A venture capitalist, two entrepreneurs, an arts collaborator and an academic walked into a bar to talk about what Cincinnati is going to look like in 50 years. This isn’t a joke, and it wasn’t a bar, but the rest of the story is true.
Nearly a decade ago, Easterseals stopped being a sheltered workshop and became a social enterprise. “Our competitors do not hire the people we hire, but we compete. And let me tell you, the companies buying what we are selling do not give two shakes about who works here. They just want the job done.”
The term “space activation” may seem squishy and confusing, but at 3CDC it boils down to maintaining two vibrant neighborhoods. The fact that those two neighborhoods are downtown and OTR means a lot of people are depending on Samad. “We are always answering the question of how do we keep our neighborhood vibrant and safe,” Samad said.
The writing, storytelling and Pilates saved Sims. She was pleased with where she was, but also beginning to think her calling was no longer celebrating the arts but using the arts as a tool to help others. In 2005, she combined all her passions to create The Well. Her idea was to bring art, mindfulness, writing and movement to help provide healing for people.
A handful of people are in charge of telling the rest of the nation about Cincinnati. They work strategically and collaboratively to cast the region in the best possible light. And they all are women. They are economic developers and storytellers and they have years of experience.
Randazzo, 46, has spent his entire career trying to make the world a better place. But not because he was born with a silver spoon and thought it was his responsibility to help. No, it’s not like that at all. Randazzo grew up hard, and it was philanthropy that came to him as a child. He has been paying it back ever since.
“Maybe what you really are is a saxophonist or a football player, but you won’t learn that in the classroom. That you have to try. Education is incredibly important, obviously. But it is not what makes you who you really are.”
After asking Christie Bryant Kuhns three times why she has dedicated her life to social justice, it becomes clear that she does not have a good answer. Or an answer at all. She is not being evasive; it feels more like asking somebody why the sky is blue.
Every city is fighting for new people to move there. But attracting the best and the brightest is what really matters.
Cincinnati is known for many things. Food, beer, industry, and sports are commonly associated with this place. But it is our culture that sets us apart. We asked the directors of our top five museums to talk about the challenges and joys of making a museum thoughtful and relevant in 2023.
