BLINKing the Culture

 Ahh...yeah! This past weekend in Cincy was a party in itself! For four nights, Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky were lit up to the nines! BLINK, the largest art & light festival in the U.S., illuminated thirty city blocks with 80 murals & light installations.

It all kicked off with a parade; however, my brother-in-law & myself thought that the parade wouldn't happen as we saw only about 20 participants, so we decided to go & enjoy some of the masterpieces in Northern Kentucky.

Shadow REVEl, Christine Langford, Newport Zonw

On the 2nd night, I hit up both the Findlay Market & the OTR (Over the Rhine) Zones, First, I chilled at Findlay Market & took in a hip hop performance & took a look at some murals there.

"If I Ruled the World, "Gee Horton

"Things Fall Apart", Gee Horton

"You Got Me" Gee Horton

"Walk By Faith, Not By sight", Javarri Harris w/ Willam Rankins Jr

"On Her Mind", MZ Icar    

Had to get my 'bucha fix for the week!

"We the People", Bill Thomas, The Banks Zone

I chilled at home on the third night of the festivities, but on the 4th & final night, I had to head back to OTR & call it a wrap at Music Hall with Blink in the Ballroom. Organist Trent Sims treated visitors to some new & classic tunes with the 1927 Mighty Wurlitzer. He threw in a real special treat by playing the Skyline Chili theme song, which made me want to get some afterwards but was too full as I had eaten several times throughout that day.

Botanical model of Music Hall, designed by Applied Imagination

Almost forgot...for the 1st time ever, Music Hall's exterior was lit up with lighting projections set to beats

This was one for Cincy, & definitely one for the culture! Perfect weather & and the perfect location; it doesn't get any better than this! Hate that the lights have gone out, but people will be talking about it for days!

Walking the Culture

Wow, it's been like an eternity since I last made a real post. A great deal has happened since I last posted. I started a new job, was appointed to the board of directors of a local arts organization, was appointed to an advisory committee of a local public transit agency.

I have been juggling a lot lately, so I haven't had a chance to do a featured post.

This weekend, I made myself get out of bed & take The Artworks Black Art Walk Tour.

Done in collabs with The Voice of Cincinnati, this art walk (I don't like to call it a tour. For me tours are closed in, while "walks" are more open.

This walk uncovers a rich legacy of African American history & delves into the vastness of African American contemporary art.

I fully got the weekend in full effect by stopping by black Coffee Lounge & had two apple turnovers & a blueberry lemonade, & it really hit the spot.

Led by an Artworks docent, visitors traveled from Cincinnati City Hall to Court Street, & finally, to Over-the-Rhine.

It was a good thing that I purchased tix the morning of as the event completely sold out; hopefully, Artworks will bring it back next year; I want to be a tour guide for this!

Now, on to the reason why this sold out...

Black Lives Matter, Cincinnati City Hall

Time Saved vs Time Served, Artworks' 200th mural

Coming of Age

Visionary Reality Threshold, Walnut Street, Saya Woolfark (read about her here)

Dreaming Blues, 13th Street

Mr. Dynamite, Liberty Street

Ezzard Charles: The Cincinnati Cobra, Artworks 100th mural

So much Black History to be unraveled & not enough time!

Keep watching Artsworks' website for new dates for this tour, you never know...I may be your tour guide next time!

 

MEDIA RELEASE Contact: Mindy Rosen 513-744-3293 mrosen@friendsofmusichall.org For Immediate Release Friends of Music Hall presents Mums, Mom and Music Hall Tour Saturday, May 4, 2024 Tickets on sale now CINCINNATI – April 2, 2024. Give your mom (or anyone you love!) the gift of an Outdoor Tour of Music Hall led by a knowledgeable Friends of Music Hall tour guide on Saturday, May 4 at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Each mom receives a bouquet of flowers from Gia & The Blooms.   The 90 minute outdoor building tour of this National Historic Landmark explores the history, symbolism and design of the architecture, and the people who made it happen, along with information about Over-the-Rhine in 1878.   NOTE: Outdoor building tours begin on the front steps of Music Hall at 1241 Elm Street. The tour does not go inside Music Hall.  Tickets on sale now About the Friends of Music Hall The Friends of Music Hall is a nonprofit volunteer-driven membership organization with a mission to preserve, improve, promote, and provide education about Music Hall. In addition to preservation projects, activities include tours of Music Hall, a speaker series, outreach to schools, and concerts featuring the restored Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Music Hall Ballroom. FriendsofMusicHall.org  # # # ‌ ‌ // CONNECT WITH US //  ‌  ‌  ‌

