Join us as we look back on our noteworthy milestones and accomplishments of the past year.

JANUARY

We kick off the new year partnering with the local dance collective Pones—a powerful collaboration! Our January Art After Dark: A Little Higher includes the debut of Quite Naturally—a dance performance in conversation with and in homage to the work of Charles White—and the exhibition Charles White: A Little Higher. Quite Naturally features original choreography by Teisha Murray in conjunction with dancers Camille Jones, Ja’Nay Brown, and Ashley O. Morton. The Art After Dark event welcomes over 1,600 visitors.

FEBRUARY

We join forces with ArtsWave to help spread the word about their annual community campaign during our Art After Dark in celebration of the special feature Queer Possibility: Photographs from the Collection. Over 1,500 members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies enjoy an evening of celebration and queer takes on art. ArtsWave later raises a record $12.5 million for the region’s arts in 2024.

MARCH

Two impactful exhibitions open at CAM—Whitfield Lovell: Passages and Accessible Expressions Ohio.

Passages, the most comprehensive exhibition of the contemporary artist to date, features more than 80 works, including evocative multisensory installations, conté crayon drawings, and other thought-provoking assemblages.

Accessible Expressions explores self-care and mental health by Ohio artists who identify as having a disability. The exhibition, organized by Art Possible Ohio, features 60 2-D and 3-D works. After premiering at CAM, the exhibition travels throughout Ohio with stops at the Massillon Museum in Massillon, Ohio, Dublin Arts Council, in Dublin, Ohio, and several other venues.

Our free community outdoor series, Art on the Rise, funded by a recent grant from the Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program, kicks off in the spring. The events feature outdoor performances, art-making projects and other activities on the museum’s Art Climb. Each one features a different art-related theme.

APRIL

The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) premiere a major survey of Pakistani and American artist Shahzia Sikander at the Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel in Venice. A Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2024, Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior is the most comprehensive presentation of the artist’s work to date. Following the presentation in Venice, complementary iterations will travel to CAM (on view February 14–May 4, 2025) and CMA (on view February 14–June 8, 2025).

The museum’s popular floral fundraiser Art in Bloom welcomes more than 9,400 visitors—the highest attended in the event’s history since it began in 2001. Special thanks go to the nearly 60 floral artists; guest speaker Natasja Sadi; Art in Bloom chair Ann M. Keeling; committee members Jutta Lafley, Rachael Magowan, Mimi Petrie, Robin Sheakley, and Barbara Weyand; and our sponsors for making the three-day event a success!

MAY

After reviewing an impressive array of proposals from Cincinnati-area artists, the museum is thrilled to welcome John Lanzador as the 2024 Rosenthal Education Center (REC) Artist in Residence. The installation, aptly titled, A Pig-ment of Your Imagination, reimagines Hunt Slonem’s Bunny Wall (2020.169-195) in our very own Terrace Café, and Joan Miró’s Mural for the Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati (1965.514). Lanzador’s installation ties in the iconic flying pig symbols of Cincinnati, inspiring visitors to create artworks of their favorite things.

Visitors embark on a cultural odyssey with the opening of From Shanghai to Ohio: Woo Chong Yung. The exhibition features nearly 100 dynamic artworks created by the highly accomplished painter, calligrapher, and poet Woo Chong Yung (1898–1989).

JUNE

Four full-scale, bronze figures by renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) are paired with new artworks created by University of Cincinnati undergraduates and contemporary artists. Rodin | Response FIELD family secrets is the culmination of a research and creative project led by the artist and educator Mrin Aggarwal (Supermrin) that unlocks tangled histories and inspires new works of art.

Later in the month we open our summer blockbuster exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century in celebration of hip hop’s remarkable, more than five decades-long impact and influence on society. The multimedia exhibition showcases 100+ works of art by some of today’s most important and celebrated artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roberto Lugo, Carrie Mae Weems, William Cordova, Hassan Hajjaj, and Hank Willis Thomas and fashion brands, including looks from Cross Colours and Vivienne Westwood.

JULY

We partner with Cincinnati Music Festival to promote The Culture and welcome hip hop legend KRS-One to the museum. The exhibition is free during the festival weekend.

AUGUST

Vroom! Vroom! CAM proudly introduces the CAM Cruiser, an “art studio on wheels” providing creative experiences and engagement for all ages. Traveling to Tri-State area festivals and outdoor events, libraries, and nonprofit organizations, the Cruiser delivers an array of staff-guided educational and fun art-making activities while introducing new audiences to the museum.

SEPTEMBER

Discovering Ansel Adams premieres at the Cincinnati Art Museum and explores the life and legacy of America’s most celebrated photographer. The exhibition brings together approximately 80 photographs with unique ephemera including handwritten correspondence, snapshots, personal possessions, and photographic working materials.

