Roaring Ahead
Cincinnati Ballet brings glitz, jazz and roaring 1920s flair to the Aronoff Center with the North American premiere of Septime Webre’s “The Great Gatsby,“ from Nov. 7 to 15.
The Great Gatsby
Aronoff Center for the Arts
650 Walnut Street
Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 9, 1 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets and info at cballet.org
Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!
Especially when it’s a retelling of the Great American Novel, with a live jazz band, tap dancer, singer, actor, dog, and dancers from Cincinnati Ballet.
Cincinnati Ballet brings the North American premiere of Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby to the Aronoff Center for the Arts for eight performances, Nov. 7–15. I
t’s Gatsby like you’ve never seen it before.
Internationally acclaimed choreographer and Hong Kong Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre has created a full-length ballet, retelling the classic story of the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
“The Great Gatsby is an unforgettable invitation into the Roaring Twenties, filled with glittering parties romance, and the irresistible energy of live jazz,” says The Katherine and Richard Rosenthal Cincinnati Ballet Artistic Director Cervilio Amador. “With dazzling choreography, spectacular projections, and a state-of-the-art LED wall, this production immerses audiences in a world that feels larger than life. At its heart, Gatsby’s story of hope, ambition, and longing will resonate long after the curtain falls.”
To bring Webre’s grand production to North America, various ballet companies joined forces to share the ambitious costs of shipping and assembling the set from Hong Kong. Kansas City Ballet will perform The Great Gatsby following the November premiere in Cincinnati.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby, that inspired Webre’s full-length ballet version. Cincinnati Ballet will celebrate this anniversary in style, bringing along local singer Mandy Gaines, local actor and narrator Wesley Carman, two tap dancers, and live jazz band, Billy Novick's Blue Syncopators from Boston, to join company dancers on stage.
The production also features an original score by Billy Novick and costumes by Tim Yip, best known for his work on the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Off to See the Wizard?
Don't miss your chance to see “The Wizard of Oz” this weekend, the first production by Children's Theatre of Cincinnati in the new Emery Theater.
The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition
Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
Emery Theater, 1112 Walnut St.
Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2 and 5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
Tickets start at $12. Get tickets at thechildrenstheatre.com.
After decades of anticipation, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) is bringing audiences “home” to the historic Emery Theater—fully restored and reimagined as the most technologically advanced proscenium-style theater in the nation.
To celebrate this landmark moment, TCT launches its 2025–2026 MainStage Season with the one-hour “youth edition” of L. Frank Baum’s timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz.
This triumphant homecoming production will transport families over the rainbow as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion follow the Yellow Brick Road in a dazzling theatrical event that blends tradition with innovation. Audiences tonight will be the very first to experience the rebirth of The Emery—where 100 years of history meets the future of live theatre.
“The Emery Theater is more than a stage—it’s a symbol of Cincinnati’s cultural heartbeat. To open these doors again with The Wizard of Oz, a story about finding your way home, is both poetic and powerful,” said Kim Kern, president and CEO of TCT. “We are thrilled to welcome families back to this extraordinary theater and begin a new chapter of wonder, imagination, and community.”
Directed by TCT’s Artistic Director Roderick Justice and choreographed by TCT’s Associate Artistic Director, Maddie Jones, The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition promises a wickedly colorful adventure audiences will never forget. Ideal for ages 4+. This production runs approximately one hour without intermission.
Breaking Free
The Contemporary Arts Center launches its 2025–26 season Oct. 18 with a groundbreaking exhibition by Cincinnati native Sheida Soleimani.
Sheida Soleimani: What a Revolutionary Must Know
Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St.
Opens Friday, Oct. 17
Opening Reception: Friday, Oct. 24
For more information visit cincycac.org.
What a Revolutionary Must Know marks the first regional solo exhibition by Sheida Soleimani (b. 1990), an internationally acclaimed artist who grew up in Cincinnati and studied at the University of Cincinnati. Through photographs, sculptures, and a powerful video installation, Soleimani ghostwrites the lives of her parents—charting their escape from Iran following the rise of the current totalitarian regime in 1979.
“CAC has always been a space to champion bold and new ideas,” said Christina Vassallo, Alice & Harris Weston Executive Director. “We’re proud to open our 2025–2026 season with What a Revolutionary Must Know, a homecoming exhibition that offers powerful new ways to navigate the personal and the political.”
The exhibition features Soleimani’s Ghostwriter series, in which she “writes” her parents’ biographies through collaborative, staged photographs. The work reconstructs the couple’s harrowing journey from Iran to eventual reunification in the United States in the late 1980s. Through surreal and symbolic compositions—rooted in the aesthetics of Surrealism and Magical Realism—Soleimani blends history and memory into images that serve as monuments to survival, resistance, and healing.
Rather than retraumatizing, Soleimani’s photographs and video aim to repair. Her parents perform their memories inside life-size sets built by the artist—her mother’s solitary confinement cell recreated from a drawing she made years earlier; her father’s horse draped in rugs he once smuggled out of Iran. These deeply personal scenes become acts of reclaiming narrative and agency.
“Sheida Soleimani’s work reveals how global conflict leaves lasting marks on personal lives,” said Theresa Bembnister, CAC Curator. “What a Revolutionary Must Know is a timely reminder that the political is never separate from the personal—and through collaborative storytelling, Soleimani transforms memory into resistance.”
Soleimani is an Iranian-American artist, educator, and activist whose multidisciplinary practice excavates histories of violence connecting Iran, the United States, and the Greater Middle East. Working across photography, sculpture, collage, and film, she recontextualizes media-sourced imagery into striking visual narratives. Her recent bodies of work examine topics ranging from survivor testimony (To Oblivion) and oil politics (Medium of Exchange) to the ethics of reparations (Reparations Packages). With Ghostwriter, Soleimani turns her lens inward, offering a deeply personal reckoning with the intimate effects of geopolitical violence—stories often absent from mainstream Western news coverage.
Beyond her studio practice, Soleimani is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and founder of Congress of the Birds, a Providence, Rhode Island-based clinic that treats upwards of 1,000 injured and orphaned wild birds each year. This commitment to care is part of a lineage passed down from her mother, a political refugee from Iran who had trained as a nurse but, after resettling in the United States, could no longer practice medicine. Instead, she began volunteering with a local wildlife rehabilitation center, where Soleimani grew up surrounded by the work of healing wild creatures. Today, that ethos of care—whether for family, community, or the natural work—threads through her art practice as well, underscoring how tending to lives at risk can itself be a radical, revolutionary act.
The Art of It All
From the Good n' Rooted Market with works by local makers to poetry and storytelling at the Freedom Center, America's River Roots highlights incredible art and artists.
Long renowned as an arts center, Cincinnati has been home to artists, musicians, and authors throughout its history. With an opera, symphony, art museums, and theaters, no celebration of our local history would be complete without a robust and diverse arts lineup.
With musical performances that include classical, gospel, folk and indie, the America’s River Roots Festival also offers arts experiences that touch on the region’s rich legacy of artisan craft, story-telling, and even filmmaking.
The Good N' Rooted artisan market, kicking off Thursday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m., features more than 40 local merchants selling handcrafted items, art, jewelry and more.. Organized by Rachel DesRochers, founder of Grateful Grahams and the Incubator Kitchen Collective, the market is a great way to experience all the Cincy Region has to offer and support your local communities and economy.
Good N’ Rooted is on the Purple People Bridge, connecting Cincinnati and Newport, open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the festival.
The River Talk series, which also kicks off on Thursday, offer a different take on culture and history through discussion and performances. Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, these free programs are a lively and engaging way to take a deeper look at the city’s past.
Straight Outta the Underground
Thursday, Oct. 9 11 a.m.; Friday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Uncover the truth about America’s 200-year-old struggle with slavery when you play a part in this historic retelling. On this journey, you’ll follow Harriet Tubman, the most recognized conductor of the Underground Railroad. Nicknamed “Moses,” Harriet Tubman lived up to her name by gaining her own freedom, as well as traveling back and forth from North to South over 19 times and freeing over 300 enslaved people!
Scenes from Ellis Island: An Afternoon with Benjamin Verdery
Thursday, Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m.
