Dec
16
AAC Alumni Coordinator

The Alumni Coordinator is a vital role to the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC). Fostering an environment of success and support reflective of the AAC’s mission and vision by working with the AAC Alumni Council. As Alumni Coordinator will represent the AAC in our community and promote new and existing alumni policies and programs. The Alumni Coordinator will work with the Alumni Council in developing, coordinating, and evaluating programs and projects that promote alumni relations. The Alumni Coordinator will also be facilitating and overseeing any alumni related event or fundraiser.

Meet Caroline Bell

Hello, my name is Caroline Bell, I am a recent graduate of the AAC, a 2020 pandemic grad! My major was in Photography with a Minor in Art History. I have a passion for education and creation, my future goal is to get my MFA and become a professor, so that I can help foster the growth of new artists! When not working, you will find me editing film scans, creating in my studio, enjoying the great outdoors, or hanging out with one or all 3 of my cats!

Nov
18
AAC Alum Print with Ohio Prison Arts Connection

Pull Club Studio

Pull Club Studio (PCS) is a printmaking and design studio made up of Chelsey Hughes (AAC ’10), Amy Scarpello (AAC ’10), and Linda Winder (AAC ’09.) PCS was formed in 2015. Pull Club focuses on textile and paper rint goods, with screenprinting as the central process.  

Learn More

Q & A with Pull Club Studio 

Pull Club Studio recently collaborated with the Ohio Prison Arts Connection (OPAC). They shared their knowledge of printmaking with a group of women at the Art Academy of Cincinnati print media classrooms.
 
Have you taught classes before?
Yes! We love teaching classes and sharing print magic. In the past we have lead classes at the American Sign Museum, Columbia Tusculum Center for the Arts.
 
How did Pull Club Studio get involved with OPAC?
We were introduced to OPAC through Wave Pool who recommended us for printing. We were able to build out a larger program to support artists creating posters in a project around awareness about returned citizens and facts about incarceration. This is what led to the class. 
 
Why is OPAC important?
The Ohio Prison Arts Connections supports individuals who are impacted by the incarceration system in Ohio by cultivating community and connecting individuals with programs that provide arts education, training, and other resources. We along with OPAC believe in the transformative power of art and support greater access to the arts for those who are incarcerated. OPAC uses the arts to humanized individuals impacted by the justice system. As artists, we know that being able to express oneself in this way is important to overall health and well-being. 
 
What are you teaching the students?
With this class, we were working to prepare artists designing posters that we will be screen printing. Our aim was to introduce the artists to the screen printing process so they could design with an understanding of how the works would be produced. Participants were able to experience creating a two-layer hand-blocked print over the four-hour class. We also share tips and tricks for designing for print including color economy and the rules of visual hierarchy. 
 
How will the students be able to translate these new skills into real life? 
Did you have a favorite moment from the first class? We always love seeing the process click once we get to the hands-on part. Some students were confused about what would print and what wouldn’t if they were drawing the positive or negative. Once we had them start filling in the screens and then seeing them pull the second layers they detailed we could see the “Aha” moment. This is always satisfying.
 
Will you be teaching and additional classes with OPAC?
We hope to stay connected with the organization! This is the only class we are leading with them for now but is part of a larger project we are working on with them. Since the class the artists have been working to create individual poster designs that we will print this winter as 3 – 4 color full size posters. The works will be on display in Columbus in spring 2021 and available for purchase to support OPAC‘s mission.

Nov
10
Tyra Patterson, Wrongly Imprisoned for Two Decades Receives Honorary Bachelor’s Degree

Wrongly Incarcerated Artist and Activist, Tyra Patterson, Receives Honorary Degree from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Tyra Patterson was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. On December 25, 2017, she walked out of prison after serving 23 years for crimes she did not commit.
Today, Tyra travels the country speaking at law schools, colleges, prisons, conferences, and high schools, leveraging her story to educate people on social justice, mass incarceration, and wrongful convictions.
She currently lives in Cincinnati and works at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center, where she serves as the Director of Community Outreach. Tyra also maintains paralegal duties at OJPC working on cases on behalf of people, both guilty and innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted. She is also an Ambassador for Represent Justice.

During the Art Academy’s 151st Commencement Celebration, at the Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky, artist, and activist Tyra Patterson, addressed the graduates as the commencement speaker.

Patterson’s story of resilience championed the class of 2020 to realize their creative visions and to be emboldened to change the world during a time of such division.

Patterson shared her history of being wrongfully incarcerated, serving 23 years for crimes she did not commit. Her story has been shared worldwide from ABC News to the Guardian.

