The group tasked with overseeing the massive renovation of Music Hall has said that the time to act is now. Meanwhile, prominent arts philanthropists have said that they not only want to see the City of Cincinnati contribute $10 million to the project, but also give up ownership of the historic structure to the management group. More from the Cincinnati Business Courier:
Music Hall Revitalization Co. (MHRC) President Jack Rouse has said his group will dissolve if the deal isn’t done by June 1. The nonprofit was formed in early 2010 to jump-start the renovation project, which had been talked about for years. Devey said dissolution of MHRC would be a real loss for the effort to restore Music Hall, which has serious maintenance problems that need to be fixed no matter what.
Leadership at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC) announced a renewed commitment to its $6.5 million Next Stage Capital Campaign on Monday. The announcement was coordinated with the debut of a new website and brand design intended to reaffirm the institution’s position within Over-the-Rhine.
The ETC says that the new website and brand design are an evolution of the theatre’s brand, and were developed in coordination with Cincinnati-based brand management firm LPK.
New brand design, developed by LPK, for the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.
The non-profit theatre organization had been largely quiet since first announcing a multi-million capital campaign in 2008. The money, ETC officials say, will be used to expand lobby space, upgrade electrical and HVAC equipment, and add new seats and other amenities for patrons. All renovation plans have been developed with GBBN Architects and Messer Construction.
“We are thrilled that with so many improvements in the Over-the-Rhine Gateway Quarter over just the past few years, along with the renovation of Washington Park, there is so much renewed energy in the area and it makes sense to plan for ETC’s next chapter,” explained ETC’s communications and development manager, Jocelyn Meyer.
To date, ETC officials say they have raised more than one million dollars towards the campaign thanks in large part to a $1.2 million grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission.
Prior to raising the rest of the money necessary to embark on its major renovations, ETC officials will repaint the building façade at 1127 Vine Street and add new banners to help distinguish the theatre along the busy Vine Street corridor.
“This will help to draw new patrons to our theatre who may not be as familiar with our performing space,” stated Meyer. “We’re truly honored to share this neighborhood with a wide variety of unique restaurants and shop…and hope this next step for Ensemble Theatre will not only propel the organization forward, but will also contribute substantially to the Gateway Quarter’s value.”
The 2011 MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) ended nearly five months ago, but one of its products is about to have a major impact on the neighborhood it calls home. On Saturday, February 25, Possible Worldwide and Cincinnati-based Ripple FX Films will hold a world premiere of what is believed to be the first-ever, game and crowd-sourced film.
Radius: A Short Film gathered its material at last year’s MPMF when festival-goers used the SCVNGR smartphone application. Those who played the game helped to create its content. Since that time, the production team has worked together to produce the film in partnership with the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission.
The film will debut at Memorial Hall (map) from 7:30pm to 11pm on Saturday, February 25. Tickets can be purchased online until 12pm on Thursday, February 23 or at the door the day of the event for $25. Event organizers say that it will include a champagne reception, comments from the producers and filmmakers, food, drink and what is being called a “red carpet experience.”
Those who would like to find a cheaper way into the event are in luck. UrbanCincy will be giving away two free tickets to one lucky person who best answers “What Is Radius?” to them. Feel free to be creative and do response videos, photos, cliché memes, or simply submit a written entry.
We will take those submissions via email, comments on this post, or through any of our social media outlets until midnight on Sunday. The winner will be contacted (please include an email or phone number where you can be reached) on Monday and instructed how to get their free tickets for the Saturday event.
Cincinnati, like Philadelphia, is known for its impressive collection of murals throughout the city. Today the effort is primarily led by ArtWorks who looks to connect youth with professional artists, but at one point local business leaders led a progressive initiative to engage graphic designers to do the work.
The two individuals who really spearheaded the effort were Carl Solway and Jack Boulton, and they selected ten designers to do unique murals on ten different walls throughout downtown Cincinnati. The idea was to create thoughtful designs for urban walls that had otherwise been forgotten.
One of the murals is still visible today along the south side of Seventh Street, between Vine and Race. The problem, the designer noted, was that he did not think about motorists heading west to east, and not east to west, and therefore left his mural unseen by only those on the street itself.
A series of well-produced videos highlights the urban walls movement that took place throughout downtown Cincinnati in the 1970s. This is the video for the urban wall mural, entitled Allegro, still present along Seventh Street.
As many of you may know by now, Cincinnati will be hosting the 2012 World Choir Games. It is a marque event for the region, and will mark the first time the international event has been held in North America. Tens of thousands of people from around the world will converge on Cincinnati, and regional leaders are looking to impress.
The ideas have ranged from installing multilingual signs throughout the center city to branding a new city slogan all around town in time for the visitors. What is important is that city leaders do not view this event as a singular excuse to debate these types of improvements, but rather as an event that allows Cincinnati to looks at itself from the outside in and implement new ideas that will leave a lasting impact long after the final choir leaves town.
Cincinnati does in fact have a long history with music and the arts in general. It is one of the major reasons why the World Choir Games selected Cincinnati as its 2012 host, and this fact should be celebrated. Cincinnati leaders should look at ways to engraining more of the arts, and music in particular, into our everyday lives.
ArtsWave does a great job at this, and does so at a regional level. But after a flurry of recent travels I had an idea for Cincinnati that should be put in place in time for the World Choir Games, and stay in effect permanently.
Traveling can often be a stressful experience, especially international travel. On a recent trip to Chicago, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by violin and guitar musicians after an otherwise unpleasant flight and arrival experience. The moment, while simple, was profound. I felt relaxed and welcomed to Chicago – something all travelers hope to encounter upon their arrival.
To avoid the ‘bum on the street’ perception, airport officials should ask that musicians not leave open their instrument cases for tips, and simply pay the musicians an hourly rate. In my opinion, this would go much farther towards welcoming visitors to the Cincinnati region than any inanimate piece of art could ever do. At the same time, it would provide a reliable opportunity for local musicians to perform and get paid doing it.
Cincinnati should take advantage of the World Choir Games far beyond the immediate $73.5 million economic impact that it is estimated to generate. Most importantly, leaders should not get too caught up in those short-term impacts that they miss out on creating long-term benefits for the region.
DISCLOSURE: Jenny Kessler is a regular contributor to UrbanCincy and serves as the website’s operations manager. Kessler also works professionally for ArtsWave, but had no input or association with this article. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of Randy A. Simes, and do not necessarily represent those of ArtsWave.