Queen City Club
Famed Yale guitar composer and instructor Benjamin Verdery will perform with CCM guitar musicians his award-winning Scenes from Ellis Island suite. He will also be demonstrating the history of guitar through the musical styles of iconic musicians, Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis and the impact these artists have had on contemporary music.
The Arts in the Queen City: An Afternoon with the Directors of the Opera, Symphony & Ballet
Friday, Oct. 10, 12 p.m.
The Mercantile Library
The CEOS of from Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Ballet will join panel host Victoria Morgan to discuss the contemporary state of arts organizations and the realities facing them. Our panelists will also discuss the role the Performing Arts play in the richness of our city with an eye on both the historical and contemporaneous view of their impact.
The Cincinnati Food Shed: An Afternoon with R. Alan Wight
Friday, Oct. 10, 2:30 p.m.
The Mercantile Library
Noted academic R. Alan Wight will discuss his new project highlighting the unique role the Cincinnati Food Shed and the Ohio River Valley shaped our national and global food systems.
Experience the Power of Art and Legacy of Robert S. Duncanson
Saturday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m..
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Join the Taft Museum of Art’s Duncanson Program as it takes center stage on Saturday, from 1–3 pm. As part of the program’s vibrant Fall Pop Up Event series, we’re proud to welcome two extraordinary former Duncanson Artists-in-Residence—Annie Ruth and Ajanae Dawkins—for an unforgettable afternoon of spoken word, poetry, and performance. Hosted by Duncanson Program Manager Kareem A. Simpson, this dynamic showcase celebrates the enduring power of creativity, community, and storytelling. Come be inspired as we uplift voices and honor the artistic spirit rooted in freedom and cultural legacy.
The Freedom Center will be free on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, interpreting 250 years of America's journey toward inclusive freedom through the lens of Southwest Ohio—honoring its founding as a free state in 1803 and celebrating the enduring contributions and excellence of marginalized communities today.
On Friday, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m., Freedom Center will be home to a poetry reading. Created in collaboration with the Ohio Poetry Association, Ohio: The Body Poetic is inspired by the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. with poems inspired by the river and freedom. The program includes a ready by Cincinnati Poet Laureate Dick Hague, along with more than 10 other poetts.
Poets are at the forefront of history and our voices have always been a powerful source of cultural awareness.
Installations at the Freedom Center include the Anderson Slave Pen, brought to life through docents, interpreters, and a discussion of source materials like letters and auction/probate records, experiential and sensory learning designed to engage visitors of all ages, and speakers, presentations, performances, and artistic expressions for the Harriet Tubman stage and Grand Hall.
Sounds From The River, an interactive educational concert and curriculum by Kathy Wade, will be performed on Saturday, Oct. 11, 1:30 pm. at Yeatman’s Cove. The program brings to life the music and stories born along America’s great waterways. Tracing the historical development and migration of music from the diverse populations that traveled along the Ohio River, Sounds From The River, will becoe part of a national curriculum that will share the river’s stories with students across the country.
On Friday, the documentary “Kings of Them All” premieres on CETconnect and other PBS stations. This documentary by Yemi Oyediran, explores the influences and musical trailblazers who have quietly kept Cincinnati in the music scene for decades.
Once Around
The Hyde Park Square Art Show returns this Sunday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featuring more than 200 artists from the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country, this is one of Cincinnati’s oldest and most well-respected art shows,
Hyde Park Square Art Show
Sunday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Corner of Edwards Road and Erie Avenue
Free and open to the public.
One of Cincinnati’s oldest and most well-respected art shows returns with the Hyde Park Square Art Show.
“We are looking forward to being back on the Square again with so many returning and new artists,” says Janet Smith, a longtime organizer of the annual event. “Along with being a great place to buy art, which the artists love, it's also a great celebration of our local creative community.”
The Hyde Park Square Art Show features more than 200 artists from the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country, exhibiting and selling works in a wide variety of media, including painting, photography, glass, jewelry, wood, fiber/leather, and ceramics. The art show draws more than 3,000 attendees each year.
“Not only can you see incredible work by professional artists, but the Show is also a showcase for youth artists from area schools,” says Smith. “We also offer scholarships to college students as a way to continue to develop artists for the future.”
This year's scholarship winners are Rachel Paxitzis (Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts), Molly Rahtz (University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, and Hannah Wardlow. (Northern Kentucky University School of the Arts).
Launched in 1966, the Hyde Park Square Art Show has grown from the vision of two Hyde Park businessmen into a community-wide event that supports the arts and arts education throughout the year. It is the largest one-day art show in Greater Cincinnati. All work included in the Hyde Park Square Art Show is reviewed by a panel of judges, comprised of artists, art educators and gallery owners.
First Look
The Contemporary Arts Center celebrates of the opening of two new works in the Creativity Center with Opening Reception, a free Family Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4.
New art always calls for a celebration!
Join the celebration at CAC’s Creativity Center and Sara M. and Patricia A. Vance Education Center—The UnMuseum® on Saturday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as local artists Sarah Rodriguez and Julia Orquera Bianco talk about the inspirations behind their works on exhibition during the Fall Family Festival “Opening Reception!”
Throughout the day, artists of all ages can
Design a painted, hanging tapestry inspired by Julia Bianco’s garden banners.
Experiment with botanical paints and seed paper with the artist Devan Horton.
Create a DIY magnet with Indigo Hippo to take home or add to the new mural fridge on the sixth floor.
Work with CAC’s new Artist in Residence, Bear Vogt, to create art from repurposed materials.
At 1 p.m. with Bianco and Rodriguez, along with CAC Teen Apprentices who assisted with the new community mural will hold a family-friendly artist talk.
Rodriquez’s community mural, “Family Function” represents a dream-like version of the artist’s grandma’s kitchen—a space shaped by family gatherings and the bustle of the day. Often investigating themes of identity, kinship, and belonging, the artist asks us to consider the functionality of our kitchens as a passageway to move from one space to another, and as a gathering space for family, friends, and love. Rodriquez worked on the mural with five Teen Apprentices throughout the summer.
Julia Bianco’s “PACHAS” is an installation comprised of four large-scale, textile banners, each depicting an animal and a plant. Rooted in the Andean cosmovision, the work explores the concept of the three interconnected pachas or worlds, each protected by a guardian animal: Uku Pacha, the underworld, guarded by the Snake, Kay Pacha, the world of humans and nature, guarded by the Jaguar, and Hanan Pacha, the celestial realm, guarded by the Condor.
The Family Festival celebration is free and open to the public. More at cincycac.org.
True Blue
Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking, opening Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Taft Museum of Art, showcases the skill, design sensibility, and artistry of the women who made them.
Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking
Oct 4 to Jan. 11, 2026
Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St.
General admission is free for Taft members, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; and $12 for seniors. Admission is free on Sundays and Mondays.
Find more on tickets, programs and events, at taftmuseum.org/Exhibitions/Indigo.
Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking brings 20 quilts from the International Quilt Museum to the Taft Museum of Art, showcasing a range of indigo dyeing techniques as well as the skill, design sensibility, and artistry of the women who made them.
For thousands of years, people around the world have treasured indigo-dyed textiles for their dreamy shades of blue—from pale sky to inky midnight—and resistance to fading. Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking explores this rich global tapestry of historical and artistic significance through quilts created between the early 1800s to 2015, from America and beyond. Highlights include Whole Cloth Quilt with “Flying Geese” Border (possibly Hudson River Valley, New York, 1820–1840); String Squares Quilt (about 1925) by Rella Thompson (American, born about 1878); Patchwork Quilt (Nigeria, about 2010); and Mirage Quilt (2014)by Shizuko Kuroha (Japanese, 1938–2024), each reflecting the maker’s heritage and cross-cultural influences on indigo dyeing.
“This exhibition highlights the intricate designs and incredible sewing skills of women textile artists through the lens of indigo, one of the oldest and most coveted dyes in the world. Museum visitors will learn about how quilts are made, different ways of dyeing cloth with indigo, and how indigo’s fascinating history continues today—clothing manufacturers still use it to give blue jeans their distinctive color,” says Taft Museum of Art Assistant Curator, Angela Fuller, who is curating the museum's presentation of the exhibition.
