Perk Up
Looking for a jolt of caffeine in the Central Business District?
Starting Monday, April 6, you can head to the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), when Urbana Cafe opens in CAC’s Dr. Stanley & Mickey Kaplan Hall Lobby.
An official ribbon-cutting will be held at 10 a.m., marking the beginning of a dynamic new partnership designed to activate CAC’s ground floor and draw daily traffic into the museum.
Exclusive to its CAC location, Urbana will also partner with CAC to offer discounted food and beverage benefits for CAC members, further connecting the cafe experience to museum engagement.
The Urbana opening also ushers in new hours for CAC. Beginning April 8, CAC will be reopening on Wednesdays. Gallery hours will be Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June. Urbana will operate in the Kaplan Hall Lobby seven days a week – Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – creating a consistent, welcoming entry point for museum visitors, downtown workers, residents, and passersby.
A series of opening week programs will further showcase the energy of this new activation. On Saturday, April 11, CAC’s Family Festival returns alongside the reopening of Soft Bones, a guest-favorite installation by Cincinnati-based artist Garrett Goben. The day will feature hands-on art and science activities led by guest artists and educators, including partners from DIY Printing and Visionaries + Voices. Family Festival is included with admission and always free for CAC members.
That evening, Market Bleu – a curated quarterly event featuring locally handcrafts and fine art – will take place in the Kaplan Hall Lobby from 6 to 10 p.m., extending the space’s role as a platform for local creatives and community gathering.
On Saturday, April 18, Urbana will host a latte art competition from 7 to 10 p.m., celebrating the craft and creativity behind espresso and milk. The competition will feature both dairy and oat milk categories. Admission is free for spectators, with participant tickets available via urbanacafe.com.
Together, these programs reflect a broader vision: positioning CAC’s lobby as an active, accessible, and creative civic space throughout the day and into the evening.
The partnership allows Urbana to continue uninterrupted service during construction at its current Atlas Building location, while introducing a new rhythm of daily use at CAC. Urban Sites’ redevelopment of the Atlas Building into residential apartments represents a significant investment in downtown living, and Urbana’s temporary relocation ensures continuity for its customers during this transition.
“CAC has always seen itself as a living room for the city – a place where art, ideas, and people come together,” said Carolyn Hefner, Chief of External Affairs at CAC. “Partnering with Urbana strengthens that vision by bringing new daily energy into the building, inviting people to start their day here, stay awhile, stop by during the day, and discover something unexpected.”
Urbana will operate in CAC’s Kaplan Hall Lobby through Summer 2027, transforming the space into a vibrant, everyday destination at the intersection of coffee, creativity, and community.