Tag: events

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Arts & Entertainment Development News

Oudin and Boserup play tennis match atop 630′ Cincinnati skyscraper

WTA players Melanie Oudin and Julia Boserup are in town this week for the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open being held in Mason. Before the tournament got underway, the two engaged in a friendly tennis match atop Cincinnati’s newest skyscraper 630 feet above the street.

The Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open has grown in prestige recently and was upgraded to a “Premier 5” Women’s Tennis Association event joining tournaments in Dubai, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, and Tokyo. In 2011, the women’s tournament will merge with the long-standing Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men’s draw in an eight-day event. The combined tournaments will make the new Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women’s Open one of the top ten tournaments in the world, and the largest summer tennis tournament in the United States outside of the U.S. Open grand slam event.

The back-to-back 2010 tournaments currently taking place in Cincinnati are the first to take advantage of a new $10 million facility upgrade that includes an additional 890 stadium seats, six new luxury suites, major media facility upgrades, and player amenity improvements within the new 52,000 square-foot West Building. With the upgrades, the stadium’s 11,500 seat capacity makes it the 22nd largest tennis stadium in the world, and the seventh largest in the United States.

The Great American Insurance Tower at Queen City Square is expected to be complete in spring 2011 and will become Cincinnati’s tallest building eclipsing the historic Carew Tower located blocks away.

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Arts & Entertainment News

20 Years/20 Artists exhibit celebrates success of city grant program

Mayor Mark Mallory, Councilmember Laure Quinlivan, and members of the board of the Art Academy of Cincinnati came together on Friday, August 6 to celebrate the opening of a 20 Years/20 Artists – an exhibit showcasing the work of local artists who have received grant money from the City over the last 20 years.

In 1989 the City of Cincinnati established a competitive grant program that awarded money to extraordinary artists in order to help them establish their body of work while also making the arts more accessible to residents. To date, the Individual Artist Grant Program has awarded $700,000, through 320 grants, to 20 artists who might have not otherwise had the chance to change the world around them by sharing their talents.

“20/20 showcases work of successful artists whose work wouldn’t have reached the public without a grant,” said Ron Bates, chairman of the Art Academy’s Board of Trustees. “No other local government in the tri-state area has done this, and it makes a huge difference to these local artists.”

Artists who have participated in the grant program over the years were able to submit work to display in this exhibit highlighting the success of Cincinnati’s Individual Artist Grant Program. The exhibit features 35 pieces of work currently in the gallery, including two media works.  At the preview of the new exhibit a few of the artists came and spoke about how the grant program helped launch their careers.

“This [grant money] gave me a reason to dream a bigger dream,” local artist Kate Kern said. “This exhibit is a celebration and recognition of artists we support.  It’s a homecoming for those who have made it outside of Cincinnati.”

The free exhibit is open Monday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm until Friday, September 3.  A special reception will be held during this month’s Final Friday event on August 27 from 5pm to 8pm.  The Art Academy of Cincinnati is located in Over-the-Rhine at 1212 Jackson Street.  The exhibition has plenty of on- and off-street automobile parking options nearby in addition to free bicycle parking and Metro bus service (plan your trip).

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Business Development News

145-year-old College Hill home to be auctioned August 11-17

The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) announced that a 145-year-old home in College Hill will be sold at an online auction between August 11-17.

According to CPA, the two-and-a-half story structure was completed in 1865, and boasts Greek Revival pilasters and Gothic Revival gables. The Hamilton County Auditor reports that the home has 2,800 completed square feet, and sits on nearly a half-acre of land in College Hill that is within walking distance of the neighborhood’s business district.

Currently owned by the U.S. Marshals Service, 1314 Groesbeck Road will have a nominal opening bid of $1,000. The auction will be held online only, and all bids must be made by 9:10am on Tuesday, August 17. Those interested in bidding are asked to visit the auction website being hosted by Williams & Williams Auction Services.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati joining other global cities with interactive public piano exhibit

Cincinnati has joined a collection of international cities hosting a traveling public art and performance spectacle that is called Play Me, I’m Yours.  The Cincinnati exhibit will place 42 pianos in public spaces, across the Cincinnati region, that will be there for residents to play, listen to, and interact with.

Originally started in 2008 by Luke Jerram, Play Me, I’m Yours has entertained and fascinated those in London, New York, and Barcelona so far in 2010.  The timing of the pianos arrival coincides with the anniversaries of three local public radio stations – 90.9FM WGUC, 91.7FM WVXU, and 88.5FM WMUB.  Most of the pianos will be available from August 9 to 27, with a select few staying a bit longer.

The public interactive exhibit will offer Cincinnatians a chance to get out and explore the city, and create their own art by playing music or interacting with those that are.  According to British artist Luke Jerram the exhibit is as much about communities coming together as it is about music.

Many of the pianos were designed by local youth through ArtWorks’ summer jobs program.  Following the exhibit the pianos will be donated to local art centers to further enhance the arts for children locally for years to come.

Aside from having pianos set up in public spaces, Cincinnatians will be able to utilize the Play Me, I’m Yours homepage to share with each other, and the world, what is happening here by uploading pictures and videos.  And beyond the spontaneous performance at the pianos, up to three special performances may be organized per piano each day through the exhibit’s website.

A total of 18 of the 42 pianos installed throughout the region are located within Cincinnati’s center city at locations such as Cincinnati Museum Center, Findlay Market, Fountain Square, and Great American Ball Park. Some of those, like the Sawyer Point piano, will be available all day, every day, while others, like the one at the Cincinnati Zoo, will only be available during business hours.  A list of of all the pianos, their locations and details can be downloaded online.

Play Me, I’m Yours officially runs for three weeks starting with a kick-off celebration on Fountain Square from 11am-1pm on Monday, August 9 where two of the pianos will be located.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Monthly street fair to fill Main Street in Over-the-Rhine this weekend

August’s Second Sunday in OTR event will have more than 60 local vendors ranging from handmade jewelry to fine art and photography work. Other vendors will be selling items such as “upcycled” purses, locally designed t-shirts, wood-fired pizza, and even authentic Belgium waffles.

Second Sunday in OTR is a monthly street fair presented by the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce that takes place in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The event closes Main Street to automobile traffic from 13th Street to Liberty Street in order to allow pedestrians to enjoy the many vendors, live music, street performers, food and beer without the worry of any automobiles.

This month’s street fair will include a free yoga session hosted by You Do Yoga at 12:30pm (Main at Woodward), a Samba parade led by Baba Charles from Peasley Community Center at 1:30pm (Main from 13th to Liberty), a cooking demonstration by celebrity chefs Jose Salazar and Summer Genetti at 2:30pm (1419 Main St., Falling Wall Condo), and a local talent show at 3pm (Main at Woodward at DJ booth).

Nearby at Neon’s Unplugged (map), live music will be provided by Messerly & Ewing from 12pm to 1:15pm, and KT & The Pickups from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.

The Second Sunday in OTR street fair runs from 12pm to 5pm, and is free and open to the public. Various on- and off-street automobile parking options are available nearby in addition to free bicycle parking and convenient Metro bus service (plan your trip).