The exhibition run includes several opportunities to learn from regional artists and quiltmakers through workshops, demonstrations, family days, and a “Stitch ‘n’ B*tch” night at the museum. Visitors can also enjoy curator tours led by assistant curator, Angela Fuller, on Oct. 15 and Dec. 17. The exhibition's Signature Talk on Oct. 23—Many Hands Make Light the Work: Indigo and Quilting in South Carolina—will feature Virginia Theerman, curator of historic textiles at the Charleston Museum.
Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking is organized by the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, home to the largest public collection of quilts in the world.
Window on the World
CVG Airport and ArtsWave are celebrating World Tourism Day with a new mural at CVG's Welcome Point that features iconic characters and places from across the region.
Travelers arriving at CVG Airport on World Tourism Day (Sept. 27) will enjoy a striking new visual experience in the space known as the Welcome Point. “Pearls Before Swine,” a mural by Curtis Goldstein and Matt Lynch, features photo fragments and digital imagery cut into the shapes of 26 iconic characters and places across the region.
In partnership with ArtsWave, and through the efforts of the Northern Kentucky Placemaking Program, CVG worked with artists Goldstein and Lynch to create an engaging installation at the recently renovated Welcome Point. The NKY Placemaking Program is a collaboration between ArtsWave and meetNKY that leverages the power of the arts to shape stronger, more vibrant communities across the region.
“We designed it in a way that you might have an immediate response to the visual presence, but then each time you pass by, you might notice something else,” Lynch said. “It’s designed to be more rewarding the more often you pass by it.”
People and places silhouetted in the mural include musician Bootsy Collins, actress Doris Day, the Tyler Davidson fountain, Cincinnatus, baseball legend Pete Rose and author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Interspersed throughout are glimpses of what Lynch calls “the grittiness we love Cincinnati for” - rust, sediment, peeling paint, vines growing on buildings.
“We wanted to represent the contrast between grit and glamour,” he said.
The airport’s sign shop printed all the images for the mural, in keeping with the mural’s emphasis on advertising-style graphics, Lynch said.
Learn more about “Pearls Before Swine” here.
On the other side of the Welcome Point, facing “Pearls Before Swine,” are two mosaics that are part of the Work/Surface series, also created by Goldstein and Lynch. The mosaics are made from laser-cut Formica laminate, a famously durable material invented in Cincinnati. Each piece depicts industrial interiors in the Cincinnati region and the diversity of Cincinnati’s workforce. The series is inspired by Winold Reiss’s Industrial Murals, which were completed for Cincinnati’s Union Terminal in the early 1930s.
Learn more about the Work/Surface Series here.
“This mural is a great addition to our Welcome Point” said Larry Krauter, chief executive officer. “The art evokes a dynamic expression of our community that captures different perspectives of our sense of place each time it is viewed. This is brilliant because the mural literally refreshes itself for enjoyment by travelers as well as meeters/greeeters. We're so grateful to Curtis, Matt, and the ArtsWave team for this partnership.”
About the Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking Initiative
The Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking Initiative is a strategic partnership between ArtsWave and meetNKY to increase cultural vibrancy across Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. Through artist-led projects like murals, performances, and installations in public spaces, the initiative showcases the region’s creative identity, enhances the visitor experience, and supports economic growth. It advances ArtsWave’s mission to put build a vibrant economy and connected community throughout the Cincinnati region.
About ArtsWave
ArtsWave fuels the Cincinnati region’s arts, supporting 150+ organizations, projects and artists each year. Since 1927, it has been the primary way the region funds the arts, raising millions annually from tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and foundations to drive a more vibrant economy and connected community. Through the Blueprint for Collective Action, ArtsWave strategically makes investments that maximize the arts’ impact across the region. To learn more and give, visit artswave.org.
Game Day Communications | 700 West Pete Rose Way | Cincinnati, OH 45203 US
Thanks; and Ever Thanks
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company recently received the largest bequest in its history from longtime friend, patron, and supporter Virginia “Jinny” Browning.
This month, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) was humbled to receive a $1,000,000 bequest from longtime friend, patron, and supporter Virginia “Jinny” Browning. This extraordinary gift – the largest bequest ever made to CSC – will strengthen CSC’s programming, operations, and endowment, helping ensure that the power of live classical theatre will inspire and connect generations to come.
“Our dear friend Jinny was incredibly generous to CSC in so many ways,” said Brian Isaac Phillips, CSC producing artistic director and CEO. “Her time, her expertise, and her passion helped make CSC a better place. I am humbled that she chose to remember CSC in this meaningful way. She will always be a part of who we are and what we do.”
Browning’s relationship with CSC began in 2012, when she saw Isaac Phillips perform in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. From that night on, she became not only a faithful audience member but also a dedicated donor. Her generosity touched nearly every part of CSC: she provided annual support for operations, invested in the campaign to build the Otto M. Budig Theater, and, most importantly, offered friendship, encouragement, and belief in the Company’s mission.
For many at CSC, Browning was more than a patron – she was family. In one memory, Sara Clark, CSC’s director of development, visited Browning at her home in Maysville, Ky. Together with a colleague, she performed the famous Romeo and Juliet balcony scene right in her living room.
“That’s the kind of supporter Jinny was,” Clark said. “She welcomed us into her home, celebrated the art we created, and made sure it would thrive long into the future. Her bequest is an act of love as much as generosity.”
Browning’s gift also shines a light on CSC’s growing Planned Giving program, which invites supporters to make a lasting difference by including CSC in their estate plans.
“We hope Jinny’s generosity encourages others to imagine the legacy they can leave,” Clark added. “Her gift ensures that CSC will continue bringing people together for Shakespeare and the classics for years to come.”
Donors inspired by Browning’s example can learn more at cincyshakes.com/Legacy .
A Wine Art
Experience the Art of Wine at the Contemporary Arts Center on Thursday, Sept. 25, for a sensory journey guided by CAC’s curatorial team and their in-house sommelier.
Looking for an unforgettable date night?
Art of Wine
Thursday, Sept. 25, 5–7 p.m.
Tickets: $100/person; $175/couple.
Member exclusive discount: $90 per person or $150 per couple. Includes full access to wine flights, bites, and the curatorial experience.
Reservations at cincycac.org.
Experience the Art of Wine at the Contemporary Arts Center on Thursday, Sept. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. for a sensory journey guided by CAC’s curatorial team and their in-house sommelier.
The Art of Wine invites guests to explore thoughtfully curated wine flights, paired with thematic insights in a guided tour through the CAC’s galleries.
More than a wine tasting, this immersive experience is designed to deepen connections to both art and wine.
The evening includes
Three expertly curated wine flights
A guided group tour through current exhibitions
Curatorial storytelling highlighting art, creativity, and its relationship to wine
Small bites crafted to enhance the tasting experience
Bottles available for pre-order
Limited seating is available for this intimate event, perfect for wine lovers and art enthusiasts eager to taste and see from a new perspective.
Show and Tell
The OneNKY Center Gallery, Fueled by ArtsWave opens during a special event on Friday, Sept. 12, through a partnership with the Northern Kentucky Port Authority and meetNKY.
“The OneNKY Center Gallery, Fueled by ArtsWave, illustrates the idea that arts and culture are fundamental to creating vibrant, connected communities,” said Alecia Kintner, president and CEO of ArtsWave. “This gallery is more than decoration, it’s a strategic investment that shows how the arts transform public spaces into meaningful experiences and how important the creative economy is to the future of the region.”
Grand Opening of the OneNKY Center
209 Greenup Street
Covington, KY 41011
Friday, Sept. 12
10:00 a.m.Registration
10:15 a.m.Program Begins
10:45 a.m.Tours of the Building
12:00 p.m.Event Concludes
ArtsWave, in partnership with Northern Kentucky Port Authority (NKY Port) and meetNKY, opens the OneNKY Center Gallery on Friday, Sept. 12 inside the new OneNKY Center at 209 Greenup St. The gallery’s inaugural exhibition will showcase regional lens-based artists and serve as a cultural gateway for visitors to Northern Kentucky.
That purpose of the gallery is reflected in the design of the space itself. The gallery will feature up to 20 professionally framed photographs that capture the essence and vibrancy of Northern Kentucky public art. The gallery was built into the plans for the OneNKY Center from the start, underscoring the role of art in shaping how the public experiences this new regional hub and the region itself.
