Diversity

Thunder Sky digs up underground artists

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February 28, 2012

Raymond Thunder-Sky was an outsider – an intensely quiet, solitary man who sported a clown suit in his ramblings about town and haunted Cincinnati construction sites with drawing supplies in hand. Always a character, he was also a gifted artist and, for years, no one knew. Now, with a Northside gallery devoted to his memory and an exhibit opening next month in Denmark, this solitary and strange man who died in 2004 is celebrated posthumously as a talented “outsider,” a gifted but unconventional artist. His friends, social workers Bill Ross and Keith Banner, opened Thunder-Sky, Inc., to showcase his work and create a space for other unconventional, outsider artists and their creations. The term “outsider” is no longer new to the art world. As Banner explains, it is “raw art, made by people not normally thought of as artists…outside the circuit." Today, with actual outsider art museums and galleries and outsiders accepted by conventional artistic communities, “it’s like a contradiction in terms.” Still, Banner hopes that this gallery can keep that unconventional spirit, most vividly seen in Thunder-Sky’s own work, alive by reaching out to those “under the radar” artists who might never have the chance to exhibit their creativity to a larger audience than just one. Thunder-Sky, Inc.’s newest exhibit is a collection with the enticing name of “Small Potatoes.” More than 20 artists and their drawings, sculptures and paintings fall together into a theme of domestic “smallness,” as if the gallery were a curio cabinet filled with diminutive treasures. As potatoes grow underground all summer, hiding their bounty under a few leafy vines, so this art and these artists have been hidden until this gallery called for the harvest. Do Good: Visit: Thunder-Sky, Inc. to witness the works of those “outsiders” in the city’s artistic community. The gallery is located at 4573 Hamilton Ave. in Northside. Connect: With Thunder-Sky, Inc. on Facebook, where you can see images and get the latest gallery news. Read: About the gallery on the organization's blog. By Becky Johnson

Latest in Diversity

Video Queen City Project: Arnold’s

By The Queen City Project

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Arts + Culture

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February 21, 2012

Just in time for Mardi Gras, take a trip to Cincinnati's iconic Arnold's Bar and Grill, and see its many faces, courtesy The Queen City Project.

Cincinnati ready to pass city worker partner benefits

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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February 21, 2012

When Chris Seelbach ran for Cincinnati council last year, a platform plank was to make the city more inclusive, more fair, and increase benefits to everyone. Voters responded by overwhelmingly electing Seelbach, making him the first openly gay Cincinnati official. Seelbach’s first legislative initiative would establish health and pension benefits for unmarried partners of city employees, same-sex and opposite sex. The measure passed its first reading 8-1 on January 11, Seelbach’s second council meeting. It also has the support of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. Read the full story here.

Profile: Rosalie Giesel of 346 Stanley

By Robin Donovan

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Diversity

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February 21, 2012

How did you come to be an entrepreneur? It started with a project in one of our entrepreneurship classes at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business. We had to come up with an idea for a new business, product, or service and build a business plan around it. Although the class ended in December 2011, we felt that we had a marketable product and decided to continue on with its development by founding 346 Stanley LLC. How did you come up the idea? Some of my favorite perfume leaked from the bottle and onto my cell phone. I found that I loved smelling it every time I used my phone and even continued to spray it on the case when it began to wear off. That’s where the idea was born. I should mention that our original name for the product was Tek-Tak but when our lawyer researched it, we found that the name was already in use. We have since changed the product name to “Akscentz.” What resources here did you take advantage of and how did they help? We’ve had some great help from professors in the College of Business; they are all very supportive of us going forward and taking our product to market. Also, we’ve consulted with lawyers and professionals with expertise in launching new products. What inspires you? The thought of coming up with our own idea and actually taking it to market and making it a success inspires us. Seeing the hard work and passion of other entrepreneurs who have taken their ideas and turned them into something real; that is truly inspiring. What’s next for you and your product? Right now we are consulting with some experts who have experience in launching new products. We want to learn the best way to produce and market Akscentz. By Robin Donovan

SpringBoard diary: Nothing to lose

By Megan McAuley

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Diversity

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February 21, 2012

If I had a dime for every time someone asked me if I thought opening a climbing gym was actually realistic, I might have enough money to pay a month’s worth of rent on a potential building. While there may be a list of reasons why I shouldn’t pursue the gym or why it won’t work, I have a list triple the size of reasons why I should and it will.

