes. Sold out.  samhubbardfoundation.com

St. Vincent de Paul, Celebration of Service | 6 p.m. Hotel Covington. Honoring Joann Hubert and the late Ed Hubert. Tickets: $175.

 SVDPcincinnati.org/COS

MAY 10, FRIDAY

ArtsWave, 3rd Annual Cincy Jams | 7 p.m. Hard Rock Casino. Bands from local companies compete for prizes and performance opportunities. Hosted by 100.3’s Don Juan Fasho. Judges are Bridget England from 96Rock, Dean Kuroff of sponsor Accenture and Kick Lee of Cincinnati Music Accelerator. Free, must be age 21 or older.

 artswave.org/cincyjams

Big Brothers Big Sisters, Project Role Model | 6 p.m. Hilton Netherland Plaza. Honorary event chairs, Deni Tato and Rico Grant. VIP happy hour, fashion show, food, specialty drinks, silent auction, designer handbag raffles, takehome goody bag and photo opportunities. Tickets: $125.

 rolemodel.givesmart.com

MAY 11, SATURDAY

Young Professionals Choral Collective, Pure Imagination Gala | 6:30 p.m. Cincinnati Masonic Center. Cabaret, cocktails, choral singing, food and dance headlined by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. Tickets start at $60.

 ypccsing.org

MAY 12, SUNDAY

Clifton Home & Garden Tour

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Tour Clifton’s most unique homes and gardens. Shuttles provided between overflow parking, check-in and tour stops. Tickets: $30; $35 at door.  cliftonculturalarts.org

MAY 14, TUESDAY

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Fore Youth Golf Outing Golf Course. Morning and afternoon rounds, contest holes, raffles, split-thepot, swag bags, lunch and dinner fol lowed by celebrity sports Q&A session.  cycyouth.org/golfouting

MAY 15, WEDNESDAY

Adopt A Class, Celebration Breakfast

Convention Center. Keynote: Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long. End-of-year celebration breakfast. Tickets: $40.

 aacmentors.org

Design Lab, Dine with Design 4 p.m. Gallery Building, Newport on the Levee. Awards celebration, walking tour to local restaurants with light bites and

drinks. Tickets: $350/single ticket; $600/two tickets; sponsorship opportunities available.

 designlearnandbuild.org

OTR Chamber of Commerce, OTR Awards | 5-8 p.m. Woodward Theater. Awards honoring top performers in OTR business community.

Tickets: $55.

 otrchamber.com

MAY 16, THURSDAY

Alzheimer’s Association, “An Era of Hope” Gala | 5:30-9:30 p.m. Music Hall. Courage and Hope Award recipient, Bob McEwan. Gatsby-themed with cocktail reception, bourbon pull, wine ring toss, raffle, auction and dinner. Tickets start at $300.

 alzgala24.givesmart.com

Hearing Speech + Deaf Center, Service Award Gala | 6-9 p.m. Bell Event Centre. Honoring Dr. Roy M. Kulick, with recognition of Shining Star Isaiah Williams. Open bar, dinner, awards, auction and complimentary valet parking.

Tickets: $150.

 hearingspeechdeaf.org

Jewish National Fund-USA, Annual Breakfast for Israel | 8:30 a.m. Keynote: Elie Klein, director of development, ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran. Breakfast and program. Free event. Location provided upon registration.  events.jnf.org/e/bfiohiovalley

St. Elizabeth Foundation, Night to Remember | 6:30-9 p.m. Drees Pavilion, Covington. Emcee: Sheree Paolello of WLWT. Food, cocktails and silent auction. Free event.

 stelizabeth.com/hospicersvp

MAY 17, FRIDAY

Cancer Support Community, Partee for Hope | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Topgolf West Chester. Gameplay, food, drinks, contests and prizes.

 mycancersupportcommunity.org

Easterseals Redwood, Annual Express Fundraiser | 6-10:30 p.m. Turfway Park Racing & Gaming. Live entertainment, food stations, open bar, live and silent auctions and raffle. Tickets: $125.

 secure.qgiv.com/event/express2024

DATEBOOK

MAY 18, SATURDAY

ChangingGears, Grand Prix

Fundraiser | 6-10 p.m. Hangar

2, Lunken Airport. Pedal kart, relay race tournament on indoor track and obstacles. Tickets: spectators $40; teams $300.

 changing-gears.org/grand-prix

Design Lab, Awards Ceremony and Exhibit Reception | 10 a.m. Gallery Building, Newport on the Levee. Student presentations and awards celebration. Free admission.

 designlearnandbuild.org

Flying Cloud Family Dance, Wyoming Fine Arts Center Fundraiser | 1-3:30 p.m. Wyoming Fine Arts Center. Family-friendly dance with proceeds benefiting Wyoming Fine Arts Center. All dances taught and called by experienced family dance caller. Tickets: $5 adults; children and teens free.

 vintagedance.net

MAY 19, SUNDAY

Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame, 10th Induction Class Ceremony | 3 p.m.

Mayerson JCC. Honoring 10th induction class, music by Steve Schmidt Trio with Michael Sharfe and Mark Wolfley and special tribute to Herb Aronoff. Tickets: $25 online; $30 at door, day-of. Students: $10.

 cincyjazzhof.org

Lindner Center of HOPE, Community Education Day | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Manor House, Mason. Half-day workshop and breakout sessions to acknowledge May Mental Health Month to enhance awareness of mental health and wellness. Keynote: Brandon Saho.

 lindnercenterofhope.org

MAY 20, MONDAY

Aubrey Rose Foundation, Annual Golf Outing | 10 a.m. Aston Oaks Golf Club. Golf, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, prizes, split-the-pot and silent auction. Golfers receive ARF-logoed item and other goodies. Cost: $125/person; $500/foursome.

 aubreyrose.org/golf-outing

Lindner Center of HOPE brings in podcaster Brandon Saho as keynote for its Community Education Day on May 19 at Manor House in Mason. The event aims to acknowledge Mental Health Month and enhance awareness of mental health and wellness.

Andy Burg , vice president of operations technology solutions at Messer

Construction, is chair of the 30th annual JDRF One Walk on June 1 at Kings Island.

Complimentary light bites, happy hour drink prices. No agenda, no speeches. Just good company. Join M&M

Mix & Mingle

American Sign Museum, Camp Washington

Wednesday, May 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Queen City Charities will host its annual Wigs & Waffles fundraiser June 9 at Rhinegeist Brewery, with proceeds benefiting local LGBTQ+ causes

Scan to RSVP. Space is limited.

Bayley, Golf Classic | 9:30 a.m.

Western Hills Country Club. Afternoon of golf honoring Adrienne Walsh, retiring CEO and president.

 bayleylife.org

MAY 21, TUESDAY

AJC Cincinnati, Human Relations Awards Ceremony | 7 p.m.

Rockdale Temple, Amberley Village. Honoring outstanding student volunteers of all faiths. Free event.  eventbrite.com

MAY 29, WEDNESDAY

Santa Maria Community Services, PreventionFirst! Block Party | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Santa Maria Community Services. Day of fun, education and empowerment featuring 513Relief Bus and Fifth Third Bank Financial Empowerment Bus, local resources and vendors.

 santamaria-cincy.org

MAY 30, THURSDAY

Lindner Center High Hopes, An Evening of HOPE | 6 p.m. MegaCorp Pavilion. Speaker: Kevin Hines. Cocktail hour, dinner and program. Co-chairs: Amy Russert and Blake Gustafson. Tickets: $125.

 lindnercenter.ejoinme.org

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Take Steps Charity Walk | 10 a.m. T.M. Berry International Friendship Park. Dedication ribbon ceremony and 2-mile walk route.  takesteps.crohnscolitisfoundation.org

JDRF, One Walk | 8 a.m. Kings Island. 1-mile walk. Chair: Andy Burg, Messer Construction.  walk.jdrf.org/kingsisland

JUNE 2, SUNDAY

Holocaust & Humanity Center, 2024 Cincinnati Upstander Awards | 6-10 p.m. Union Terminal. Three-course meal, live music, art and awards ceremony headlined by actress Debra Messing. Tickets: $100.

 holocaustandhumanity.org

JUNE 3, MONDAY

Stepping Stones, Golf Classic | O’Bannon Creek Golf Club. Golf, food, drinks and raffles. Tickets: $250.

 steppingstonesohio.org/golf-classic

JUNE 6, THURSDAY

Warren County Foundation, Community Service Awards | 6 p.m. Manor House, Mason. Happy hour, dinner and program with awards to community leaders, businesses and service organizations. Tickets: $60.

 warrencountyfoundation.org

JUNE 8, SATURDAY

Cancer Support Community, Backyard Bash: Blue Ash | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CSC in Blue Ash. Free family-friendly event including firetruck, attractions, games, crafts, entertainment, food, drinks and giveaways.  mycancersupportcommunity.org

46th Cincinnati Concours

d’Elegance, Countryside Tour | Noon. Mariemont Square. Scenic tour of region and viewing of private car collections. Benefits juvenile arthritis. $50 per car; student drivers: $15.  ohioconcours.com

46th Cincinnati Concours

d’Elegance, Hangar Party | 5-9 p.m. Executive Jet Management, Lunken Airport. Red carpet greeting, gourmet dinner by-the-bite and silent auction. Peruse exotic cars, motorcycles and private jets. Benefits juvenile arthritis. Tickets: $150.  ohioconcours.com

JUNE 9, SUNDAY

46th Cincinnati Concours

d’Elegance, Car Show and Brunch | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ault Park. Exotic cars and motorcycles highlighting milestones of famed Italian marques, Ford

Mustang and Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg classics. Plus VIP brunch, craft beer garden and automotive art show. Benefits juvenile arthritis. Shuttle from Fifth Third Bank operations center in Madisonville. Tickets: $45; students: $15; 12 and under: free. VIP brunch: $60.

 ohioconcours.com

Queen City Charities, Wigs & Waffles | 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Rhinegeist Brewery. Open bar, brunch buffet, drag show and silent auction. Tickets: $90.

 queencitycharities.com

JUNE 15, SATURDAY

Santa Maria Community Services, Safety Fest | 1-4 p.m. Lower Price Hill Recreation Area Playground. Safety resources, substance abuse prevention insights from PreventionFirst! and local vendors.

 santamaria-cincy.org

JUNE 21, FRIDAY

Adopt A Class, Golf Outing | 11 a.m. The Mill Course, Winton Woods. Golf, lunch and awards ceremony. Cost: $600/foursome.

 aacmentors.org

S a t urd a y

M a y 1 8

• 6 - 1 0 PM

Lunken Air p o r t

Join us for the most FUN fundraiser in town!

