3CDC, Black Art Speaks Present Artwork Options for Community Project

Local Artists’ Works Submitted for Display as Part of Ziegler Park Expansion

CINCINNATI (March 1, 2023) – Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) and Black Art Speaks are planning community engagement sessions to receive input on a selection of artwork that has been submitted for the expanded community space at Ziegler Park.

On Tuesday, March 21, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 23, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., attendees can join a virtual meeting, where concept designs of artwork will be reviewed online, along with the artists’ descriptions. Participants will offer feedback on what they like about each project and if they’d prefer to see something different or changed about each piece. As the presentation draws to a close, a link will be provided for attendees to share their favorite pieces and note which projects they’d like to see at the park.

On Saturday, March 25, from noon to 3 p.m., volunteers will canvas the neighborhood to ask community members to utilize both online and paper surveys so Black Art Speaks can garner feedback to inform and help them determine fan-favorite pieces. From 1-2 p.m., the collection of images will be on display at 1312 Main Street for participants to see in person and offer feedback for what they want to see in the expanded space. Below are links for the three sessions. Those who wish to participate only need to attend once:

Session 1— 3/21 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. via zoom: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/566458431417

Session 2 — 3/23 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. via zoom: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/566493666807

Session 3 — 3/25 from 1-2 p.m. in person: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/566513365727

In 2022, the City of Cincinnati asked 3CDC to take the lead in the expansion of Ziegler Park. The expansion will include a pedestrian-only space that will be highlighted by public art. 3CDC engaged Black Art Speaks to lead the public art portion of the project. In January, two application types were sent out for local artists. The Call for Artists featured projects with a budget of less than $5,000, in which artists submitted applications and conceptual designs for a piece to be included in the expansion. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was sent out for project contributions that would fall into the $5,000-$10,000 budget range. This included a process in which selected artists were then asked to submit conceptual designs for their pieces through a Request for Proposals (RFP). For either category, artists applied themselves, and the deadline for both the Call for Artists as well as the RFP was February 26. With the closing of both application deadlines, every artist’s submission was included in one of the two categories.

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