Window on the World
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.
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