Your ticket gets you food, drinks, trackside for the pedal kart relay race, and post race rides all while supporting ChangingGears.

For more info and tickets: www.changing-gears.org/grand-prix

Selling cars at half off to people in need so they can take ownership of their dreams.

JUNE 21, FRIDAY (CONT.)

Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo La La | 7:30-11 p.m. 21+ event. Food sampling from local restaurants and a variety of signature cocktails and libations, up-close animal encounters, live entertainment, carousel rides, train rides and games. Tickets: $125; early entry: $175.

 cincinnatizoo.org/events

JUNE 22, SATURDAY

From Fatherless to Fearless, Better Together Conference | 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Cintas Center.

Keynote: LeToya Luckett, formerly of Destiny’s Child. Continental breakfast, lunch and snacks. Tickets: $10-$40.  2024bettertogether.eventbrite.com

JUNE 25, TUESDAY

2024 Giving USA Briefing | 7:30-10:30 a.m. Metropolitan Club, Covington. Melissa Brown reports on latest trends and insights from longest running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy. Networking and light breakfast fare. Hosted by The Yunker Group. Free.

 givingusabriefing.eventbrite.com

JUNE 30, SUNDAY

JULY 20, SATURDAY

AfriFest Cincy: Taste of Africa | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sawyer Point Park. Showcasing African cultures, food, entertainment, fashion show, games, and other fun activities.

 myapnet.org

JULY 27, SATURDAY

Cancer Support Community, Backyard Bash & Car Show: Eastgate | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastgate, location TBA. Free family-friendly event including car show, games, crafts, entertainment, food, drinks and giveaways.

 mycancersupportcommunity.org

The Nuxhall Foundation, The Nuxy Bash | 7 p.m. Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, Fairfield. Celebrity softball game, concessions and fireworks show. Tickets: Free.

 nuxhallmiracleleague.org/events

AUG. 1, THURSDAY

Xavier Jesuit Academy, Community Makeover Day | Bond Hill. Led by Charley Frank, executive director of Reds Community Fund, and P&G’s Matthew Ewing, hundreds of volunteers renovate the former St. Agnes Elementary School.  xavierja.org 

Holocaust & Humanity Center, Upstander 5K and Family Day & Volunteer Expo | 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Union Terminal. Live music, family activities, breakfast, FC Cincinnati activations and pick-up pickleball tournament. Registration: $35.  holocaustandhumanity.org

The Nuxhall Foundation, Annual Cruise In For Kids Car Show | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, Fairfield. Car, truck and bike show with awards, concessions, food trucks, raffle, door prizes, mini-golf and live music from Fifth Crow. Tickets: free; $20/ vehicle in show.

 nuxhallmiracleleague.org/carshow

JULY 18, THURSDAY

Cincinnati Opera, To Sir, With Love | 6-9 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom. VIP preperformance cocktail, opening night performance of Paul McCartney’s “Liverpool Oratorio” and post-show party. Black-tie optional. Tickets start at $500.

 cincinnatiopera.org/to-sir-with-love

More Datebook at MoversMakers.org

Make sure your fundraiser or community event is listed at moversmakers.org/datebook

Listings are free.*

Send event details and print-quality photos of honorees, chairs or speakers to: editor@moversmakers.org

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Consider advertising. Contact Thom Mariner: tmariner@moversmakers.org for digital and print options.

*See Page 4 for print deadlines. Events must meet our editorial standards. Print content is chosen at the discretion of editorial staff and featured as space allows.

Focus on: Niche museums & cultural institutions

Vent Haven Museum showcases the art of ventriloquism

Greater Cincinnati is full of intriguing cultural institutions and attractions across the spectrum. One that claims to be unique in all the world caught our attention. Movers & Makers posed a series of questions to Executive Director

Lisa Sweasy about Fort Mitchell’s Vent Haven Museum, its collection and the art of ventriloquism.

What attracted you to this unique institution? And had you visited before applying/ working here?

I learned about Vent Haven in the fall of 1999 and was immediately captivated by the uniqueness of the collection. I didn’t know much at all about ventriloquism. … It was the singular focus and offbeat topic that drew me in. Like most of my visitors, my jaw dropped when I first saw the dummies and puppets. … The sheer number of them was stunning. I began working here in 2000.

What’s the proper terminology for these ventriloquist figures? Dolls? Something else?

While there’s no official lexicon, typically the traditional wooden and papier-mâché pieces are called dummies and have a headstick for controlling the mouth. Some ventriloquists, like Jeff Dunham with his character Peanut, use soft puppets where the ventriloquist’s hand is directly opening and closing the mouth. Massproduced toys typically have a string that comes out of the back of the neck that is pulled to open and close the mouth. I use all three terms here: dummies, puppets and toys.

Who enjoys their visits more: kids or adults? And why?

Visitors here are from all age groups and backgrounds and respond to the collection differently. Vent Haven isn’t a “hands-on” museum, so it’s not really recommended for small children. Some people visit because of the novelty of the subject, some because of nostalgia. Photographers and other artists see the collection as folk art. I love seeing the museum through the eyes of others and I personalize the tour for each type of guest.

How would you describe how people react to being in a room with these human-like figures?

Typically, people have seen photos online of the museum, so the reaction isn’t as dramatic as it was prior to the internet. Still, it’s a lot of faces at once. Most people remark that it’s much more than they expected and are in awe of the collection.

How do you respond to people who may find them creepy?

I frequently talk about the “uncanny valley” (a term for the negative reaction some people have to robots, puppets and the like) and dissect the response with people. Most people are fascinated by their own reactions and want to learn more about them. For people whose only connection to ventriloquism is a scary movie or book, they aren’t typically creeped out after taking a tour and becoming more educated about why the response exists.

Which is your favorite among the collection and why?

I don’t really have a favorite. Each dummy has its own history and story. Learning those histories makes each piece special to me.

What is your favorite acquisition story?

Our founder, W.S. Berger, wanted to buy a dummy from a retired ventriloquist in 1954. The ventriloquist declined to sell it and said that his son wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons. Mr. Berger replied that if the son ever wanted to sell it, to let him know. End of story – for 60 years. In November of 2014, I got an email from a nursing home on the West Coast. The son had kept the dummy with him and when he passed, the staff looked through his belongings. There was a note in the back of the dummy that said, “Send me to Vent Haven.” I was so excited to receive this piece, knowing that our founder had desired it all those years ago.

Who should visit Vent Haven and why? What should they know before visiting?

Vent Haven is a must-see attraction for everyone, in my opinion. Whether a person is interested in ventriloquism, puppetry, history, art or just looking for something different to do, Vent Haven is the right place for them. 

The museum is open May through September, by appointment only.

859-341-0461, curator@venthaven.org or www.venthaven.org

Executive Director Lisa Sweasy with Lamb Chop

Sign Museum expands space for eye-popping Americana Double the dazzle

TodSwormstedt needs more room. He’s the founder of the American Sign Museum in Camp Washington. And searching for more square footage has become a way of life for him.

When he launched the museum in 1999 –called the National Signs of the Times Museum – it was more a pipedream than a reality. The museum existed on paper, but there was no space that the public could visit. There was a warehouse. And an office. But nothing else. When the museum moved into a 4,500-square-foot space in the Essex Studios in Walnut Hills in 2005 patrons had a place to visit. But Swormstedt still wanted more space. Lots more.

Then came the big step forward, the opening of the American Sign Museum that we know today. That was 2012. The then-new museum measured 20,000 square feet as it took over a former machine tool factory built for the Oesterlein Machine Company in 1918. Later, Oesterlein would be purchased by a women’s clothing company called Fashion Frocks Inc., which was called into service to make parachutes during World War II.

You’d think that would be enough for Swormstedt. Hardly.

Think about it. Signs are meant to be noticed. If they’re not, why bother? And some of the signs that Swormstedt and his pals had collected over the years consume immense amounts of space.

There was an 80-year-old illuminated opal glass sign that proclaimed “Locksmith.” It was 20 feet tall. There was another equally large one that was saved when the State Theatre in Tallahassee,

Fla., was demolished. Large as they were, both of them were dwarfed by the towering 1970s-era Holiday Inn sign that sits near the entrance to the museum’s parking lot.

“It was great to be able to display those signs,” Swormstedt said. “But even before we opened to the public down here, I knew we’d need more room.”

Born under good signs

Swormstedt was, quite literally, born into the sign business. He spent 26 years working for Signs of the Times magazine, an industry trade publication founded by his great-grandfather in 1906. Later, he would become the fourth-generation editor of what many called “the bible of the sign industry.”

As Swormstedt got into middle age – he’s 70 now – he was looking for some other project to devote himself to. As early as the 1980s, his uncle, Jerry Swormstedt, had been talking about creating a museum devoted to American signs.

It might take some time, he told The Cincinnati Post in 1988, “but as I live and breathe, I am committed to making it happen.”

