“Alternative” art fair at center of immersive art experience in Camp Washington

Although their neighborhood doesn’t got a lot of local coverage, the Camp Washington Community Board has been working around the clock to build up and expand the Camp Washington community and what it has to offer.

On April 30, the Board is partnering with Wave Pool Gallery to bring an alternative art fair, studio sale, temporary mural unveiling and the grand opening of a refugee-run retail shop will put the neighborhood front and center in Cincinnati’s arts-and-culture scene. This event, according to Wave Pool Gallery, won’t be your run-of-the-mill art fair.

Titled 9×18: The Parking Lot Art Experiment, the art fair will take place at 2927 Colerain Ave. and feature performance art, art actions, experimental engagements, ephemeral works and more.

Inspired by the growth of the Camp Washington community, Wave Pool curated the event in conjunction with Girl Noticed, the Camp Washington Community Board and the Welcome Project Café/Boutique.

The public will be able to enjoy an array of art from local artists who want to convey that art can be about immersion and not just about purchasing it. Artists will include Ingred Alexandra, Marc Governanti, Annie Brown, Elise Barrington, Nina Devine, Hugh Patton, Caravan, Erin Drew, POPP=D Art, Camp Washington Art and Mobile Produce and many more.

The range of work showcased by these artists will offer something for everyone. Alexandra and Governanti focus on visual arts with multimedia and video vignette performances, and CAMP provides a cart-and-bike produce and art immersion experience with fresh produce from the Camp Washington farm alongside coloring books with vegetables, recipes, etc. POPP=D Art runs under a mobile trend like CAMP, traveling in a repurposed rainbow caravan and bringing to the forefront that “it doesn’t have to be in a gallery to be considered art,” which is what the 9×18 event is all about.

9×18 aims to change the way that local (and national) art is perceived. Not all artists sell commodities to the general public; in fact, many artists run their careers on immersive experiences. They still want to showcase their work to a large audience, but until the idea of 9×18 came about, there has not been an art fair of this nature in the area.

In addition to the parking lot art fair, visitors can also view the studio sale in Wave Pool’s upstairs space (featuring gently used art supplies, home furnishings, etc.), the debut of a new temporary mural completed by Lori Practico from Girl Noticed (bringing awareness to the important role and the value of females in society) and the grand opening of the Welcome Project Café/Boutique, a storefront on Colerain for refugees and immigrants to sell their crafts and handmade goods. The new business was started by Wave Pool in collaboration with Heartfelt Tidbits.

The project was funded by a grant from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. The event will run from 1 to 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.wavepoolgallery.org or call (513) 600-6117.