For this collaboration the NKY Port matched ArtsWave’s $10,000 investment and meetNKY will provide a permanent gallery rail system and lighting.
“When planning the OneNKY Center, we knew art wasn’t just a ‘nice to have’ but an essential part of creating a welcoming space,” said Christine Russell, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority and vice president of strategy at BE NKY Growth Partnership. “This gallery reflects the importance of integrating the arts into economic development and community building.
The inaugural exhibition features a curated selection of professionally framed photographs highlighting both traditional and modern public art in Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties. The works were chosen through a collaborative process among ArtsWave and its OneNKY Center partners, designed to create a museum-quality gallery experience for both visitors and tenants of the building. Following the initial exhibition, the partners plan to launch an Artist-in-Residence Program in Spring 2026, further deepening the connection between the building and the regional arts community.
“The arts are a critical component of what makes Northern Kentucky a distinctive destination,” says Julie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of meetNKY. “Creative placemaking initiatives like this showcase our authentic character and tell our story in engaging ways that can resonate with everyone in the region.”
The gallery is part of ArtsWave’s Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking initiatives, which use strategic arts investments to strengthen cultural identity and economic vitality through a thriving creative economy.
The OneNKY Center is a 47,000-square-foot Class A office building at the foot of the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge. It houses 10 regional growth organizations: meetNKY, LifeSciKY, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, Thomas More University Division of External Affairs, BE NKY Growth Partnership, Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky, OneNKY Alliance, The Catalytic Fund and EducateNKY. ArtsWave’s director of creative placemaking will also operate out of the OneNKY Center, representing the organization’s first-ever satellite office.
Bold Moves
Cincinnati Ballet opens the 2025-2026 Season with the return of thee perennial favorite, “The Kaplan New Works Series” at the Aronoff Center, Sept. 12–20.
Rehearsal photos of "Kaplan New Works," courtesy Cincinnati Ballet.
The KAPLAN NEW WORKS Series
Jarson-Kaplan Theatre
Aronoff Center for the Arts
650 Walnut Street
Friday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets available at cballet.org.
Get on your feet! The Cincinnati Ballet season starts this weekend.
“The Kaplan New Works,” features world premieres from four internationally sought-after choreographers—Yoshihisa Arai, Caroline Dahm, Andonis Foniadakis, and Andrea Giselle Schermoly.
The costumes from “Kaplan New Work” are being designed by local fashion designer Eliana Batsakis and Paris-based, Greek fashion designer Anastasios Sofroniou.
Cincinnati native Batsakis returns for a second year as the costume designer for “New Works” after taking on the role last season. Batsakis, founder of an eponymous fashion brand, has been recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America has been featured in Netflix’s “Next in Fashion,” “Vanity Fair” and earned a spot on “Forbes 30 Under 30 List” for Cincinnati.
Sofroniou is a fashion industry veteran who has worked with Foniadakis for more than a decade, has collaborated with companies such as Nike, Vogue US, and GQ UK, among many others.
WORLD PREMIERE | Yoshihisa Arai
Yoshihisa Arai is a choreographer and the Cincinnati Ballet-Second Company CB2 Director. Arai has created several acclaimed works for The Joffrey Ballet—Boléro, Élégie, and Afternoon Watch—and reimagined Appalachian Spring for the Joffrey Studio Company. In 2023, he directed and choreographed Cåraboo: A Chamber Opera. He has since collaborated on world premieres with artists such as Christopher Wheeldon, Alondra de la Parra, and the Colorado Ballet.
WORLD PREMIERE | Caroline Dahm
Caroline Dahm is a professional dancer and choreographer from Los Angeles, California. She has set original works on the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Ballet, Musical Theater Heritage, Newport Contemporary Ballet, and Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company, among others.
WORLD PREMIERE | Andonis Foniadakis
Described as “one of the most important choreographers of the moment” by Die Deutsche Bühne, Greek-born Andonis Foniadakis is known for his eccentric, futuristic style. His choreography includes commissions for Martha Graham Dance Company, Sydney Dance Company, Cedar Lake, Philadelphia Ballet, Ballet du Rhin, Ballet Jazz de Montréal, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Bejart Ballet Lausanne, and many others.
WORLD PREMIERE | Andrea Giselle Schermoly
Andrea Giselle Schermoly, a South African-born choreographer, has created and staged works for numerous companies worldwide, including Royal New Zealand Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Kansas City Ballet, BalletMet, Richmond Ballet, and Compañía Nacional de Danza, among others. Schermoly’s choreography spans stage and screen. She directed and choreographed the dance films Rite of Spring for Louisville Ballet, In Passing for The Ashley Bouder Project. choreographed for feature films, commercials, and music videos in Hollywood, including Beautiful Now, Bunheads, Get Lost, Justin Bieber/Poo Bear, and Deorro.
Freedom of Choice
Cincinnati has amazing museums! But what's the best place for the little ones? We offer a breakdown of where to go and what to do for everyone in the family.
You’ve done the parks, you’ve conquered the splash pads, and now you’re staring at a rainy forecast (or just need some glorious A/C). The idea of a museum sounds perfect—educational, cultural, and indoors! But taking a toddler to a museum can feel like a high-stakes gamble. Will they be mesmerized by art or will they try to climb a priceless sculpture?
As a fellow parent navigating the toddler years, I've done the legwork for you. Here’s the ultimate, toddler-tested guide to Cincinnati's museums, from “let them run wild” to “maybe wait a year.”
The Duke Energy Children's Museum
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 5/5
This isn’t just a museum with a kids’ section; it's a toddler paradise. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and it’s built for little hands to touch everything.
Dedicated Toddler Zone: The “Little Sprouts Farm” is a gated area specifically for kids 4 and under. It has a soft infant garden, a small slide and plenty of things to climb on and explore without getting trampled by the big kids.
Hands-On Heaven: From the water play tables, to the kid-sized Kroger and vet clinic, the entire museum is one giant “yes, you can touch that.”
Run-Around Factor: Extremely high. This is the place to go to burn off that endless toddler energy. Rosie will spend half of our time dancing on the little stage!
The Cost: Admission to the Children's Museum is required for adults and children over 3. A Museum Center membership can be a great value if you plan to go often.
The Verdict: If you’re looking for a place designed purely for kids to play, explore, and be loud, this is your top choice. It's the gold standard for a reason.
Cincinnati Art Museum
Location: Eden Park
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 4/5
An art museum might not scream “toddler-friendly,” but you'll be pleasantly surprised. It’s a fantastic option, especially because general admission is always free!
The Magic Room: The Rosenthal Education Center (REC) on the first floor is a game-changer. It’s a dedicated, hands-on creative space for families that changes themes throughout the year. It's the perfect place to decompress after a quiet stroll through the galleries.
Baby-Specific Programming: The museum offers “Public Baby Tours” for the 0-2 crowd, designed to stimulate their minds with high-contrast art and sensory experiences.
Run-Around Factor: Low in the galleries, high in the REC. It’s a great place to practice “quiet feet“ and “gentle hands” before letting loose in the art-making space.
The Cost: General admission is FREE for everyone. Parking is also free. You can’t beat that value.
The Verdict: For a low-cost, high-culture outing, the Art Museum is a fantastic choice. Start in the REC to get the wiggles out, then see how long you can last in the main galleries.
The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)
Location: Downtown Cincinnati
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 3.5/5
Don't let the “contemporary art” title intimidate you. The CAC has a hidden gem that makes it a surprisingly great spot for little ones.
The Creativity Center: Head straight to the 6th floor to the Creativity Center, also known as the UnMuseum®. It’s an entire floor dedicated to interactive, hands-on exhibits where kids are encouraged to play, build, and create.
Toddler-Specific Programming: The CAC hosts “Thursday Art Play,” a drop-in program for kids 2-6 with art-making and even yoga. It’s a great structured activity.
Run-Around Factor: High on the 6th floor, but the other galleries are traditional, quiet spaces.
The Cost: Admission to the CAC is $12 for those over 18. The Thursday Art Play program is just $5 per child (members are free).
The Verdict: A fantastic option for parents who want to see some thought-provoking art themselves, with the reward of a super fun, interactive play space for the kids.