Jerry Swormstedt did live long enough to see his and Tod’s dream become a reality. Jerry died in 2015, three years after the museum took up residence in Camp Washington.

Making it all happen was, Tod Swormstedt admits, something of a “miracle. Before Camp Washington, I raised money more quickly than I imagined.” Beyond his fundraising prowess, he proved a logistics wizard as well, shaping the

By David Lyman

massive open space into a dazzling maze of blinking lights and eye-catching graphics. But when it came to marketing the place, he admits that he didn’t have a clear idea of whether the public would be interested.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know if people were going to show up at the museum when we opened,” he said.

Only in Cincinnati

They did show up. Tourism publications oohed and aahed about the museum. Today, the ASM has become one of the must-see destinations for out-of-towners looking for intriguing things to do in Greater Cincinnati. No offense to other arts organizations, but there are art museums everywhere. And theaters. And baseball teams. But a large former warehouse filled with every type of sign imaginable . . . well, there was nothing else quite like it.

Locals heard about the museum, but until out-of-town relatives came to visit, they tended to stay away. Camp Washington was then a mostly unknown territory, a place where you might roll up your car windows when you drove from the University of Cincinnati and the hospital district to the West Side.

That didn’t deter Swormstedt. Even before the museum opened its doors in Camp Washington, he was telling people about everything they could do with the other 20,000 square feet adjacent to the new museum.

Sometime this summer – Swormstedt can’t say exactly when – the ASM will expand into that

Architectural rendering courtesy of Platte Architecture + Design features an eastern view of the museum’s new wing and expanded Main Street display.

space, doubling the size of what already bills itself as “The Largest Public Sign Museum in America.”

It won’t just be more signs, though.

The ASM has been quite successful as a host of special events: weddings, galas, fundraisers. And the additional square footage – with a new prep kitchen – will allow that portion of the business to grow.

“But our central mission is about education,” said Erin Holland, the museum’s manager of digital communications and engagement. “And we have grown our education offerings in a big way. But the problem has always been that we didn’t have a dedicated space for our educational programs. That was on the wish list from . . . well, even before we opened here in 2012.”

Nor was there ample space for administrative offices. Or for a library to house the museum’s voluminous sign history archives. All of that lived in boxes in Swormstedt’s attic.

Or, perhaps most important, an area to house temporary exhibits.

Those are increasingly important for all sorts of museums. Once you display your permanent collection, how do you entice patrons to return? Temporary exhibits are the surest way.

“We’re dedicating 4,200 square feet – more than 20% of the expansion – to host temporary exhibits,” Holland said.

There will also be a large area anchored by a theater marquee from Exeter, N.H., that will show sign-related movie clips and documentaries.

A place for the craft

For patrons, this new space will allow the ASM to boost its already impressive wow factor. But for Swormstedt and hundreds of others who have dedicated their careers to sign-making, the ASM is providing a legacy, a record for an industry that has evolved in previously unimaginable ways over the past 50 years.

What was once a world of artisans and craftsmen has become a business dominated by computerdriven, machine-cut letters and molded plastic. There is still some call for hand-lettered signs, but

those skills are slowly disappearing.

Not in Camp Washington, though. Here, the glories and infinite possibilities of hand-lettered, hand-crafted signs not only survive, but they thrive.

Indeed, the final touches of the expansion will see more than 30-35 master sign-makers from around the country converge onto the museum in the first week of May.

One of those is David Butler, who runs a sign-painting business with his wife Suze in Syracuse, Ind. He’s the one responsible for designing and painting the fanciful winged sign at the ASM’s front door – the one that proclaims “Tell the world with signs.”

“When I started out in this business, we went from the only way to paint a sign involved a pencil and yardstick and some paint,” Butler said. “Today, we rely on a CNC router (a computer-controlled cutting machine) and a wide-format printer and equipment like that. Most of the guys my age – I’m an old hippie – rejected the computers. But we got involved with the technology and used it to our advantage.”

Details amid the dazzle

The Butlers have organized a crew of volunteer sign painters who will create new signs and provide the thousands of details that will turn the warehouse into a Main Street filled with Americana in the form of signs.

“Most of us are pretty much one-man or one-woman shops,” Butler said. As with so many fine craftspeople, the majority of them are near – or well past – traditional retirement age.

“I’d say the average age is somewhere in the 70s,” said Butler, scanning his list and rattling off ages and hometowns of those who are coming to help at the museum. “There’s a younger couple from Chicago – they’re in their late 40s. And some 75-year-old guys. Look, most of us are cut from the same cloth. We share such a commitment to this craft. And when we get there, if we have to work to midnight, we will. We do this because we love the work.”

As for Swormstedt, he’s already thinking about some new space.

“Even after the expansion, we still have a lot of signs I’d like to put on display,” he said. “We have a 12,000-square-foot warehouse down the street. There’s an area in there – 8,400 square feet or

so – that used to be a showroom. It’s a nice big open space. And it’s close enough to where we are that I’m thinking we could use it as an annex.”

Sit tight. Clearly, Tod Swormstedt and the American Sign Museum aren’t done yet. 

 americansignmuseum.org

An interior shot of the current museum shows a range of neon signs from the 1930s to 1970s.

Niche museums & cultural institutions

For our Notables section this month, we asked local niche museums and cultural institutions to submit a short description and representative photo.

Please see Page 10 for additional institutions, large and small, offering cultural events, exhibits and tours.

Over-the-Rhine Museum will tell history of building, neighborhood

As Over-the-Rhine undergoes sweeping change, many of the stories of the neighborhood’s individuals, buildings and communities are being lost. In response, the Over-the-Rhine Museum purchased a historic building at 3 W. McMicken Ave. to create a museum of urban history. Inspired by New York City’s Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the OTR organization will tell the stories of people who lived in the building. These stories are critical to the history and identity of Cincinnati and connect to the larger stories of American history. While they fundraise to open the facility, founders are using public programming to affirm OTR Museum’s mission of telling all the stories its historic neighborhood has to tell. The museum offers a lecture series, an oral history project, a “Walking the Stories” walking tour program and exhibitions. These programs build connection, community and empathy. Surprising fact: The museum team has identified over 150 families who lived in the building since 1860.   otrmuseum.org

Mercantile Library renovates to create twice the space for books and events

The Mercantile Library is a membership library, founded in 1835, and anyone can join. Since its founding, the Mercantile has continuously sought out dynamic lecturers and speakers like Herman Melville, William Makepeace Thackeray, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Salman Rushdie, John Updike, Toni Morrison, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Margaret Atwood, Colson Whitehead, Chuck D, Jennifer Egan, Sandra Cisneros, Andrew Sean Greer and Min Jin Lee. It has been at the same address since 1840, and holds the world record for longest active lease. In 1845, rent was prepaid for 10,000 years, and it’s renewable in perpetuity. In 2024, the library began a major expansion and renovation to nearly double in size to hold more books, events and co-working space. Until its completion, the library is hosting programs all around Cincinnati. The one question people always ask: Is it pronounced MercanTILE or MercantTEEL? Our answer: Either way is perfectly acceptable.   mercantilelibrary.com

Harriet Beecher Stowe House tells stories of 1840s and 1940s

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House has more than one story to tell. A hundred years after the famous abolitionist author lived in and near the house in Walnut Hills, it found new life as the Edgemont Inn, a long-term boarding house, tavern and gathering space for Cincinnati’s Black community in the early 20th century. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the iconic house museum is revealing its multi-era historic restoration in July. Visitors will be able to step back in time to both stories thanks to a long restoration and preservation process that resulted in featuring not just one, but two eras. The updated interpretation, layout and rooms carefully restored to either 1840 or 1940 show how the house bears witness to generations joining their voices for truth in the nation’s struggle toward freedom and humanity for all. 

 stowehousecincy.org

Voice of America Museum highlights radio’s place in winning freedom

“Pay no attention to the Cincinnati Liars,” fumed Adolf Hitler as the broadcasts originating from a hillside just north of Cincinnati helped end World War II. A visit to the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, just 30 minutes north of Fountain Square, will open your eyes to the critical contributions the VOA made in World War II and the Cold War. Visitors will also find the most comprehensive collection of items created and manufactured by Cincinnati icons Powel and Lewis Crosley. It was Powel Crosley who built and operated, under federal contract, the most powerful shortwave radio transmitters on the planet. The museum opens every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Special tours for civic, educational and social groups are available most any time. Adult tickets are $10 and kids under 13 are free. 

 voamuseum.org

Glendale Heritage Preservation keeps village’s history in 1877 train depot

Glendale Heritage Preservation was organized 50 years ago by concerned residents to preserve the unique character of the village.

Glendale Heritage Preservation is housed in a renovated 1877 train depot and serves as a museum and a repository for the village’s archives.

The current museum

exhibit looks back over Glendale Heritage Preservation’s 50 years of accomplishments. Its major accomplishment was to receive the Department of the Interior’s recognition of Glendale as a National Historic Landmark District, Ohio’s first. In addition, the museum displays other artifacts associated with the history of the village. 

