Entrepreneurship : For Good

The Requiem Project, the nonprofit arts organization that makes its home at the Emery Theatre in Over the Rhine, continues to build this fall with a five-event series called "Art Moves Here," which debuts with the Sept. 20 opening of a FotoFocus-affiliated exhibit called "Handsome" by Chris Hoeting.

Hoeting built "Handsome" specific to the Emery's nooks and crannies, knowing that his show would run in tandem with Midpoint Music Festival performances at the site as well as a showing of Mike Disfarmer's beautiful and sometimes unsettling portraits, set to be on display starting .

Like so many other endeavors over the past year, "Handsome" reflects the power and the potential of the Emery to occupy an emerging space in the local arts scene—to bring together art forms, artists and neighbors and together, to build a stronger, vibrant and diverse community.

As part of Fotofocus, "Handsome" uses prints and mixed media to explain culture, in this case the culture illustrated by Western movie director John Ford, who became fascinated with the story of lawman Wyatt Earp and his stories. Hoeting's work plays with the archetypes of Ford's day, deconstructing them and analyzing their meaning and cultural relevance.

In an Emery season that includes showcasing pieces by Andy Warhol and hosting dance and music performances, the theater's co-founder and artistic-executive director, Tara Lindsey Gordon, sees "Handsome" as a highlight.

Do Good:

• Attend the "Handsome" opening reception, Thursday, Sept. 20, from 6-9 pm.

• Mark your calendars for FotoFocus events over the next month.

• Visit the Emery's new website for more information.

By Elissa Yancey
Follow Elissa on Twitter

Jim Guthrie and his wife Deanna Heil have lived in Newport for about 20 years. The dynamic duo of architects met while studying at UC’s DAAP. While they planned a life far west of the town of their alma mater, a poor job economy left them little choice but to bloom where they were planted.

Now Guthrie, who works for Hub + Weber Architects, and Heil, who started City Studios Architecture in OTR, are in their second home and raising three kids, aged 16 to 10. Guthrie took over as chair of Art Off Pike this year. In anticipation of this year's festival Sept. 30, Soapbox asked him to share his thoughts about the event and its latest incarnation.

Q: How did you get interested in Art Off Pike in Covington--I mean, you're a Newport guy, right?

A. I attended AOP a few years ago for the first time. The second time I participated as an artist—I dabble as an inner-demon catharsis.

I volunteered on the committee last year. And this year, I was thrust into the Chair position because I stood still when someone asked, "Who wants to be Chair?" Everyone else took one step backwards. 

Q: Explain what it is for readers who haven't experienced it before. 

A: Art Off Pike is an urban street festival celebrating artists and downtown Covington. It was created by the Westside Action Coalition (a neighborhood coalition) eight years ago as an event (an ice cream social) capitalizing on local artists living and working in Covington and has grown from there.

This year, we'll have more than 70 artists displaying their wares for sale, between $10 to $400 generally.

We'll also have an area for kids art activities called "Picasso's Playground" which will be run by area arts organizations. You'll find coloring, water color, collage, doll making, bubbles, ice cube painting, hooping, finger painting and ceramics.

Q: What's new about the celebration this year?  

A.    This year there will be coffee!!! And lots of food. Both of which were painfully absent last year. We've signed up Deeper Roots Coffee, C'est Cheese, Cafe de Wheels, Lime, Yankee Doodle Pretzels and streetpops.

Q: What role have you played in the festival?

A: I'm the chair ... so I do everything that I can't get anyone else to do. But mostly organizing and occasionally begging. We have a great committee of folks - Natalie Bowers with the City of Covington, Jean St. Jean with My Nose Turns Red, Joan C. Lee (community leader), William Dickson with Haney, Chris Henry (community leader) and Chris Meyer.??

Q: Can you talk about the AOP posters a bit? 

A: The posters, and all the collateral material really, grew out of an effort to distinguish Art Off Pike from other art festivals. 

We wanted to recognize the urbanity of Covington instead of apologize for it. We wanted to recognize the beauty in the grit. So, we made an effort to make every piece of collateral material as authentic and real. 

