The Contemporary Arts Center continues to bring new exhibitions to the region during the pandemic

While many things have changed, the Contemporary Arts Center is still providing visitors with the opportunity to experience new art. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that continuously brings new exhibitions to the Cincinnati region and has remained open during the era of social distancing.

“Admission is free for all visitors and we follow strict cleaning protocols. We require mandatory masks and we have hand sanitizers throughout the gallery. You can get tickets for time slots to visit. I can assure visitors a safe experience,” says Raphaela Platow, the Alice & Harris Weston director and chief curator. “A museum is one of the safest areas because it is a large space with clean air that we frequently change the air filters.”

In addition, Platow feels that there may be no better time to visit an art museum than during a pandemic. “Art is a connector and inspiration to get creative with yourself and feel connected to the world. Feeling connected to ourselves is just as important during the pandemic,” she says.

Each of the CAC’s new exhibits provide a different perspective. During your visit, you can walk through all three at once or pick different days to focus on one at a time. Platow recommends selecting your time slot now, as they may fill up quickly.

The first exhibition is by New York-based artist Steffani Jemison. She’s opening her first solo Midwestern exhibition right here in Cincinnati, where she was raised. Titled “In Succession,” the exhibition will be open March 5 through Aug. 8. The exhibit has three videos titled In Succession 2019-2021. In the videos, the artist uses a figure to represent criminality, or turning away from what is viewed as right by the public. Using past events, Jemison has created a way for visitors to view a pattern and make their own assumptions of how society has changed over time.

“In Succession” also features kinetic sculptures that continue the story told in the videos. The sculptures are comprised of modified rock tumblers filled with materials such as rough black and brown colored stones, hardware, coins and found glass. According to the CAC website, Jemison chose these specific materials because some are made unusable due to the agitation while other materials represent medicinal properties. The sculptures move with the videos as they play, matching the cyclical patterns featured in the videos.

The second art exhibition, which will run March 5 through April 8, is titled “FLAW” and was created by artist Joan Tanner and guest curator Julien Robson. Tanner is known for her broad range, using paintings, photography, media, installation and sculptures in her art. Tanner’s goal with the exhibition is to challenge visitors to open their minds. Throughout the gallery, viewers will see art pieces hanging from the ceiling. The use of fiberglass panels are designed to make you guess where the corners are. Although the artwork is abstract, Tanner drew inspiration from CAC building, which was designed by Zaha Hadid. According to the CAC website, the structures hanging from the ceiling as well as the fiberglass panels represent the balancing of weight.

Artist Hellen Ascoli will also be opening an exhibit this spring—her first solo museum exhibit—that is named after her. Ascoli mixes technique and metaphors through a variety of sound, text, video, sculptures and installation. She mainly uses a weaving tool to create her pieces that does not require other equipment and relies on the surrounding atmosphere for its support.

Using this inspiration, the exhibition will show Ascoli exploring how bodies can transform. The installations she has created are from personally made fabrics as well as domestic items she has salvaged. Those items include a mattress, a kayak, leather gloves and more. In the promotion for the exhibition, Ascoli says, “Each weave is intimately related to the body it harnesses: its warp is the width of my hips, its length mirrors my height, its designs are spaced by the threads I can hold in my hand. It carries memory through touch, a proximity sense. I choose to use materials that reveal vestiges of bodies that were once there.” The exhibit runs April 9 and through Sept. 19.