Dinsmore Homestead Museum kept as if family would return

The Dinsmore Homestead Museum in Burlington, Ky., is unique in that everything on site is original to the family and people who worked here. The story of the men and women who lived on this farm, enslaved and free, is based on over 90,000 pages of journals, letters and receipts left by the Dinsmore family. Among the receipts is one from 1842 for five beds from McAlpin’s, many receipts from Shillito’s and one for a leather chair from Pogue’s. The Dinsmore family wanted the museum to feel like the family would soon return, so everything has been left where it was. There are over 2,000 books and over 11 structures including a cabin that enslaved people lived in. The site is on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, not because it was a station, but because two enslaved people escaped from it – one was caught, the other was not. 

 dinsmorefarm.org

American Sign Museum displays nation’s ingenuity and culture

The American Sign Museum puts the United States’ history of entrepreneurship, ingenuity and design on full display for all to experience. It explores the crucial role that signage played in shaping the nation’s distinct culture, and delivers a deeper appreciation for the innovative spirit and technical breakthroughs that made it happen. Whether you’re looking for a light show or a history lesson, the American Sign Museum is a quintessential stop for those who want to experience America at its brightest. The ASM is completing construction on a new wing that will double the size of the museum. The new wing is scheduled to open this summer. 

 americansignmuseum.org



glendaleheritage.org

White Water Shaker Village shows Shakers’ lives, innovations

White Water Shaker Village, established in 1823, is one of 24 Shaker communal villages founded in the United States. It is home to the country's only remaining brick Meeting House, built in 1827 with an unusual suspended truss system. In 1832, the large dwelling was constructed next door. Come to an open house to learn about the daily life of a Shaker. Discover the businesses the Shakers conducted and collections of Shaker chairs and goods. You can see the stable and historic outbuildings of this 200-year-old village. Shakers were very innovative as well. They were the first group to sell seeds in small packets for home gardening. White Water’s seed packet trade routes went as far west as Missouri. In the late 1850s, White Water earned more than $5,000 annually from seeds. 

 whitewatervillage.org

Pyramid Hill features outdoor art

– and a pyramid-shaped skylight

Over 70 monumental outdoor sculptures are nestled into 300 acres of rolling hills, gardens and forests with hiking trails at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park. Two on-site museums are home to ancient antiques and rotating contemporary art galleries. With ever-changing art and nature landscapes, there is always something new to experience. Fun fact: The on-site Pyramid House museum is entirely underground and features an iconic, one-of-a-kind, pyramid-shaped skylight. 

 pyramidhill.org

Cincinnati Observatory keeps mission of history and today

Founded in 1843, the Cincinnati Observatory is the country’s oldest public observatory and a National Historic Landmark. It also houses the oldest public telescope in this hemisphere, whose views have captivated eight generations of star gazers – and counting. The institution’s mission is to maintain the integrity and heritage of the 19th-century observatory and to educate, engage and inspire the community about astronomy and science. Today the organization works with 35,000 people annually, including 14,000 students, over 60% of whom are underserved, and conducts over 800 programs a year, both on site at the Observatory’s Mount Lookout campus and throughout the community. Fun fact: One of the Observatory’s former directors, Dr. Paul Herget, worked with Procter & Gamble and designed the shape of the Pringles potato chip, which is called a hyperbolic paraboloid. The shape prevents the chips from breaking in the can when shipped. 

 cincinnatiobservatory.org

At Skirball Museum, Jewish history ranges from antiquity to Cincinnati

The Skirball Museum is the first formally established Jewish museum in the United States. Its core exhibition features art and artifacts from ancient to contemporary and offers a special focus on Cincinnati Jewish history. Highlights of the collection include a large pottery jar from 100 BCE to 100 CE that housed some of the Dead Sea Scrolls and a pair of Polish Sabbath candlesticks that were once owned by the Marquess of Exeter, of Burghley House by Stamford, and have been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

 csm.huc.edu

FOCUS ON: Niche museums & cultural institutions

Behringer-Crawford Museum displays an eclectic collection

From the ridiculous (BCM’s infamous two-headed calf) to the sublime (its generally fascinating collections), this family-friendly museum celebrates the unique arts, heritage and culture of Northern Kentucky as part of the Ohio Valley. Examine a mammoth fossil, hear from the riders on the beautifully restored 1892 streetcar “Kentucky,” activate the engines, lights and music of a miniature, mid-century community in the Faragher G-gauge train display and even watch a drive-in movie from the seat of a 1959 Buick Electra convertible. View works by prominent regional artists such as Mary Bruce Sharon, Wolfgang Ritschel, Harlan Hubbard and others. Music@BCM concerts are the place to be on Thursday nights during the summer, while the annual Holly Jolly Days is a child’s delight in winter. Did you know that BCM’s beloved 1892 streetcar, “Kentucky,” was converted into a parlor car? Guests could travel around in style or rent it for private parties. 

 bcmuseum.org

Cincinnati Type & Print Museum lets you touch tech, old and new

At some museums, “Don’t touch” signs warn visitors away from the exhibits. At the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum in Lower Price Hill, visitors are encouraged to get a little inky by printing something on an antique letterpress machine before they leave. This small, byappointment museum celebrates Cincinnati’s status as a U.S. printing powerhouse. (Those seed packets you buy for your spring flowers and veggies? Most likely, they were printed in Greater Cincinnati). From Gutenberg’s movable type through Ludlow typecasting equipment and toward new technologies that might print low-cost solar panels, find old technology and new ideas at one of Cincinnati’s quirkiest little museums. 

 cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

Heritage Village Museum depicts life here in the 19th century

Heritage Village Museum & Educational Center in Sharon Woods Park offers a unique glimpse into 19thcentury life in Southwest Ohio. This living history museum boasts 13 historic buildings, each with its own story and significance, brought from various locations to preserve the region’s rich heritage. Visitors can immerse themselves in the past with tours and events such as Heroines of Our History, On Freedom’s Doorstep and Columbia Settlement 1788. Engage with history through programming like Spirits By Starlight ghost tours, Escape the Village escape rooms and Period Dinners. The village is transformed for the holidays with favorites like Haunted Village and Holly Days. The oldest log home in Cincinnati, Kemper Log House, is part of the village. Heritage Village Museum is a mustvisit destination to step back in time. 

 heritagevillagecincinnati.org

Vent Haven Museum contains art and history of ventriloquism

Vent Haven Museum is a unique gem and a must-see attraction for everyone. Whether you’re into history, art, entertainment icons or just quirky places, Vent Haven has something for you. Dedicated exclusively to the art and history of ventriloquism, the collection at Vent Haven houses puppets, dummies, posters, playbills, scripts, books and more and encompasses the entire history of this amazing performance art. The museum started as a private collection in 1910 and is on its original site in Fort Mitchell, Ky. Today it is a nonprofit organization and open for tours May through September. 

 venthaven.org

Gifts & Grants

Scott gives $2M each to Women

Helping Women, HER Cincinnati

Novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott awarded a total of $4 million to Women Helping Women and HER Cincinnati to help women and families overcome gender-based violence, poverty, addiction and human trafficking.

Scott’s Yield Giving foundation released an open call last year to community organizations working to increase their support of people in need.

Yield Giving planned to award $1 million each to 250 community-led nonprofits. However, after receiving more than 6,000 applications, the organization decided to help 361 organizations and increase grants to up to $2 million each, or $640 million total.

HER Cincinnati and Women Helping Women are the only two nonprofits in Greater Cincinnati to receive funding.

The funding is “funder trusted,” meaning recipients determine how to use it.

 yieldgiving.com

Jersey Mike’s raises $340K for CancerFree KIDS

CancerFree KIDS received more than $340,000 from this year’s Jersey Mike’s Subs Month of Giving campaign.

Each Jersey Mike’s location across the country gave 100% of every dollar spent on March 27 to local charities. Local Jersey Mike’s customers could also round up their bills to support organizations like CancerFree KIDS throughout the month.

Since 2015, the almost 30 local Jersey Mike’s restaurants have raised more than $1 million for CancerFree KIDS, which has used that funding to support innovative pediatric cancer research.

 cancerfreekids.org

PWC receives $1M match grant from Farmer Family Foundation

People Working Cooperatively received a matching grant of up to $1 million from The Farmer Family Foundation to help more lowincome, elderly and disabled homeowners make home repairs and modifications.

Last year, the foundation awarded PWC $2.5 million – the largest single private donation the organization had ever received. To continue its support, the foundation will match up to $1 million in new donations received through Nov. 15.

While PWC serves Southwest Ohio, Dayton, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana, the foundation earmarked these dollars for homeowners in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties.

 PWChomerepairs.org

Clovernook Center receives nearly $344K in grants

Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired received 13 grants totaling nearly $344,000 to help children and adults who are blind or visually impaired.

Nine of the grants will support programs for children and young adults, including Clovernook’s Pediatric Low Vision Clinic, a partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Four grants will support Clovernook’s Arts & Accessibility Initiative, which gives clients customized experiences at museums, theaters and other public spaces.

“We celebrate the generosity of our donors and the gratitude we have for them,” Clovernook President Chris Faust said. “They are truly game changers.”

 clovernook.org

Pig Works awards scholarships to track and cross-country runners

Pig Works, the parent organization of the Flying Pig Marathon, awarded $280,000 in scholarships to 14 area high school track and cross-country athletes.

College scholarships of $20,000 ($5,000 each year) went to seven male and seven female student-athletes who have demonstrated dedication, teamwork and service to their schools and communities.

Pig Works announced the prizes during its annual Scholarship Breakfast at Music Hall, part of a series of celebrations leading up to the 26th Flying Pig Marathon weekend, May 3-5.

The scholarships are made possible through the Bob and Jeanne Coughlin Foundation, Skyline Chili and other donors.

The Coughlin Foundation recently committed an additional $500,000 to the program to broaden its support of the next generation of runners.

 flyingpigmarathon.com

Dress for Success to use grant to inspire greater self-sufficiency

Dress for Success Cincinnati received a $100,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to support the organization’s new strategic plan, “Following Dream Paths to Thriving.”

The funding will help support three new staff positions – a thriving services manager and two client advocates. It also will help fund the cost of working with Box Kite Consulting on implementation, as well as materials and supplies during the transition.

 dfscincy.org 

Dress for Success volunteers such as Brooke Rouse, Terri Gist and Linda Vaccariello play a key role in the organization’s new strategic plan.

