Category: Arts & Entertainment

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Cincinnati’s spring Fashion Finale just the beginning

While designers the world-over work on their fall clothing lines in these sticky summer months, plans are also being put into place to continue nurturing Cincinnati’s fashion scene, on the heels of a very successful inaugural Fashion Week this spring.

“Cincinnati Fashion Week was the first stepping stone on our fashion-movement,” said Nathan Hurst, founder and CEO of Cincinnati Fashion Week. “I was proud to be a part of something that brought sixteen designers into the spotlight and helped develop a platform for working artists to showcase their talent and businesses.”

According to Hurst, this summer is seeing the development of a web-property that will connect designers, consumers and fashion enthusiasts.

“We are currently working on Cincinnati Lookbook, a fashion and lifestyle ‘blog-i-torial’ that will feature local and national artists for lavish jewelery, stylish apparel, and modern home goods,” he explained. “The blogging platform will feature style tutorials, community spotlights, and fashion editorials shot by local photographers.”

While spring Fashion Week here may have concluded with a runway show called the Fashion Finale, Hurst and the rest of the fashion community hope that the Finale actually points to the next frontier.  Below, view a gallery of photos from the Spring Fashion Finale event, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Downtown Hyatt, as Cincinnati’s fashionistas look toward Fall 2010.

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Arts & Entertainment Development News

9th annual Paint the Town to impact 59 homes in two neighborhoods

After suffering a cancellation due to weather on Saturday, June 12th, more than 1,500 volunteers will spread across Avondale and Evanston to paint 59 houses as part of the 9th annual Paint the Town service event organized by Give Back Cincinnati. This year organizers expect approximately 7,500 man-hours to be donated during the single day of service activity.

The volunteers will work to improve the appearance and value of each home in the neighborhoods selected according to current needs. According to organizers, the increased value and improved appearance then help to improve each individual community. Each home to be painted has been sponsored by a local business, and the services are provided at no cost to the home owners. In 2009, more than 1,200 volunteers participated in painting 42 houses. Since the event’s first year 212 homes have been painted throughout Cincinnati in Price Hill, Northside, East End, Madisonville, Hartwell/Carthage, College Hill, and Covington.

“Painting a home for a community member is a great way to improve their lives, and serve others. It is a simple way for groups to actively engage and enjoy serving,” stated Give Back Cincinnati leaders. “We envision a day when we will paint 100 homes in a day with over 3,000 volunteers.”

Registration will begin at 7:45am on the day of the event with painting beginning at the houses at 9:30am. Following the service activity, volunteers will be treated to a post-event celebration that will include food, drink and music from 3pm to 7pm. Volunteers will also be treated to breakfast during registration.

Those interested in participating can register online. Paint the Town will be meeting in the northeast corner of the Norwood Plaza parking lot (map). Parking is expected to be tight, so organizers are asking those participating to carpool, bike or take public transit (plan your trip) to the event.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Macy’s Music Festival to compliment GMWA Convention, fill downtown Cincinnati with music

The Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA) will return to Cincinnati for the fourth time as it hosts its annual convention in late July 2010. The convention, which runs from July 24-30, will be complimented by the annual Macy’s Music Festival which takes place on July 30th and 31st at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.

The GMWA is expected to draw more than 5,000 people from around the world to Cincinnati to celebrate gospel music, and is expected to have an economic impact of approximately $3 million according to the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).

“We are excited to once again bring the GMWA to Cincinnati USA,” stated James Robinson, board of directors member for the Gospel Music Workshop of America, in a prepared release to UrbanCincy. “From Cincinnati’s great music heritage to the wonderful partnership we’ve been able to develop with the Macy’s Music Festival, this region has so much to offer our members. We’re looking forward to GMWA’s best convention ever in July.”

The Macy’s Music Fesitival is expected to be a perfect compliment to the GMWA convention, and is anticipated to drive an economic impact of more than $25 million. This year’s R&B and soul music festival has already experienced a 50 percent surge in ticket sales over last year’s event, and will welcome the likes of Charlie Wilson, Teena Marie, Jaheim, Melanie Fiona and Cameo, Maze, Jill Scott, En Vogue, K’Jon and Raheem DeVaughn.

The coordination of the two major events was announced on Fountain Square this afternoon where local leaders and officials celebrated the impact the events will have on Cincinnati’s center city.

“Cincinnati continues to be a premier destination for important conventions and a hotbed for great cultural events and entertainment,” said Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. “During this particular week in July, it all comes together in a special way. Our events and attractions have collaborated extremely well to create an unforgettable week of music and arts events for the thousands of convention and leisure visitors coming to the region.”

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Arts & Entertainment News

Newport’s East Row Historic District Walking Tour Now Available on Smartphones

When city officials examined how to update Newport’s East Row Historic District tour they decided they wanted to do so in a way that was up to the standards of the 21st Century. As a result, Newport’s Historic Preservation Specialist Emily Jarzen and Main Street Coordinator Robert Yoder developed the walking tour to be compatible with smartphones and their users.

“A couple of years ago, smartphones with web browsers were a novelty,” Yoder said in a press release. “Now with prices continually dropping and more choices entering the marketplace we felt delivering the walking tours formatted for smartphones would an innovative and cost effective way to bring Newport’s rich architectural history for a broader audience.”

Once a popular area for wealthy business owners and merchants in the late 1800s, Newport’s historic East Row district boasts proud architectural examples of Italianate, American Four Square, and Queen Anne. Over time the neighborhood suffered from deterioration and neglect until restoration began in the 1980s creating the vibrant historic district known today.

The neighborhood has nearly 1,100 homes, all of which are listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Place, and is Kentucky’s second largest historic district.

“Having the walking tours available on the web allows us to provide a richer experience and the ability to develop more walking tours of Newport in the future without needing to print a new brochure for every tour,” Jarzen explained.

Those interested in exploring Newport’s historic East Row district can do so by pointing their smartphone browser to www.eastrow.org/walks/.

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Arts & Entertainment News

‘Downtown Cincinnati’ by James Geyer

James Geyer put together this interesting video of downtown Cincinnati. Not sure what to think of the music choice, but the imagery is visually pleasing and generally fun.  The video highlights several prominent locations throughout Cincinnati’s center city while also showcasing a bit of the lifestyle found there.