sampler weekend
March 10th Sampler Round-Up
The LAST Macy's Arts Sampler day of 2012 is almost upon us!
The first two Arts Sampler days have been great -thousands of people from around the region met up to experience free art right in their backyard. Saturday, March 10 promises to be loads of fun. Snag a schedule or download the Sampler Mobile App for free on your smart phone.
Downtown Cincinnati - Hands-On Arts and Performances for Families
Families can easily spend the entire day Downtown exploring the arts. Get inspired at the Taft Museum of Art with a day celebrating great African American artists in our community. The line-up includes a one-man show about Martin Luther King, jr., “Martin’s Dream” by Deondra Means; gospel and soul music by the incredible Fo Mo Brothers; see the current exhibit of prints by Romare Bearden and try your hand at making a collage; then end the day with music by Tracy Walker, one of the Taft Robert S. Duncanson Artists in Residence for 2012.
On the top floor of the Contemporary Arts Center, The UnMuseum will have family art and craft activities starting at 1 p.m. The Main Library on Vine Street will host silhouette artist Pattie Purnell and the Blue Chip Jazz Band at Noon.
Families with younger children will appreciate the combination of crafts and interactive theatre at Learning Through Art’s Books Alive! program starting at 11 a.m, and the Ballet Theatre Midwest and My Nose Turns Red Youth Circus performances at Emanuel Community Center at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Museums, Murals, and Music for Adults
Head over to the Contemporary Arts Center and check out their new exhibit, Spectacle: The Music Video, an incredible exploration of the art and history of music videos. At 3:00 p.m., take a guided tour that shows you how to look at things in a whole new way with the UnProfessional Development workshop.
ArtWorks is offering two one-hour guided bus tours to visit some of its incredible Downtown murals, at 11 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. Appropriate for all ages. You can also take a Highlights of the Taft guided tour at the Taft Museum at 1:30 p.m.
Catch some great singer/songwriters including acoustic folk/roots/blues musician John Ford and guitarist Dave Hawkins and fiddler Peg Buchanan at the CAC starting at 12:30; and Tracy Walker at the Taft Museum at 3:30 p.m.
For Families on the Move
Do your kids need to get their wiggles out? Try a taste of West African drumming and dancing at the Carl Lindner YMCA with the African-American Drum and Dance Ensemble at 12:30 p.m.—a great opportunity to get the whole family up on their feet and moving to the beat.
Then, head for the Cincinnati Ballet for a whole afternoon of moving and grooving from ballet to belly-dancing and Chinese martial to Bollywood-style Indian dance. Starting at Noon, the line-up includes Cincinnati Ballet, the CCM Preparatory Dance Department, Anaya Gypsy Dance, Blue Ash Shaolin Do, and Experience India.
Neighborhood Fun
If your family includes grandparents, take everyone to The Grove at Springfield Township. They’ve got a full afternoon of great American music ranging from barbershop with the Southern Gateway Chorus to roots band Wild Carrot to country-western swing with Laura Hazelbaker & the BuckeyeRoos, plus a chance to learn the lindy-hop with the Living History Dance School.
Clifton Cultural Arts Center has American and Celtic music starting at Noon with Raison d’Etre, Clark and Jones, and the Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes and Drums.
Middletown Arts Center hosts the Madcap Puppets’ production of “Jack and the Gentle Giant” at 12:30 p.m. Children are invited to stay afterwards for a puppet-making workshop with the performers.
Macy's Arts Sampler roundup - February 11
We are unbelievably excited that the first of three Macy's Arts Sampler days are almost here! Starting THIS Saturday, the Cincinnati region will come alive with free arts events all over the city for everyone to come enjoy. We've been hosting Sampler Weekends for 26 years now, and have been working hard to make new improvements to help you get the most out of these unique experiences.
Our newest addition to Sampler this year is our Macy's Arts Sampler App! In addition to a complete listing of Macy’s Arts Sampler events, the Sampler app includes show descriptions, a mapping function that provides directions to venues, and connections to Facebook and Twitter. Users can bookmark events to create a personalized schedule, and even make a donation to the ArtsWave community campaign directly from the app.
"Macy’s Arts Sampler is our signature event each year with over 100 free performances and activities all over the region" said Rebecca Bromels, ArtsWave’s Director of Communications. "We wanted to offer everyone the very latest technology to help them find favorite arts groups, events in their neighborhood, and the best activities to enjoy with family or friends.” Content will be updated in real time to keep audiences up-to-date on performances and any last-minute changes.
Most of all, we see the Macy’s Arts Sampler app as an opportunity to gauge the community’s interest in a year-round arts event calendar and app. “We know that there’s some desire for a collaborative arts calendar,” says Mary McCullough-Hudson, President and CEO of ArtsWave. “Public response to the Sampler app will provide us with important feedback on this idea and guide our next moves in this evolving medium.”
Now, on to THIS Saturday!
Know Theatre at the Cincinnati Symphony, Macy's Arts Sampler 2011
Arts Roundup:
Downtown Itinerary for Families:
- Start the day at 10 am at Music Hall with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s family concert, The Big Bad Brass Bash! Highlighting the brass family of instruments, the concert includes the delightful story of Tubby the Tuba featuring Carson McTeer and narrated by Stacey Woolley. Check out the Highland Dancers in the lobby after the show.