A group of 14 high school athletes received $20,000 scholarships from Pig Works.

Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving campaign raised funds for CancerFree KIDS to support innovative pediatric cancer research.

Nonprofit News

CPS, UC offer new associate degree pathway program

Cincinnati Public Schools is teaming up with the University of Cincinnati to make higher education more accessible to many CPS students.

The College Innovation Pathway will enable students at Shroder High School to earn an associate degree at the same time as their high school diploma.

Students in the Pathway cohort will work alongside their high school classmates. However, they’ll also have the opportunity to take classes at all three of UC’s campuses.

The goal is to save students money on collegerelated expenses and provide them a head start on their academic goals.

Incoming Shroder freshmen will be eligible to apply to the program, which launches during the 2024-25 school year.

 cps-k12.org

Junior League selects HER Cincinnati for yearslong partnership

The Junior League of Cincinnati selected HER Cincinnati for a multiyear partnership that will provide the nonprofit with $25,000 in funding as well as support and advocacy from 800-plus volunteers.

HER Cincinnati – formerly Cincinnati Union Bethel – works to empower women to break the cycles of poverty, addiction and human trafficking.

JLC volunteers will focus on HER Cincinnati’s launch of HER Collective, a women’s small business co-op. The platform will help participants gain entrepreneurial skills and resume-building work experience while also earning extra income to support themselves and their families.

“The JLC’s partnership is just the capacityboost we needed,” said Beth Schwartz, HER Cincinnati’s CEO.

Throughout the three- to five-year partnership, JLC members will receive education about the impacts of poverty and addiction.

 jlcincinnati.org

ArtWorks adds photography, video, editing services

ArtWorks will offer photography, video and other creative services to Greater Cincinnati organizations as its latest way to train the next generation of visual artists.

The studio will offer services in areas such as portrait photography, event photography and videography, as well as product and editing services. The team will also offer support for lens-based platforms such as social media and styling services.

ArtWorks will prioritize nonprofit, cultural and community partner projects, but services will be available to for-profit businesses and individuals as well.

A list of services and rates are available online.

 artworkscincinnati.org

Sharon Lake closes for major renovation project

Great Parks has closed Sharon Lake and some of the surrounding trail areas in Sharon Woods for more than a year as part of a long-planned effort to improve recreational opportunities for visitors and enhance wildlife habitats.

The Great Parks team will reposition sediment to restructure the depth of the 35-acre lake and create new wetland areas. This initial phase also includes the construction of a boardwalk, adding a fishing pier and new docks for kayaks and canoes.

The dredging process also will address an accumulation of duckweed, which can threaten recreational activities and the wildlife in the lake.

Great Parks is working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to deal with the impact on the fish and animals that live there.

The project’s first stages will cost about $11 million. Plans also include improving a shareduse trail and constructing a kayak launch.

Sharon Lake will remain closed during construction. It’ll reopen in mid-2025.

 greatparks.org/about/projects

CPS, Western & Southern name educator of year finalists

Cincinnati Public Schools officials visited schools across the district in mid-April to surprise the five finalists for this year’s Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award. The prize comes with a check for $10,000.

The award, established by Western & Southern Financial Group in 2007, honors one CPS educator each year who elevates the educational process through personal commitment, dedicated focus and outstanding results.

This year’s finalists: Susan Grasso, Hughes STEM High School; Sarah Sifri, Winton Hills Academy; Aaron Parker, Aiken High School; Ariel Crump, Pleasant Ridge Montessori School; and Deidre Simpson, Evanston Academy.

There were 15 semifinalists. Each received a nomination from a fellow CPS teacher or administrator.

The winner will be announced May 16 at a ceremony hosted by Western & Southern in downtown Cincinnati.

 westernsouthern.com

Students at Shroder High School can earn an associate degree from UC while earning their high school diploma.

 A rendering of the under-construction

Sharon Lake site in Sharon Woods

Winton Hills Academy teacher Sarah Sifri (center) is embraced by CPS Superintendent Iranetta Rayborn Wright and a student. Sifri is a finalist for the Hawkins Educator of the Year Award.

The inaugural Brayden’s Books book drive honored the legacy of Brayden Otten.

Tender Mercies will memorialize Jerry Springer with a new mural on the side of its Over-the-Rhine headquarters.

School book drive honors life of beloved teen

Brave Like Me Foundation is giving free books to about 2,400 children this year to honor the life and spirit of teenager Brayden Otten.

Since Brayden’s passing in August 2022, his family, friends, teachers and classmates have rallied to honor his legacy by creating the Brave Like Me Foundation. The Wyoming, Ohio-based organization provides services and experiences tailored to children with complex medical conditions and their families.

Brave Like Me created Brayden’s Books with Queen City Book Bank. The inaugural program features a selection of children’s and young-adult titles, handpicked by Brayden’s friends and teachers. Each title exhibits characteristics Brayden possessed – bravery, kindness, humor, tenacity and friendship.

Tender Mercies mural to honor Jerry Springer

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of legendary talk show host Jerry Springer, ArtWorks announced a plan to adorn the former Cincinnati mayor’s face on Tender Mercies’ headquarters. Work is set to begin in Over-theRhine this summer.

Longtime friend Jene Galvin and Cincinnati City Council Member Jeff Cramerding came up with the idea for the mural. They approached ArtWorks last year to find a meaningful way to honor Springer’s legacy – not just as a local icon but as a philanthropist.

Educators at 13 local schools can select books based on their students’ reading level and interests.

Brave Like Me Foundation raised $5,000 to support the cause.

“Brayden loved books, so this program is the perfect way to honor him and remind us that bravery takes many forms,” said John Otten, Brayden’s father.  queencitybookbank.org

Springer, a former Cincinnati TV reporter, sought to become involved in various philanthropic endeavors, advocating for social justice causes and supporting charitable organizations, Galvin said. One of Springer’s favorite local charities was Tender Mercies, to which he was a supporter for 25 years.

Founded in 1985, the Cincinnati-based nonprofit provides housing and support for homeless adults with histories of severe mental illness. The mural’s plaque will include a QR code that links to the Tender Mercies website so visitors can easily donate.

Springer’s friends and family provided financial support for the mural.

 tendermerciesinc.org

Marshall and Heather Wiseman, residents since 2022



Ursuline Academy named alumna and UA parent Patricia Norton Boehm as its next president, effective July 1. Boehm serves as the school’s interim president. Since assuming the interim position last summer, Boehm has developed a plan to improve the school’s organizational structure and has revamped its admissions and enrollment experience, among other accomplishments.

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The Cincinnati May Festival selected Jason Alexander Holmes as its new associate director of choruses and director of its youth chorus. Holmes, who has served as artistic director of the Cincinnati Boychoir since 2019, will begin his new position in the 2024-25 season.

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Four high school and college musicians from across Greater Cincinnati received a total of $53,000 to support their education as part of the seventh annual Nancy F. Walker Memorial Scholarship Auditions. Sponsored by Matinée Musicale Cincinnati, the program awarded top prizes to violinist Erica Nam, high school instrumental; cellist Abigail Leidy, college instrumental; mezzo-soprano Ella Clark , high school vocal; and soprano Léa Nayak , college vocal.

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B ethany House Services has added three new members to its leadership team –Roderick “Rod” Hinton as chief program officer, Jessica Starr as human resources director and Angela Knighten as shelter director. BHS is the largest provider of family homelessness services in Greater Cincinnati, serving more than 2,500 people annually.

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Great Parks Forever, the philanthropic partner of Great Parks, welcomed Jeff Yund as its new board president. A lifelong Cincinnati resident and park user, Yund has served on the board since 2017.

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Pam McKie is taking over as executive director of Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati, a nonprofit vet clinic for lowincome individuals. Founder Ann Ramsey Hill became executive director emeritus after leading the organization since its inception in 2012.

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Dr. Dean Kereiakes received a lifetime achievement award at the annual meeting of the Scottsdale Interventional Forum, a national cardiology group. Kereiakes, chairman of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute, was also honored by the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association with The William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement.

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P yramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum announced Stephanie Eldred as development director. She is leading fundraising and marketing efforts for the Butler County park.

Service dog training organization

Circle Tail selected Gena Stonefield , its current board vice president, to become the second executive director in the nonprofit’s 27-year history. She has been a part of the organization for four years in varying capacities. Stonefield replaces Circle Tail founder Marlys Staley, who shifted into a new role as director of operations.

Patricia Norton Boehm

Jason Alexander Holmes

Erica Nam

Abigail Leidy

Ella Clark

Léa Nayak

Roderick “Rod” Hinton

Jessica Starr

Angela Knighten

Jeff Yund

Pam McKie

Dr. Dean Kereiakes

Stephanie Eldred

Gena Stonefield

Marlys Staley

Meggan Thompson

Neil Choudhury

Brandy Porter

Mike Dunn

Yalie Saweda Kamara

Rebekah Beaulieu

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Cincinnati Youth Collaborative added three leaders to implement and develop programs. Meggan Thompson, a longtime volunteer, is CYC’s new chief program officer. Neil Choudhury will help young people transition into meaningful employment as the new workforce engagement manager. Workforce development veteran Brandy Porter will serve as CYC’s new “Good Jobs Challenge Recruiter.”

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Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY has named Mike Dunn its new CEO. Dunn, a respected nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience leading organizations, is perhaps most well-known for his tenure as the executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati District Council.

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Yalie Saweda Kamara’s appointment as the poet laureate for Cincinnati and the Mercantile Library has been extended through 2024. During her 2022-23 laureateship, Kamara mentored local poets and contributed to programming that honored the likes of BLINK, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center.



The American Alliance of Museums selected Taft Museum of Art’s president and CEO, Rebekah Beaulieu , for a three-year term on its board of directors. The AAM is the only national organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. 

