A unique Cincinnati event, Power of Her Day, will take place on Saturday, March 7, to expose the public to the myriad talents of women artists all over the city. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., female-centric exhibits, performances, and hands-on activities can be viewed in seven area cultural settings.
Power of Her Day is part of ArtsWave Days offered in conjunction with the 2020 ArtsWave Community Campaign. All events are open to the public and free of charge.
The 18-month initiative, Power of Her, developed as a collaboration between ArtsWave and other regional organizations to celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage and the ratification of the 19th Amendment (August 18, 1920) granting women the right to vote.
Power of Her, which runs through December 2020, will feature hundreds of arts events, and organizations will be linking their programming to the theme of saluting and honoring female leadership and women-centric work. The initiative also celebrates milestone anniversaries of locally founded and led cultural institutions. Among these are the Art Academy of Cincinnati (founded in 1854), and the Cincinnati Opera and Junior League of Cincinnati, each celebrating centennial anniversaries this year.
Power of Her Day allows the public to view a sampling of local art programs in these seven participating venues:
The Taft Museum, featuring textile art quilts by Cynthia Lockhart; a performance by a female-led troupe from the Cultural Centre of India; mandolin player Jody Knoop from the group Full Moon Ranch; and Cincinnati Baila, a female-led troupe.
The Kennedy Heights Arts Center Annex, offering a sculptural art workshop inspired by artist Judith Scott; Mandala-making with Radha Lakshmi; a percussion performance with Liz Wu and friends highlighting women musicians and compositions; a performance by 4-Way, Cincinnati’s String Quartet; a national theater company-led initiative, In[HEIR]itance Project; and a modern dance performance and workshop by MamLuft&Co. Dance.
The Clifton Cultural Arts Center, with artist Kelli Gleiner sharing felting basics centered around empowerment; CCAC dance instructor Ndieme Ngom leading a lesson in West African dance; Altered Book Art through the Cincinnati Meeting Tree offering the chance to upcycle a tiny book into a piece of art; staff from the Corryville Public Library leading Innovation Hour, hands-on activities celebrating female historical figures; acrylic paint pouring by artist Autumn McKinley; and CCAC wellness instructor Leslie Blac, leading a movement hour, Move It!
UC Clermont, presenting a mostly female ensemble, teaching the audience how to play singing bowls; the Forget-Me-Nots; and Wild Carrot.
The Barn in Mariemont, featuring the Brush & Palette Painters, a women’s plein air group, exhibiting in the gallery; paintings for sale; and other artisans demonstrating their crafts.
The Fitton Center in Hamilton, Ohio presenting the exhibition “10___Women,” hands-on art activities, and a performance by Joanie Whitaker.
Behringer-Crawford Museum, offering a special beading and decorative arts exhibit, “From Rituals to Runways: The Art of the Bead;” a drop-in art-making session; Clark & Jones trio performing Celtic, classical, old-time American, and contemporary singer-songwriter pieces as well as the collective works of the Trio’s two female members, Nancy Bick Clark and Jude Jones; Raison d’Etre performing music from “Three Decades Together;” and American Legacy Theatre providing a structural understanding of plays and then crowdsourcing a play with female-based themes.
A companion book, produced by ArtsWave and edited by Kathy Merchant, Imagineers, Impresarios, Inventors: Cincinnati’s Arts and the Power of Her, tells the inspiring stories of 200 Cincinnati women — artists, arts patrons and philanthropists, executive leaders, volunteers, collectors, and advocates of the arts — including women who have founded Cincinnati’s museums, theaters, musical and dance locations, art schools, and civil organizations.
The book will be published on June 1, 2020 and may be pre-ordered through Orange Frazier Press. A launch party will be announced for the summer.
An hourly schedule for Power of Her Day can be viewed here.
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