“I’m so humbled to be your commencement speaker. But I have to admit my imposter syndrome kicked in,” said Patterson.

“I dropped out of elementary school when I was only 11 years old. I went to prison, not knowing how to read or write. I’m good at a few things, but I don’t consider myself an expert in anything. But there is one thing I know better than almost anyone, and that is to…never give up.”

Patterson’s perseverance and how that has fueled her activism was a theme in her address.

“People typically ask graduates to go out and accomplish their goals and make the world a better place. While that is still true, today, in 2020, the plea for you is a little bit different. In a time of segregation, both mandated and self-imposed, we need you to be emboldened to change the world. We need artists unlike ever before.”

After her address, Art Academy President Joe Girandola awarded Patterson a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa and the 2020 Creative Perseverance Award.

“When Tyra Patterson enters a room, the Earth stands still and listens,” said Girandola.

“Tyra speaks wisdom from the depths of sorrow and sadness to the heights of sheer joy and social justice. The ability to express that everyone on this planet breathes the same molecules of life, connecting us together, enables us all to move forward with compassion and creativity, is Tyra’s gift to humanity.”

The Art Academy of Cincinnati is honored to welcome Tyra Patterson to the class of 2020.

Oct
21
Sunny Blu at 1212 Jackson

“A great cup of coffee, good music, and love are key ingredients to being a cornerstone in the family.”  

Walter Lee (Sonny) Chancellor, Sr.

 Sunny Blu Coffee gets its name from the grandfather and father of two of its founders. The original Camp Washington location opened its doors in April of 2019. Now they’re partnering with the Art Academy of Cincinnati at 1212 Jackson Street.

The Art Academy is happy to announce its brand new coffee bar!

Now open in the AAC Student Commons—Monday-Thursday, 8am-4pm—Sunny Blu is serving to-go coffee & espresso drinks, loose leaf teas, fruit smoothies, and food items for breakfast and lunch. 

The menu will be ever-evolving based on feedback and seasonal specialties. Offerings include caffeinated and non-caffeinated, as well as dairy and non-dairy options. 

“We are always open to suggestions, so whatever wants or needs or thoughts [anyone] may have about what we should carry […] we will do our best to offer it,” says co-owner Janalyn Turner.

Sunny Blu sources high-quality ingredients from local and regional suppliers, such as La Terza Coffee in Lockland and the Bagelry in OTR. Currently there’s a caramel apple cider drink on the menu, made with local apple cider. Flavoring syrups are made in-house. Even the half-and-half is hand-mixed using fresh ingredients from a regional dairy.

This is all part of the art, and the science, of figuring out how to provide quality ingredients at a reasonable price. “We are really big on value,” says Turner. “We want to provide things that you would feel like you couldn’t make at home.”

So stop by the Commons for a delicious beverage or snack. And meet the rotating staff of baristas behind the counter—Daniel, Tiffani, Jada, and Tameka—who also help design the drinks and the menu. They are happy to answer any questions and to take feedback.  

For the full “Sunny” experience, check out their main location over in Camp Washington. 

Welcome, Sunny Blu! 

Picture of a menu board.

Oct
12
Remembering John Ruthven

I was kind of a born naturalist and could draw, and my family realized both of those situations and they geared me towards that,” said wildlife artist John Ruthven, often called “the 20th-century Audubon.”

John Ruthven 1924 – 2020

It is with great sadness to share that the Art Academy of Cincinnati alumnus John Ruthven has passed. John has remained a big part of the Art Academy family since he was a student in 1946. He will be remembered for his art, philanthropy, kindness, and as a person who cared deeply for his community and the conservation of nature. Below we have shared a few examples of the work John contributed to the world and his beginnings at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
“When I was 10 years old, my family signed me up for Saturday morning drawing classes at the Art Academy,” he said. “My teacher’s name was Mr.Goddard, and he was a stickler for capturing the moment. I never forgot it. He would give us a subject… and he’d give us 15 minutes to capture the moment. That was a major thing in my artistic career.”
Ruthven served in the navy during World War II, then spent a year and a half at the Art Academy on the G.I. Bill, receiving a certificate in 1947, and another year at the Central Academy of Commercial Art run by Jackson Gray Storey.

“I rented one room on Gilbert Avenue, right near downtown, and called it ‘Ruthven Studio,'” he said. “I put a sign in the window, ‘I paint anything and everything.’ That really did it. I wasn’t too self-conscious about it because I really could draw. Someone walked into my studio one day and said, ‘I saw your sign in the window. Do you do cartoons?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ He said, ‘Well, I’m starting a new business. It’s going to be called Play-Doh. I need a Play-Doh boy.’ And I said, ‘I’d love to do that.’ Talk about an opportunity. And so, for 15 years I did most of the Play-Doh company’s artwork.”

