Exhibitions

To view the artist statement and artist bio for each image, please follow THIS LINK.

Please drive through the exhibit following this route:

Protests this summer have lifted the voices of people seeking justice. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest systemic racism and police brutality. Many waved signs and posters, using artistic expression and the power of the printed word to rally the emotions of others to demand for racial equity.

Throughout history, posters have been used as a powerful form of protest and symbol of discontent. Does the poster empower? Does it call others to arms? In its most successful form, the protest poster speaks the voice of an individual but captures the voice of the many.

A common form of political art – the protest poster – was the inspiration for UPRISING, an outdoor exhibition of printed works created by Black artists that explore themes of racial justice, presented by Kennedy Heights Arts Center in partnership with Art Beyond Boundaries, and curated by Jymi Bolden.

“The imagery of this exhibit confronts the viewer with the injustices to which today’s young artists bare witness. The viewer is also reminded of the fact that these injustices are reruns of race-based atrocities through the lens of images drawn from the life experiences of the veteran artists in the exhibit,” remarked curator Jymi Bolden.

Newly created works by Cincinnati-based artists Cherie Garces, Terence Hammonds, Gee Horton, Hannah “Jonesy” Jones, Jimi Jones, Cynthia Lockhart, and Ricci Michaels are displayed along with a newly printed image from an archived 35mm negative by Melvin Grier, a newly altered 2019 painting by Gilbert Young (Atlanta, GA), and a Thom Shaw (d. 2010) print. The original works of art were photographed in high-resolution and printed large-scale (4’ x 6’) using weather resistant materials to allow them to be installed outside.

The goal of this exhibition is to provide a platform for Black artists’ voices. In UPRISING, artists use the power of art to illuminate and tackle issues of racial justice, and boldly advocate for change.

Spaced throughout the grassy grounds of the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, this exhibition can be viewed as a drive-through experience, utilizing the circular driveway that wraps around the building, or guests can park and explore the exhibit on foot. 

Art prints and postcards of each of the images will be available for sale, with net proceeds split between the artist (50%) and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (50%).

UPRISING will be on view from September 12 to November 28, 2020 at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213. Outdoor viewing open from dawn to dusk. To purchase prints, visit our art shop Wednesday-Friday, 10am to 5pm, and Saturday, 11am to 4pm, or call 513-631-4278, ext. 3.

Thank you to filmmaker Biz Young and FotoFocus Cincinnati for working with us to create the following video about this exhibition.

Behold, Acrylic and glitter on canvas, by Cherie Garces

UPRISING image credit: Jason Whitman

Exhibition Sponsored by:

Members of the Kennedy Artist Collective are proud to present their annual exhibition for 2020. The show includes new and previously unseen works in all media by local artists, including paintings, collages, sculptures, fiber, and more! The exhibition also features Off the Wall: a collection of smaller works for $50 each with half the proceeds going to support Kennedy Heights Arts Center.

Postcard design by Tom Kinsel

With a fresh take on the holiday season, Kennedy Heights Art Center is pleased to announce the outdoor exhibition Retold, on view from December 4 – 31, 2020, on the grounds of the Arts Center. Presented in partnership with the Art Academy of Cincinnati, this exhibition features 10 diverse artists, all Art Academy alumni or staff, who have been commissioned to create new works that also include lighted elements.

Retold will present each artists’ unique retelling or re-envisioning of a traditional winter holiday folktale, fable, or story. Tales from different cultures, popular stories, and winter fairy tales are all examined and represented from a contemporary perspective. Some may include humor, others may focus on incorporating situations from present day, while others reflect a message or something of personal significance.

2020 has been the year of change, re-examining, and adaption (to say the least). This project provides an accessible platform for artists to share their particular twist on familiar stories, or to highlight extraordinary tales, in a fun and festive way. This outdoor exhibition can be viewed as a drive-thru experience, or guests can park and explore it on foot. With the inclusion of light elements on each one of the panels, each artwork will have a different experience during the day versus at night. Open every day during the run of the exhibition.

Confirmed exhibiting artists: David Michael Butler, Sea Dax, Matthew Dayler, Claire Flath, Caleb Francis, Sydney Greene, Jordan Haworth-Zermeno, Kelly Stevens, Savannah Vagedes, and Dai Williams.

This exhibition is sponsored by ArtsWave

Revolutionary: Being American Today seeks to unpack the definition of citizenship, what it means to be a citizen in the United States and specifically how this definition changes depending on a person’s gender, race, sexuality, or immigration status. Curated by Jessica Oberdick (Louisville, KY), this exhibition features work from 8 diverse regional artists.

In the United States, we expect that our basic human rights will be protected by the government we elect and the people appointed to guard them. Police brutality, policies that limit the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, and the mistreatment of the refugees who seek our border for safety, make it clear that not all individuals who reside in the United States are offered the same protections and are thus are not defined as citizens equally.

Working with themes of identity, community, and tradition, the artists participating in Revolutionary present thoughtful interpretations of their environments as individuals residing in the United States.

