Tag: technology

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Arts & Entertainment News

ArtsWave presents free art, CAC party

The arts are an essential part of a vibrant neighborhood. From Paint the Street to serindipitous performance art, local nonprofit ArtsWave is actively engaging Cincinnati through music, visual art, and performance. The organization raises money to assist over 150 arts organizations in the area with sharing art experiences in their community.

“Greater Cincinnati’s diverse arts scene is part of what makes this city so great,” said Margy Waller, VP of communications at ArtsWave. “The fantastic anchor institutions pull artists into the community – along with students at UC, in DAAP and the Conservatory of Music. Now these students and recent grads are doing all sorts of experimental, innovative artwork in Over-the-Rhine, on the streets, and in community arts centers.”

For those looking to get involved with local arts, ArtsWave’s group Friends for the Arts are for individuals who want to get more involved in Cincinnati’s vibrant arts community. There are both volunteer opportunities as well as social events – the annual Party is this Friday, March 4th at the Contemporary Arts Center.

$30 tickets ($26 in advance) are the gateway to an evening of celebrating arts in the community with friends, food and serendipitous art. Admission also includes access to the galleries.

Another fun way to get involved with local arts is through the ArtsWave app – now for iPhone, coming soon for Android. With iSpyArt, community members are encouraged to record the “art all around us” by taking pictures and submitting them to a hosted “gallery” – even those without mobiles can participate through the website.

In past years ArtsWave has hosted one Saturday Sampler Weekend, crammed full of free arts activities to participate in all over the region. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, this year the events have been spread out over the course of six weekends. The ArtsWave Sampler Weekends celebrate the creative things — music, dance, theater, museums, and festivals — happening in large and small ways throughout the region. These weekends are great opportunities for families, friends, and neighbors to connect with one another and experience the arts through free events.

There are four Sampler weekends left in which to experience a dizzying array of free art experiences – March 12, March 26, April 10 and April 16. There is a searchable online tool on the ArtsWave website as well as downloadable PDFs that will make planning easier. Not only are many of the events family friendly, but there are also interesting offerings for a (slightly) more grown up crowd.

Check out the Cincinnati Ballet on March 12 from 12.30-5 to see and participate various performances – belly dancing, martial arts, ballet and a ska band. The Sunday Gospel Brunch on April 10 offers free breakfast and a concert from a choir composed of area churches (RSVP 513.632.0112). Calculus: the Musical! explains math in a fun way at the Know Theatre, also on the 10th. And on April 23, take a tour of various ArtWorks murals along the Central Parkway corridor.

The wide variety of arts organizations in Cincinnati is a treasure. Take the time to check out some of what they have to offer soon.

Disclosure: Jennifer Kessler is currently employed at ArtsWave. The article was written independently and does not necessarily reflect the views of ArtsWave. Paint the Street photograph by Scott Beseler.

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Business News Transportation

Cincinnati’s new transport payment system should be world leader

As Cincinnati’s transport officials prep for the introduction of a modern streetcar line in 2012, and potential bus rapid transit in the coming years, further improvements need to be made to the network. One of the most striking improvements needed is a new payment system for those using Cincinnati’s various bus systems, the streetcar, taxis and bike and car share programs if they ever materialize.

In Korea the T-Money Card rules. Based off of a simple yet wildly successful tap-and-go pay system, the card can be used all over the place. In Seoul, one can use the T-Money Card to pay for taxis, trains, buses, museums, vending machines, stores, fines, taxes and more. And in addition to the transit stations, the card can be purchased at convenience stores all over the metropolis.

The functionality is brilliant, and policy makers there have decided to use the data collected, from the system, to determine funding allocation for transit routes. This means that the most heavily used routes and stations get the most investment. Furthermore, the efficient tap-and-go system allows for quick payments and faster boarding on crowded buses and trains.

London has recently decided to go a step further. Their new Oyster Card not only offer the same benefits of the T-Money Card (minus taxi use), but the system also allows for people with contactless bank cards to use those as their tap-and-go payment. Both the T-Money and Oyster cards offer customization as well. The Oyster Card has custom holders and card designs, while the T-Money Card has custom card designs and sizings.

There are flaws with both systems from which Cincinnati can learn as it upgrades its payment system over the coming years. The first lesson is to have broad appeal. Cincinnati should engage various stakeholders to help develop a system pay card that can be used on all of the regional bus systems, streetcars, pedicabs and water taxis. While doing this the city should keep in mind future integration with any bike or car sharing programs.

Flexibility should also be a part of the new payment system being discussed in Cincinnati. The beauty of electronic pay is that the payment plans are limitless. A rider should be able to choose from buying a certain number of trips, specified time frame (i.e. 30 days) or even just a certain dollar amount. Offering riders choices will help fuel ridership and attract riders of choice.

While Cincinnati has been late to the game when it comes to upgrade its decades-old payment system, it allows transport officials to learn from others around the country and world. Innovative technologies and approaches should be used to make sure Cincinnati is on the cutting edge. London and Seoul have great payment system solutions, and Cincinnati should combine them for an even better one.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Organizers now accepting registrations for region’s first TED event

Registration is now available for Cincinnati’s first locally organized Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) event.  Organized by individuals from LPK and Procter & Gamble, TEDxCincy will offer tickets for this experience will cost $55 for individuals, $35 for students.

Along with featured speaker Dhani Jones, the day’s lineup is expected to include a contingent of the region’s leading thinkers, innovators, artists, philosophers and entertainers representing diverse professions and backgrounds.  Event organizers say that additional speaker announcements will be made soon that fit into the event’s theme of passion.

TEDxCincy is scheduled to run from 8:30am to 5:30pm on Thursday, October 7 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in downtown Cincinnati.  Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the region’s first TED event by following along on Twitter @TEDxCincy, or by becoming a fan on Facebook.  Tickets can be reserved now through the event’s website.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Hive13 celebrates first year as Cincinnati’s hackerspace

A self-driving remote control car, a refurbished arcade game cabinet, and a MakerBot 3D printer are just a few of the things you may find at the Hive13 hackerspace.  Hive13 is not just a physical location, it has also become a community where hackers, artists, and other creatives come together to share ideas and work on projects they dream up.

In 2009, a group of 20 people began talking about bringing a hackerspace to Cincinnati.  After two months of planning, they moved into a former Camp Washington warehouse and set up shop.  Today, members of Hive13 have 24-hour access to the workspace and a variety of tools to help them with their projects.

Hive13 is still acquiring new tools — like a laser cutter that can pierce wood, plastic, or metal — and working on new projects — like a weather balloon connected to an Android-powered cell phone for communications.

To celebrate their first year of operation, Hive13 is throwing a party on Saturday, July 24 at their hackerspace, located at 2929 Spring Grove Avenue.  Music, refreshments, and games will start around 7pm.  One of the activities, at the party, will be “laser graffiti,” which allows you to virtually graffiti a building using a laser, webcam, and projector.  A silent auction will also be held to raise money for the group.

Follow @Hive13 on Twitter to stay up-to-date, and learn more about the group from this Soapbox Cincinnati video:

Categories
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/.