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum
Location: Great American Ball Park
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 3/5
For the little slugger in training, the Reds Hall of Fame is a surprisingly fun outing, especially when you consider its biggest perk: location, location, location!
Interactive Fun: While much of the museum is memorabilia behind glass, there are some great hands-on moments. Kids can sit in a real broadcast booth, see their name in lights on a giant scoreboard, and even make their own baseball card.
The Ultimate Perk: The museum is attached to Great American Ball Park, which has multiple playgrounds! The TriHealth Family Zone on the View Level is a hidden gem with a playground and amazing river views. On game days, the First Star Fan Zone is buzzing with energy.
Run-Around Factor: Low inside the museum, but infinite right outside at the adjacent park and playgrounds at Smale Riverfront Park.
The Cost: Admission is required for adults, but kids 12 and under are FREE! This makes it a very affordable trip.
The Verdict: A fantastic choice, especially when paired with a walk along the river or a trip to the ballpark playgrounds. The free admission for kids makes it a budget-friendly way to introduce your little one to a Cincinnati institution.
The Taft Museum of Art
Location: Downtown Cincinnati
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 2/5
The Taft is a beautiful museum inside a historic home, which immediately makes it a bit tricky for a toddler on the move. However, it’s not without its charms for the younger crowd if you plan your visit right.
Structured Fun: The Taft offers “Create & Play” on the third Wednesday of each month, a program specifically for ages 2 to 5 that includes a story, a gallery visit, and art-making.
Hands-On Activities: During the specific family programs, yes. In the main galleries, it's a definite “no-touch” zone.
Run-Around Factor: Very low. This is a place for quiet feet and inside voices. The beautiful garden outside is a great spot to run around before or after your visit.
The Cost: Admission is required. Members are free, and they participate in the Museums for All program.
The Verdict: Skip a casual drop-in with a wild toddler. Instead, sign up for one of their excellent preschool programs to get the best, most toddler-friendly experience.
American Sign Museum
Location: Camp Washington
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 2/5
This place is a feast for the eyes! The flashing lights, bright colors, and buzzing sounds of vintage signs are incredibly stimulating and might just mesmerize your toddler. However, it’s a museum of things, not a place for play.
Look, Don’t Touch: This is the museum's biggest challenge for the toddler crowd. The collection is fascinating but fragile, and it's not a hands-on experience. You'll spend a lot of time saying, “Wow, look with your eyes!”
Run-Around Factor: Low to moderate. It's a large, open warehouse space, so there’s room to walk without feeling too confined, but it's not a place to let them run free.
Stroller Friendliness: Very. The concrete floors and wide aisles make it easy to navigate with a stroller, which might be your best friend for containing a curious kiddo here.
The Cost: Admission is required for adults, but children 12 and under are FREE, which is a huge plus.
The Verdict: A fantastic, visually stunning trip for older kids and adults. For toddlers, it’s a bit of a gamble. If you have a little one who is happy to be in the stroller and just take in the sights and sounds, it's a great and affordable outing. If you have a “must-touch-everything” explorer, you might want to save this one for when they're a little older.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Location: Downtown Cincinnati
Toddler-Friendliness Score: 1/5
This is one of the most important and powerful museums in the country. Its content is profound, moving, and vital. However, it is not designed with a toddler's entertainment in mind.
Know Your Toddler: This is a quiet, reflective space for reading and learning. The subject matter is serious and complex. A visit with a toddler is absolutely possible, but it’s best for a child who is content to ride in a stroller or be worn in a carrier.
Hands-On Activities: Very few. This is a “look and listen” museum. There are some films and audio exhibits, but it's not an interactive playground. The monthly Fifth Third Community Days offer free admission for all and child-friendly program options.
Run-Around Factor: Extremely low. The atmosphere is quiet and respectful, making it a tough environment for a toddler who needs to move.
The Cost: Admission is required for adults, but children under 3 are FREE.
The Verdict: Visit this museum for you. It's an incredible experience for adults and older children. Bring the toddler along (especially since they're free!), but have realistic expectations. This is a perfect trip for a napping baby or a very calm toddler who is happy to be along for the ride in their stroller.
– Shae Huth
A Rising Tide
ArtsWave celebrates the milestone fifth anniversary season of Flow, An African American Arts Experience, with cross-venue subscription series and pre-event community socials.
Flow, An African American Arts Experience
Oct. 17 – “Marcus Leslie Singleton: Next Steps,” Contemporary Arts Center
Jan. 17, 2026 – “American Voices” with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,
April 24 – August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
July 9 – “Lalovavi” Cincinnati Opera
More information and subscriptions available at artswave.org/flowpass.
ArtsWave, in collaboration with four of the region’s outstanding arts organizations, presents the milestone fifth anniversary season of Flow, An African American Arts Experience,.
This cross-venue subscription series, the Flow Pass, presented by Fifth Third Bank, features four premier Black-centered arts events across Cincinnati's most prestigious venues.
For just $200, Flow Pass subscribers will receive premium access to four distinctive, Black-centered events spanning visual art, orchestral music, theater and opera. Each experience features an all-inclusive pre-show Flow Social, sponsored by Triversity Construction, featuring drinks, light bites, and opportunities to connect with artists, sponsors and a growing community of fellow arts supporters.
“As we mark five years of Flow, we celebrate a growing audience for Black artistry on Cincinnati's most prestigious stages,” says Alecia Kintner, ArtsWave president and CEO. “The Flow Pass isn’t just a ticket, it's about joining a community that’s committed to sustaining diverse voices and perspectives in our cultural landscape.”
The 2025–26 Flow Pass season begins on Oct. 17, 2025, at the Contemporary Arts Center with “Marcus Leslie Singleton: Next Steps,” the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to Singleton's nuanced, deeply intimate paintings of Black American communities. The evening includes a special fifth anniversary celebration at the pre-show Flow Social.
On Jan. 17, 2026, Flow Pass subscribers will experience “American Voices” with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in a program highlighting influential African American artists and composers. Conductor Christian Macelaru will lead the orchestra with bass Morris Robinson and poet Rita Dove. Subscribers will gather for a pre-concert Flow Social in the Wilks Studio at Music Hall.
The series continues on April 24, 2026, at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park with August Wilson's explosive, award-winning play “The Piano Lesson,” a gripping story of family, legacy, and the choices that define us. The evening includes a pre-show Flow Social and parking.
The season concludes on July 9, with Cincinnati Opera's long-awaited “Lalovavi,” an Afrofuturist adventure set 400 years in the future that follows Persephone, the youngest daughter of the ruler of Atlas, the city formerly known as Atlanta.
“Over five years, we’ve been building a culturally curious and diverse audience coming together to experience excellence in Black artistry,” says Mel Gravely, Flow's co-Chair and Triversity Construction executive chair. “The Flow Pass continues to build on the momentum of growing appreciation and therefore demand for Black art in all of its forms. The outcome enables more Black artists to thrive and inspire. This anniversary season represents both how far we've come and our continued commitment to showcasing Black voices in the Cincinnati region.”
Flow, which began in 2020, complements and expands the region's existing inventory of multicultural experiences offered by local arts organizations. The series supports and promotes professional, evocative African American artists with the goal of attracting a highly diverse, culturally adventurous audience and creating a shared and elevated appreciation for artists of color.
The series is presented by ArtsWave with support from area businesses, foundations, and individuals and with guidance from a steering committee comprised of representatives from the region's top corporations.
At First Sight
Experience art in new ways with ground-breaking exhibitions from local and international artists at galleries and museums in the region.
Brush up on what’s happening at local galleries and museums this fall! New exhibitions offer a deeper look into collections, examine regional history, and offer new perspectives on traditional artforms.
Cincinnati Art Museum reveals the untold stories behind East Asian masterpieces long housed in the museum’s collection with “Rediscovered Treasures” (Sept. 19–Jan. 18, 2026). Featuring approximately 60 objects – ranging from Japanese armor and Chinese scrolls to Korean lacquer – these discoveries were made possible through decades of scholarship, archival research, and conservation efforts.
