On Ordinary Citizens

Here’s for another set of murals in the city. Because the prior post about the murals featured notable Cincinnatians, this post features ordinary people. As with the other murals in this series, ArtWorks made these possible.

Canal at Vine Street Circa 1900

Settled on the Ohio River, water has always been important to Cincinnati. The Miami and Erie Canal (completed in 1827) ran through the city to link with a network of canals in Ohio. This canal also separated a neighborhood from downtown. The canal was important to businesses, thus many workers. The mural depicts workers on a canal boat on this canal.

By 1906, the canal wasn’t used much and it became a health hazard. Although Central Parkway occupies the same space today as the canal did, this mural along the canal route serves as a reminder of its importance during a different time.

Canal at Vine Street Circa 1900 is located at 101 W Central Parkway

The Cobbler’s Apprentice Plays Ball

A Cincinnati treasure served as an inspiration for this mural. Frank Duveneck (1849-1910) was not only a Cincinnatian, but he was a well-known figure and portrait painter in his time. In The Cobbler’s Apprentice (which is one display at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Duveneck painted a boy holding a large basket of vegetables to his right side and a cigar in his left hand – to which he responds by the smoke. (Click to see the original)

This mural is a parody of the original because a baseball bat has replaced the basket and the cigar. One can find this mural very close to the Great American Ball Park (home of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team).

The Cobbler’s Apprentice Plays Ball is located at 120 East Freedom Way.

What’s Happening Downtown

 

In the days before air conditioning, people kept their windows open. Then again (and whether they liked it or not), they heard much of the activity in the surrounding area

This mural is about the vibrancy in a city community depicting people coming to their window to see what’s happening.

What’s Happening Downtown is located at 1005 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

The Face of the Arts

One-story buildings aren’t very common in the city. As a matter of fact, as I approached and past this building, I totally missed what it offered … and I wonder how many other times I walked by. But, I finally spotted it from a block away, so I returned to discover more.

ArtWorks is responsible for over 100 murals throughout the city in the past 20 years. Interestingly, ArtWorks is a “non-profit organization that employs and trains local youth and talent to create art and community impact through three strategic programming areas: Public Art, including an extensive mural program; an art therapy division, ArtRx; and an entrepreneurial arm, Creative Enterprise.”

This mural displays the silhouettes of creative pursuits and portraits of those who painted this mural.

The Face of the Arts is located at 1100 Race St, Cincinnati on the corner of Race and Central Parkway – (fittingly) directly across the street from the School for Creative and Performing Arts.

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Special thanks to blogger friend Resa in Toronto, Canada for getting me to take a close look at the wonderful murals on display in Cincinnati – so I invite you to visit Resa to see what she’s captured.

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Any favorites? To see other murals in my series, click here.