Arts + Culture : Development News

Nathan Hurst founded Cincinnati Fashion Week in 2010, and as it rolls into its third year, more and more people are getting involved. 

 

One Cincinnati resident, who has worked with Fashion Week before, pitched an idea to Hurst about highlighting the young, adventurous and energetic street fashion scene growing in Cincinnati. That person, who wants to keep his name a secret for now, is creating a team to help him develop the event, "Rise of the Cool Kids."

 

"I don't want people to associate a person with this, but rather a movement or a kind of person," says the Cincinnatus Kidd, a moniker that has been created to promote the event. 

 

Street fashion at the event shows that all fashion doesn't have to be expensive and unattainable; it should be more of a personal expression.

 

"When people use the word fashion, they use it in reference to the highest forms of fashion, but fashion is an everyday thing," Kidd says. "There is a pretty good understanding now that art used to be a painting in a frame, but now it can be anything, including street art. I don't think that same idea has come across to fashion."

 

The event will be held Oct. 6, tentatively on the roof of a parking garage, and will highlight local boutiques in a runway fashion show. The parking garage will be transformed into a streetscape, complete with street signs, scale models of OTR buildings and even shoes hanging over wires highlighting some of the brands being showcased.

There will be local DJs, hip-hop artists, visual artists, dancers and skateboarders on site. Rise of the Cool Kids will also team with Original Thought Required, Corporate and Flow, all local clothing shops, to create preview events at each store. 

 

"Street fashion is getting noticed more around here, and it's time to recognize it," Kidd says. "This has been a very mall-driven city, but now people are expressing themselves differently."

 

 

"What's it really like?" That single question sparked a new photo-streaming website, ThisisOtr.com. 

 

The site automatically aggregates photos from Instagram if they are tagged with the hashtag #ThisIsOtr. The simple website was brought to life by two Urban Sites employees, Mia Carruthers and Michael Chewning. Carruthers, an OTR resident, says she was tired of answering questions from people who hadn't visited the neighborhood recently.

 

"I wanted a way to show people that don't live here and maybe don't know what is going on in OTR right now what this place really is," Carruthers says. "You can say it to anyone, but until they see it from people who enjoy OTR, they're not going to get it."

 

With that in mind, the two asked a friend if making the website was possible. Soon after, it was up and running. After posting the website on their Facebook pages, it quickly gained traction on social media. After launching last week, the website already has dozens of photos of the buildings, people and art in Over-the-Rhine. 

 

Urban Sites manages properties for more than 500 residents and will be opening up 23 new apartments on Walnut Street in the coming months. Chewning says they also thought of making the website as a way to give all of Urban Sites' residents a way to connect. With it already in the public domain, though, it can connect the entire community.

 

"We've seen pictures from a lot of people we didn't even know lived in OTR," Carruthers says. "Now I want to meet them all. I think it will be a great way for people to network, and it really showed us that there are people who feel the same way we do about OTR and want others to see that, too."

 

 

 

 

American entrepreneurial activity in 2009 was at it's highest point in 14 years, according to an article in The Atlantic. Freelance job postings have risen dramatically as well. Despite the value of independence in work, one simple loss for freelancers and one-person businesses is a byproduct of their careers: the lack workplace camaraderie.

 

Bill Barnett and Gerard Sychay both had this problem. The pair of web developers were tired of working from home and not having anyone to talk to to or go take a break and get lunch with. With this in mind, set out to make Cincy Coworks. It started as a once-a-week meet up in Over-the-Rhine and brought together nearly 20 people to work together for the day. After a few months of successful meet-ups, Cincy Coworks moved into its own space in June 2010 with six people committing to sharing the space. After outgrowing the small space, Cincy Coworks moved to its present location in Walnut Hills in April 2011. 

 

Presently, five people, including developers and writers, share the space, which allows for part and full-time rentals. Cincy Coworks even offers student rates of only $25 per month. 

 

"Cincy Coworks is about bringing people of different disciplines together," says co-founder Sychay. "We like all things creative. Bringing all these people together can help us to raise the city's profile." 

 

He sees strength in the diversity of talents in both the community workspace and in events Cincy Coworks sponsors, such as Queen City Merge, which took place last week. QC Merge worked to bring people of all different web expertises together. 

 

"No one ever hangs out together across their lines of designs or developers," Sychay says. "As a developer myself, I have so many moments where I think how much easier something would be if I had a designer right next to me. If you bring all these people together, I think businesses will start to come together." 

 

Sychay poses the most important question Cincinnati needs to face now as this: If New York is the financial capital of the country, Austin is the musical capital, and Los Angeles is the entertainment capital, what is Cincinnati? 

 

Frances Kroner knows food. She's been working in restaurants since she was 14. While running Picnic and Pantry and revamping the Northside Farmers' Market, Kroner has also been building her in-house dinner party business, Feast. 

