ArtWorks is thrilled to be a part of the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial. Now in its sixth iteration, the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial encompasses more than 100 projects at Participating Venues across Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton, and Columbus, and features more than 600 artists, curators, and participants—the largest of its kind in America. ArtWorks has two Participating Venues incorporated to the Biennial: a photo-based mixed media mural and a Youth Artist multi-media exhibition.
Both the mural and exhibition are to be located in Walnut Hills. Perspectives, the new mural recently installed in the neighborhood this September has been designed by Mz. Icar, an anonymous interdisciplinary art collective comprised primarily of women. The mural celebrates Black iconography, culture, expression, and joy. Perspectives is informed by the collection of oral histories and archival photographs from residents of Walnut Hills, a Cincinnati neighborhood with an incredibly rich Black history.
The interviews and stories are being compiled into a short documentary and augmented reality over the mural which can be accessed via smartphone app, Artivive. In addition to neighborhood engagement, the creation process included the employment of four local Youth Apprentices, Kai Rassi, Briana Edmond, Emma Ennis, Belle Minesinger, Mackenzie Sexton, JJ Kampinga III, under the mentorship of both Mz. Icar and a Teaching Artist, Anissa Pulcheon.
Note: Perspectives the mural was originally to be installed at 2346 Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills but has been relocated to 791 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206
As We Bloom, is the title of the storyteller-based exhibition which will display in the ArtWorks V² Gallery October 17 – December 2 as part of the Biennial. Asa Featherstone, IV, local documentary photographer and filmmaker, will serve as the Lead Artist-in-Residence for As We Bloom, mentoring select youth to produce individual and collaborative artwork. The exhibit will explore different storytelling techniques, including mobile, digital, film, photography, and personal interviews, capturing stories from a specific period of time in an individual’s life. As We Bloom, not only celebrates the transfer of information across generations, but also human connection and the challenging of perspectives.
RSVP to the opening of As We Bloom
The opening reception for As We Bloom will be held from 4:00pm-7:00pm on October 17 in tandem with the mural dedication of Perspectives. Guests are encouraged to visit both experiences.
As We Bloom Opening | October 17, 2022 4:00pm-7:00pm – ArtWorks V² Gallery: 929 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206. RSVP Here.
Perspectives Mural Dedication | October 17, 2022 4:00pm-7:00pm – Charles E. Dillard Center: 791 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206. RSVP Here.
(See the directions from our gallery to the mural here)
About ArtWorks
Since 1996, ArtWorks has collaborated with community organizations and residents, businesses, governments, foundations, and nonprofits to build creative works of art that built the Greater Cincinnati region’s global reputation as an arts destination. ArtWorks has employed and trained over 3,500 professional artists and 4,000 youth, ages 14 – 24. We invest in our creative economy by creating jobs that support local talent, pairing professional artists to inspire and mentor diverse teams of youth, helping them build 21st-century career-readiness skills. Over the past 26 years, this collaborative approach has created a citywide gallery with more than 14,000 public and private art projects, including more than 250 permanent outdoor murals.
About the Biennial
The 2022 FotoFocus Biennial, now in its sixth iteration, activates over 100 projects at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio in October 2022. Each Biennial is structured around a unifying theme; for 2022 that theme, World Record, considers photography’s extensive record of life on earth while exploring humankind’s impact on the natural world. FotoFocus welcomes global artists, curators, critics, educators, and regional visitors to Cincinnati with exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and panel discussions during an expanded week of programming, September 29–October 8, 2022.
