Photo By Jymi Bolden

Should a wing dedicated to an overview of Cincinnati art have been forced to the top of a list of institutional priorities at the Cincinnati Art Museum?

This fall marks the 10th anniversary of the Aronoff Center's Weston Gallery and the first season in which the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center joins the ranks of Cincinnati's primary cultural venues. In the time between the openings of the Weston and the Freedom Center, our city witnessed the creation of a new home for the Contemporary Arts Center, the renovation and expansion of the Taft Museum and the refurbishing of a wing at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Thus, this fall represents the culmination of a decade of growth.

As the concepts for these projects -- and their high costs -- were initially sold to government entities, business leaders and prospective donors, arguments were made for their value. The most frequent sales pitch was that the arts are an engine for economic growth. Expansion of arts and cultural venues were linked with downtown revitalization, riverfront development and regional tourism.

I understand the validity of this argument. Nonetheless, it is best to remember that these arguments were developed to convert those holding the purse strings, many of whom are not swayed by the inherent cultural and artistic value of the projects.

Now it is worth considering what has been gained by these high dollar-projects. Are the true missions of these institutions, which is not economic stimulation, being realized? Are our cultural institutions offering visitors new educational experiences grounded in increased knowledge, visual pleasure and personal growth?

The Weston Gallery, the first new venue, had a shaky start. Adding a visual arts component to downtown's new performing arts facility was an afterthought, as evidenced by the layout of the less than optimal ground level gallery and basement location. But a committed staff has made the most of it.

The Weston has become the premier venue for professionally presented exhibitions of our region's best living artists. It is the place for local artists to show new work. And it is the place for all of us to visit over and over again (each season is packed with a full schedule of exhibitions) to learn about what the artists in our region are producing.

For now, the strength of the new Contemporary Arts Center is the imposing aesthetic experience created by Zaha Hadid's architectural design. Just walking up the stairs, to move from the entrance level into the galleries and then from one interior space to the next, the visitor is confronted with a new spatial awareness, itself a lesson in architectural history.

The CAC's first year of exhibitions has not been equal to its new environment. An experienced curatorial hand that results in a balanced exhibition program augmented by a strong adult education component is needed.

The good news is that newly appointed CAC Director, Linda Shearer, a seasoned museum professional, is up to the challenge. Let's hope she is given the support she needs to realize the potential offered by the acclaimed signature architecture.

The Cincinnati Art Museum's contribution to this decade of growth came in the form of an ambitious renovation to a wing of the museum sorely in need of upgrading. Without question the space is greatly improved. The interior architectural changes work well, and the galleries and public spaces are welcoming. The art is professionally installed, and the local visitor can take pride in knowing that CAM is keeping up with the times in terms of ongoing interior improvements.

The decision as to whether this much space (and dollars) should be invested in a wing dedicated to Cincinnati art, when the strength of CAM is its encyclopedic approach to art history, is worth questioning. It is unfortunate that parochial forces within the institution forced this project to the top of a long list of institutional needs.

Does the visitor to the Cincinnati Wing come away convinced that Cincinnati's economic prowess in the 19th century was matched by an equally great artistic product? Objectively, no. The good news, however, is that the wing's renovation has built in flexibility. In time, other uses for the galleries can be found without abandoning the basic layout of this successful architectural renovation.

The Taft Museum of Art's makeover was an even larger undertaking and represents a new era in its history. A successful marriage of an excellent paintings and decorative arts collection with modern exhibition display techniques has been achieved. You can go to the Taft knowing that you will see art that is not just touted as great, but actually is great.

In addition, the Taft modernized without adapting aspects of the ubiquitous mall look. A visit to the Taft places you within an environment that enhances rather than detracts from the appreciation of the art collection.

The Taft's new wing contains a large space for changing exhibitions. As at the CAC, there is the potential to substantially augment the city's special exhibition offerings, the key to repeat visitorship. Let's hope the Taft meets this challenge with exhibitions that match the quality of their collection.

The Freedom Center has just opened its doors, and I have spent only three hours there, compared to many more at the other facilities. Nonetheless, I was quickly convinced that the Freedom Center is an architectural and programmatic success.

Despite a few serious mistakes in content, which fortunately the Center has the ability to change (such as declaring Carl Lindner a freedom hero, when he represents the face of intolerance in Cincinnati's own culture wars), the Freedom Center has done a stellar job of creating the opportunity for every visitor to have an intense and multi-faceted experience.

I noticed immediately and appreciated that the Freedom Center's staff had excellent visitor service skills. This eased entry into the three floors packed with information.

The Freedom Center combines a variety of exhibition presentation formats. The introductory film, A Suite for Freedom, is exceptionally effective in presenting the basic theme, because it avoids realistic narrative. Yet later on a straight narrative film with actors, Brothers of the Borderland, is compelling and informative.

The Struggle Continues borrows the best installation art techniques to surround the visitor with images, information and questions. In other areas, large amounts of written historical data are presented via wall text panels, timelines and creative exhibition displays. The visitor can spend hours absorbing it all, or move more quickly from one attention-grabbing section to the next.

The impact of the Slave Pen is a testimony to the power of authentic objects. One hopes that, as the Freedom Center matures, it will have an opportunity to enlarge its collection and appropriately integrate more art and artifacts.

More than any other institution, the Freedom Center talks directly about utilizing its institutional voice to educate and motivate. In truth, all our cultural venues are educational institutions with the potential to enrich and expand our minds and hearts.

In the next decade, I hope that Cincinnati does not use its resources to build more; we have enough. Now is the time to support internal needs, such as staff development and ongoing programmatic improvements, so that we, the public, can reap the benefits of Cincinnati's powerhouse of cultural facilities. ©

A DECADE OF GROWTH
FACILITY: WESTON GALLERY at the Aronoff Center PROJECT: Creation of new gallery space SIZE: 5,000 sq. ft. COST :$1,650,000

Photo By CAC

The architecturally imposing design for the Contemporary Arts Center has attracted international attention.

FACILITY: CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER
PROJECT :Creation of new building to replace rented facility SIZE :87,000 sq. ft.
COST:$30,700,000

FACILITY: CINCINNATI WING at the Cincinnati Art Museum PROJECT:Renovation of pre-existing galleries SIZE: 18,000 sq. ft.* COST: $10,000,000

FACILITY: TAFT MUSEUM PROJECT: Renovation of entire museum and creation of new wing SIZE: 40,000 sq. ft. COST: $22,800,000

FACILITY: NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER

PROJECT:

Creation of entirely new institution SIZE: 158,000 sq. ft COST: $80,000,000

SUMMARY: Five new or renovated significant spaces 308,000 sq. ft. $145,150,000