 

The idea is simple. Come into someone's home, use their kitchen and create an unforgettable themed meal. Through ideas like "Adventures in Food Cartography" and "Eat My Song," Kroner comes up with ideas that allow her to orchestrate a dining experience from start to finish. 

 

"It's any chefs dream to hear someone say, 'I hated beets until tonight." Kroner says. "Feast was born out the idea that if you tailor not only the food, but the environment, too, you have a lot more to work with and create a memorable experience."

 

Before starting at Picnic and Pantry two years ago, Kroner had created nearly 50 Feasts in people's homes. They became less frequent after working at Picnic and Pantry. People began to ask her when she was going to begin doing more Feasts, so she began to rethink her strategy. After being recommended by a previous SpringBoard graduate, Kroner looked to ArtWork's entrepreneurial classes for a new business plan. 

 

"I went to culinary not business school," says Kroner. "It just became apparent that this was the perfect time to relaunch Feast." 

 

Now, Kroner will be trying to do one of her own Feasts each month in a business or a friend's home as well as going into clients homes' for private dinner parties. Since graduating from the most recent SpringBoard course, Kroner, also a new mother, has created one Feast each week. 

 

Kroner tries to include some sort of performance art in each Feast. A recent meal included a juggler, and "Edible Music Theory" allowed local musician Peter Adams to work with Kroner to create a menu that helped further define 12 elements of music theory -- guests were given a description of the element, then played examples as they tasted each course. 

 

"I want to keep looking for new ways to fuse food and art," Kroner says. 

By Evan Wallis

Laura Davis may run the only business in town that can claim it sells dust.

 

Core Clay opened on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills in June 2005 to provide a live-work space for Davis and her boyfriend, Justin Poole. Since then, it has continued to grow into a successful business.

The original idea was to sell pottery supplies and products and have a space to teach classes. Since she worked in such a large space, friends started asking Davis if they could rent studio space, which eventually led into the transformation of the basement into a collective studio. Today, it normally houses 25 artists who rent space on a month-to-month basis.

In addition, Core Clay has employed an artist-in-residence since 2009 and offers both beginner and advanced level classes. Core Clay also creates clay on-site.

 

In a further effort to expand, Davis enrolled in ArtWork's SpringBoard class. While the business has been growing, Davis says she enrolled to get more business know-how. Current plans are to improve signage, expand marketing and build a bigger in-store product line. 

 

"You can sit and ask a lawyer questions for two hours," Davis says. "That alone is worth the cost of the class." 

 

Davis and Poole settled on Walnut Hills after searching in Florence, Camp Washington and beyond, and have since seen the neighborhood change around them. 

 

"Our building was a source of crime in the neighborhood," Davis says. "We have made changes and taken the grates off the windows. We want the neighborhood to know we are friendly in here." 

 

After cleaning up the Core Clay building, Davis found that another vacant building next door had become a source of trouble in the neighborhood and decided to purchase the building out of foreclosure. In 2010, the building was opened as a intentional community of live-work spaces for artists. Some parts of the building are still being renovated, but once finished, it will house nine units. 

 

Ninety five percent of all bourbons are made in Kentucky, so opening a bar that has an extensive collection Kentucky's famous spirit makes perfect sense, especially for a team that runs two successful bars.
 
The same team that runs Japp’s and Neons, John Back and Jeff Brandt, teamed with Molly Wellman again and opened Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar on Saturday May 5. Located in the 600 block of Mainstrasse in Covington, OKBB has a heavy focus on American bourbon. OKBB is keeping Wellman busy  while she curates between 50 and 70 types of whiskey. After the bar is up and running for a few months, Wellman hopes to build the list to 150 different bourbons and whiskeys. To compliment the many American bourbons and whiskeys, OKBB will also feature Irish and Canadian whiskeys, along with a small selection of cask-conditioned ales.

“Bourbon has such a amazing history,” Wellman says. “It takes a long time to make and it should be enjoyed. (OKBB) is a place for sitting down and understanding and enjoying this perfect drink.”

During the soft-opening and 'Friends and Family' event, representatives from both Makers Mark and Jim Beam distilleries were present. On Saturday, Yvette Simpson, Cincinnati City Council Member was present, along with members of Covinton's City Council. 

"It was great to see support from both Cincinnati and Covington," Back says.
 
Brandt has owned the building for a while and always intended on opening a bar, but he, Back and Wellman wanted to open Japp’s first and really develop a concept before expanding to Covington.

"We really want to cross-promote and bring people from both sides of the river to the other," Back says. "The Covington neighborhood has been very supportive and talked us up."
 