While many of the works have been part of CAM’s collection since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they remained un-accessioned or misidentified due to a lack of staff expertise in Asian art at the time. Since 2002, when the museum formally established its Asian art department, ongoing research led by Hou-mei Sung, PhD, Curator of East Asian Art, has improved the understanding of these objects. Their rediscovery has not only reframed the museum’s collection, but has also illuminated Cincinnati’s early cultural ties to East Asia. Each piece offers a unique story of rediscovery that enriches the understanding of East Asian art and culture.
Forget Me Not, Extinct, No. 1, Heath Hen, Carolina Parakeet, Passenger Pigeon, Xerces Blue, No. 3, from the series Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, 2020, Paul Scott (British, b. 1953), transfer-printed collage on pearlware plate with kintsugi, Courtesy of Paul Scott and Ferrin Contemporary, © 2020 Paul Scott, photo credit: Paul Scott
Opening Oct. 10 at CAM, “Recall. Reframe. Respond. The Art of Paul Scott” reflects artist Paul Scott’s personal experiences of being and traveling in America, and, in his words, the need to “rebalance the narrative with something more contemporary and inclusive.”
At first glance, Paul Scott’s transfer-printed tableware may look familiar—like something you have seen in your grandparents’ china cabinet or a second-hand shop. With a closer look, you’ll find the subtle differences that add up to a powerful narrative shift. Ripe for reframing and responding, the CAM’s American art collections will serve as a springboard for Scott to present existing and new works, inviting various perspectives and initiating conversations about our shared American experience.
“Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking” (Oct. 4–Jan. 11, 2026) brings 20 quilts to the Taft Museum of Art that showcase a range of indigo dyeing techniques as well as the skill, design sensibility, and artistry of the women who made them.
For thousands of years, people around the world have treasured indigo-dyed textiles for their dreamy shades of blue—from pale sky to inky midnight—and resistance to fading. This exhibition explores this rich global tapestry of historical and artistic significance through quilts created between the early 1800s to 2015, from America and beyond.
“Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking” is organized by the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, home to the largest public collection of quilts in the world.
Monique Long
The multidisciplinary Carnegie in Covington begins its gallery season with “All Four Seasons in Equal Measure,” opening Sept. 26.
Curated by Monique Long, “All Four Seasons in Equal Measure” is a reflection on her experiences at the Great Meadows Foundation in Louisville, Kentucky as a critic-in-residence, and how nature and concern for the environment features prominently among contemporary artists in the area.
The exhibition brings together artists Britany Baker, Kiah Celeste , Shohei Katayama , Gibbs Rounavall , Rachel Singel, and Roy Taylor, whose works highlight their intimate relationship with place and the natural world. Their creative output explores the beauty of the environment and its precarities through works on paper, photography, sculpture, video, and installation.
Sheida Soleimani, “In Commission,” 2024, Archival pigment print, 40 x 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels & Edel Assanti, London.
Artists with Cincinnati connections and global reach open the Contemporary Arts Center’s 2025–26 season.
“Sheida Soleimani: What a Revolutionary Must Know,” opening Oct. 18, brings together her full “Ghostwriter” series—visually arresting photographs, sculpture, and video that piece together the remarkable journey of her parents' escape from Iran’s totalitarian regime.
Soleimani, raised in Loveland, is an Iranian-American artist, educator, and activist whose multimedia work excavates histories of political violence connecting Iran, the United States, and the broader Middle East. Born to parents who fled Iran as political refugees in the early 1980s, Soleimani transforms source images from mass and digital media into striking photo-based installations, often staged in surreal, symbolic environments. Her practice spans photography, sculpture, collage, and film, offering viewers layered critiques of authoritarianism, exile, and diaspora.
That exhibition will run concurrently with “Lillian Schwartz: Pictures from a Gallery,” which pays tribute to family, memory, and Schwartz’s Cincinnati roots in the short film “Pictures from a Gallery” (1976).
Still from "Pictures from a Gallery" by Lillian F. Schwartz.
Born in Cincinnati, Schwartz was a trailblazer in computer-generated art. Her career began with sculpture and evolved into groundbreaking work at Bell Labs, where she collaborated with early digital composers and scientists on films and animations that defined a new visual language. Despite facing sexism and skepticism in both tech and art circles, Schwartz’s pioneering spirit led to international acclaim, with exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the ICA London, the São Paulo Biennial, and Cannes Film Festival.
“Pictures from a Gallery” – a six-and-a-half-minute film – offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s deeply personal relationship with Cincinnati, and reinforces themes of memory, place, and familial connection.
Taking the Stage
From a riveting classic at Cincy Shakes to a Pulitzer-winning revival at ETC and an '80s fave at Broadway in Cincinnati, theatre races back for Fall.
Rendering of the Emery Theatre. Courtesy The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.
August marks the last act for Summer, but local theaters are looking ahead to a busy Fall season of new venues, classic stories, and groundbreaking works.
The BIGGEST news comes from the organization meant for the smallest audience members! The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati opens its new home at The Emery Theater, 1112 Walnut St. later this year.
TCT holds a special “opening night” with a family-friendly block party in OTR on Saturday, Sept. 7, 12–4 p.m. Hosted by TCT-favorite Bob Herzog, the celebration includes music from Q102, face painting, balloon animals, character meet-and-greets, tours of the Emery Theater and food from LaRosa’s, Graeter’s and Kroger’s On-The-Rhine Eatery.
The TCT season at The Emery Theater begins with a one-hour “youth edition” of Frank L. Baum’s timeless classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” Oct. 10–26. In this story that has enchanted audiences for generations, audiences will follow Dorothy and friends down the Yellow Brick Road in an unforgettable experience unlike anything you have ever seen before.
The Cincinnati theatre officially kicks off a little earlier, as ”Where the Mountain Meets the Sea” opens in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre at Playhouse in the Park on Aug. 30. This heart-waring story about a father-and-son bond, set to folk music continues through Sept. 28.
Playhouse in the Park then stages the U.S. premiere of “Mythic,” new pop-rock musical directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall.
This musical with Broadway ambitions, “Mythic” (Sept. 20–Oct. 19) turns the ancient Greek myth of Persephone on its ear, with the gods reimagined as chart-topping pop stars, power hungry politicians and attention-seeking influencers. Starstruck by Olympian celebrity, Persephone rebels against her mother Demeter’s expectations and decides to forge her own path. When she sneaks into a party at the Acropolis and meets brooding bad-boy Hades, her life takes an unexpected turn into the Underworld. “Mythic” played to critical acclaim in London and in a sold-out run in Montreal.
The creative team includes designers with numerous Broadway credits including “Hamilton,” “Anastasia,” “Beetlejuice,” and K”inky Boots.” The cast features a roster of exciting veteran and up-and-coming actors with Broadway credits with Savy Jackson as Aphrodite, Michael Park as Zeus, Mamie Parris as Demeter, Analise Scarpaci as Persephone, and Julius Thomas III as Hades.
At Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, experience a fresh and provocative new adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen classic “An Enemy of the People,” by Amy Herzog, opening Sept. 5.
When Dr. Thomas Stockmann discovers a shocking secret about his community’s prized health resort, he becomes determined to expose the truth- even if it means turning the entire town against him. With family, friendship, and the price of integrity hanging in the balance, “An Enemy of the People” is a riveting exploration of what happens when one person’s truth becomes a community’s greatest threat.
For this production, Cincy Shakes is partnering with the Mill Creek Alliance, which works to empower Mill Creek communities to protect and enhance the value of the creek, its tributaries, and watershed. Through inclusive, meaningful community engagement and collaborative action, the Alliance strives to create a Mill Creek watershed that is a healthy ecosystem where people and communities can thrive. The organization will be tabling at YP Preview Night (Wednesday, Sept. 3), sharing how to help keep our community’s water healthy.
Looking for a little more of an escape? Go back in time to the ‘80s – and the ‘50s! – with Broadway Across America’s “Back to the Future: The Musical,” at the Aronoff Center for the Arts Sept. 9–21. The beloved, cinematic classic turned Broadway musical will show you the Power of Love. When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself...back to the future.
Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical, “Back to the Future: The Musical” is adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale (“Back to the Future” trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis and directed by the Tony Award®-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy® winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.”
And, yes, there is a flying DeLorean!
The Know Theater kicks off their 2025-26 season with “King James,” and not the one from Bible fame! This comedy (Sept. 11–27) focuses on Ohio’s own LeBron James, with a story of brotherhood, basketball, and LeBron himself.
