The Cincinnati Museum Center’s new kitchen space—plus three new exhibitions
Whether you’re a modern art lover, a science nerd or a diehard Reds fan, you’ve probably got your favorite museum in Cincinnati—and that museum has probably added something new since the last time you visited.
From a new kitchen-laboratory hybrid at the Cincinnati Museum Center to an exhibit of glass art by indigenous artists at the Cincinnati Art Museum, here’s what you need to see to make the most of Cincinnati’s museums this winter.
Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio
The new Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio at the Cincinnati Museum Center helps kids and parents find the delicious side of science. Part lab, part kitchen, the space will host a number of food-related programs allowing participants to cook together.
“Food is a pathway to history, culture and memory-making across multiple generations,” says Elizabeth Pierce, CMC’s president and CEO. “It creates a delicious and accessible tapestry that tells our regional and family stories.”
Since launching in November, the Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio has hosted several programs each month for different age levels. “Science by the Bite” classes are designed with homeschooled students ages 7-14 in mind, with January programs including a a “Muffin Mix-Up” (Jan. 25). “Junior Chefs” classes let parents and children cook together, while “Young Adult” classes are geared towards young people over age 18. Make sure to buy tickets in advance, as they sell out quickly.
“The Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio…will use food’s unique ability to bring people together to deepen our sense of community, our understanding of science and our appreciation of history,” Pierce says. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgatei. T-W Closed, Th-M 10 a.m.-5p.m. 513-287-7000, cincymuseum.org/create-culinary-studio/
And Above the Beautiful Commune
British artist Tai Shani’s first American solo show can be viewed at the Contemporary Arts Center through April 14. For “And above the beautiful commune,” Shani created a feature-length film, accompanied by a floor-based installation.
In 2019, the United Kingdom’s most prestigious art award, the Turner Prize, was awarded to four different artists after the nominees—one of whom was Shani—banded together in an unprecedented move. In a letter to the jury, Shani and her fellow nominees requested they be permitted to share the prize “in the name of commonality, multiplicity and solidarity.”
Shani’s art reflects that sense of collectivism and solidarity, drawing on queer, feminist and political theory, science fiction, Greek mythology and other sources. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown. M-Tu closed, W-F 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sa-Su, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 513-345-8400, contemporaryartscenter.org
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass
Through April 7, the Cincinnati Art Museum will exhibit “Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass,” a collection of glass artwork by contemporary Native American and Indigenous Pacific-Rim artists.
The exhibition, which was previously on display at the Wichita Art Museum, consists of more 120 works by 33 artists. The featured artworks use the medium of glass, reflecting and incorporating indigenous traditions, stories and symbols.
“Whether reinterpreting traditional stories and designs in the medium of glass or expressing contemporary issues affecting tribal societies, Native glass artists have created a content-laden body of work,” says curator Letitia Chambers.
“The merging of studio glass art with the history and iconography of Indigenous peoples has created a tribal aesthetic that reflects the 21st Century.” Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park. M closed, Tu-W & F-Su 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Th 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 513-721-2787, cincinnatiartmuseum.org
African Modernism in America
Opening Feb. 10 and running through May 19, the Taft Museum of Art’s “African Modernism in America” exhibit will celebrate African artists of the 1950s and ‘60s, exploring their relationship with American patrons and cultural organizations.
In the decades following World War II, American groups including the Harmon Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art and historically Black colleges and universities like Fisk University worked to support African artists and exhibit their art in the United States.
The Taft’s exhibition will feature at least 60 works of art by African modernists, many of them drawn from the collection at Fisk University Galleries. Key artists of the period include Nigeria’s Ben Enwonwu, Sudan’s Ibrahim El-Salahi and Ethiopia’s Skunder Boghossian.
The exhibition is coorganized by the American Federation of Arts and Fisk University Galleries. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown. Tu closed, W-M 10 a.m.-5 p.m. taftmuseum.org