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MEDIA RELEASE Contact: Mindy Rosen 513.744.3293 mrosen@friendsofmusichall.org For Immediate Release March 18, 2024

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RECOGNIZING THE "ORGAN MAN" At Silent Movies Made Musical Friday, April 12, 2024   CINCINNATI (March 18, 2024) Mayor Aftab Pureval will deliver a Proclamation from the City of Cincinnati on Friday, April 12 at Silent Movies Made Musical to recognize Cincinnati's Organ Man, Ronald F. Wehmeier. Since the early 1960s Ron has skillfully rebuilt and restored pipe organs, and in 2009 he restored the Mighty Wurlitzer organ in the Music Hall ballroom. Ron added a classical division, a flute celeste and soft strings, replaced the original relay with computerized switching, added an automatic player system, and restored a 1925 Steinway Grand to accompany the 1927 Wurlitzer. His work requires the skills of a number of trades, including watchmaker - because of the delicacy of the parts - carpenter, and metal craftsman. The Friends of Music Hall affectionally dubbed Ron the Organ Man, who said, "Hearing your work come to life, just to see the people enjoying the music—this has always been a great thrill to me." The Friends of Music Hall presents our popular silent film concert series featuring organist Tedde Gibson mastering the Albee Theatre Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Music Hall Ballroom while screening Captain January (1924) and Carmen Jr. (1923) on April 12 at 7:00 p.m. All seats are reserved. Tickets are $34 with discounts for groups of 10 or more, seniors and students. Call 513. 621.ARTS, online at CincinnatiArts.org or at the ticket office at the Aronoff Center. Captain January, based on an 1890 children’s novel about a lighthouse keeper and his adopted daughter, stars Diana Serra Cary also known as Baby Peggy during her career. She was one of three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent film era. Tedde Gibson is a pianist, Hammond and theatre organist making his debut at Music Hall. He is also a composer, arranger, and silent film scorer. Mr. Gibson will conduct a Q&A after the screenings. Link to Silent Movies Made Musical 2024 Images About the Friends of Music Hall The Friends of Music Hall is a nonprofit volunteer-driven membership organization with a mission to preserve, improve, promote, and provide education about Music Hall. In addition to preservation projects, activities include tours of Music Hall, a speaker series, outreach to schools, and concerts featuring the restored Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Music Hall Ballroom. FriendsofMusicHall.org

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MEDIA RELEASE Contact: Mindy Rosen 513.744.3293 mrosen@friendsofmusichall.org For Immediate Release January 30, 2024 Silent Movies Made Musical Accompanied By Music Hall's Mighty Wurlitzer April 12, 2024 Tickets on Sale Now   CINCINNATI (January 30, 2024) The Friends of Music Hall presents our popular silent film concert series featuring organist Tedde Gibson mastering the Albee Theatre Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Music Hall Ballroom while screening Captain January (1924) and Carmen Jr. (1923) on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. All seats are reserved. Tickets are $34 with discounts for groups of 10 or more, seniors and students. Call 513. 621.ARTS, online at CincinnatiArts.org or at the ticket office at the Aronoff Center. Captain January, based on an 1890 children’s novel about a lighthouse keeper and his adopted daughter, stars Diana Serra Cary also known as Baby Peggy during her career. She was one of three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent film era. Between 1921 and 1924 she starred in over 150 short comedy films. Tedde Gibson is a pianist, Hammond and theatre organist making his debut at Music Hall. He is also a composer, arranger, and silent film scorer. Mr. Gibson is an active recitalist and workshop clinician, performing on theatre and church organs nationwide. He has been featured on NBC Nightly News Weekend Edition. Mr. Gibson will conduct a Q&A after the screenings. The season sponsor for the Mighty Wurlitzer concerts is Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel. Link to Silent Movies Made Musical 2024 Images About the Friends of Music Hall The Friends of Music Hall is a nonprofit volunteer-driven membership organization with a mission to preserve, improve, promote, and provide education about Music Hall. In addition to preservation projects, activities include tours of Music Hall, a speaker series, outreach to schools, and concerts featuring the restored Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Music Hall Ballroom. FriendsofMusicHall.org   # # # ‌ // CONNECT WITH US //  ‌  ‌  ‌