Snapshots

Who, what, where & why

ETC celebrates Theatre Row and new campaign

On a day when a group of Over-the-Rhine theaters celebrated the official designation of 12th and Vine streets as Theatre Row, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also hosted Backstage @ ETC, a behind-the-scenes fundraiser and 2024-25 season announcement. ETC revealed its 40th Anniversary Campaign to raise $10 million to strengthen its operating budget, pursue ambitious artistic opportunities and create an endowment.

Earlier, Cincinnati City Council Member Seth Walsh unveiled the new street sign on World Theatre Day, and Mayor Aftab Pureval proclaimed it Cincinnati Theatre Day. The designation is meant to celebrate all the theaters along 12th Street – School for Creative and Performing Arts, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, ETC, Know Theatre and, soon, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati at The Emery.

 ensemblecincinnati.org

Theatre Row sign on the corner of 12th and Vine streets

The Backstage @ ETC event committee: Linda Holthaus, Tom Carothers, D. Lynn Meyers, Holly Brians Ragusa, Erica Bock and Kathy DeLaura

Jackie Bryson and Teri Boland



D. Lynn Meyers, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati producing artistic director; Jeffrey Schloemer, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati board chair; and City Council Member Seth Walsh

Jackie Reau, D. Lynn Meyers, Jamie Smith and Kristen Erwin Schlotman

Liz Carman of Know Theatre, Lettie Van Hemert of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Maggie Perrino of School for Creative and Performing Arts, D. Lynn Meyers, Seth Walsh, Roderick Justice and Krista Katona Pille of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati

Andrew Maloney and Brooke Steele

Ted Baldwin, Deej Ragusa and Brooke Steele

Photos by Mikki s chaffner and h olly b rians r agusa

Sierre Abrams, Karlee Abrams, Austin Abrams and Alex Schutte

Human Rights Campaign Dinner urges ‘All Means All’

The Hyatt Regency was the venue for the 15th annual Greater Cincinnati Human Rights Campaign Dinner. More than 500 LGBTQ+ community members and allies attended the event, which included silent and live auctions, dinner and an after-party. This year’s event was co-chaired by Cincinnati Council Member Reggie Harris, Elizabeth Kennedy and Chase Rickey. The theme for the dinner was Speak Out – All Means All Without Exception, urging everyone to unite for every part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The evening’s program included appearances by Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman and Brandon Wolf, Human Rights Campaign national press secretary and survivor of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting. Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey was presented with the David C. Crowley Leadership Award, and Jelani Alladin from the Showtime series “Fellow Travelers” received the HRC Visibility Award.

 cincinnati.hrc.org

Guests enjoy the after-party.

Brock Leah Spears, Pam Kravetz and Mollie Mormen

The Hyatt Regency atrium

Event co-chair City Council Member Reggie Harris, Hamilton County Sheriff and honoree Charmaine McGuffy, co-chair Elizabeth Kennedy and co-chair Chase Rickey

U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman and HRC board of governors member Karen Harmon

Actor Jelani Alladin of Showtime’s “Fellow Travelers,” received the HRC Visibility Award from Ron Nyswaner, executive producer and writer of the series.

Brennaman gets roasted to benefit Madi’s House

The Marty Brennaman Roast & Toast event at Music Hall raised funds and awareness for Madi’s House. The evening poked fun at Brennaman, who called play-by-play for the Cincinnati Reds from 1974 to 2019.

The event raised $561,972, with all proceeds going toward building the new Simon L. Leis Jr. Fitness & Wellness Center on the Madi’s House campus, which will cost more than $3 million.  madishousecincy.org

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

Roasters and toasters: (back) Dr. Timothy Kremchek, Scott Sloan, Dave Lapham, Doug Flynn (partly obscured) and Josh Sneed; (front) Thom Brennaman, Jeff Ruby, Amanda Brennaman, Marty Brennaman, Simon L. Leis Jr., Julie Raleigh, Steve Raleigh and Justice Joe Deters

Madi’s House co-founders

Julie Raleigh and Steve Raleigh

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers, Carlo Wessels and Sharon Wessels

Marty Brennaman

Artists Jim Conroy and Kim Conroy

Renderings of the Simon L. Leis Jr. Fitness & Wellness Center

Attendees participate in a paddle raise.

Marty Brennaman and Amanda Brennaman

Photos: John k lare Photogra Phy

Main Street Ventures opens new home

Members of the local startup ecosystem and the community at large celebrated Cincinnati’s unofficial holiday a week early at Main Street Ventures’ Opening Day Open House.

Attendees toured the organization’s new office at the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub while enjoying signature cocktails, light bites from local restaurants, and conversation with MSV team members, grant recipients and entrepreneurs.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Main Street Ventures provides equity-free funding to entrepreneurs and startups in eight Tristate counties, focusing on those historically underrepresented in the startup community.

 mainstventures.org

Sean Parker, MSV executive director

Tim Barr of Raising the Barr Mobile Bartending Jordan Boswell, Abby Ober and Kayla Boswell Brianna Dzuricsko, Jazmine Mosby, Abby Ober and Sean Parker

Alloy Development awards celebrate community excellence

Alloy Development Company hosted its annual Celebration Awards at the Sharonville Convention Center, recognizing achievements and contributions to the region. The event showcased individuals and organizations dedicated to driving economic growth, fostering innovation and promoting community engagement.

A Startup Expo featuring emerging companies to watch was followed by a luncheon emceed by Alloy Development board member Kyla Woods. Speakers were Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reece and Chris Berry, president and CEO of OhioX.

• Lending Advocate of the Year:

Sara McCarty of Portage Community Bank

• David K. Main Lending Project of the Year: Tennant Packaging Corporation

• Alloy Growth Lab Client of the Year: Ashley Barrow, founder of RE-Assist

• Larry Albice Entrepreneurship Award: Chad Edwards of Emersion Design

• Todd Portune Innovation Award:

ABEL Building Systems

• Ron Schallick Economic Development Award: Mane Inc.

 alloydev.org

MacDowell Society hosts opera program

The Cincinnati MacDowell Society hosted Everything You Wanted to Know About Opera (But Were Afraid to Ask) at the home of CMS President Thom Dreeze and Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Evans Mirageas. Over 50 members and their guests tuned into a speech from Mirageas and performances by Cincinnati Opera singers.

Performers included soprano Dana Pundt, mezzo-soprano Lauren McAllister, tenor Pedro Barbosa, baritone Thom Dreeze and pianist Cory Battey.

The event was the third of four programs comprising the Cincinnati MacDowell Society’s 2023-24 season.

 cincymacdowell.square.site

Matt Tennant of honoree Tennant Packaging

Laurence Jones, Alloy Development board chair; honoree Ashley Barrow of RE-Assist; and Pat Longo, Alloy president and CEO

Honoree Sara McCarty of Portage Community Bank

Brian Mohler of honoree Mane Inc.

Eric Ruffin of honoree ABEL Building Systems

Honoree Chad Edwards of Emersion Design

Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera artistic director

Soprano Dana Pundt and tenor Pedro Barbosa

Thom Dreeze and Evans Mirageas

The MacDowell Society program attracted a full-house crowd to the home of CMS President Thom Dreeze and Evans Mirageas.

Gala delivers over $680K for The Cure Starts Now

The 16th annual Once in a Lifetime Gala presented by Graeter’s raised $681,617 featuring a “Dessert First” theme for over 900 guests and supporters at the Duke Energy Grand Ballroom.

Randi Rico of WLWT and Brian Thomas of 55KRC served as emcees for the event, which has helped The Cure Starts Now fund over $32 million in pediatric cancer research and support across the world, including more than $10 million in Cincinnati. Awards included:

• The 2024 Hero Award to Missy Meinhardt and Mark Meinhardt , who lost their daughter, Sophia Grace Meinhardt, in 2006 to pediatric brain cancer. The Meinhardts have kept her legacy alive with Sophie’s Angel Run, raising over $400,000 for Cincinnati Children’s.

• The Changemaker Award to David Wesselman, founder of Broadview Motion Design.

• A second Changemaker Award to Mikayla Chain for her commitment to The Cure Starts Now.

 thecurestartsnow.org

Mike Eng, Harley Forney, Dan Forney and Carla Eng

Mikayla Chain with her Volunteer Changemaker Award

Missy Meinhardt and Mark Meinhardt receive the Hero Award for founding The Angel Run.

Brooke Desserich with Dr. Gavin Baumgartner and grant recipient Dr. Biplab Dasgupta, both of Cincinnati Children’s

David Wesselman of Broadview Motion Design receives the Changemaker Award.

Brooke George, Heidi Varns and Jackie Criswell of the TCSN family support team

Andrew Slaymaker and Kimberly Slaymaker Connie Meiring and Ken Meiring run the Graeter’s truck.

TCSN founders Brooke Desserich, Grace Desserich, Nina Desserich and Keith Desserich with event emcee Brian Thomas of 55KRC

Aviatra’s Galentine’s Gala connects women entrepreneurs

Aviatra Accelerators – the Cincinnati nonprofit dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and small businesses – hosted its inaugural Galentine’s Gala at the Alcove by MadTree Brewing in Over-the-Rhine. The sisterhood-focused event featured activities for women to connect, be inspired and empower each other, including a fashion show and a silent auction.

The fashion show, emceed by Cincinnati Style Report’s Taneica Oliviera, showcased local women-owned businesses, including Aseaya Boutique, Boundless Beauty, Inspired Fashion and Peachy & Vintage.