We started out mailing "save the date" baggies to 100 of our best friends which contained hand stamped and numbered cards. We handed out business cards that were the same (stamped, signed and numbered). We walked around Pike and Seventh Streets in Covington (where the event is held) and took pictures of the cool things we noticed. We printed these images on corrugated cardboard. 

Each poster is individually spray painted, signed and numbered. There are eight copies of five versions for a total of 40 (41 actually).  These were distributed to the area businesses and supporters that love us. I'm particularly proud of the posters and have to thank William Dickson and his firm Haney for helping us out.??

Q: When was the first time you heard about/went to Art Off Pike? What was your impression? 

A: It was like a yard sale for artists. And there's a certain amount of cool to that. It wasn't pretentious. It was a community. We want to grow ... but we don't want to lose that.??

Q: Describe Covington's art scene and how Art Off Pike fits in with it.
 
A: Art and Culture are so important to cities - particularly the urban cores. You may have read recently that the Covington Arts District as a city designated zone no longer exists, but the arts initiative is absolutely alive ... just evolving, unrestricted by boundaries. Covington has recently been recognized by the governor's arts and cultural district certification.

Covington's Mayor and Commission fully support the arts both personally (with their wallets) and politically. It's a recognition that Arts and culture do impact the bottom line economy. Covington is unique in that it has a city supported and staffed Gallery at AEC, but also many other arts organizations including Baker Hunt, Carnegie, Behringer Crawford, Madison Theater, Madison Event Center, concerts at the Basillica, the Ascent, public sculpture; and private groups like Bldg Gallery who regularly bring in international artists for shows and public art projects.

AOP is the original arts event that Covington's Full Spectrum was based on. Capitalizing on all the artists - ceramists, painters, playwrights, musicians, singers, performers, living and working in Covington. 

?Q: Anything you think people should know about the art scene in Northern Kentucky that they don't know already? 

A: It's there. I think the different incarnations, designations and zones and the disintegration of those zoning designations can confuse people. I think it's not where it needs to be; not where it will be. It has to come from within, and there are some energetic people working on fostering the artist community and it's going to happen (inside Covington joke).??

Do Good:

• Show AOP some love on Facebook.

• Make a day of it. Attend the festival Sept. 30.

• Check out more Covington neighborhood action at the Center for Great Neighborhoods.
 
Compiled by Elissa Yancey
 Follow Elissa on Twitter

While you never get a second chance to make a first impression, sometimes you do get a second chance at funding an innovative project that could transform a community, beginning with its storefronts.

The CoSign project is just that. What started as a broader grant application to ArtPlace America for several city neighborhoods became more personal for Northsiders after the city-wide application went unfunded.

Undaunted, partners in Northside and the American Sign Museum, with funding from the Haile/US Bank Foundation, are moving ahead with the project.

What better way to draw shoppers to Northside’s eclectic streetscape than creative, coordinated signage?

As part of CoSign, local businesses, visual artists from across Cincinnati and professional sign fabricators will design and install a critical mass of new signage along Hamilton Avenue, with an expected launch date of Nov. 23, this year’s Black Friday.  

CoSign will fund most of the costs for commissioning, permitting, fabricating and installing the signage.  
Eric Avner, vice president and senior program manager with the Haile/US Bank Foundation, explains the appeal of supporting business/artist collaborations.  

“We wanted to do multiple things at once,” Avner says. “Help the sign museum, help local business districts gain vitality; and give the creative sector of Cincinnati more opportunities to make a living.”  

Northside’s business district and enthusiastic community support made it a logical pilot location.

As the primary grant recipient and fiscal sponsor, the American Sign Museum will provide content specialists by staffing two training workshops in August for artists and business owners. The project also pulls from the organizational talents of ArtWorks, which will help coordinate the artists and their work.

The museum will also assemble a judging panel to review and decide upon the best signage proposals from business/artist teams. The brand-new sign museum space at 1330 Monmouth Street will house the new signage before it is hung on Hamilton Avenue.  

