Cincinnati Art Museum

Discovering Ansel Adams
September 27, 2024–January 19, 2025
The Thomas R. Schiff Gallery (Gallery 234 & 235)
Ticketed. Free for Members. Save $2 when purchasing tickets online.
Adult tickets: $12 in-person, $10 online
Seniors, college students and children 6–17 years: $8 in person, $6 online
Children 5 years & under: free

See the exhibition for free on Thursday nights from 5–8 p.m. and during Art After Dark on September 27 and October 25 from 5–9 p.m. FotoFocus passport holders have free entry from September 27–October 31.

Premiering at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Discovering Ansel Adams provides an unprecedented exploration of the early career of Ansel Adams (1902–1984), demonstrating how, between 1916 and the 1940s, Adams developed from a 14-year-old tourist with a camera into America’s most celebrated photographer. Drawn from the definitive Adams collection at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, the exhibition brings together approximately 80 virtuosic photographs with unique ephemera including the artist’s handwritten correspondence, snapshots, personal possessions, and photographic working materials. Featured works range from small, one-of-a-kind photographs from Adams’s teenage years to jaw-dropping mural-sized prints of his most iconic mature views. Join the artist on his journey from teenage musician to young mountaineer, as he makes his first pictures at Yosemite, experiences the American Southwest, learns how to communicate with a broad national audience, and undertakes an epic quest to photograph America’s national parks. Along the way, discover how Ansel Adams became Ansel Adams.

Founded in 1975 by the President of University of Arizona and Ansel Adams, the Center for Creative Photography is one of the world’s finest institutions for the study of the history of photography, and a singularly important archive for Ansel Adams studies. Discovering Ansel Adams presents a rare opportunity to encounter the CCP’s Ansel Adams collection outside of Arizona.

October 25, 2024–February 9, 2025
Vance Waddell and Mayerson Galleries (Galleries 124 and 125)
Free Admission
Friends of Prints
Press Release

George Bellows (1882–1925) was a painter, illustrator, and printmaker. The exhibition will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the artist’s passing and feature 55 lithographs and drawings gifted and lent by Dr. James and Mrs. Lois Sanitato.

Bellows chose to leave his native Columbus, Ohio, and moved to New York in 1904 to become a professional artist. He enrolled in the New York School of Art where he became a student of Robert Henri (1865–1929). Henri encouraged his students to move beyond European traditions, to open their eyes to contemporary life and the transformation of the New York urban environment.

By the age of 26 Bellows had garnered critical acclaim, becoming the youngest elected member to the National Academy. During his 20-year career, his paintings captured the spirit and character of life in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Financially successful, in 1916, he set up set up a lithograph press in his studio at a time when the medium was associated with ephemeral commercial art and collectors’ favored etchings.

Over the next nine years Bellows executed more than 190 prints, almost single-handedly elevating lithography to a fine art in the United States. The inherent flexibility of the process, its potential for drawing in vigorous strokes, and its richness of tone were well suited to his expressive yet journalistic style. The subjects that fascinated him range from intimate studies of his family and friends to snap shots of American life, the atrocities of World War I, and what first caught the public’s attention: boxing. All were new and undeniably American subjects. Today, Bellows is known for his paintings, yet his accomplishments in lithography stand on equal footing.

events
This exhibition has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of Ohio Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Support provided by the IFPDA Foundation.

Registration required. Registration opens one month in advance.
Museum members and general public: $15
Children 12 and under: free

Join the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Curator of Photography, Nathaniel M. Stein, as he explores the relationships between Ansel Adams’s belief in civil rights, his ideas about American landscape and identity, and his photography.

Arrive early or stay after to view the exhibition Discovering Ansel Adams (ticketed separately).

This lecture is organized by the Donald P. Sowell Endowment Committee, an affiliate group of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Ticket proceeds support the Sowell Committee’s work to promote greater interaction and involvement of the African American community with the museum, including professional development opportunities, the acquisition and display of artwork by African American artists, programs, exhibitions, and other forms of creativity of interest to the African American community.

If you need accessibility accommodations, please contact us in advance at access@cincyart.org or fill out the accessibility request form.

Get ready for **Art in Bloom 2025** at the Cincinnati Art Museum, returning April 24–27 for an unforgettable celebration of fine art and floral design! 🌸 Floral artists from all backgrounds are invited to apply by January 10, 2025, for a chance to showcase their work in this prestigious juried event.

This year’s incredible jurors include floral design experts and creatives from diverse fields like **Joshua Bickett** of Tiffany & Co. and **Julian Collins** of Julian Creates. Plus, the event will feature the talented **Alexis Nikole Nelson** (@blackforager), stunning creations from floral photographer and sugar artist **Natasja Sadi** (@cakeatelieramsterdam), and a high-energy **Drag Brunch** with **Laganja Estranja**!

Don't miss this vibrant fusion of art, nature, and creativity—mark your calendars now! 🌺🎨

The Cincinnati Art Museum invites all Greater Cincinnati regional 7–12 grade students to create a 10-inch-by-10-inch artwork representing your interpretation of this year’s theme: Whimsy. Submissions are due February 26, 2025.

Submit Your Art for the 10×10 Teen Art Expo
The Cincinnati Art Museum invites all Greater Cincinnati regional 7–12 grade students to create a 10-inch-by-10-inch artwork representing your interpretation of this year’s theme: Whimsy. The selected artwork will be displayed at the museum as a part of the 2025 10×10 Teen Art Expo happening April 15–20, 2025.

For this year’s Expo, the 10×10 Teen Volunteer team encourages artists to explore the idea of Whimsy! We invite you to unleash your creativity and submit your whimsical artwork for our upcoming showcase. Embrace the playful and imaginative, letting your unique perspectives shine through in vibrant colors and fantastical designs. Whether it’s illustrations, paintings, or mixed media, we want to see how you interpret the theme of “Whimsy.” Join us in celebrating the joy of creativity and the magic of the unexpected. Submit your pieces by February 26, 2025, and let your imagination run wild!

#10x10Whimsy
Criteria for submitting artwork:

Only one artwork per student may be submitted using the form at cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
Artwork must measure 10 inches by 10 inches.
Artwork can be completed in the medium of your choice, but the finished product must be able to hang on a wall using a 1/2″ binder clip at the top.
Digital submissions must be a .jpg, .jpeg, or .png file.
Photos of submitted artwork should be properly cropped to eliminate any background behind the artwork.
Artwork should NOT be matted.
All digital submissions of completed work are due by February 26, 2025.

Selection Process
The 10×10 Teen Expo Volunteer team will review artwork submissions and contact students selected for the in-person Teen Art Expo via email by March 11, 2025.

Questions? Email programs@cincyart.org.

Free Admission. Open during general museum hours. Best view Thursday evenings from 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Our Alice Bimel Courtyard has been transformed into an outdoor, immersive, light-filled winter wonderland!

Cincinnati’s newest holiday event features several attractions surrounding our main feature—a 30-foot immersive snow globe! Visitors may enter the globe and experience themes of light and more!

Other art-filled attractions include:

Infinity Mirror & Chain
Fractal Walk
Baubles & Bubbles
And more!
Get your camera ready, because photo- and video-worthy moments can be discovered around every corner!

The Terrace Café will sell an assortment of holiday goodies.