In 1960, Ruthven painted the Federal Duck Stamp, and his career took off. He specialized in wildlife paintings, especially birds. “I knew birds very well,” Ruthven said. “From my early association with Audubon and studying wildlife in general, I was never without my binoculars, studying birds.”

Ruthven’s formal relationship with the Great Parks began in 1973 when he dontated an original painting of a chipmunk to the park district for use promoting the successful 1973 park levy campaign. Though Ruthven says he crafted the painting at Woodland Mound, it, fittingly, is displayed at the Sharon Centre in Sharon Woods. Sharon Woods was a favorite park of Ruthven as a child and it remained his favorite county park throughout his life. 

Cincinnatians may be most familiar with Ruthven’s mural “Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon” at the corner of Seventh and Vine streets. The original painting was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Marth’s death, and the extinction of the species

Ruthven Talks About Martha

In 1972, Ruthven earned the distinction of being named the first Artist of the Year by Ducks Unlimited. Ruthven contributed paintings for prints that have raised nearly $2 million to protect and preserve wetlands in North America. His painting of a cardinal for Ohio’s most popular license plate raised more than $5 million for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

He will be greatly missed. We love you John.

Sep
15
Enriching Art Education in Public Schools

A photograph of Amanda Hudson

Amanda Hudson is a Cincinnati-based abstract painter who serves as a Community Education Instructor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. In this role, she teaches after-school art to kids in Norwood City Schools through a program called Avenues for Success.

Enriching Art Education in Public Schools

Hudson still remembers the look on students’ faces when she showed up for a class with thirty boxes of pantyhose from the Dollar Store, along with wire cutters, wire, needles, and thread. Everyone was skeptical.

“They were looking at me like ‘this isn’t an art supply,’” recalls Hudson. But once she introduced them to artist Lee Bontecou, it began to make more sense.

“I try to base [projects] on an artist in history and what they were influenced by and why they used these materials.”

So by the end of their Bontecou-inspired project, everyone had taken their canvas, poked holes in it with wire, stretched pantyhose over the wire, and painted the pantyhose. Because “anything is an art supply!”

With Avenues for Success, Hudson is consciously carving out space beyond the pressures of the school day. If kids have been using a pencil all day, she wants to bring in other materials. If they’ve been following instructions non-stop, she wants to support them in exploring and expressing their own opinions.

Growing up in small-town Indiana came with its own pressures and challenges, says Hudson, but working with “at-risk” kids in Indianapolis during art school opened her eyes to another level of pressure. The stakes can be really high to get good grades.

“I just feel like they’re so scared of saying the wrong thing—[like] they’re gonna get docked for it somehow.”

So when Hudson moved to Cincinnati and began teaching through the AAC, she had some specific ideas for enriching art education.

“I did not want the class to be arts and crafts. And I didn’t want it to feel like an extended time at school… I didn’t want there to be any kind of pressure. I just wanted them to be comfortable with the materials and to be versed in art […] I’ve tried to bring in art history and put it on a level of primary school, to where [kids] could understand… We [also] look at things around the city.”

Whether it’s Charlie Harper at the Cincinnati Zoo or the murals at Union Terminal, if a student can recognize an artist that’s familiar to them, it helps reinforce art as something relevant and accessible.

Hudson is quick to identify the ways that teaching in urban neighborhoods has shaped her work in the studio.

“I couldn’t turn it off when I went home. And if I couldn’t turn it off, of course, it was going to come out in my work,” says Hudson. “The places—that’s kind of what spoke to me. Those places where I knew what went on, I knew who lived over there […] I would take pictures of architecture and then abstract them into my paintings.”

As a practicing artist, Hudson pulls lessons from her own work and brings them back into the classroom.

“Yes, I am a painter—that’s what most of my shows are,” she tells students, “but you don’t have to stay within the square of the painting. You can go outside of that.”

Sep
09
Brown Bodies Bending

The Black Lives Matter Mural, located on the 12th street side of our building, was vandalized last week. Art Academy Professor and Chair of Illustration, David Michael Butler, created the mural this past June in support of the Black Live Matter movement. David knows this will not be the last time he’ll have to make a statement surrounding these types of acts, but he also knows there are many things we can do to make sure people learn from actions like these.

