CINCINNATI – Union Terminal has its share of incredible mosaic murals. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) and ArtWorks, it’s added one more that begs to be reimagined in infinite ways. CMC’s You Are Here gallery debuts its new mural interactive October 22.
CMC’s You Are Here gallery is one of the newest additions to the Cincinnati History Museum. The permanent gallery shares the stories of Cincinnati’s history to answer the question, “What really makes Cincinnati Cincinnati?” From how people live to how they work to how they play, You Are Here attempts to answer that question by showcasing Cincinnati’s s people and places, traditions and struggles.
Among the gallery’s objects and artifacts are those celebrating Cincinnati-style chili, goetta and beer that give our city flavor; the May Festival, Reds and Bengals that give our city zest; the churches, schools and universities that give our city soul. Interactive elements bring those stories to life. CMC worked with ArtWorks to make the Queen City’s vibrant arts scene stand out.
“Our city has such a brilliant, beautiful legacy of innovation and artists and we wanted to make sure to tell that story with the same brilliance and beauty,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “ArtWorks has mobilized artists to create stunning murals on iconic buildings across Cincinnati. Now we can add Union Terminal to that list.”
The mural is inspired by the many murals dotting Cincinnati buildings but encourages guests to get creative and design a mural of their own. No-touch, gesture-based technology allows you to put yourself in the mural, adding brilliant pops of color to the blank space on the black-and-white mural painted on the wall behind you. The interactive mural is a perfect encapsulation of the ingenuity Cincinnati’s city of doers possess. CMC worked with ArtWorks and student artists to create the static mural.
“It is an incredible honor to bring the ArtWorks mural program inside the walls of Cincinnati Museum Center, one of our region’s most beloved cultural treasures,” says Colleen Houston, CEO and artistic director of ArtWorks. “This new exhibit demonstrates the cultural and historic significance of the ArtWorks mural program and its legacy. This collaboration is unique as it creates an interactive mural-making experience, and I’m delighted museum visitors will get the opportunity to create their own murals, as public art is for everyone.”
You Are Here will continue to expand this November with three additional interactive elements: a news desk where guests can deliver scripts on air; Quizinnati, a multi-player quiz that tests your knowledge of all things Cincinnati; and Cincinnati Counts, a survey of the most Cincinnati debates with a large-format projection displaying the collective results.
For more information, visit https://www.cincymuseum.org