Exhibiting artists: Kiah Celeste (KY), John Brooks (KY), Amanda Curreri (OH), Stephanie Cuyubamba Kong (OH), Brianna Harlan (KY), Anissa Lewis (OH), Melissa Vandenberg (KY), and Renzo Velez (WV).

Additional programming schedule will be announced soon!

Image Credit: Anissa Lewis, 338 Pleasant Street, Pleasant Street Series, 15×19 in., photo based print, 2016

*The Woodford Student Art Exhibition can be viewed via our ONLINE GALLERY*

https://khartscenter.wixsite.com/khac-studentartshow/woodford-student-art-show

During the Fall 2019, elementary students from Woodford Paideia Arts and Culture Academy visited Kennedy Heights Arts Center on Fine Art Field Studies where they received a guided tour of an exhibition, talked with an artist or curator, and created their own artwork inspired by the exhibit.

In honor of their creativity and hard work, all the artwork the students created during these field studies are posted in the online gallery. Click the link above to view all these pieces!

*The Student Art Exhibition can be viewed via our ONLINE GALLERY*

https://khartscenter.wixsite.com/khac-studentartshow

Each year, Kennedy Heights Arts Center celebrates our talented students with an exhibition featuring original artwork in all media created by the youth and adults enrolled in KHAC classes, as well as selected students from our partner elementary schools, including: Pleasant Ridge Montessori, Woodford Paideia, The New School Montessori, and Nativity School.

Unfortunately because of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we will not be able to exhibit the show in our gallery at the Arts Center as planned. We will be sharing our students’ artwork virtually instead in an Online Gallery.

Image: “Basket” by Ann Wilmers, ceramic, Open Studio & Clay Hand Building with Lynne Gibb.

“lllustrative Becoming” is a term artist Latausha Cox created to describe an auto-ethnographic practice of drawing that maps an individual’s past for the purpose of better understanding their identity. Creating a face-to-face conversation with one’s history, the practice of illustrative becoming allows an individual to actively address memories through an intimately drawn performance of life.

This artistic approach to auto-ethnography, developed within Cox’s art practice and research, encompasses sketch journal drawings and illustrated collages. As a Black female, Cox chose to share her personal story through drawings about her racial history to better understand how her culture influences her artistic voice and educational practice. In depicting quiet memories through visual methods, illustrative becoming reveals connections and themes that provide a space for identity to be found. Viewers are invited to imagine their story and accept the challenge of creating their own collage map and their own journey of becoming.

Latausha Cox is the Events Coordinator at Kennedy Heights Arts Center. Originally from Hamilton, Ohio, she has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art & Design (2007), and will complete a Master of Arts in Art Education from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at The University of Cincinnati in May, 2021.

This exhibition was created as part of her Master’s thesis, which received the DAAP Director’s Choice Award for her major. The exhibit includes all of Latausha’s illustrations from her thesis project, some new pieces she created since March, writings for each artwork, and a video piece. 

“Illustrative Becoming is deeply open, stylistically intriguing, and compassionately forthcoming in its narrative and voice. It makes you stop and examine your place in this America, at this time, and your relationship with other people. Mrs. Cox provides an honest depiction of her past and present, which makes you re-examine and confront your own narrative in the most truthful way,” said gallery director Mallory Feltz.

Watch Latausha Cox’s Gallery Talk:

Additional programming for Illustrative Becoming:

Artist talk with Latausha Cox: Sunday, October 4 at 2:30 pm at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.

Latausha Cox will be teaching an Illustrative Becoming drawing class this Fall at Kennedy Heights Arts Center – for teens and adults on Mondays from 6:30-8:00pm, Sept. 28th – Nov. 16th. Register here

Watch Latausha Cox’s gallery tour and discussion video about this exhibit during the “Not Just for Show” Telethon and Variety Show, benefiting Wave Pool. Airs on Saturday, Sept. 26th at 8:15pm.

Illustrative Becoming drawing workshops through Taft Museum and Manifest Drawing Center will be available on October 10th and 17th. Registration through the Taft Museum – www.taftmuseum.org

Capturing Mindfulness: Spontaneous Asian Calligraphic Brushwork features four contemporary Asian artists–Frank Satogata, Bukang Kim, Eunshin Khang, and Setsuko LeCroix–who explore the importance of creating works of art that capture the essence of a subject through spontaneous brush strokes inspired by calligraphy. Each artist brings their own experiences and background to their work in creating their own style.

Wabi-Sabi: “It’s the journey not the destination.” 

Join us for an Opening Reception in our Lindner Annex Gallery on Saturday, February 1 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Gallery hours are Tuesday and Thursdays, 12 – 5pm or by appointment.

Above Image Credit: Frank Satogata, Zen Circle – Enso, Sumi-Ink on Paper, 20″ x 30″ framed

Left to right: Frank Satogata, Bukang Kim, Eunshin Khang, Setsuko LeCroix