The paddle raise, emceed by Gratitude Collective founder Rachel DesRochers, garnered $10,000 in donations for scholarships that will be awarded later this year.

 aviatraaccelerators.org

Rotary’s Jefferson Award spotlights car-repair service

A Cold Spring man who founded a charity to provide affordable car repairs has won the region’s highest community service award. Bruce Kintner, who founded Samaritan Car Care Clinic in 2007, received the Greater Cincinnati Jefferson Award in a ceremony hosted by the Rotary Club of Cincinnati.

As the local Jefferson Award winner, Kintner becomes a finalist for one of the five national Jefferson Awards to be presented in September in New York by the national service organization Multiplying Good.

Finalists honored at the local ceremony were Joe Dehner and Noel Julnes-Dehner of Hyde Park, who founded the Summer Camp Reading Program in 2010 to help children build reading skills, and Amy Vann of Batavia, who created Give Like A Mother (GLAM), a volunteer movement to provide school clothes for low-income children.

 cincinnatirotary.org

Paddle raise to support scholarships

 Jasmine Hughes, Aviatra marketing strategist; Teneica Oliveira, CEO of Cincinnati Style Report; Jill Morenz; Rachel DesRochers, founder of the Gratitude Collective; and Kourtney Terry, Aviatra community manager

Michelle Hunter, Kathy Burr, Ke'Anna Jones, Ashlee Thurmond, Cherera Lacey and Latoya Suggs

Michael Schatzman and Jefferson Award program assistant chair Doug Adams join applause during the program. In the background center are Sharon Kintner and award winner Bruce Kintner.

Event chair Bill Shula with Jefferson Award committee member Carol Rountree and Jill Huynh Finalists Joe Dehner and Noel Julnes-Dehner with guests Paul Williams and Anne Warrington Wilson

Finalist Amy Vann, right, with her parents David Tabor and Shirley Tabor

Bruce Kintner, winner of the 2024 Greater Cincinnati Jefferson Award

Jessica Wright, owner of Wright Workforce Solutions; Jill Morenz, Aviatra president and CEO; and Lisa Woodruff, owner of Organize 365

Rotary member Michael Schatzman with event emcee and WCPO news anchor Tanya O’Rourke

Activities Beyond the Classroom honors Leshner

Brian Leshner’s impact on Cincinnati’s youth was celebrated at a special event hosted by Activities Beyond the Classroom at the 21c Museum Hotel.

Leshner helped ABC grow from a startup with an anonymous $70,000 donation to an organization providing millions of dollars in equitable access to extracurricular and enrichment activities for the children of Cincinnati. ABC also unveiled its plans for the future, promising even greater strides toward equity and enrichment in the community.

After the program, attendees were treated to the fourth CPS International Jazz Fest at the Aronoff Center, showcasing 120 CPS student musicians. The celebration then returned to the 21c Hotel with an exclusive afterparty featuring jazz artist Tomoko Omura.

 abccincy.org

Kitty Rosenthal, Dick Rosenthal, Richard Friedman and Brandon Holmes

Brian Leshner and Eve Bolton

Richard Friedman, Rachel Stallings, Brian Leshner and Sally Grimes

Sydney Fine, Charley Frank, Jill Parker and Aaron Parker

Brandon Craig, Brian Leshner and Kate Schroder Brian Leshner, Box Miller and Richard Friedman

Shauna Murphy and Russell Murphy

ArtWorks V2 Gallery unveils ‘Sawdust’ exhibition

Nearly 100 guests joined to celebrate the opening of ArtWorks’ newest exhibition. Led by artist-in-residence Jim Tucker, “Sawdust” explores the boundaries and bonds between two- and three-dimensional artmaking.

A group of gallery fellows, ages 16-24, worked alongside Tucker to learn spray-painting, stencil making, paint-pen line work and woodworking techniques. The exhibit, at ArtWorks’ V2 Gallery in Walnut Hills, is on view by appointment through May 9.

artworkscincinnati.org

StartupCincy workshop guides women entrepreneurs

The first StartupCincy Women Entrepreneurs Supper Club was held at The Bloom Room event space in Over-the-Rhine. Tian Philson, founder of LSF Wellness, guided the 20 founders and entrepreneurs through a workshop designed to foster not only business growth but also personal development as leaders and individuals. Conversations focused on self-discovery and empowerment.

The Supper Club was organized by Kate Hursh-Wogenstahl, Cintrifuse; Amy Vaughan, Together Digital; Rachel DeRochers, Power to Pursue; and Jill Morenz, Aviatra Accelerators.

 cintrifuse.com

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The V2 Gallery is a space for showcasing the results of ArtWorks’ gallery fellowship program.

Michael Thompson, Katie Stefani and Jim Tucker

Chay Mills, Julia Patterson, Ellie Rockford, William Boone-Hall, Jim Tucker, Henry Hittle, MK Hensley and Aminata Thiam Tian Philson Brittany Styles and Amy Calo Kate Weinbender and Anastasia Tarpeh-Ellis Photos:

Tierra Turnage and Jill McCauley

JCRC meeting features author of ‘People Love Dead Jews’

More than 200 people from the Jewish community and allies came together for the Jewish Community Relations Council’s annual meeting at the Mayerson JCC. The event featured presentations on the organization’s collaborative work in education, security and advocacy over the past year.

Dara Horn, author of “People Love Dead Jews,” spoke, followed by a Q&A led by Kevin Aldridge, Cincinnati Enquirer opinion editor.

 jewishcincinnati.org/jcrc

Summer Action Auction

From hotel stays to sports tickets to day camps, bid on packages and gift certificates for activities best enjoyed during the summer.

Bidding Open: May 1 - May 5

Jewish Federation of Cincinnati CEO Danielle Minson, Aaron Shield, City Council Member Reggie Harris, Debbie Brant, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati COO Lindsey Wade and City Council Member Mark Jeffreys

Matt Hiudt and Joey Hiudt

Ian Sarembock and Benjamin Schneider

Dara Horn signs a copy of her book for a guest

Kenneth Revelson and Danielle Revelson

Zak Draznin and Elliot Draznin

Fran Coleman and Craig Coleman

Dara Horn (right) and guest

St. Joseph Home celebrates 150 years of serving the community

St. Joseph Home celebrated a century and a half of impact with an event at TQL Stadium that raised $110,000.

The host committee included Patty Basti, Stacey Browning and Chris Browning, Richard Finan and Joan Finan, Alan Fershtman and Ann Fershtman, Ann Keefe and Mike Keefe, Mike Kennedy, Carol Lindner, Rick Theders and Ann Theders, Sr. Sally Duffy, Sr. Barbara Hagedorn and Sr. Marge Kloos.

Dan Connors, president and CEO of St. Joseph Home, said, “Where there are people who need something in Cincinnati and nobody else filling that gap, that’s where St. Joseph Home steps in.”

St. Joseph Home provides much needed support systems for people with complex disabilities and their families.

 stjosephhome.org

Ohio Valley Voices raises $325K at gala

Ohio Valley Voices held its 16th annual gala at the Hyatt Regency, hosted by WCPO’s Steve Raleigh. Sponsors and guests helped raise almost $325,000 to support the children of OVV. Ohio Valley Voices teaches children who are deaf and hard of hearing how to speak through early language acquisition in a nurturing environment.

ohiovalleyvoices.org

President and CEO Dan Connors and former board member Mark Thaman

Michelle Brink, Cari Van Pelt, Molly Wellmann, Kristin Stock and Kerry Rosian

Steve Raleigh, WCPO chief meteorologist and gala host; Brooklyn Ballein, currently attending OVV; and her father, Ben Ballein

Ohio Valley Voices team: Molly Weber, Meredith Craven, Wendy Pace, Carey Ratliff, Maria Sentelik, Kristin Stock and Anne Neuville

Sripriya Ranganathan, Anjali Mathur, Nalini Chawla and OVV board member Anjali Narayanan

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Tom Moosavian and Katie Moosavian, parents of a St. Joseph Home resident, with former board chair Ann Keefe

FC Cincinnati mascot Gary the Lion with St. Joseph Home resident Ben

Saint Ursula students and moms show off fashions

Flourish is an annual social event for the Saint Ursula Academy community. About 400 students attended this year’s event, Love is All You Need, at the Newport Car Barn along with their mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and family friends.

SUA students and moms modeled outfits from area boutiques. In addition, students interested in fashion work partnered with students from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning leading up to Flourish. DAAP student designers also had the opportunity to showcase their newest fashion lines. The event included raffles, food and boutique shopping. Funds raised will support the school’s upcoming Senior Tea.

 saintursula.org

SATURDAY 6:30PM CET

SUNDAY 8:30PM CET ARTS

Join Barbara Kellar as she showcases artists and cultural leaders from the Greater Cincinnati community.

Emmy Award Winner Regional - Interview/Discussion Program

Raegan Hamilton models spirit wear from the SUA DawgHouse along with SUA therapy dog Angelo.

Mia Martinez and her mother Anarelis Perez Martinez smile in their spring fashions.

Sydney Herr and her mother Heather Herr walk the runway in country western fashion.

Mother and daughter Connie Hubert and Chloe Hubert laugh while modeling their white outfits.

Maya Chandler models the fashion design she created with help from DAAP students.

Lucy Pedoto, Alyse Messmer and Norah Hubert in their one-of-a-kind denim designs

Charlotte Steinert sells spirit wear items from the SUA DawgHouse.

Saint Ursula Academy and DAAP partnered to create the event theme.

Master Provisions celebrates 3.7M pounds of food rescued in 2023

Employees and supporters of Master Provisions celebrated last year’s achievements at Bridges to Blessings. More than 200 guests attended the event, presented by Verst Logistics and emceed by Liz Bonis of WKRC. Held at MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport, the evening featured live music from Soul Pocket, food stations and a silent auction.