When “King” LeBron James shoots to basketball superstardom with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the city unites to cheer on their hometown hero. Matt and Shawn, an unlikely duo bonded through shared adulation of their sports idol, weather the highs and lows of a twelve-year friendship, “King James” is a celebration of basketball and chosen brotherhood.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year, starting the season with revival of the rock musical that redefined musicals, “Next to Normal,” from Sept. 13 through Oct 4.
This pop-rock musical is a profoundly human story of struggle, perseverance, and hope.
“After 40 years, the dreams of Ensemble Theatre’s founders are still being realized today for creating a community of local artists, directors, and designers,” says Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “To celebrate Ensemble’s success and tenacity for staying in OTR, Next to Normal is a story that doesn’t get old and it’s one I felt needed to be retold. In 2011, we were the only theatre in the country to receive the rights to production it when it was still on its national tour, so we’re thrilled to bring it back to the stage again 14 years later.”
One of ETC’s most popular productions, this Pulitzer and Tony-award winning piece is a triumph of contemporary musical theatre. With soaring rock music, unforgettable characters, and a gripping, emotionally resonant story, the power of “Next to Normal” echoes long after the last note.
Just in time for Halloween, “The Rocky Horror Show” makes a triumphant return to The Carnegie Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. The camp classic follows two squeaky clean college kids – Brad and Janet – as they embark on an adventure in a creepy mansion with the charismatic Dr. Frank-n-Furter and his friends, with fun, frolics, frocks, and frivolity.
Singing a New Song
Cincinnati Opera has launched the Black Opera Project, a groundbreaking initiative that engages Black creators to develop new works celebrating Black stories.
Lalovavi is the first work in Cincinnati Opera’s groundbreaking, three-opera commissioning initiative, The Black Opera Project.
As the second-oldest opera company in the country, Cincinnati Opera also has had its share of first. With The Black Opera Project, it’s launching another bold initiative, developing new works that celebrate Black stories.
The first program of its kind, the Black Opera Project seeks to illuminate the resilient spirit and vibrant heritage of the Black American experience.
“The launch of The Black Opera Project marks the fruition of dreams long held by Black artists like me,” says Morris Robinson, world-renowned bass and Cincinnati Opera artistic advisor “While I was singing the title role in ‘Porgy and Bess’ in 2019, Cincinnati Opera leaders invited my fellow cast members and me into a conversation about opera’s future.”
The project is also the outgrowth of Cincinnati Opera’s previously announced grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the development of three fully staged, full-length operas. The Opera currently has a fundraising goal for the end of August, either in pledges or direct gifts, to raise additional funds for the first opera of the The Black Opera Project, Lavovavi.
Set 400 years into the future, Lalovavi is an Afrofuturist adventure that follows Persephone, the youngest daughter of the ruler of Atlas, the city formerly known as Atlanta. Currency and status in Atlas are determined based on the presence of Syndica, a gene that promotes vitality and longevity. When Persephone is found to possess a version of Syndica that confers immortality, she is betrayed by her family and must run for her life. She is thrust into an epic journey, uncovering a hidden past that leads her to discover love’s true meaning and the power to determine her destiny.
“I asked, ‘When is there going to be an opera that has the same impact on the operatic stage that the movie ‘Black Panther’ had on the big screen?’,” Robinson says. “We knew there was a critical need to create and develop works that represented the vastness and beauty of the African American experience.”
Tickets for Lalovavi are available now as part of a 2026 Summer Festival. Tickets to individual performances go on sale Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
The second opera in The Black Opera Project, John Lewis: Good Trouble, will receive its world premiere during Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival. Based on the life of U.S. Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, the opera features music by Maria Thompson Corley, libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover, and stage direction and dramaturgy by Timothy Douglas.
On Your Toes
Cincinnati Ballet is raising the barre with bold storytelling, groundbreaking choreography and timeless music for its 2025-26 season, with tickets now on sale for all performances.
Cincinnati Ballet leaps into a dazzling new season, it’s first full programming slate curated by Artistic Director, Cervilio Miguel Amador, following his long-standing tenure as a Principal Dancer, Ballet Master, and Interim Artistic Director.
Cincinnati Ballet 2025–26 Season
Kaplan New Works, Sept. 12–20
The Great Gatsby, Nov. 7–15
The Nutcracker, Dec. 18–28
Swan Lake, Feb. 13–21, 2026
Liberty In Motion April 10–12, 2026
Pinocchio, April 16–19, 2026
Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available at cballet.org.
Subscribers receive up to 25% savings over single tickets, free exchanges, early access to special events, and other perks.
For performance details, showtimes and to reserve your seats, visit cballet.org, or call the Cincinnati Ballet Box Office at (513) 621-5282.
A longtime dancer with the company, Amador brings both a personal and global perspective to this new role, having danced with the National Ballet of Cuba before joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2004.
The season is filled with bold storytelling, groundbreaking choreography and timeless music, including world premieres and a finale celebrating America’s 250th.
Kaplan New Works opens the season. featuring four world premiere commissions from internationally acclaimed choreographers: Yoshihisa Arai, Caroline Dahm, Andonis Foniadakis and Andrea Giselle Schermoly.
In November, Amador and the company present the North American premiere of The Great Gatsby, choreographed by Septime Webre. With a live jazz score, cinematic staging, and themes of ambition and excess, the ballet offers a modern retelling of Fitzgerald’s classic novel, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.In
The holidays wouldn’t be complete without The Nutcracker! This beloved classic returns to Music Hall with live orchestral accompaniment and the dazzling journey of Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.
Romance and drama mark the Valentine’s Day with a full-length production of Swan Lake, featuring choreography after Petipa and Ivanov, staged by Kirk Peterson and performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
April brings Director's Vision: Liberty In Motion, a triple bill showcasing George Balanchine’s Serenade, Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing, and Claudia Schreier’s First Impulse.
This is followed by the Family Series presentation of Pinocchio, a one-hour narrated ballet performed by CB2 dancers and students from the Otto M. Budig Academy. Pre-show lobby activities make it a great introduction to the arts for young audiences.
Cincinnati Ballet remains committed to expanding access through education programs, academy training, and community engagement, while also attracting national attention for its world-class talent and productions.
The 2025-26 season is sponsored by Margaret and Michael Valentine, ArtsWave, Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation.
Stay Gold
The Art Academy of Cincinnati presents the group exhibition "AAC ’75 PLUS 50 YEARS," honoring the work and legacy of the class of 1975, with an opening reception on Aug. 8.
The Reds aren’t the only ones celebrating the greats of 1975!
The Art Academy of Cincinnati has a group exhibition opening this Friday honoring the work and enduring creative legacy of its alumni who graduated in 1975
“AAC ‘75 PLUS 50 YEARS” brings together a diverse collection of works spanning five decades, showcasing the evolution of individual artistic practices and the indelible mark left by the Class of ’75 on contemporary art and culture. The show celebrates the bold innovation, resilience, and influence of this remarkable cohort.
Opening reception: Friday, Aug. 8, 5-9 p.m. SITE1212, 1212 Jackson St.
Gallery admission and reception are free and open to the public.
Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday ,9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Exhibition continues through Friday, Aug. 29.
In 2024, the Art Academy of Cincinnati hosted a retrospective for longtime faculty member Stewart Goldman. Among the attendees were several alumni from the Class of 1975, many of whom had taken Goldman's life drawing class in 1971. Their reunion sparked an idea: to mark their 50th graduation anniversary with a group exhibition of their own.
“AAC ‘75 PLUS 50 YEARS” brings that idea to life, showcasing the creative evolution and enduring bonds of this close-knit group. Despite going their separate ways after graduation, many classmates remained in contact over the years, holding informal reunions and staying connected through art and friendship. Artists included in the exhibition are Greg Albert, Gary Blair, Gary Breitenstein, Amy Dinsmore Carelli, Ron Johnson, John Kluesener, Greg Listermann, Debbie Maguire Meehan, Chris Martin, Mary Mischenko, Hal Rusche, Dan Smith, Robin Stinetorf, and Tim Tepe.
