How does the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) stay engaged and involved in our Cincinnati community? Community engagement is a broad term, and one that can be used by museums in multiple ways and across different institutions. At CAM, our community engagement team develops partnerships with community organizations, artists, and leaders and supports these partnerships, institutionally, through collaboration and cross divisional leadership.

That is a lot of rhetoric, but what does this look like in practice? How can you see this work at the museum or in the community?

Sometimes community engagement work is very visible, like seeing a CAM booth at a festival or large public event. Other times you might notice CAM at your local library or your child’s school for an art-making program. Inside the museum, you might see other organizations hosting events, talks, or classes.

Community engagement amplifies the work of our partners and shares the CAM experience with an expanded audience. Being a part of the Cincinnati community is vital to the relevance and growth of the museum, and our partnerships allow us to connect with this region in an ongoing and meaningful way. 

All this work is informed and supported by the Museum Community Committee, a diverse group of leaders. Local artist Cedric Micheal Cox served on the committee for two years and said his favorite part was “watching the ideas that we had as a committee be considered and later executed in real time in CAM programming and exhibitions!!”

Community engagement at CAM is a collaborative, fun-filled, always growing division that continues to support the CAM mission.