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Jimmy Baker and Matt Coors' "Trendiest Shell Ever" is on view at Publico
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Since Publico's inception two years ago, brothers Paul and Matt Coors have transformed their raw space into a premiere gallery in Over-the-Rhine. Originally an outlet for Art Academy of Cincinnati students to exhibit in a non-traditional setting, Publico has grown to more than just a dot on the Final Friday map, offering students and gallery-hoppers a growing array of inventive, contemporary art. Already, 2005 promises an innovative schedule, a newly-established board of directors, an updated Web site and the launch of
Grouper, a semi-annual arts-collective publication. Publico is still part of Final Friday, yet the space continues to evolve, taking shape as an art collective that taps into a national audience. Most recently, Publico hosted an exhibition in connection with the Contemporary Arts Center's
Beautiful Losers show, bringing well-known "street" artists to the modest Walnut Street gallery. Their efforts haven't gone unnoticed, and the gallery's plans include several upcoming multi-genre exhibitions with works from artists all over the country.
During 2004 Publico slid quietly into the niche left open by the surprising and disappointing departure of the Linda Schwartz Gallery. Since then, Paul and Matt Coors have adopted Schwartz's tradition of combining quality, marketability and cutting-edge work. With its inviting size and setting, Publico stands with only a few galleries -- the Mockbee and Carl Solway -- as a space dedicated to showcasing contemporary, innovative works. Their efforts prove Cincinnati is still capable of pushing the envelope toward artistic success.
To continue with this initiative, the Coors have pulled together a collective of like-minded artists who act as an informal board of directors. Ranging from artists and writers to filmmakers and musicians, this group strives to bring a fresh voice to the local arts scene.
Poet Dana Ward, a member of the Publico collective, exemplifies the diversity of the gallery's vision. Founder of CY Press and editor of Boog City, a weekly publication in New York's East Village, Ward will be a contributor to Grouper and plans to host regular poetry readings in the gallery. With two readings by nationally recognized poets behind him and several more organized for this year, Ward hopes to use Publico as a forum to bring contemporary poetry to a broader audience.
Despite Publico's growth, the Coors brothers maintain that they operate an artist's space. With no immediate plans to become a nonprofit organization, they enjoy a flexibility of artistic scheduling without long-term gallery obligations. Celebrating their two-year anniversary, the current exhibition, The Trendiest Show Ever, explores the nature of trends in art and culture, with no guidelines other than the enigmatic title. Comprised of works by local artists and national talents like Cody Critcheloe and Print Liberation, this exhibit drives home the fact that Publico is a local force that commands respect. Other slated exhibitions, including one by internationally acclaimed Tony Luensman, several multimedia group exhibitions and the launch of Grouper on March 25, promise not to disappoint. (More info at: www.publicoart.com). It seems Publico has picked up a smoldering torch by bringing national artists to a still hungry Midwestern audience.
A question lingers: Is Cincinnati ready for the kind of "sub-cultural facelift" that Publico might offer? Though the city might not recognize its valuable role, it seems likely that Publico's impact on the local arts scene will increase in the coming years, as did the local Punk Rock scene of the 1980s, when Fountain Square was rife with mohawks and skateboarders and the talents of the long-since defunct Jockey Club in Newport. Publico seems destined to rise to the demands of contemporary culture in Midwestern America. So stay tuned...
THE TRENDIEST SHOW EVER runs through April 2.
