The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century on view at Cincinnati Art Museum June 28–September 29, 2024

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CINCINNATI —January 25, 2024— In celebration of hip hop’s remarkable, decades-long impact and influence on society, the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) will host the groundbreaking exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, on view from June 28–September 29, 2024.

The multimedia exhibition showcases more than 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, with looks from Cross Colours and Vivienne Westwood. A range of music ephemera will also be on display.  

One of the leading figures in the study of hip hop and an advocate for education about the genre will site-curate the exhibition. Jason Rawls, EdD, is an assistant professor of hip hop at The Ohio State University, leading the team that is creating a hip hop studies program in its School of Music and Department of African American & African Studies. Dr. Rawls–who is featured in a hip hop exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History–is also known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Beastie Boys and is a published author and DJ (aka J. Rawls). Prior to OSU, Dr. Rawls helped develop the first hip hop-based education program in a college of education at Ohio University.

“Grandmaster Caz said, ‘Hip Hop didn’t invent anything. It reinvented everything,’” quotes Dr.  Rawls. “This is what we can share with visitors, this idea of hip hop mentality—using the resources at hand in an innovative way and how this can inform art and culture.”

The exhibition was co-curated by Asma Naeem, the Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA) Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director; Gamynne Guillotte, the BMA’s former Chief Education Officer; Hannah Klemm, the Saint Louis Art Museum’s (SLAM) former Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art; and Andréa Purnell, SLAM’s Community Collaborations Manager.

Rooted in the origins of hip hop in the mid-1970s as a cultural expression of Black, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx youth, The Culture explores the transformation of contemporary art and material culture through the collision of hip hop, technology and the marketplace.

The exhibition will be on view in the Western & Southern Galleries (232 and 233). Tickets are $12, with discounted rates for students, children, and seniors. Save $2 when purchasing tickets online. Admission is free for members. The exhibition will be free for nonmembers every Thursday evening from 5–8 p.m.; Friday, June 28, July 26, August 30 and September 27 during Art After Dark; and on Saturday, August 3, during CAM Kids Day. Photography is permitted, but no flash.

The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21^st Century is organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum. The exhibition is generously supported by the Ford Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. At the Cincinnati Art Museum, the exhibition is presented by The Ragland Family Foundation and P&G. Exhibition sponsors are Triversity Construction and the PNC Charitable Trust. Media sponsor: The Wiz. It is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog with contributions from more than 50 artists, writers, scholars, curators, and arts leaders.

Upcoming, related events:

Members Opening, 5–7 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2024, Cincinnati Art Museum

Museum members are invited to view the exhibition before it opens to the public and enjoy light bites and a cash bar. Free for members.

Artist Talk, 7 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2024, Cincinnati Art Museum

Details to be announced. Tickets will be available on the museum’s website.

CAM Kids Day, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Saturday, August 3, 2024, Cincinnati Art Museum

Celebrate the exhibition with a day filled with fun for the whole family. Enjoy scavenger hunts, preschool and docent-led activities, family-friendly performances and art-making stops throughout the day. Free. Reservations not required.

Gallery Talk Plus, 1–3 p.m., Saturday, August 10, 2024, Cincinnati Art Museum.

Details to be announced. Tickets will be available on the museum’s website.

Schedule subject to change. Visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org for the latest information.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

One of the oldest arts institutions in the United States, and the first purpose-built art museum west of the Allegheny Mountains, the Cincinnati Art Museum features a diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 73,000 works spanning 6,000 years. In addition to displaying its own broad collection, the museum conducts extensive research and creates and organizes several exhibitions each year. It also hosts national and international traveling exhibitions. Through these critical projects and art-related programs, activities, and special events, the museum contributes to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its people and connecting its communities.

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 its members. Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Exhibition pricing may vary. Generous support for the museum’s extended Thursday hours is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free. More information is available at cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

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