Little Things Labs, a social/cultural innovation idea laboratory that problem-solves with municipalities to create better places to live and work, is assisting the Haile Foundation with CoSign’s development.  

Josh McManus, lead inventor at the lab, sees the Sign Museum as an integral partner.

“Our hope is not just 10 signs but a newfound attention to the benefits of great signage,” McManus says. “That’s why the American Sign Museum is such a perfect partner to work with on this project.”

CoSign will be documented so other communities can replicate it and broadcast their own creativity and collaborative spirit through signage.  

Do Good:

• Look: For a call for artists to participate in this project; contact ArtWorks for more information.

• Visit: The American Sign Museum and enjoy its new space and interactive signage displays. 

• Like Northside on Facebook to keep up with the project and other activities in the neighborhood.

By Becky Johnson

Quick. Think.  

Who do you think built this web page? Or, that app on your smart phone?

Odds are a man is behind the programming of both.

But if it’s up to Erin Kidwell and a group of pink-collared computer programmers from New York to Sydney, Australia, the future will be filled with woman writing HTML, CSS, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP and MySQL.

Kidwell, a 29-year-old software developer who lives in Over-The-Rhine, launched a local chapter of Girl Develop It, a series of classes to teach woman how to write computer code. The first four-week course starts July 12 at The Brandery, 1411 Vine St. Total cost is $80. No previous experience is required.

Girl Develop It was started by two women programmers two years ago in New York City. Since then, chapters have exploded across the United States offering basic to advanced code courses to women and underrepresented groups. Men are not turned away, but the teaching style is interactive, hands-on and specifically aimed at women and their learning styles, Kidwell says.

“This is a supportive environment where you can ask questions without being snickered at,’’ she says. “There is no such thing as a stupid or a silly question.”

The coding community nationally is about 90 percent male. The idea behind Girl Develop It is to close the gender gap in programming by providing a place where women can learn at their own pace, and ask “stupid questions,’’ while they learn how to write code in existing web applications to build web sites.

And even if a woman doesn’t want to develop software or build websites for a living, more and more employers are demanding some knowledge of web development. Learning the basics can help women in their existing careers or move up in their profession, Kidwell says.

“I’ve heard success stories in other cities where it has helped women get promotions,’’ she says. “There was a woman in Philadelphia who owned a catering business and she didn’t want to pay for a web site. She built it herself and tripled her business.”

Kidwell says starting a local chapter made sense because of the area’s thriving start-up community, local college and universities’ focus on informatics coupled with the fact that women from Cincinnati and Dayton were traveling to Columbus to take Girl Develop It classes there. Kidwell was also encouraged by one of the founders, who is a personal friend, to launch in Cincinnati. So she did three months ago.

She’s been shocked by the outpouring of support, offers to help and enrollment.

“Everyone has said: ‘How can we help?’ They’ve offered mentors and tutors. It’s been amazing,” she says.

The Brandery has donated the space for the classes, which can accommodate about 25 students. Local university professors, software developers and coders have offered to help.  

The first classes will be taught by Heather Glenn Rock, who is a software developer at Online Rewards. Teaching assistants will also be available to help students, and Kidwell hopes to host one or two Saturday sessions – which she has dubbed “coffee and coding” – as extra sessions for students who may want or need extra help.

Her first success, she says, is that 12 women have signed up. “I thought I’d get about 10 or so.”

The students are from various backgrounds, including a woman who blogs and wants to learn how to do more, a couple of women from nonprofit groups and a woman who works in Human Resources who wants to learn about coding to enhance her ability to hire IT professionals.

The course, which will first focus on HTML and CSS, assumes students have no technical background. There are no age requirements. Kidwell says the only real requirement is respect and, at this time, a laptop. In the future, Kidwell plans to apply for grants and/or seek sponsorships to be able to offer textbooks, manuals and maybe laptops for women who may not be able to afford them. She also plans to offer more advanced courses.

Mostly, she says, she hopes women will feel empowered to continue learn and do more.

