Leaders of the Contemporary Arts Center on Thursday unveiled a new strategic plan and organization mission focused on guiding the downtown Cincinnati museum’s continued growth in the decades to come.
The early-morning media event also provided an opportunity for the institution to share a few highlights of what museumgoers can expect in the immediate weeks and months to come.
A key part of the inaugural State of the CAC event was the debut of the museum’s new mission statement: “The CAC is a lab for understanding ourselves, others and the world around us through the experience and creation of all contemporary art forms.”
“What makes me so excited about that is that we’re positioning ourselves as a site for experimentation and innovation,” said Executive Director Christina Vassallo.
“We were really thinking about our greatest assets, what’s happening in the world around us and in the field of contemporary art, and we decided that we really need to express what our purpose is,” she continued. “And our purpose is to build empathy.”
About the Plan
Facilitated by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, the CAC created a strategic planning committee focused on developing a path forward for the 85-year-old organization. The group considered things such as the lived experiences and observations of board members, staff members and key stakeholders.
Over the course of nine months, the committee developed six major objectives, which reflect a desire to ensure the institution can continue to operate at the highest level possible.
The CAC’s new strategic objectives are:
- The CAC is the premier venue in the region for all forms of contemporary art – exhibitions, public programs, performances, film, artist residencies and community engagement.
- Develop outreach that communicates and promotes the CAC’s unique position to generate local, regional and national attention.
- Deepen relationships with current attendees, rebuild membership levels and develop new patronage.
- Build a board that reflects the CAC’s artistic and operational ambitions.
- Increase and diversify contributions through institutional support, membership gifts and individual giving.
- Invest in operations and use the facility in ways that will support the museum’s artistic aspirations.
To that end, the CAC plans to increase its focus on what Vassallo described as “all arts disciplines,” including film, performance, music, movement and other non-visual forms of contemporary art.
“We are also talking about all forms of contemporary art right, not just the visual arts, which we’ve leaned into so heavily recently, but (other) media as well,” she added. That will mean using its Black Box theater more for performance art, live music, slam poetry and “all sorts of other artworks.”
“There are so many different components to the CAC building… where we can showcase all forms of emerging arts, all kinds of artistic experiences,” Vassallo said.
What’s to come
While much of Thursday was spent focused on the CAC’s long-term future, the day also included a fair amount about its immediate plans as well.
Curator Theresa Bembnister’s preview of the 2024-25 exhibition season featured a list of shows that highlight many of the new strategic themes – the importance of community partnerships, celebrating the artistic process and better connecting visitors to the CAC’s unique physical space.
The season opens with two exhibitions in partnership with FotoFocus, curated by Kevin Moore, FotoFocus’ artistic director and curator. That includes “Chip Thomas and The Painted Desert Project,” which is set to open Sept. 6. Created by photographer, activist and physician Chip Thomas, also known as jetsonorama, the exhibition combines photography and street art to celebrate Navajo culture and draws attention to the negative effects of capitalism.
“Subjective Evidence,” opening Sept. 27, is the first American survey of German photographer Barbara Probst.
The season also features several collaborations with innovation partners – a key element of the new strategic plan. For instance, In October, the CAC teams with SOFTlab – a design studio based in New York City – for an installation in the Kaplan Lobby that will hang from the ceiling and will be visible through the towering bank of windows at the front of the museum.
A partnership with The Phillips Collection will allow the CAC to present the first comprehensive museum exhibition of work by artist/activist Vivian Browne this January. “Vivian Browne My Kind of Protest” consists of approximately 60 paintings, prints and works on paper spanning the artist’s 30-year career, along with ephemera.
In April 2025, the CAC plans to partner with MOCA in Cleveland for “Only in Ohio,” featuring the work of artists across the state.
The season ends with an exhibition by Brooklyn-based figurative painter Marcus Leslie Singleton.
Vassallo emphasized that this is just the beginning. She’s working closely with Shawnee Turner, director of interpretation and visitor experience, to refine and elevate all CAC programming.
“We’re working very closely with partners that have different kinds of audiences that they can bring into the CAC as well,” she added.
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