Contemporary Arts Center

Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH

Visit the Contemporary Arts Center, as part of this group bus tour. Located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, the Contemporary Arts Center has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1939 as the Modern Art Society established by Betty Pollak Rauh, Peggy Frank Crawford and Rita Rentschler Cushman and with the support of Edward M.M. Warburg, founding father of the American Ballet and a founder of the Museum of Modern Art. The Modern Art Society spent its first years in the basement of the Cincinnati Art Museum after raising enough money to exhibit works by artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, Beckman and Klee, followed by a move in 1964 to the downtown Women’s Exchange Building. In 1970, the Contemporary Arts Center was housed in the Mercantile Center and was known during the time as one of the largest exhibition venues in the U.S. dedicated to contemporary art. In 2003 the society was moved to its permanent home in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art where it strives to this day to impact regional and global communities by providing changing art experiences that challenge, entertain and educate.

Contemporary Arts Center

Visiting the Contemporary Arts Center

During your visit to Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Museum, discover the works of the most exciting contemporary artists of today as you explore the art museum’s temporary and ever-changing exhibitions. The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center alone is a work of art, called by the New York Times, “the best new building since the Cold War.” Dining and shopping facilities are also available at the art museum.

Art Exhibitions

Exhibitions are centered around the art museum’s programming that reflects “the art of the last five minutes”. The non-collecting museum boasts temporary and ever-changing exhibitions that explore new developments in different mediums of art including painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media. Since its beginnings, the arts center has displayed the works of many now-famous artists early in their careers. Examples of past exhibitions include: Sanctuary Dreams by Aya Uekawa, Ernesto Neto’s Dancing Allowed, Juliao Sarmento by Juliao Sarmento, Diane Landry’s by every wind that blows and Daniel Arsham’s Remember the Future.

The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center

Praised as “the best new building since the Cold War” by Herbert Muschamp, a writer for The New York Times, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center was designed by Zaha Hadid and is renowned for being the first U.S. museum designed by a woman. Boasting more than 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, a dedicated black box performance space and the UnMuseum in the Sara M. Patricia A. Vance Education Center used as a multi- generational exhibition and education space, the Contemporary Arts Center is of the largest and most dynamic in the United States.

Contemporary Arts Center Gallery Store

Located in the center’s Kaplan Hall Lobby, next to the welcome desk, is the Contemporary Arts Center Gallery Store. Shop for items related to the Contemporary Arts Center, its exhibitions and Cincinnati, Ohio including stuffed toys, coffee mugs, books, picture frames, shoulder bags, jewelry and other objects for art lovers of all ages.

Dining in the Café

Also located in the lobby is a café. Run by Dustin Miller and Dave Hart, owners of the popular Collective Espresso coffee bars, the café serves breakfast, lunch and desserts every day until 2PM and light bites and cold appetizers until the Contemporary Arts Center closes. Coffee drinks from the café’s Collective Espresso coffee bar, select beers and wines and Coca Cola products are also available for purchase from the café.

Travel Tips

- The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art is ADA compliant.

- Take a break in the art museum’s lounge area, located in Kaplan Hall Lobby. Boasting dynamic art installations, custom furniture and ample space, it is the perfect place to gather with your group for a break to discuss the exhibitions you’ve seen on display throughout the art galleries.

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