Paint Our City Beautiful!4 min read

One of these pics is NOT an ArtWorks ….can you guess which one?

This week, I attended the ArtWorks breakfast. ArtWorks is the organization that’s the mastermind behind all the cool murals around town. I know you’ve spotted them throughout the city, so I thought I’d give you some scoop on the backstory.

My friend Amy and I hit the road to find some of the murals and, while doing so, thought this would be a fun summertime activity for families.

The OTR and Downtown murals are sprinkled around, so doing a walking tour or even using the Red Bikes would be a great way to check them out. You’ll also find them in other areas of the city, so maybe pick one or two to search for on any given weekend to force yourself to visit an area of the city you may have never seen.

As you compare the older murals to the newer ones, you’ll see how much the designs and talent have evolved over the years since the first one in 2007. The murals aren’t the only featured art. There are cool bike racks and an awesome music tower you can crank to play a tune like a giant music box! They also have a program Art Rx which provides paintings in medical facilities such as Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Fernside and more.. They also did a great waiting room for Cradle Cincinnati which they now call the room “Happy to Wait Room”.

The interesting thing about all these giant paintings displayed on the side of buildings all over town is who is behind it all. ArtWorks hires around 200 youth (aged 14-21) in the area every summer. They go through a thorough interview process with hundreds of kids sending in applications. The bonus to all of this is that they get paid to fulfill their passion … art! So, yes…ArtWorks pays our youth to beautify our city. How cool is that!? This is a great way to give our youth the opportunity to make money, put their stamp on their own city and make friends with a diverse spectrum of kids with whom they probably never would have crossed paths in any other situation. I love this concept!

So, get on aRed Bike, put on your Fitbit, get the fam in a car, jump on the streetcar or get moving any way you like and go check out these awesome paintings! Make it an adventure…download the maps, get the story on each mural so you can talk about the meaning of each one and make it a scavenger hunt!

ArtWorks and the Flying Pig are celebrating the 20th anniversary of they race with a new mural on the Hyatt Regency Hotel on 5th & Elm. You can be part of this by voting for the mural you love best!! Click here to vote.

• How to help or get involved- Adopt an apprentice program funds an artist or sign up for the news letterand get updates when they need painting volunteers.
• Take a tour- May- October on Saturdays 10:00-11:30 or 2:00-3:30.

Weekend Stuff!!
There are so many great things going on this weekend but staying dry might be on your list of priorities!! :)
•Happy Cinco De Mayo! Cincy Latino Festival is celebrating with food, dancing, culture and more on Fountain Square all weekend. www.cincy-cinco.com
• Reds game with a concert featuring Kaleoafter the game – tonight!
•Kentucky Derby! If you can’t get to the real deal (could be a good thing with this weather) you can still get the vibe by heading to Belterra Parkor Turfway Park on Saturday and bid away with your fancy hats on! Talk Derby to me! Hotel Covingtonis also having a party with food, DJ and a delish drink called Knowledge…named after a winning horse!
•Flying Pig! There are events all weekend, but the main traffic jam of fun will be Sunday morning. Come cheer on the runners! I’ll be at the split where runners make the choice to turn left or right depending on full or half marathon :)
• Maderia Art Fair – Sunday 11-5 enjoy 145 booths