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CINCINNATI— The Cincinnati Art Museum opens two special exhibitions that highlight Black artists on Friday, February 25. During the run of the exhibitions, the museum is partnering with community organizations to create a slate of public programs supporting these concurrent exhibitions, David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History and Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop.  

The Black Futures Series 

The museum is working in partnership with ArtWorks, Cincy Nice, OhioDance, the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Art Center (ROMAC), and WordPlay Cincy to create the Black Futures Series. This multifaceted series of happenings and conversations take place both in the museum and in surrounding neighborhoods. They represent each organization’s active response to themes explored in the two special exhibitions on view: engaging established and aspiring Black visual and performing artists in building mentor networks, creating and occupying creative platforms within and beyond art institutions, sharing histories, and nurturing artistic growth and excellence. The book Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham directly inspired the name of this initiative. 

There are four main areas of collective action in the Black Futures Series, each offering multiple dates and ways to engage: 

Active Imagination: ArtWorks Spring Youth Artist Exhibition 

April 29–June 10: ArtWorks Youth Artist Exhibition at ArtWorks V2 Gallery 

April 26–May 2: Active Imagination Workshop Artwork on view at Cincinnati Art Museum 

Aspiring youth artists will learn about photography under the mentorship of four local African American photographers: Allen Woods, Louis Rideout, Frank Young and Briana Davis. The program culminates in two spring exhibitions: one at ArtWorks V2 Gallery in Walnut Hills and a second the Cincinnati Art Museum. 

Past, Present, Future: with ROMAC and OhioDance 

March 16: Artist talk and panel 

Two-part virtual event will begin with an artist talk by choreographer Countess V. Winfrey, followed by a dance and arts community leaders panel discussion, Artist Pathways: Writing Successful Project Proposals. Co-organized with OhioDance. 

April 14: ROMAC panel at the Cincinnati Art Museum 

ROMAC will host a keynote panel discussion concerning the history of Black artists and collective actions in Cincinnati. Panelist information and registration information forthcoming. 

May 6: Homage: What was, Is, To Come 

Experience a performance of a new dance work by choreographer Countess V. Winfrey. Featuring an original score and a spoken word tour guide, Winfrey’s Homage transports the audience through museum spaces in a three-part performance bringing light to the Black experience of the past and present and the dream of a Black Future in the Now. Commissioned and organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum in partnership with OhioDance. 

Creativity in Dialogue: Response Series with WordPlay Cincy and Cincy Nice 

April 7, 14, 21, 28: Creative responses from WordPlay Cincy will enliven the exhibition galleries every Thursday evening during April. Further event details forthcoming. 

The museum is open until 8 p.m. every Thursday and admission to both special exhibitions is free.  

April 29: Walnut Hills Jazz Progressive with Cincy Nice and Art After Dark at the Cincinnati Art Museum 

Venues in Walnut Hills will feature musical responses to the exhibitions, with drop-in hours following Art After Dark at the museum (5–9 p.m.) and the opening of the Youth Artist Exhibition at ArtWorks V2 Gallery. Full schedule forthcoming. 

Black Futures Series—An Archive 

After the conclusion of the exhibitions and all programs, Cincinnati photographer Asa Featherstone will publish a commissioned artist’s book documenting the collaborations. This project is a contribution to the formation of the archives necessary to write Black art history—a concern centered in the work of Driskell and the Kamoinge photographers. 

Up to date event information and registration information for each event can always be found at the Black Futures Series webpage. For information about film screenings and other programs associated with these exhibitions, visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org. 

For more on each of our partners, please visit their linked respective webpages. 

The Black Futures Series is supported by GBBN, LPK, and the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Ohio Arts Council. Additional support has been provided by Ohio Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the federal ARP Act of 2021. 

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members. Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from The Rosenthal Family Foundation. Special exhibition pricing may vary. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free. Visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org for more information. 

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