Last year, more than 25,000 volunteer hours enabled Master Provisions to rescue and distribute more than 3.7 million pounds of food. The organization also packed more than 48,000 pounds of clothing and shoes for distribution and shipped 44 tons of resources internationally. Master Provisions partnered with 14 local high schools to support special needs students in learning life and job skills.

Through collaboration with more than 280 nonprofit partners, Master Provisions fed more than 81,000 individuals each month across 44 counties in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia.

 masterprovisions.org

Ion Center receives $42,500 in donations during annual ‘Shop & Share’

The Ion Center for Violence Prevention participated in the 16th annual Shop & Share event at participating Kroger locations. Shoppers were asked to choose one or more grocery items from a list, purchase it and leave it with volunteers as they left the store. The $42,500 in donated items will be used to stock pantry shelves at the Ion Center’s two area shelters for individuals and families fleeing domestic violence.

In 2023, the Ion Center provided 16,302 safe bed nights for individuals and families fleeing domestic abuse and served 48,906 meals. In addition, the agency provided 4,080 hours of intervention services, 762 hours of legal/court accompaniment, 641 hours of hospital accompaniment responding to 272 emergency room calls, as well as providing support on 4,125 hotline and text conversations.

 ioncenter.org

Kenneth Webb and Guy Domec

Marcie Vogelpohl, Lisa Schretzman, Todd Johnson, Chris Verst, Paul Verst and Larissa Hillebrandt

Genevieve Nelson and Mark Nelson

Shop & Share volunteers

Shop & Share donations

Monty Taylor and Shane Armstrong, Master Provisions president

Planning committee: Monty Taylor, Heather Taylor, Joanna Click, Tammy Johnson, Alexandra Young and Travis Nipper

Pro Bono Partnership recognizes attorney volunteers and more

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio’s annual Volunteer & Donor Appreciation Reception drew 150 guests to recognize the contributions of its attorney volunteers, supporters and partners, and to celebrate PBPO’s impact on the community. The event was presented by LexisNexis and hosted by Fifth Third Bank.

Awards were presented to Matthew Way, Jennifer Rulon, Adam Centner, Bridget McGraw, Jackson Lewis and Great American Insurance Company. In 2023, PBPO attorneys completed 336 legal projects for 166 local nonprofits. The organization donated $1.4 million in legal services and education to nonprofits last year.  pbpohio.org

Mike Bishop, Breck Weigel, Bridget McGraw, Susan Street Whaley and Jake Phillips

Susan Zaunbrecher, PBPO secretary; Patricia Pryor of Jackson Lewis P.C., PBPO Law Firm of the Year Award winner; and Erin Childs

Bridget McGaw, PBPO Corporate Attorney of the Year Award winner

Michelle Guenther; Adam Centner, PBPO Law Firm Attorney of the Year Award winner; and Erin Childs

Tourney marks 20 years of Saturday Hoops

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative’s Saturday Hoops program celebrated 20 years in the community at its Hoops Weekend tournament. The knockout-style tournament raised more than $100,000, with over 400 students, mentors and volunteers in attendance.

Hoops leaders Bill Lammert, Dave Weaver and Joe Wilmers were honored and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval declared the day Saturday Hoops Day in Cincinnati.

 cycyouth.org

Easterseals Redwood gets in the spirit for Booze Breakfast

Community members were invited to drop off bottles of spirits during Easterseals Redwood’s annual gift-gathering Booze Breakfast. Donations will benefit the nonprofit’s upcoming fundraiser, The Express, presented by The Yung Family Foundation, which will be held at Turfway Park on May 17. Bottles collected during Booze Breakfast will go toward auction and raffle items to benefit the more than 7,000 clients Easterseals Redwood supports throughout the region.

 eastersealsredwood.org

2024 Saturday Hoops 20th anniversary honorees Pastor Dave Weaver, Joe Wilmers and Bill Lammert

Cincinnati City Council Member Meeka Owens with Cincinnati Cyclones mascots Puckchop and Twister

A young knockout champion enjoys his trophy and prize.

Tim “PeeWee” Reese and Carl Biery

Easterseals Redwood President and CEO Pam Green with Hank Heidrich

Saturday Hoops President and CEO Amy Thompson with students and Bengals, Cyclones and Reds mascots

A Saturday Hoops student shows some skill.

Corrie Loeffler with husband, Saturday Hoops leader Adam Turer

Adam Turer receiving the proclamation from Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Who Dey

Clovernook Center recognizes champions for blind and visually impaired

Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired recognized three champions in the blind and visually impaired community. The Vision Over Sight event took place with a five-course dinner at Nicola’s in Over-the-Rhine.

Clovernook Center presented the following awards:

• Vision Over Sight Award : Dr. Terry Schwartz, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, who has championed accessibility through personal example and leadership within the BVI community.

• President’s Award : Dr. Richard Kerstine, retired, Cincinnati Eye Institute, honoring service to the BVI community throughout a career.

• Community Award : Jeannette Roesner of Montgomery County Educational Service Center, recognizing dedication and service to the BVI community.  clovernook.org

Great Parks teams with volunteers to clean Ohio River banks

Great Parks teamed up with volunteers to clean the banks of the Ohio River near Woodland Mound during the annual Ohio River Sweep, in collaboration with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. Great Parks staff and volunteers collected enough garbage from the riverbanks to fill 35 trash bags, plus three car tires and one car door.

Each year for more than 30 years, volunteers in the Ohio River Sweep have been collecting tens of thousands of pounds of litter at sites from all six states that touch the river.

The 2024 Sweep takes place from March to October up and down the river at several different sites, with the next one coming up on July 13 at Fernbank Park, downriver and on the west side of Hamilton County.

 greatparks.org

Meals on Wheels gala raises nearly $117K

Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY raised nearly $117,000 at its first Meals Madness gala. All proceeds will support the organization as it provides meal deliveries, visits, transportation, social services and more for older adults across the region.

The event, held at Hard Rock Casino, featured dinner, drinks, a silent auction and live music from The Chuck Taylors.

During the gala, Meals on Wheels recognized two community partners:

• 2024 Much More Than a Meal Award : DJ Hodge, iHeartMedia division president and member of Meals on Wheels’ board

• 2024 Collaborative Partner of Year : La Soupe, which partners with Meals on Wheels to provide meals tailored to older adults with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease

 muchmorethanameal.org

Honoree Dr. Richard Kerstine and Clovernook President and CEO Chris Faust

Suzy DeYoung, executive director and founder of La Soupe

Honoree DJ Hodge Emcee Sheree Paolello of WLWT

Volunteers gather along the bank of the Ohio River for the March 2024 Ohio River Sweep.

Gina Gehm, Clovernook board vice chair; Jeanette Rosner, honoree; and Matthew Shad, Clovernook board chair

Clovernook director of

program services Kelly Lusk and honoree Dr. Terry Schwartz

Even as she faced death, my sister kept asking questions about life

Anyone have any questions?

Oh, I do. I always have questions. After a lecture, a workshop, a staff meeting, my hand almost always shoots up. I can’t stand that moment of waiting while the speaker looks around. It feels so rude not to ask a question, to let the speaker know I was listening. I’m often embarrassed by this habit. I’m sure my colleagues rolled their eyes at me when I was making the meeting go on longer than necessary. But I can’t seem to help it.

In this, I’m like my older sister, Sarah, though not as intensely. Sarah has always been curious, information seeking, always wanting to understand and pin down an answer. Everyone knows her signature “Oh, oh, oh!” when she

of a trip to Peru and she looked at every single one and asked a question or made a comment. She’d eat a berry off any random plant in the wild to see what it tasted like. Anytime I’ve been to a museum with her, we could spend mind-expanding, and sometimes exhausting, hours. Sarah filled her house with cool stuff, loved secondhand stores, always ordered too much at restaurants. She could be sharply opinionated and bossy, leading to some epic fights. Sarah was a lot. I loved her.

Sarah got cancer five years ago. She greeted her diagnosis and treatment with curious questions, and went on living her life the way she always did. When the disease spread to her brain, and she was going to have surgery, she said she’d

She never quite conceded that she didn’t have years more of a life full of things to learn about, but her remarkable and unique brain stopped working forever a year ago.

Facing death brings up a lot of questions. Oddly, my sister never slowed down enough to ask them. I wanted to talk with her in a new way, acknowledging she didn’t have time left. But in this case, her maximalist style helped her avoid thinking about an unwanted reality.

But maybe, I recently thought, Sarah’s work had led her to answers about death already. She was an archeologist who studied the indigenous cultures of the American Northwest. The evidence of long-gone people that she excavated fit into an under-

We felt her observant spirit there. She never walked through nature without taking in every detail. I will always remember a particular hike with her. She had hurt her foot and had a surgical boot on it, so she was only going to go a short way along the trail. But the wildflowers were especially exuberant, and every clump of columbine or pride-of-the-mountain pulled her on, and she enjoyed it in a complete, full body-and-mind way that I’ve never seen from another person.

We had another service of memory in the fall, with her colleagues in Washington state. Many spoke about how she had changed the direction of their life, inspired them to always ask the question, try the berry. When I spoke, I recalled her “Oh, oh, oh!” and the room laughed. Several people told me it was almost eerie to hear it, because I reminded them so strongly of her.

In her way of taking it all in, in leaving room for amazement and knowledge, I see my grandmother, I see my parents, who inspired it in her. But it was Sarah who really modeled this way of wonder for her five younger siblings, including me. I honor her by looking closely at every wildflower, by taking on the “Oh, oh, oh!” and by putting my hand in the air. 

Polly Campbell covered restaurants and food for the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1996 until 2020. She lives in Pleasant Ridge with her husband, and since retiring does a lot of reading, cooking and gardening, if that’s what you call pulling weeds.

She writes monthly on a variety of topics, and she welcomes your feedback and column suggestions at editor@moversmakers.org.

Polly Campbell

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