“The symbolic act of looking at a Black and Brown womyn state her experience, then approaching her to impose your views, and touch her body without consent is an unfortunate reality Black and Brown womyn/people deal with all the time.
The person who felt empowered to do this is not original. They feel comfortable violating Black/Brown bodies, and they do not care about the Black/Brown experience, which is the point! 
Black/Brown bodies (especially womyn ) coddle your guilt. We bend to protect your feelings, your opinions, and your egos. Instead of observing, listening, holding your tongue, stilling your hand, reflecting on your role, your response to our voice is this.
It may seem minor to you, but actions like these perpetuate the same misogynistic, racist, aggressive, and harmful things Black/Brown people deal with on a micro and macro level. So doing this, especially when no one can see you, doesn’t make you a bigger person, it only makes you smaller than you already are. Do better. Unlearn….. and for once, bend. “
David Michael Butler, AAC Illustration Chair

Aug
17
All Li es Matter

Ask Hank

A Virtual Event with Artist and Activist Hank Willis Thomas

The Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) in partnership with the Cincinnati Art Museum is pleased to host Ask Hank, a virtual Q&A with internationally acclaimed artist, Hank Willis Thomas. The event is open to the public and will take place Thursday, September 3, from 6:30-7:30 pm on the Art Academy’s Facebook page.

As an action of open social engagement and equality, the public may pre-submit questions to the artist about his artistic practice, community organizing, and activism. The questions will be gathered by Nathaniel Stein, Associate Curator of Photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Emily Hanako Momohara, Associate Professor of Studio Art at the Art Academy.

Coinciding with the virtual event, Thomas’ billboard “All Li es Matter” will be on display on the Art Academy’s Over-the-Rhine campus, September 2-November 9. The billboard was originally on view in 2018 as part of For Freedoms 50 State Initiative. For Freedoms was founded in 2016 as the first-ever artist-run Super PAC for creative civic engagement, discourse, and direct action.

Thomas’ billboard was inspired by the hashtag #AllLivesMatter, created in opposition to #BlackLivesMatter.“His response directly addresses the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Momohara. “There is a need for equitable social structures and for black Americans to be enfranchised.”

Momohara and Thomas have worked together before. In 2008, he was an artist in resident at the Art Academy through the former Lightborne Lecture Series. 2018 Momohara curated the Ohio Artists For Freedoms exhibition at Art Academy in response to the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative.

“Bringing artists like Hank Willis Thomas to the Art Academy is essential to our student experience not just for students of color but for all students to understand the fabric of our country and how each of us plays a role in a better future.”

Hank Willis Thomas

HANK WILLIS THOMAS (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is a conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture.

His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad including the International Center of Photography, New York; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain; Musée du quai Branly, Paris; Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong, and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Netherlands.

Thomas holds a B.F.A. from New York University, New York, NY (1998), and an M.A./M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA (2004). He received honorary doctorates from the Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, MD and the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, Portland, ME in 2017.

In 2019, Thomas unveiled his permanent work “Unity” in Brooklyn, NY. In 2017, “Love Over Rules” permanent neon was unveiled in San Francisco, CA, and “All Power to All People” in Opa Locka, FL.

Submit your questions for Hank Willis Thomas HERE.

Aug
11
AAC Welcomes The Red Door Project!

“I started The Red Door Project because everyone sees art differently – and everyone deserves to have their work valued and appreciated,” 

Barbara Hauser
Barbara Hauser
Red Door Gallery Founder

“The mission of the Red Door Project completely aligns with the history of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. I can think of no better partnership than the Red Door Project being powered by the Art Academy of Cincinnati!”  

Joe Girandola
Joe Girandola
Art Academy of Cincinnati President

Art Academy of Cincinnati Welcomes The Red Door Project!  

Artists all over Cincinnati have been coming together for over six years to participate in The Red Door Project. Founded in 2014 by Barbara Hauser, The Red Door Project is a popular pop-up gallery featuring work from hundreds of local artists. In March, The Red Door Project transitioned over to the Art Academy of Cincinnati under the new name, The Red Door Project, powered by the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

This uniquely themed monthly auction has popped-up in vacant buildings, cultural institutions, and prominent galleries, and has put thousands of dollars into the local art economy. The Art Academy plans on using any funds raised through these auctions to create a scholarship fund for non-traditional Art Academy students.   

Lost & Found

The theme for the August show is “Lost and Found” and will be popping-up at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s, Art Climb. Masks and social distancing required.

The artwork is due August 22nd, from 9 AM – 6 PM, at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson Street. 

Artist Registration
Red door facebook

Exhibition Details and Contact Information:

WHO: Red Door Project and the Art Academy of Cincinnati, with support of the Cincinnati Art Museum
WHAT: Lost and Found
WHEN: Final Friday, August 28, 6-10 pm
WHERE: Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art Climb, Corner of Gilbert and Eden Park
COST: Admission and reception are free and open to the public, masks are required.