Mobile coupon innovator Samplesaint gains traction, creates jobs

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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February 21, 2012

Just six months after moving from Chicago to Cincinnati, mobile coupon innovator Samplesaint continues to catch major consumer brand and retailer attention. The startup's evolving technology is fueling its growth from eight to 25 employees since coming to the Queen City. “We've had tremendous growth in product development. In terms of hiring, we've brought on a lot of IT and marketing folks. We have 25 employees, but we're not done yet,” says company founder and CEO Lawrence Griffith, a Cincinnati native. Samplesaint was built on its mobile phone couponing technology that allows coupons to be easily scanned. It bypasses the more cumbersome process of printing digital coupons or requiring retailers to manually enter coupon codes from a phone. Samplesaint is more than couponing. It offers a range of mobile marketing, consumer insight, research and experience services. Samplesaint's technology also includes access to a database that ties to retailers' point-of-service, allowing then to immediately identify and determine the redemption and expiration dates of coupons. The company has already worked with major consumer brands, including Lipton, Breyers, Dove, Hellann's and Ragu, Griffith says. “The integration of three pieces are what companies are most excited about: our ability to acquire content, geotargeting and data collection,” Griffith says. “And we can work within their existing systems.” Samplesaint, which still has an office in Chicago, moved to Cincinnati after a $250,000 investment from CincyTech. It was one of the first companies that CincyTech investment attracted from out of state, as well as the first African-American owned company in which CincyTech has invested. Rahul Bawa, director of digital/IT for CincyTech, says the venture development firm recruited Samplesaint from Chicago because of its unique approach to mobile marketing. “Samplesaint has pioneered innovative mobile technologies,” says Bawa. “The company offers new ways of delivering content for consumer-focused companies and their brands. There’s a growing need in the marketplace for mobile-based marketing, and Samplesaint continues to explore ways to serve it. And with our emphasis on consumer marketing in this region, a company like Samplesaint belongs here.” By Feoshia Henderson Follow Feoshia on Twitter

New choral collective looks to change perceptions

By Evan Wallis

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Arts + Culture

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February 21, 2012

Last Tuesday, the upstairs of Below Zero Lounge hosted the first performance by the newly formed Young Professional’s Choral Collective (YPCC). KellAnn Nelson and her husband Christopher Eanes formed the YPCC after talking to friends about their love of choral music, but lack of interest in attending concerts. “There’s a disconnect somewhere,” Nelson says. “People used to perform in high school or college for social reasons, so we decided to try to recreate that.” In November, Nelson and Eanes started recruiting and thought they could find around 20 people to form a choir and a practice space with a piano nearby. That’s when Nelson met Nigel, the owner of Below Zero. Nigel allowed the newly formed choir to use the club space, along with a hollowed out piano that houses a keyboard, all for free. The YPCC held two open practices in November to see how much interest they could garner. The results were more than Nelson and Eanes had hoped. Now with more than 60 members, the YPCC did Caroling in the Quarter, performed their first concert to around 200 people at Below Zero and already have another performance scheduled at Memorial Hall, May 22. With only six rehearsals before the first performance, Nelson and Eanes didn’t know what to expect, but the event went off without a hitch. More than 150 people made reservations to attend. “It was this little idea we had,” Nelson says. “Now it’s really happening and we have some momentum.” The YPCC has received attention for its unique structure, so Nelson and Eanes want to find unique venues to perform and different organizations open to collaboration. Because of busy work and social schedules, the YPCC features different singers in each performance. “We need our experiences to be unique,” Nelson says. “We want it to be something that draws new listeners in but still connects to old music fans.” By Evan Wallis

