ArtsConnect

Based out of Springfield Township, ArtsConnect brings the community together through the arts with affordable classes, camps and community events. We believe that where arts flourish, communities prosper and lives are enriched. Classes and camps take place in the Springfield Township Community Arts Center, and events occur throughout the township year-round.

About The Panel

ArtsConnect’s ArtLocal Art Show featured 50 local artists. We announced the Under One Roof exhibit at the show and invited artists interested in collaborating for this project. An eclectic group of artists emerged, excited to participate as a collective.

The artists included: stained glass artist, Jacob Hinnenkamp; photographer, Connie Springer; kaleidoscope artist, Steve Kosztala; and painting artists, Vince Gray and Marc Lambert. ArtsConnect proposed the topic, what does ‘the Art of Conversation’ mean to you? The artist collective felt that individuals all have unique points of view. When true, meaningful conversation occurs, a beautiful matrix of shared dialogue and points of view are exchanged, heard, and understood.

To illustrate the message, Connie shared photographs she had taken of individuals in meaningful conversation. The group made selections from the photographs to represent a broad community. Jacob transformed the photographs into simplified stained glass shapes. He also sketched the conversation ‘bubbles’ intended to symbolize different points of view. Marc and Vince painted the canvas, taking into account the original photos, texture and look of stained glass. Steve offered simplified kaleidoscope imagery, which Marc and Vince stylized. The kaleidoscope imagery symbolizes individuals coming together in conversation, creating a colorful dialogue of common understanding.

Bbyo

BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in meaningful Jewish experiences. With a network of hundreds of chapters across North America and in 50 countries around the world, BBYO reaches over 70,000 teens annually and serves as the Jewish community’s largest and most valuable platform for delivering fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.

About The Panel

When considering “The Art of Conversation,” teen leaders shared that in their experience, the best conversations begin with a question. Thirty teens submitted questions they had about life, adults, school, and social issues. Some also submitted questions they would ask a new BBYO member with the intention of getting to know them on a deeper level. Questions ranged from serious concerns like “Am I enough?” to creative ice breaker-type questions such as “If you had all the Legos in the world, what would you build?” The teens arranged their written questions on our panel to form the word “why.” The original handwriting is smeared to represent the fear many have of being judged for asking questions that are often considered taboo. We invited the community to contribute to our panel by writing their answers to our questions or by submitting questions of their own. This panel ultimately represents the fact that that many questions have more than one answer, and many questions can only be answered with another question. Our hope is that our panel will encourage people to be okay with asking the hard questions; the questions that make people think, reflect, and connect.

Camp At The J

Camp at the J offers a fun, active, and safe summertime experience, providing opportunities for children and young adults in the Jewish and broader communities to build friendships, learn valuable skills, stay active, and enhance their self-esteem. Our welcoming and inclusive environment values the dignity and worth of each individual. We work to foster positive relationships and build greater understanding among campers of all backgrounds, cultures, religions, gender identities, races, and physical and intellectual abilities.

About The Panel

There are so many people involved with Camp at the J that make every day amazing. While many staff members and campers had input, our oldest campers created the Camp at the J panel. They chose to show community through different colors of people and communication through a variety of word bubbles.

Cedar Village

Cedar Village is a senior living community built on Jewish values, which provides services and support to adults and their families through all stages of aging. Cedar Village seeks to make every resident feel like they are right where they should be, each and every day. Values like respecting our elders, making our world a better place, giving back, growing multi-generational relationships and building a strong inner life are seen and practiced every day at Cedar Village.

About The Panel

Creative expression is part of daily life for many Cedar Village residents. When they considered this year’s theme, “The Art of Conversation,” members of the community began by discussing what they visualize related to the topic, such as images of greetings as ways to start a conversation. But residents wanted their art to not just be representative of conversation, but to be an invitation to conversation. In the painting, they show a central location within their community that is open and welcoming to all to sit and chat - two chairs in the lobby by the fire. Greetings were chosen from the many languages spoken by Cedar Village residents and staff (English, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and Russian, to name a few) to hang above the fireplace as if lingering from past conversations held there and those yet to happen. As both the culmination of their artwork and as a conversation starter, residents attached a three-dimensional copy of their recently published children’s book, “Follow Me Beyond The Tree,” on the coffee table for viewers to remove from the panel and peruse. This book was written and illustrated by residents with the idea of opening an intergenerational dialogue about this special place they call home.

CHAVERIM M’ISRAEL

The Chaverim M’Israel (Friends From Israel) program brings two 18-year-old Israelis to Cincinnati from our partner city, Netanya, Israel. These teens have chosen to defer their Israeli Defense Forces service and come to Cincinnati for a year of community service. Through interaction and education in schools and other community events, these young emissaries help Cincinnatians form an increased awareness of and a connection with the land, culture, and people of Israel.

About The Panel

Having recently landed in Cincinnati, our Chaverim, Darya and May, look forward to starting conversations with people throughout Cincinnati through youth groups, community events, and schools. These bridges that are built represent the interactions they have and the connections they form with everyone they meet.

Cincinnati Art Museum

Through the power of art, we contribute to a more vibrant Cincinnati by inspiring its people and connecting our communities. Located in scenic Eden Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum features a diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years. In addition to displaying its own broad collection, the museum also hosts several national and international traveling exhibitions each year. Visitors can enjoy the exhibitions or participate in the museum’s wide range of art-related programs, activities and special events.

About The Panel

Inspired by Katsushika Hokusai’s painting, “Woman Reading a Letter,” this piece looks at the theme of communication through the written word. The Hokusai image shows a woman reading a letter; the Art Museum also invited the public to participate in the conversation. During the September Family First Saturday Program, visitors shared their thoughts about the piece through Japanese kanji character stencils and also got to color the Hokusai image.

This artwork combines themes from the museum’s exhibitions, Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style and Women Breaking Boundaries, which explores the role of strong women throughout art and art history.

Cincinnati Ballet

Since 1963, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the region, presenting a bold and adventurous array of classical, full-length ballets and contemporary works, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. Under the artistic direction of Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet has become a creative force within the larger dance community, commissioning world premiere works and exploring unique collaborations. With a mission to enrich, expand, and excel in the art of dance through performance, a high-caliber academy, and impactful education and outreach in local to global communities, Cincinnati Ballet reaches beyond the stage in programs that allow every person in the region to be part of the continued evolution of dance.

About The Panel

Artists primarily communicate not with words, but with imagery, color, and movement. Cincinnati Ballet’s dancers and choreographers share both their own personal and societal impressions and emotions through the movement of their bodies. It is a language of humanity not often expressed. This piece reflects Cincinnati Ballet’s commitment to continuing this type of important conversation.

Cincinnati Community Mikveh

The Cincinnati Community Mikveh, located in Amberley Village, serves the Greater Cincinnati area. A mikveh is a pool used for ritual immersion according to Jewish tradition. This state-of the-art facility is open to Jews from every background and level of observance. Membership and appointments are available. The mikveh is under the auspices of Beth Tevillah Mikveh Society.

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Proverbs 18:21