Taft's collection hits the streets in Art for All

A Rembrandt on Fountain Square. Rousseau’s Fontainebleau in Fairfield’s Founder’s Park. A Millet at the Boone County Library.

Famous works of art on display outside? Why yes, says the Taft Museum of Art.

To commemorate its 80th anniversary, the Taft has begun installing 80 framed weather-proof reproductions from its collection in public spaces around the region. Reproductions of landscapes, portraits and expansive vistas will be at libraries, schools, parks, the Great American Ball Park as well as restaurants and even a bar or two. A full map of all locations can be found here.

“This is a great way to engage new audiences and reenergize the interest of those already familiar with the Taft’s collection,” says Deborah Emont Scott, Taft director/CEO. “Plus, it will be great fun for those who are out and about to find a masterpiece around the corner in one of the city’s many great neighborhoods.”

Dubbed Art for All, the Taft program was modeled after successful public art projects by the Tate Gallery in London and the Detroit Institute for the Arts. The $200,000 project, which officially starts June 1 and runs through September, was funded by The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, says Tricia Suit, the museum’s marketing and communications manager.

The Taft has spent months preparing for the open-air exhibit and has worked with numerous community groups, including ArtWorks. That public art group will create two permanent murals based on works in the collection that will be installed in Over–the-Rhine and Bellevue, KY.

“This is a great addition to the project,’’ Suit says, adding that the murals last for about 20 years. “It would be fabulous to have them up until our 100th anniversary.”

As part of the project, the museum is also holding Third Sunday Fundays from 1 to 4 p.m. The free events will include performances, family activities and short talks about the works of art. Each Sunday will focus on an area of the city where the collection’s reproductions are located: June 17 will feature works on the West Side of Cincinnati; July 15 will feature the East Side; August 19, downtown and the central region; and Sept. 16 will focus on Northern Kentucky.

Downloadable maps will be available online after June 1. Printed maps will be available at the Taft and other area locations. In addition, the museum will use social media sites like Flickr, Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter to share information about the project. Suit says she hopes people will snap pictures of themselves with the art with their smartphones and upload it to the museum’s Art For All Flickr account.

Does Suit think some will go hunting for all 80? Sure. “I know we will have some who will do that … we should really have a fabulous prize for those who do. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt. I think it would be great for folks to discover – or rediscover - parts of our city and our area as part of this.’’

Do Good:

• Like Art for All on Facebook.

• Follow Art for All on its Twitter account.

• Party in the garden at the Taft’s Soiree in the Garden, Thursday, May 17.

By Chris Graves

Chris Graves is the assistant vice president of social and digital media at The Powers Agency, a public relations and advertising agency. You can follow her Art For All check-ins on FourSquare .