Website connects Latino community with services

By Deidra Wiley Necco

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Diversity

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February 21, 2012

Ligia Gomez, a native of Colombia who after 20 years of residence calls Cincinnati home, is one of more than 8,000 people of Hispanic or Latino heritage in Cincinnati, according to US census data. A former healthcare worker, Gomez says she became aware of the difficulties that many Latino families face when trying to locate and access culturally compatible services delivered in their native language. “Their needs are great,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to help those families.” Gomez now teaches Spanish for social workers at the University of Cincinnati, helping to ensure that the next generation of providers can more easily address the needs of a growing Latino population. Her contributions to supporting Latino families don’t end with teaching, however. Gomez is also the Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition, which collects and shares resource information online. The coalition’s website acts as a central location for community resource information, including social and legal services, religious congregations and bilingual services in a city where Latinos and Hispanics represent about 2.7 percent of the total population. “Latino communities can be found in various neighborhoods in the area,” says Gomez. “We depend on our website to reach those communities, especially low-income families who are struggling.” Since the coalition began in 2005, the local Latino population has continued to grow and more services have become available. As a result, the group’s website could use a makeover. “The coalition is looking for a website developer to make some much-needed changes to both its functioning and content,” says Gomez. “An updated site would enhance our ability to reach families and individuals who need assistance, providing them with timely and centralized information.” As a non-profit, the coalition is looking for a website developer to donate the time and skills needed to make an updated and fully functional site a reality. While the organization’s website is central to its mission of helping Latino families, the coalition also hosts a series of monthly meetings featuring experts on topics ranging from immigration to economic development and more. These meetings are open to the public, and work to bring people together through education concerning issues that face Latinos. “The meetings provide a regular forum for highlighting services and community resources,” says Gomez. Although the coalition is currently challenged by a lack of technical resources to improve their website, it is gaining recognition for its work. On May 18, the GCLC will be honored with an organizational award at Santa Maria Community Services’ annual Bienestar, an event that recognizes both individuals and organizations that have done outstanding work to enhance access to health and educational resources for Hispanics and Latinos. “We are very proud to receive this award,” says Gomez. There are many ways to become active with the GCLC. When it comes to volunteers, the coalition is looking for anyone who is interested in helping the community’s growing Latino population. In addition, donations are welcome, as are community experts willing to serve as speakers for their monthly meetings. Gomez says, “We encourage people to become part of the cause by contributing time, funds or skills to help Latino families living in Cincinnati.” Do Good: If you or your company have website design skills, consider donating your time and services to the GCLC’s website redesign. Donate. Your dollars help fund important work for Latino families and individuals Get educated. Attend a meeting to learn more about issues facing Latino populations and find out how you can help. By Deidra Wiley Necco

Building Value hosts third ReUse-apalooza

By Evan Wallis

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Architecture + Design

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February 14, 2012

This weekend, upcycling creatives and fans of REM join supporters of Building Value in Northside for the third annual ReUse-apalooza fundraiser, April 27. “We are very excited about this chance to truly engage the community in reuse with ReUse-apalooza!,” says Tina Dyehouse, event volunteer and the chair of the designer challenge contest that rewards creative re-use of building materials. “The real magic of the event is it brings the community together to make a positive impact on our neighborhoods by raising awareness about sustainability and helping those with disabilities and disadvantages.” In the spirit of Building Value's focus on "green" building practices, the event this year includes an after-party at Northside Tavern where local favorites Messerly and Ewing will perform the entire "Green" album by REM. The band contributed REM memorabilia for the event auction as well, and will entertain the Building Value crowd before heading to the after-party. All proceeds benefit job training program for people with disabilities and disadvantages at Building Value and its parent organization, Easter Seals Work Resource Center. Building Value employs people with disabilities from Easter Seals who staff the reuse center, which sells some of the more than 3,000 tons of building material waste Building Value diverts from landfills each year. Do Good: • Attend ReUse-apalooza. Tickets are available online. • Find out more about Building Value and its impact on the community. • Donate used building materials to support the nonprofit and its environment-friendly practices. By Elissa Yancey

‘Last Mountain’ panel led by Urban Appalachian Council

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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February 14, 2012

From the cresting mountain ridges of Appalachia to the rolling hills of Cincinnati, the story of one small community’s fight against big coal corporations resonates with a message of environmental justice. That story will be told during a screening of the documentary, “The Last Mountain,” and a panel discussion afterward, moderated by the executive director of the Urban Appalachian Council, Greg Howard. The free public events kick off the Passport to the World Series Appalachian Culturefest at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The panel includes University of Cincinnati biological sciences professor Eric Maurer; Shanon Rice, photographer and curator of “A Coal Story,” a photographic exhibit now at the Museum Center that delves into the lives of coal miners; coal miner Claude Stamper; Richard Durtsche, Northern Kentucky University biology professor; and associate journalism professor (and SoapboxMedia managing editor) Elissa Yancey. The documentary “Last Mountain” takes an intense look at how the townspeople of Coal River Valley, W.Va., battled to protect a mountaintop from destruction at the hands of big coal corporations. Many Cincinnatians have deep family roots in Appalachia, which led to the formation of the Urban Appalachian Council in the early 1970s. UAC is a service and advocacy organization working to improve the quality of life for urban Appalachians in the Greater Cincinnati area. Families who migrated to Cincinnati generations ago note interesting parallels between what’s taking place in Coal River Valley and the streets of the Queen City. The close-knit Appalachian culture, where complaints are few and publicity shied away from, does not make advocacy a natural path for them. The results have not served the people, or the land upon which they depend, well. In many ways, Coal River Valley sets out a new vision for Appalachians willing to stand up for their own health and well-being, for their own futures. Do Good: • See the movie; hear the panel. The Insights Lecture series event will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Click here for more information. • Like the Urban Appalachian Council on Facebook. • Make a donation to support the work of this local nonprofit.