A few area teen-agers with a talent for creating art are becoming a part of Cincinnati history.
City Views, a project of Artworks and the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, will showcase a series of 4-by-10-foot murals depicting key architectural treasures in Cincinnati including Music Hall, the Cincinnati Zoo's Elephant House, the Taft Museum and the Carew Tower -- all of which are National Historic Landmarks.
What makes these murals unique is that they are inspired by African-American artist Robert Duncanson, whose murals in the foyer of the Taft Museum are part of Cincinnati history.
"The Duncanson murals, painted in 1850, tie into Cincinnati history -- political history with the abolitionist movement -- and tie into cultural and architectural history," said Adrian Thompson, lead artist for the City Views mural project.
The murals will be displayed initially in vacant storefronts in the central business district, but they will travel and be used to teach Cincinnati history, architecture and African-American history in area schools.
The 24 teens, ages 14-18, were chosen for the City Views project after extensive interviews and portfolio presentations. The students earn minimum wage and work during the summer as apprentice painters under professional artists and teaching assistants. They are working under a large white tent in Eden Park.
"There have been some wonderful surprises working with this group," said Ms. Thompson. "We took 24 kids all over the city to study these buildings, and they really bonded with each other. "I've watched some of them go from being shy or not sure how their talent would fit in with the rest of the group to students who are now revolving from painting to painting, offering comments and recommendations that are welcomed. The kids make a total unit," she said.
"We can think of this in terms of life skills," said Abby Schwartz, curator of education at the Taft Museum. "Whatever these kids do with their lives, they will have learned about team-building, communication and about sharing responsibility for a project -- skills that employers are looking for in today's job world. That's what is so thrilling about this project. At this age, they're going to be heads and shoulders above those who don't have these kinds of experiences."
The murals capture different styles. The Taft Museum mural is romantic, the Carew Tower mural is art deco, the Music Hall mural is in the style of a German circus painting, and the mural for the Cincinnati Zoo's Elephant House has an Islamic style.
Each will carry the signature Duncanson-style trompe l'oeil frame, adapted to the style of the painting exhibited.
"They figured out what we were best at and put us in different groups to work on these murals," said Walnut Hills High School junior Josh Morales, 16.
"Artworks is first and foremost, a job program," said Tamara Harkavy, director of Artworks. "The concept has been the same since the program's inception -- employing children and providing job training with art. As a result, the arts are promoted; cultural institutions get involved; and there's promotion of the city and the region as a whole."
City Views is presented by the Cincinnati Preservation Association, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Taft Museum.
The apprentices are students at the School for the Creative & Performing Arts, Hughes, Summit Country Day, Walnut Hills, Mother of Mercy, Purcell Marian, Aiken, Heinold, Withrow, Bethany and Dater.