Red Door Gallery show at Coffee Emporium
Coffee Emporium
Ensemble Theater
Red Door Show at 3 Points
3 Points
Red Door Show at the Mockbee
Mockbee
Red Bike
Red Door Show at Yoga Bar
Yoga Bar

Aug
10
CMF Outdoor Museum

“So most of us Black creatives love it when we get the chance to celebrate ourselves living our lives, enjoying our communities, connecting with one another, building with one another. Celebrating Black joy and showing the world that we are here, now!” – David Michael Butler

CMF Outdoor Museum 

Washington Park, located in downtown Cincinnati, has transformed into a gallery for a public art exhibition focusing on community, unity, music, and celebration. The CMF Outdoor Museum features work from 15 local artists of color, including AAC students, faculty, and alum.The art will be on display from July 25-September 7, 2020.

The artists were chosen by three project leads, Gee Horton, self-trained hyperrealism visual artist and a key player in artist recruitment for the recently completed Black Lives Matter mural, David Michael Butler, SoRealist artist, and Assistant Professor/Illustration Chair, Art Academy of Cincinnati, and Pam Kravetz, artist, educator, and AAC board member. Individuals were selected with the goal of increasing opportunities for local artists of color to exhibit their art throughout the community.

“Much of CMF is steeped in celebrating diversity and this year, with a special focus on celebration, community, and local impact, we wanted to shine a light on local artists of color,” said Barbara Hauser, P&G Community Relations Manager. “As we celebrate this weekend, our hope is that we continue to stay focused in our fight for racial equality but also highlight the need for joy and positivity during these challenging times.” “P&G and our brands have stepped up our efforts to advance equality for all and especially for Black Americans with our Take on Race Fund, and we look forward to doing more in the weeks, months and years ahead. At P&G, we know that an equal world is a better world, for everyone, and we have the opportunity and the responsibility to use our voice for good.”

ArtsWave President & CEO Alecia Kintner added that “This art exhibition is another way that the arts connect us and an opportunity to help artists, who have been challenged by the ongoing pandemic and social justice issues of today.” Artist lead Horton noted, “I think this is a great example of the role visual artists can play in carrying on the Cincinnati Music Festival’s legacy during the unprecedented hiatus.” Artist lead Butler added, “So most of us Black creatives love it when we get the chance to celebrate ourselves living our lives, enjoying our communities, connecting with one another, building with one another. Celebrating Black joy and showing the world that we are here, now!”

Art by LaDe Richardson
LaDe Richardson, AAC Student
Painting by Kyros Barton
Kyros Barton, AAC Alum 2020
Colorful abstract painting by Cedric Michael Cox
Cedric Michael Cox, AAC Community Education Instructor
Two young people of color plauing a hand game. A third figure is in the background watching them.
David Michael Butler, AAC Chair of Illustration

About the Cincinnati Music Festival

The Cincinnati Music Festival began in 1962 and is one of the largest music festivals in the United States attracting over 90,000+ people from around the country with its roster of leading R&B, jazz, soul and hip-hop artists creating an economic impact of $107 million for Cincinnati. CMF is held at Paul Brown Stadium in partnership with the Cincinnati Bengals. 2020 marks the sixth consecutive year in which P&G has supported the Cincinnati Music Festival as a presenting sponsor.

About ArtsWave

ArtsWave, a nonprofit serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Region, is the engine for the arts. Its roots stem back to the late 1920s when the Cincinnati Taft family provided initial investment matched by community support. In the late 1940s, it evolved to become the first united arts fund in the nation and in the mid-1970s, the first organization to initiate workplace giving for the arts. ArtsWave continues to innovate while leading, as illustrated by its No. 1 rank nationally in community arts fundraising; coordination of a sector-wide Blueprint for Collective Action; piloting of new technologies to maximize arts engagement; and development of resources for the arts.

ArtsWave is focused on helping the Cincinnati Region’s arts sector weather the coronavirus crisis. The region’s arts sector has an economic impact of more than $300 million annually and includes more than 225 organizations throughout Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana that employ 10,000+ individuals as artists, performers and staff. The sector was hit at the onset of the coronavirus crisis, when venue and performance closures were announced in early March. ArtsWave has accelerated $2.4 million in grant payments for 44 organizations which receive operating revenues, expanded its $10,000 Working Capital Bridge Loans for eligible arts organizations, and has provided Emergency Arts & Culture Organization grants to 47 organizations. The public can help fund these and additional, evolving efforts at artswave.org/give.