While we envisioned our September Art After Dark—called The Remix—to be a huge outdoor block party in celebration of the final weekend of The Culture, remnants of Hurricane Helene force us to pivot and throw an unforgettable indoor party instead! Despite the weather, we welcome nearly 1,500 guests during the event, which features acclaimed hip hop artist and DJ Talib Kweli.

OCTOBER

Congratulations to Meisha Williams, CAM Coordinator for Community Engagement, who is selected to be a TorchBearer in the Blink Parade!

Later in the month, we open George Bellows: American Life in Print commemorating the 100th anniversary of the artist’s passing. The exhibition features 55 lithographs and drawings gifted and lent by Dr. James and Mrs. Lois Sanitato.

NOVEMBER

Our 2024 Gala, A Black & White Dance, celebrates art, culture, and community while supporting vital programs fostering creativity and lifelong learning. Guests enjoy an iconic evening alongside esteemed supporters, dressed in their most imaginative black and white masquerade attire.

We welcome back our blood drive in partnership with Hoxworth Blood Center, Taft Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Arts Center generating donations to help save 168 potential lives.

CAMaraderie: Artists of the Cincinnati Art Museum showcases a variety of artworks made by nearly 40 museum staff across different departments. Staff artists also engage with the community through residencies, taking place for the duration of the exhibition.

DECEMBER

Our renovated, fully accessible lower level officially opens to the public. Made possible by our donors, the reimagined floor includes:

• Carol and Bill Eckerle Classroom
• Koetters Family Classroom
• Carl M. Jacobs Study Center and Fifth Third Study Room, spaces devoted to the viewing and research of photographs, prints, and drawings
• Marek-Weaver Family Commons, a new multipurpose space for external and internal events.

A significant part of the lower-level project includes a new stairway linking the ground level to the first-floor galleries. Read the press release.

2023–2024 Exhibitions & Special Features

Contemporary Japanese Ceramics

January 14, 2023–January 7, 2024

Modern and Contemporary Ceramics

March 4, 2023–June 30, 2024

Auguste Rodin’s Burgher’s of Calais

November 14, 2023–June 2, 2024

Charles White: A Little Higher

November 10, 2023–February 25, 2024

Black & Brown Faces: VERIFIED

November 24, 2023–January 21, 2024

Queer Possibility: Photographs from the Collection

December 5, 2023–April 18, 2024

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass

December 15, 2023–April 7, 2024

Shapeshifting: Unconventional Approaches in Contemporary Japanese Design

January 13, 2024–January 12, 2025

Whitfield Lovell: Passages

March 1–May 26, 2024

Accessible Expressions Ohio

March 29–May 12, 2024

Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior (Venice, Italy)

April 20–October 20, 2024

From Shanghai to Ohio: Woo Chong Yung

May 10–August 18, 2024

Rodin | Response: FIELD family secrets

June 14–September 8, 2024

Modern and Contemporary Craft

July 27, 2024–February 22, 2026

The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century

June 28–September 29, 2024

Words and Photographs: Gauri Gill / Wolf von dem Bussche

August 20–November 21, 2024

Discovering Ansel Adams

September 27, 2024–January 19, 2025

George Bellows: American Life in Print

October 25, 2024–February 9, 2025

CAMaraderie: Artists of the Cincinnati Art Museum

November 8, 2024–January 5, 2025

Human Rights Portfolio / Carpeta Derechos Humanos

November 23, 2024–January 2, 2025

More milestones by the numbers

Our Learning & Interpretation team welcomed 56,805 visitors to 918 programs and tours onsite, online, and in the community. This figure includes the annual attendance in the Rosenthal Education Center (REC).

The Florence Koetters Cincinnati Public School (CPS) Fourth Grade Program welcomed 716 visitors representing 14 schools on 23 trips.

After carefully reviewing a multitude of applications and conducting extensive interviews, we are proud to announce the graduation of 23 new docents, bringing our total to 69 active members.

Art After Dark—our popular after-hours party on the last Friday of the month—welcomed nearly 16,000 visitors.

4,502 people visited the Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives. Throughout the year, visitors utilized 5,850 of our resources in the form of books, periodicals, files, online databases, and archival materials.

We hosted 38 weddings throughout the year. Ready to plan your wedding? We are booking weddings for 2026.

Our parking lot features Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations for up to 8 vehicles, in partnership with Cincinnati-based start-up Electrada. In 2024 we had 950 charging sessions. Since 2020, these stations have saved 477 trees; 1.17K in gas costs; and 22.9K in CO₂ emissions. Learn more about our sustainability efforts. 

Our achievements would not be possible without you! We sincerely thank you for your support and partnership throughout 2024. We’ll see you in 2025!