“I’m not looking to build the next Instagram in Cincinnati,’’ she says. “There’s really nothing you can’t do; just a bunch of stuff you haven’t tried yet.”

What: Girl Develop It Cincinnati course in HTML and CSS

When: Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 12 – Aug. 2

Where: The Brandery, 1411 Vine St., second floor

Requirements: A laptop (PC or Mac)

Sign up: Enrollment and payment is required before the first class.

Connect: Facebook and Twitter

By Chris Graves

Every Fourth of July, neighbors and visitors in Northside gather for a neighborhood parade like no other. Starting at noon, politicians walk alongside floats for kids, neighborhood businesses and groups like the "men's drill team" and the "lawnchair ladies." Afterward, revelers gather at Hoffner Park for music and food for the afternoon.

But this year, there's a twist. Since the Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday, in addition to a July 3 evening Rock 'n Roll Festival, the Northside Business Association hosts a Family Fun Carnival for the afternoon of the Fourth.

The Fourth of July starts early in Northside, at 9 am, with a Red, White & Blue Pancake Breakfast that benefits Happen Inc.

After the parade, the Family Fun Carnival features a range of activities for kids of all ages offered by local, kid-friendly nonprofits including Happen, Inc., Churches Active in Northside, WordPlay Cincy and others.

Food vendors, from gelato to pizza and beer, and local entrpreneurs with populate booths to round out the celebration, which starts with the parade at noon and ends at 5 pm.


Do Good:

• Find the Parade on Facebook.

• Learn about Cincinnati Northside online.

• Like the Northside Community Council on Facebook.

Kathy Wade knows how to make a lasting impression, n her daily work as co-founder and executive director of Learning Through Art, in her stage performances around town and on television, and now, on Fountain Square.

Wade, who launched the annual Cincinnati Snaps photo competition seven years ago, says that showing the "Best of Snaps" exhibit to the public in such larger-than-life way is a great chance to show the power of images.

"The beauty of Snaps is that it shows Cincinnati neighborhoods through fresh eyes," Wade says. "Real neighbors submit their best work, and it's always impressive to see familiar places through someone else's lens."

As she whisks between meetings and programs, Wade notes that her small but mighty non-profit has programs connects with the World Choir Games next month through an exhibit at the Main Public Library downtown, "What Children Believe," a free international art exhibition featuring children’s global perspectives based on what they believe. 

"We have always built community and understanding through art, culture and literacy education," says Wade. "We're proud to share this anniversary with the city and the thousands of young people whose lives we have touched."

Do Good:

• Submit your own Cincinnati Snaps entry for the 2012 juried competition. Submissions will be accepted until Aug. 31.

• Visit the main library downtown to see the "What Children Believe International Art Exhibition."

• Save the date for the 2012 Crown Jewels of Jazz concert featuring Wade and jazz legend Diane Schur, Nov. 9, in the Music Hall Ballroom.

By Elissa Yancey
Follow Elissa on Twitter

What do city kids and legendary primate researcher Jane Goodall have in common? A sustainability-focused summer camp in Northside that targets youth and is inspired by Goodall’s international Roots & Shoots program.
 
For the second year, community organizer Maureen Wood leads the Green Ambassadors this summer. A two-week camp for urban youth, Green Ambassadors teaches sustainable environmental practices through fun, educational programming. Unlike other school-based Roots & Shoots programs, the Northside operation is community-based.

"We want to help kids and help the environment at the same time," says Wood, who founded the Green Ambassadors.

Like all Roots & Shoots programs, the Green Ambassadors program has three areas of focus: the human community, the environment and animals.

This summer, the Green Ambassadors Roots & Shoots group will host a day-camp from June 18 through 30. Fee scales will depend on ongoing fundraising efforts to provide scholarships for children who need them.

Do Good:

• Wager to support scholarships at the Quarter Auction. This very Northside fundraising auction features $5 paddes for adults, $1 for kids. Bring quarters, because they are the coin of choice for the auction like none you’ve ever seen. Starts at 6 pm, Sat., June 16

• Tweet all about it. Find out environmental news and more via the official Roots & Shoots Twitter account.