OKBB's 800-square-foot space has an intimate 30-40 person capacity and bartenders that know the story and process of each label they serve. The interior, which reflects the rustic beauty of the bourbon trail, was designed by Back, who is also an architect. Described as a “polished bluegrass” feel, OKBB will highlight the agrarian beauty of bourbon country in a modern way.
 
OKBB is the trio’s first foray outside of OTR but they are working to ensure a cohesive feel between bars by using staff from their two current bars and want to make OKBB a destination bar for both bourbon connoisseurs and novices. OKBB will host bourbon tastings and meet-and-greets with distillers in an effort to immerse patrons of OKBB in a bourbon-centric experience.
 
“It’s about making a place where people can have an experience they remember,” Wellman says. “Those places work to make the city more exciting.”
 
By Evan Wallis

An in-house graphic designer for Great American Insurance may have taken a night of joking around with friends a little too seriously, but in this case, that's not a bad thing. 

 

Brad Plogsted and some of his friends were at the Comet last December when a discussion about the decline of newspapers started. After a few minutes, the group jokingly decided that they were going to make their very own newspaper. 

 

Plogsted says he very well may be the only one that thought about the idea after that night, but after working on the idea for a few days, then sending his ideas to his friends, Abservd, a magazine that explores how the digital revolution changes everyday life, was born in just a few short months. 

 

Issue zero, a preview issue, came out on Leap Day with essays, illustrations, fiction and more that explore the impact of the likes of Twitter, Facebook and other technologies on our minds, personal relationships and beyond. From advertisements, to layouts, to font choices, to color schemes, everything in Abservd harkens back to the Industrial Revolution. 

 

"Our world is changing faster for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, and we just want to encourage people to slow down and step away from the screen," Plogsted says. "There is a lot of value in something tangible." 

 

The magazine has a humorous feel to it with fake "Abvertisements" such as this: "Bottled Tap Water: Our water is better than yours because it's individually packaged." Issue one even includes two posters, another way Plogsted encourages people to stop and look.

 

The first official issue came out in April and will be printed eight times per year. Abservd, a combination of the words observed and absurd, is currently available in local retailers such as Joseph-Beth, Mica 12/v and Park + Vine. Plogsted says he hopes to have the magazine regionally distributed within one year and then reassess from there. 

 

"Right now this is a volunteer effort for everyone," Plogsted says. "We really hope to get some more advertisements and create income for our contributors." 

 

 

Ensemble Theatre opened its doors in 1986 as a place to give professional artists a place to work without having to travel to Hollywood or Broadway. The theater has since become a landmark in Over-the-Rhine. Now, for the first time, Ensemble has unveiled new branding, a new website, and a refreshed exterior.

 

With attendance at an all-time high and after being awarded a $1.2 million grant from the state of Ohio, ETC is in the midst of a long-overdue makeover. 

 

"We've been in the neighborhood for 26 years, I think it's time to celebrate," says D. Lynn Meyers, artistic director. "The tenacity of us staying here through times that weren't as good as they are now is something special." 

 

With a new user-friendly website designed by LPK and a facade that is currently being painted, the goal of the rebranding and renovations is to raise visibility and mirror ETC's ambitious schedule in both building and branding. The branding has four main colors -- blue, red, green and purple. All represent the four "E's" ETC strives toward: Excite, Enliven, Enrich and Entertain.

 

"What we do on stage has a very eclectic feel," Meyers says. "Our branding was very typical. We wanted something more exciting and colorful, like what you see on stage." 

 

Visibility was also a concern for ETC. Meyers says patrons have sometimes walked by the entrance. New banners outside of the entrance should alleviate confusion. 

 

"I think a lot of people walk by and wonder what we are," Meyers says. "We want people to know we are here and want people to come in and check us out."

 

The grant ETC received won't be awarded until the group raises $1.2 million in matching funds. So, ETC is in the midst of kicking off its "Next Stage Capital Campaign," a $6.5 million renovation plan. Renovations will include a larger lobby, increased accessibility, a new HVAC system and building connections between the main theater building and other buildings ETC owns on the block.

Capital funds must come from contributions, since ticket sales support 10 full-time employees and more than 180 professional set builders, actors and other artists throughout the year. One the state grant is matched, ETC can begin renovations.

 

"We have a lot of fun neighbors now, and that means more people walking around," Meyers says. "People are walking in and buying tickets. That never used to happen, so we want to continue to make sure people feel welcome and know what we're about."

 

 

After months of planning and clearing many hurdles, Beth Harris and Dave Mikkelsen opened the doors to the Listing Loon on Saturday. 

 

The duo, who met while tending bar at The Comet, have been working to open a craft beer and fine wine retail store since late last year and have run into countless problems obtaining liquor licenses. When the Listing Loon opened, at 4124 Hamilton Ave., there was only beer available for take-out so far. From craft six-packs like Bell's and Flying Dog to staples like PBR and Lonestar, the Listing Loon hopes to increase its inventory to more than 150 beers. Mikkelsen orders the beer through a local distributor that doesn't sell to big corporations. Five draught taps are also in the works.

