By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mike Uhlenhake has lived in Over-the-Rhine for 10 years, since he moved there as a student at the University of Cincinnati.

He's not an artist but he's "into the arts."

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He had a bright idea, to create "temporary galleries" for Final Friday gallery walks through the neighborhood.

Uhlenhake, 36, is a member of the Creative Class, a demographic group identified by economist Richard Florida. Florida's theory of an educated work force who values diversity, tolerance and nightlife has caught fire across the United States, particularly in cities desperately looking for ways to bring urban cores back to life.

Arts, artists and the Creative Class are at the center of the efforts to revive downtown, starting in troubled Over-the-Rhine.

Steady progress

There has been steady progress since the beginning of the year. Citizen advocates, elected officials, city planners and developers have turned their attention to downtown's nearest residential neighborhood and, in fact, an extension of downtown.

Uhlenhake's project is in the "baby-steps" phase. He acknowledges he's "just trying to get something up" while he's waiting for the real solution, which would be "viable storefront spaces and creative business opening in Over-the-Rhine, businesses that creative people would be drawn to and cater to them."

He talks passionately about how "arts enliven spaces," how transparent glass in storefronts would make a difference, how he'd like to see art installations in windows that would have "something to do with the business inside, even for a bar or billiard hall, that would be really a cool thing" and arts spaces, "ateliers for artists, craftsmen, designers."

Building blocks

The foundation of that vision is rising from building blocks that began moving into place throughout 2002. Those include the release of "The Center City Strategy" by consultant John Alschuler, which envisioned "a regional center of high-value employment sustained by a diverse mix of housing, culture and entertainment."

Among the most promising developments:

• Earlier this month, Councilman Jim Tarbell led a guided tour of Over-the-Rhine for developers, bankers and a special guest.

The guest was Tom Nordyke of Artspace Projects in Minneapolis, a nonprofit agency that specializes in adaptive reuse of buildings for artist live/work space. By nature of its mission, Artspace has rehabilitated a number of historic buildings in urban neighborhoods, helping to rehabilitate the neighborhoods as a result.

The tour started at Vine Street. Points of interest included the Guild Haus, the new Art Academy of Cincinnati site, Findlay Market and several breweries sprinkled throughout the historic neighborhood that, to Tarbell's eyes, look ripe for development.

Nordyke called Over-the-Rhine's historic buildings "fantastic" but added that the neighborhood could "go any way."

Positive attitude

Much will depend, he says, on both a "positive attitude of developers and if the arts community gets behind it."

• City Council's arts and culture committee has proposed grants of$1,275,000 from its $2.2 million capital arts budget for 2003. Just less than half - $585,000 - will be awarded to Over-the-Rhine organizations and initiatives.

Of $870,000 already proposed for 2004, $625,000 is planned for Over-the-Rhine projects, including $250,000 to the Art Academy and $250,000 to the Emery Theater.

The $1 million remaining in the A&C coffers this year is earmarked to jump-start a Community of Arts and Artists in Over-the-Rhine through capital investment and improvements. While planning is still in flux, capital improvement projects, forgivable loans, financial support and technical assistance are all under consideration.

• Councilman John Cranley is also using arts and culture as a tool for what ails Cincinnati.

He's a prime mover with the MidPoint Music Festival and garnered some headlines when he suggested Beale Street, the entertainment mecca of Memphis, as a possible model for Over-the-Rhine's Main Street.

His latest initiative is a celebration of King Records.

Cranley staffer Elliott Ruther, 29, has spent several months "talking to a lot of folks ... absorbing a lot, filtering out issues." He says testing some ideas before the public could happen as early as May.

• Citizen advocacy groups, quietly born in 2002, are making their presence known.

Jeffrey Stec, 35, defines himself as "facilitator" for the Urbanists, which began when longtime activist Terry Grundy started pulling some of the corporate, philanthropic, fine arts and urban activist Old Guard crowd together for conversations, the gist of which was, "Let's not address the deficits, let's focus on the assets."

While "arts and culture is the flame around which urban moths gather," says Stec, high arts aren't the only arts to be considered.

So Stec aimed himself at the next set of urbanists, the 25- to 45-year olds who embraced what he calls "the low arts - we have an unbelievable music scene.

"Musicians, producers, songwriters - you can build a neighborhood around that."

At the May Urbanists meeting, the steering committee will propose several possible action initiatives. "Arts and culture will in some way be on the table," Stec says. Discussion will go forward and votes will be cast at www.iRhine.com.

There's a consensus brewing, says Stec, that the Urbanists should take on the "Center City Strategy" proposed by Alschuler. "Tackle it as a lobbying group and make sure it gets implemented."

Nicholas Spencer, 24, is founder of Cincinnati Tomorrow, which, he says, is Cincinnati's only organization formed around the issues of the Creative Class theory.

Cincinnati Tomorrow in February released "The Creative City," a plan full of recommendations.

For Spencer, it's not rocket science. "Arts and culture has a primary role in making the city attractive. There's a groundswell of cutting edge and entry-level art - there's a chance to build on it now."

This week the Xavier grad will travel to Memphis for the Creative Class conference and he'll check out what works along Beale Street, including temporary street closings and open container laws.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com