When they began at the Academy in 1971, the school offered a traditional, atelier-style education focused entirely on art-making. Students earned a diploma–not a degree–through an intensive curriculum of figure drawing, design, color theory, and art history. With fewer than 150 students enrolled, the experience was immersive, demanding, and collaborative.
The exhibition features recent work by alumni as well as memorabilia from their student days, including sketchbooks, projects, and the iconic metal tackle boxes once used to carry their tools. A special tribute is included for classmate Gary Blair, who passed away in 2021. His artwork will be displayed with the help of his family.
Founded in 1869, the Art Academy of Cincinnati has shaped generations of artists and designers through its commitment to rigorous studio practice and creative exploration. This retrospective reflects not only the lifelong impact of a shared education but also the enduring legacy of the AAC itself. More than a reunion, the Class of ’75 exhibition is a celebration of community, artistic growth, and the power of sustained creativity. The group hopes the show will inspire future generations—and perhaps spark a new tradition of alumni retrospectives at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
Seeing What’s New
Contemporary Arts Center has just announced its 2025–2026 season, featuring powerful exhibitions by local and global artists who explore identity, memory, and resistance.
CAC Season at a Glance
Sheida Soleimani: What a Revolutionary Must Know
Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
Lillian Schwartz: Pictures from a Gallery:
Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
MFA Exhibition
Feb. 20 – March 22, 2026
Michael Stillion: And then it was flowers
April 24 – Aug. 20, 2026
Gee Horton: Chapter 4: In Another Lifetime
April 24 – Aug. 30, 2026
Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) announces its 2025–2026 season, featuring powerful exhibitions that offer space for deep investigation into personal, political, and cultural transformation. With a slate of solo shows and group presentations by emerging and established artists alike, this season continues CAC’s mission to be a laboratory for expression—where artists and audiences make meaning together.
“CAC has always been a space to champion new ideas,” said Christina Vassallo, Alice and Harris Weston Executive Director. “We’re proud to open CAC’s 2025-2026 season with the presentation of Sheida Soleimani’s solo exhibition, “What a Revolutionary Must Know,” to run concurrently with Marcus Leslie Singleton’s recent debut of his first U.S. solo museum exhibition, “New Steps.” Through their very different yet equally compelling perspectives, audiences will encounter new ways of navigating the personal and the political.”
Sheida Soleimani: What a Revolutionary Must Know
Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026; opening reception Oct. 24, 2025
Sheida Soleimani’s solo exhibition brings together her full “Ghostwriter” series—visually arresting photographs, sculpture, and video that piece together the remarkable journey of her parents' escape from Iran’s totalitarian regime. Through constructed sets and surreal visual metaphors, Soleimani reconstructs their fractured history into works of resistance and reckoning. This deeply personal series presents a family’s survival story as a larger meditation on identity, memory, and political trauma. This marks the first time she is showing video work in a museum context.
Soleimani, raised in Cincinnati’s Loveland neighborhood, is an Iranian-American artist, educator, and activist whose multimedia work excavates histories of political violence connecting Iran, the United States, and the broader Middle East. Born to parents who fled Iran as political refugees in the early 1980s, Soleimani transforms source images from mass and digital media into striking photo-based installations, often staged in surreal, symbolic environments. Her practice spans photography, sculpture, collage, and film, offering viewers layered critiques of authoritarianism, exile, and diaspora.
Soleimani’s work is held in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, MIT’s List Visual Arts Center, and Kadist Paris, among others. Her projects have been widely covered by outlets including The New York Times, Financial Times, Art in America, and Interview Magazine.
Based in Providence, Rhode Island, Soleimani is an associate professor of Studio Art at Brandeis University. She is also the founder and executive director of Congress of the Birds, and the only federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the state. For Wave Pool’s 9th “Welcome Edition”, she created a powerful public artwork of 100 cast aluminum tulips—each one honoring a protestor killed in Iran following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran, Iran. The tulips debuted at the 2023 Armory Show and have since raised funds for both CAC and Wave Pool and are available for purchase at CAC’s gift shop.
Lillian Schwartz: Pictures from a Gallery
Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
Lillian Schwartz (1927-2024) pays tribute to family, memory, and her Cincinnati roots in the short film “Pictures from a Gallery” (1976). The six-and-a-half-minute film—featuring music by Albert Miller—uses 1970s computer technology to transform black-and-white photographs of Schwartz’s family, their home, and scenes of Cincinnati into a dreamlike sequence.
Born in Cincinnati, Schwartz was a trailblazer in computer-generated art. Her career began with sculpture and evolved into groundbreaking work at Bell Labs, where she collaborated with early digital composers and scientists on films and animations that defined a new visual language. Despite facing sexism and skepticism in both tech and art circles, Schwartz’s pioneering spirit led to international acclaim, with exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the ICA London, the São Paulo Biennial, and Cannes Film Festival.
“Pictures from a Gallery” offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s deeply personal relationship with Cincinnati, and reinforces themes of memory, place, and familial connection.
Lillian Schwartz, born Lillian Feldman, grew up as the twelfth of thirteen children in Cincinnati’s Clifton neighborhood. Overcoming early hardship, she began working at age 13 and joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Program at 16. After relocating to New Jersey, she gained national recognition for her work at Bell Labs and later became the first artist to win an Emmy for a computer-generated PSA. Her work continues to inspire generations of artists at the intersection of art and technology.
MFA Exhibition (Miami University & University of Cincinnati)
Feb. 20 – March 22, 2026
The annual MFA exhibition returns, showcasing the innovative work of graduate students from Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. The show offers a platform for artists at the start of their careers to present research-driven, experimental practices in a professional museum setting. The exhibition will be accompanied by artist talks, providing an opportunity for public engagement with the next generation of contemporary creators.
Michael Stillion: “And then it was flowers”
April 24 – Aug. 20, 2026
Michael Stillion’s work explores portraiture, symbolism, and the human condition through emotionally charged, visually layered compositions. In “And then it was flowers” Stillion presents recent paintings depicting stone and ceramic vessels with human features, paired with exaggerated poppy flowers, serving as metaphors for fragility and impermanence. Working in painting, collage, and mixed media, Stillion blends personal iconography with surreal imagery, often drawing from childhood cartoons, classical art techniques, and rural Ohio landscapes.
Based in Cincinnati, Stillion holds an MFA from Indiana University and a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design. He is a visiting assistant professor at Miami University and a recipient of multiple Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in both public and private collections.
Gee Horton: “Chapter 4: In Another Lifetime”
April 24 – Aug. 30, 2026
Gee Horton’s hyperrealist portraits center Black identity, vulnerability, and belonging. Known for drawing attention to underrepresented histories and communities, Horton uses meticulous graphite and charcoal renderings to create intimate, reflective portraits. Based in Cincinnati, Horton’s multidisciplinary practice maps the emotional terrain of Black life—where memory, masculinity, and inherited grief converge.
For “Chapter 4: In Another Lifetime”, Horton premieres a new body of work, marking a new direction in his practice. In this chapter, Horton employs symbolic imagery and dream logic to examine intergenerational trauma, cultural legacy, and the aesthetics of emotional inheritance.
Horton stepped away from a corporate career in 2020 to pursue his art full time. His “Chapter 1: Coming of Age” series debuted at the Alice F. & Harris K. Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati in 2021; his exhibition “Chapter 2: A Subtle Farewell to the Inner Child” was presented as part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial; and, “Chapter 3: Be Home Before the Streetlights,” was presented at the Kentucky Museum of Contemporary Art in late 2024. His work has appeared on HBO’s Insecure and Amazon’s Harlem, and he received an Emmy Award for his portrait and storytelling of abolitionist Peter H. Clark, created during his residency at The Mercantile Library of Cincinnati.
Horton is the founder of Gee Horton Studio Gallery, a hybrid space for storytelling, creative production, and fine art printing. His work is included in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, The Mercantile Library, and numerous private collections.
“The exhibitions in CAC’s 2025–2026 season are powerful reminders of how artists reflect our world—its beauty, its complexities, and everything in between,” said Theresa Bembnister, CAC curator. “Experiencing these works in a shared space offers an opportunity to reconnect, to reflect, and to reclaim a sense of community and humanity. Through distinct approaches, Soleimani, Schwartz, Stillion, and Horton each explore themes of legacy, history, and identity in ways that feel both deeply personal and profoundly timely.”