• Go to camp. Email and sign your child up for a camp slot today.

By Elissa Yancey

One Jackson, 20 Washingtons, 4 Lincolns – whatever your denomination, the Know Theatre is trying to raise 1120 Jacksons in Cincinnati’s first ever crowd-sourced sponsorship campaign to support the upcoming run of Tony Award nominated musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Written by Alex Timbers with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, the show opens March 31 and runs through May 12.

During its seven-week run, audiences will have plenty of opportunities to see the show that pulls no punches in a bold look at the “attraction and terrors of American Populism through the story of the man who invented the Democratic Party, doubled the size of our nation, and signed the Indian Removal Acts that started the Trail of Tears.”

Whether you’re hip to history, partial to politics or just a rock and roll fan – all types can find common ground and no shortage of subtext in this 90-minute production. The show integrates local band The Dukes are Dead into a cast featuring actor and associate company member Kellen York in the title role. In the words of Know's director Eric Vosmeier, “The production is an emo-rock musical of the life and rise of Andrew Jackson.”

The Club of Jacksons campaign began in December and to date has raised around 600 Jacksons toward its goal. Sponsorships begin at just $20. Contributions of $80 and above get you special admission to an invitation-only preview event on March 15.

“It’s a musical everyone can be attracted to due to its youth and energy,” says York.

“It’s hilariously tragic,” adds Vosmeier.

If the current political season isn’t entertaining enough, become a member of the Club of Jacksons and plan to see Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson beginning March 31. Tickets $15 in advance; $18 the week of performances.

Do Good:

• Got $20 to spare? Lend a Jackson to the Know Theatre.

• Buy a ticket to Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

• Volunteer at the Know.

By Deidra Wiley Necco

The large format photographs are so dimensional, they seem like sculptures. With surfaces cracked and pigments pulled apart by a clear gel applied as thick as spackling, the mixed media pieces cry out to be touched. The photographs themselves – blurred images of funerals, coffins, mourners – evoke vague feelings of faded memories and loss that encourage personal reflection.

Local artist Chris Hoeting has filled the spaces of Harvest Art Gallery this month, exhibiting these pieces along with 14 other works. The smaller, mixed media photographs reflect the loss of rural areas and neighborhoods around Cincinnati caused by highways and mass development of the suburban landscape.

Hoeting, known for his role as a partner in ParProjects and art shows in recycled, mobile shipping containers, is the kind of innovative, regional artist that Harvest Art hopes to foster and encourage with its new exhibit space.

The non-profit Harvest Art Gallery works in a loose partnership with Engine 22 studios, and both are located in the Cincy Glass building on W. 15th Street. Michael Hurst, gallery manager, was a cofounder of Engine 22, which now managed by artist Cedric Michael Cox. For two weeks each month, Harvest Art offers an emerging artist, often local or regional, the opportunity to showcase artwork. 

Says Hurst, “You don’t have to have a project idea or be from Over-the-Rhine or incorporate the community into your work. [Artists] email me images of their work and if I like it, I’ll offer them a show.” He encourages anyone to apply, from established artists to students and art instructors.

Artists receive 100 percent of the profits from show sales; they, in turn, provide refreshments and any paper-based marketing, like postcards or flyers. Harvest Art promotes the shows online via social media. For the rest of the month, artists who rent from Engine 22 Studios use the gallery space.  

In March, Jenny Grotte will display her invitingly tactile pieces made of materials ranging from paper to porcelain. With a new artist showcased every month, Harvest Art Gallery joins a growing effort to foster a strengthening artistic community and outlook in Cincinnati.

Do Good:

Visit: Harvest Art Gallery, including its newest one featuring the art of Jenny Grotte, which opens the second Friday in March.

Submit: Your artwork for an exhibit; contact Michael.

Support: The Cincinnati art community and non-profit galleries like Harvest Art with your donations and attendance at exhibits. Contact ArtsWave for information on the growing art community in Cincinnati.

By Becky Johnson