Arts and culture help shape the places people want to live. They spark curiosity, create shared experiences and transform everyday spaces into destinations.
In Greater Cincinnati, that creative vibrancy has become a defining part of the region’s identity – and it’s once again earning national recognition.
In the latest USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, Cincinnati ranked No. 2 in the nation for Best Street Art, finishing just behind Philadelphia.
It’s one of three major arts categories where the region landed among the national winners. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park placed fifth among the country’s top sculpture parks, while the Cincinnati Art Museum retained the No. 3 spot in the Best Art Museum category.
“Big congratulations to the City of Cincinnati,” Colleen Houston, CEO and artistic director of ArtWorks Cincinnati, wrote on social media after the announcement of the rankings. “Our community has already been buzzing about it–and with good reason.”
A growing public art movement
The recognition reflects years of work by Houston’s team at ArtWorks, the nonprofit behind much of the region’s public art. In fact, the story of Cincinnati’s mural movement traces back to the very city that finished just ahead of it in the rankings.
Years ago, former Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory traveled to Philadelphia to study the city’s nationally renowned mural program, one of the largest public art initiatives in the country.
Inspired by what he saw, Mallory returned with a vision for the Queen City.
At the time, Cincinnati had just one widely recognized mural: the massive Roman-style Cincinnatus painting at Central Parkway and Vine Street commissioned by Kroger as a gift to the city for its 100th anniversary.
Nearly two decades later, Mallory’s vision and ArtWorks brushes have reshaped the city’s visual landscape.
Through ArtWorks, artists and youth apprentices have created more than 350 murals across the region, transforming buildings and public spaces into a sprawling outdoor gallery. The works range from neighborhood storytelling projects to building-sized pieces by internationally known artists.
And the program continues to expand.
In 2026 alone, ArtWorks plans several new murals, including a project honoring the 58 Tuskegee Airmen from Ohio through both a permanent mural in Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood and a traveling exhibit across the state. Work on the mural starts in June.
On Thursday, the mural team dedicated a new piece inside Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport created in partnership with GE Aerospace.
The city has helped amplify that creative energy through BLINK, the biennial festival that transforms full city blocks on both sides of the Ohio River into immersive art experiences featuring projection mapping and light installations.
In its description of the category, the 10Best editors wrote: “Cincinnati doesn’t just display art, it lives it. Across 52 neighborhoods, the city boasts a vibrant outdoor public gallery… with countless contributions by community arts organizations.”
Houston said the commitment to public art has grown far beyond the program’s original goal.
“(The mural program) has grown into something truly special,” she said, “a movement rooted in youth mentorship and employment, community-driven collaborations, civic pride and a commitment to beautifying every neighborhood in our city.”
Sculpture in the landscape
Murals may be the most visible part of that transformation, but they’re only one piece of the region’s broader arts landscape.
One place where that creativity takes a different form is Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, which pairs massive contemporary sculpture with the natural landscape of Southwest Ohio.
The Butler County landmark features more than 70 monumental works spread across its expansive grounds, creating an experience that feels part museum and part nature preserve. Visitors can explore the park on foot or rent its distinctive Art Carts to travel between sculptures.
The property also includes Fortified Hill, a Hopewell earthworks site where the park now offers guided tours.
Pyramid Hill’s placement on the 10Best list marks the second consecutive year it has ranked among the national winners, after placing fourth last year.
Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina, topped the category this year, followed by Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
“On 470 rolling, pastoral acres of southwestern Ohio, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park offers a playful way to experience sculpture,” the 10Best editors wrote, highlighting the park’s focus on contemporary works installed throughout meadows, woods, lakes and hiking trails.
The recognition comes as the park continues expanding its programming and national profile.
In recent years Pyramid Hill has added works by internationally recognized artists such as Deborah Butterfield and Barton Rubenstein, joining sculptures by artists including Alexander Liberman and George Sugarman already displayed throughout the landscape.
The nonprofit has also expanded exhibitions and public programs while drawing growing crowds to signature events such as Founder’s Weekend, Art & Earth Day, the Art Fair and Pyramid Hill Lights.
“Pyramid Hill has seen remarkable growth in recent years as we continue to elevate the park experience and bring recognition to the Greater Cincinnati region,” said Delaney French, the park’s communications manager.
As the park approaches its 30th anniversary in 2027, French said the team has been reflecting on the vision of founder Harry T. Wilks, who began the project by building the distinctive Pyramid House while preserving the surrounding land from development.
“It’s incredible to see his vision thrive today through the nonprofit,” French said.
A museum with national recognition
The region’s museum community has also appeared regularly in these rankings. Institutions such as the Cincinnati History Museum, the Children’s Museum and the American Sign Museum have all landed on various lists this year.
The Cincinnati Art Museum just added to that momentum, finishing No. 3 in the Best Art Museum category, matching its placement in the same poll in 2025. It finished behind only the Toledo Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
In highlighting CAM, 10Best wrote: “Open since 1886, the Cincinnati Art Museum has long been a center of art and creativity in the heart of the American Midwest.”
Located in Eden Park, the museum houses an encyclopedic collection of more than 73,000 works spanning the globe, including African, Asian, European, American and Indigenous American art. The collection includes works by artists such as Monet, Picasso, Rothko, Warhol, Braque and van Gogh.
Beyond its permanent holdings, the museum hosts national and international traveling exhibitions along with a wide range of public programs and events, from monthly Art After Dark gatherings to the annual Art in Bloom celebration of floral arts.
That mix of historic depth and new programming continues this spring with “Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion,” opening April 24. The exhibition will feature more than 50 garments and archival materials exploring the designer’s role in shaping American fashion.
But none of that happens in a vacuum. Public support from a community that consistently shows up for the arts helps make that level of programming possible.
Leaders at all three Cincinnati arts organizations say that support is central to their success. These kinds of recognitions, they noted, reflect both the strength of the institutions and the donors, patrons and visitors who sustain them.
“We’re thrilled to be ranked the No. 3 art museum in the country, especially among such prestigious institutions,” said Darcy Schwass, spokesperson for the Cincinnati Art Museum.
“To our Cincinnati community: thank you for your support,” she added. “The Cincinnati Art Museum is your art museum, and we are humbled that you’ve placed this confidence in our organization.”
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