- Head up the hill to Mt. Adams for events at Playhouse in the Park and Cincinnati Art Museum. Kids can enjoy two great shows: the Z Puppets Rosenschnaz presenting “In a Fool’s Kitchen” at Playhouse (10:30 and 1:00 pm) and Madcap Puppets’ “Jack and the Gentle Giant” at CAM (Noon and 2 pm). Playhouse also has backstage tours and creative dramatics class for kids.
- At the Art Museum, there’ll be international music from Kique Infante, Sakura Ladies Chorus and the Bacchanal Steel Drums. And, the BombShells of Cincinnati will be bombing the Great Hall at CAM with their latest creation: Operation Truly Newly (fiber) Chihuly. BombShells will be on hand to help guests create their own yarn creations to add to the huge fuzzy chandelier.
Places to Play All Day:
- Carnival of Arts at the West Chester Library starts at Noon featuring local musicians, theatre groups, and more.
- Wyoming Fine Arts Center features programming all day starting at 9 am—music, dance, make and take crafts, etc.
- Fitton Center for the Creative Arts also has a full day of programming starting at 10 am including make and take crafts.
Three back-to-back choral concerts by Cincinnati BoyChoir, Cincinnati Children’s Choir, and MUSE at St. John’s Unitarian Church in Clifton starting at 1:00 pm. - Stroll around the Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood and visit Ballet Theatre Midwest, New Edgecliff Theatre, and the Irish Heritage Center starting at 11:00 am.
Toddler Activities:
- If your wee one is not quite ready to sit still for the Symphony concert, you need to check out Linton Music’s Peanut Butter and Jam concerts at the Clovernook Center for the Blind at 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM. “Bim Bam Boom!” will feature percussion instruments which is sure to delight little drummer boys and girls.
- Also, Wyoming Fine Arts Center has Musik Kids activities for Babies from 9 to 9:30 am, and for toddlers from 9:30 to 10.
Great Picks for Adults and Teens:
- The Whipping Man, at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati at 2 p.m. Please note this production contains strong adult language and themes and may not be suitable for all ages. Limited seating available. Call 421-3555 to reserve tickets.
- Porgy & Bess: Opera Redux at Kennedy Heights Presbyterian Church at 7:00 pm. One hour version of the Gershwin classic staged by Cincinnati Opera. You can also catch this show at Noon at the Fairfield Arts Center.
- Mini-classes and performances at Contemporary Dance Theatre in College Hill starting at 11:30 AM.
- Playhouse’s Scene Shop tour leaves on the hour from 12:30 to 3:30 at 1430 Gilbert Avenue—a fascinating chance to see how sets are painted and constructed.
- New Edgecliff Theatre offers an open rehearsal of the upcoming one-man show, St. Nicholas, at the Columbia Performance Center at 1:00 pm. Audience members can make “suggestions” for the scene to the actor and director.
- The Betts House offers free admission to their exhibit “The Big Shake” at 1 pm.
What are you looking forward to on Saturday? Let us know here, and please share your pictures, videos and experiences via Facebook and Twitter using the #MacysSampler hashtag.
Sharing the Joy at ArtAlive
On a Saturday night during Sampler Weekend, sponsored by Macy's, the community came together to celebrate the creative things happening all over our region. The evening was filled with scrumptious, creative food provided by eat well, performances from Margaret Russo, Abiyah, Bi-Okoto, Pones Inc., as well as a surprise performance of the famous Splash Dance!
Sharing the Joy on Sampler Weekend
On February 20 & 21, Cincinnati celebrated the arts all around us with the Fine Arts Fund's annual Sampler Weekend, sponsored by Macy's. Our city was filled with thousands of people visiting over 50 venues like theaters, museums, community art centers, libraries, schools, and beyond, for shows, exhibits, and hands-on activities throughout the entire Cincinnati region. Creative things – music, dance, storytelling, theatre, painting, and much more – happened all over the place, from the center of the city to the suburbs.
Our Kick Off and Sampler Weekend are creating a big buzz in Cincinnati that is giving our businesses a boost. Last week was a great example of the types of things that happen all over our community, all year long, bringing us together.
To see MANY more photos taken during Sampler Weekend, click here.
Great Weekend!
Thanks to everyone who came out, volunteered, and worked on our annual celebration - Sampler Weekend!
Please post your photos on our Facebook fan page here or email them to info@fineartsfund.org.
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This week was the kickoff for the annual celebration and community campaign for the arts --- our city's music, dance, galleries, museums, and festivals. For the first time ever, the Fine Arts Fund - which organizes the celebration - sponsored surprise art that popped up outside Macy's downtown and in the Carew Tower arcade, as well as on buses running from downtown to Northern Kentucky and out to Anderson. Hundreds of people were amazed to see mobile galleries and dancing on buses and in unexpected downtown spots on the lunch hour.
Over the weekend, our city was filled with thousands of people visiting over 50 venues like theaters, museums, community art centers, libraries, schools, and other places, for shows and hands-on activities throughout the entire Cincinnati region. Creative things -- music, dance, storytelling, theatre, painting, and much more -- happened all over the place, from the center of the city to the suburbs.
Sampler Weekend included past favorites - Gospel Brunches, Arte Latino, and Get Smart About Art - and many new creative things. You can find a complete listing of the 130 performances, exhibits, and vibrant activities here.
On Saturday night, hundreds of people came to the Art Alive party at the CAC to celebrate the beginning of the annual community campaign. They saw the Shepard Fairey and other exhibits and were treated to several performances, including a surprise dance, the famous Splash Dance of YouTube fame.