 

"We definitely attribute our beer knowledge to Dave Cunningham (of The Comet)," Mikkelsen says.

 

Presently, Harris works at Sidewinder and Mikkelsen works at Mayday, so the two worked hard to make sure their new business wasn't over-saturating the neighborhood scene. Before opening the Listing Loon, Mikkelsen and Harris asked bar owners in Northside how they felt about the beer and wine store opening, and they only received support. Tina Meyers, who owns Pinnokios Hair Design in Northside even held a fundraiser for the Loon. Meyers cut hair all day and gave all the proceeds to Harris and Mikkelsen. 

 

"This community is so supportive," Harris says. "We're excited to finally open our doors." 

 

The Loon will soon have wine available for carryout, but as of now, they are fourth in line in the state for their wine license. Plans are to sell 50 types of wine, ranging from about $10-70. As is the case with in-store beer service, the Loon is still waiting on a separate license to serve wine by the glass. Eventually, they will also sell snacks that pair with the wine and beer they sell. 

 

After obtaining all their liquor licenses, Harris and Mikkelsen want the Listing Loon to be a "rock 'n' roll wine bar," complete with live music. "Friends have said they would love to be able to pick up a six-pack or bottle of wine after eating brunch at Take the Cake or Melt," Harris says. "Now they can."

 

Listing Loon is open Tuesday-Thursday from noon-10, Friday and Saturday from noon-11 and Sunday from noon-4. 

 

 

 

What do an empty lot and the wasteland underneath an overpass have in common? They're both unused space. 

 

The wide range of unused space in the city got the people at MSA Architects thinking about the Five Design Challenge. Their offices on Fourth Street overlook a lot that has been empty for too long. Instead of putting the space to good use, the owner put up a fence. That fence sparked ideas. Why not find other unused spaces around the city and see what people, designers, architects, artists, would do with the it?

 

"Michael Schuster [Founder of MSA] wanted to start a dialogue about general design issues and opportunities in Cincinnati," says Chris Rohs, project designer at MSA. "He's a very community-minded person." 

 

The competition evolved from an earlier idea last year. Last year, competitors were charged to convert drivers to riders -- to come up with a solution to get drivers off the road and using public transportation. Almost 40 entrants offered ideas, but that doesn't begin to compare to this year's level of interest.
 

The competition is to take one of the five downtown spaces, come up with an idea for it and submit it. The options are as varied as entrants' imaginations: create a destination, a park, a zoo, an art gallery, something temporary, something permanent, something temporarily permanent.

Submissions will be accepted until April 26; winners will be chosen by May 15; $5,500 in prizes will be handed out. Jurists include Tamara Harkavy of ArtWorks, Chad Munitz of 3CDC, Leah Spurrier of High Street, William Williams of DAAP and City Council member Wendell Young.

 

Five Design Challenge is meant to be all-encompassing and include as many entrants, from as many professions as possible. So far, Nick Dewald, who handles the entries as they come in, has seen entrants from Italy, China, Australia, India, Germany  and around the US. Currently, there are more entrants from outside Cincinnati than from within. 

 

"The whole idea is to get people to be more active in their community," Rohs says. "To work to make it a better place."

 

The Cadillac has been taken down and the bull retired and Cincy's on Sixth is now set to open on Reds Opening Day.

 

On April 5, the doors to the new "Modern American Grill" open to the public. With some quick renovations, including a new sound system, TV upgrades and an added meeting room, Cincy's on Sixth, in the old Cadillac Ranch space, will give residents and visitors a taste of all things Cincinnati. Art highlights the city, the patio has been dubbed, "Cincy Streetside" and plates like the Cincy Burger will feature Cincinnati-style chili. 

 

Owners Jim Henning and Larry Couchot, partners of Restaurant Entertainment of Cincinnati, hired Acrobatique Creative to help with the concept and branding. 

 

"We wanted to keep the space true to the bar and restaurant it was, but reformat it so it becomes more of a celebration of Cincinnati," says Ronda Zegarelli, co-founder of Acrobatique. "They didn't want to do a huge build-out, so we focused on the branding."

 

The branding highlights the city to draw born-and-raised Cincinnatians as well as visitors and tourists.

 

"We're working with places like the convention center and downtown business to bring people in," Zegarelli says. "We want everyone to come in and feel like they got a taste of Cincinnati."

 

In an effort to jump right into the downtown dining scene, Cincy's on Sixth decided to open for Opening Day. There are plans to give away tickets to future Reds games as well as tickets to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers at US Bank Arena.

 

"We want to celebrate that first home opener," Zegarelli says. "We think it will be a great way to become a part of the city." 

By Evan Wallis