These arts and culture highlights from 2023 touch on everything from the Loveland Frogman to a celebration of fashion history and major local film news. These are the arts and culture stories that impacted Greater Cincinnati in 2023.

Frogman Festival at the Great Wolf Lodge Conference Center in Mason | March 4, 2023 Photo: Katie Griffith
Former Middletown Bar Plans Renovations and Reopening after Hollywood Movie “Bikeriders” Filmed There By Katie Griffith March 22 issue The Lakeside Inn is an old Middletown establishment that was a popular bar and restaurant before it closed over eight years ago. The local hub’s storied past includes gambling, gangsters, family gatherings and even a connection to the infamous criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. The location became even more well known when Hollywood producers scoped it out for the filming of The Bikeriders, starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Bikeriders producers liked The Lakeside Inn’s name so much, they ditched the fictional name for the movie and kept the original. Inn owner Brian Mack saved props and memorabilia from the filming and plans to use them for decor in the renovated space. The Bikeriders premiered in August 2023. Photo: Katie Griffith
Hope Sexton at Old Street Saloon on March 11, 2023. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
Cincinnati Music Theatre Celebrated Women Composers and Lyricists in Musicals She Wrote By Rick Pender June 14 issue Women have been writing musicals since the 19th century, a fact that Rick Pender explored with his story on Musicals She Wrote, a Cincinnati Music Theatre production that reveals the importance of women in theater. Director and Cincinnati native Joe Stollenwerk created the cabaret-style revue, which traces more than a century of women’s contributions to music and lyrics. “People don’t realize how many musicals were written by women,” Stollenwerk told CityBeat. Honoring musical theater’s “golden age” to the present, Musicals She Wrote premiered in the summer of 2023. Photo: Eric Bardes
Travel + Leisure Names The Lytle Park Hotel One of Top 500 Hotels in the World By Katherine Barrier The Lytle Park Hotel was the only hotel in Ohio to rank on Travel + Leisure’s top 500 list for the second year in a row. To be the only hotel in Ohio on a list that compares hotels around the world is seriously impressive. The 3-year-old hotel has 106 guest rooms, including 18 suites, a lobby bar, an Italian restaurant on the first floor and a rooftop bar with stunning 360-degree views. Photo: Provided by The Lytle Park Hotel
Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center Got a New Executive Director, Celebrated 20 Years of Iconic Building’s Location By Katie Griffith July 12 issue Christina Vassallo became the CAC’s executive director in March, looking ahead to “new strategic plans” and the 20-year anniversary of the museum’s residence at Sixth and Walnut Streets downtown. The CAC’s architect, Zaha Hadid, was the first woman to design an American museum. Hadid was a world-renowned architect, evidenced by the iconic CAC structure inside and out. Vassallo expressed pride in being part of an era of women leaders in the art world. Photo: Katie Griffith
University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Celebrates 70 Years of Fashion Show By Katie Griffith An annual fashion show that highlights capstone projects of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) fashion students turned 70 this year. MegaCorp Pavilion hosted the show, which featured 48 theses from graduating seniors. The projects ranged from zero waste concepts to cultural nods and tales of family history. The fashion creations represent years of hard work from DAAP students and are showcased in a New York Fashion Week style event. Photo: Provided by Laurie Wilson
“Love Wins” mural progress on Aug. 3. Photo: Joe Simon
Best Live Music While You Eat Winner: Arnold’s Bar & Grill Runners-up: Dee Felice Cafe, The Comet Photo: Maggy McDonel
Cincinnati Sneaker Boutique Partners With Jordan on New Shoes By Katherine Barrier The Midwest retailer Corporate is a sneaker and clothing boutique that has been serving Cincinnati (Hyde Park), Dayton and Indianapolis for 15 years. In September, the Corporate Jordan Air Ships dropped and included design nods to Cincinnati, including the city’s iconic skyline. The teal shoes were a symbol of founder Matt Tomamichel’s journey, a tribute to Cincinnati and a show of excellence in a rare collaboration opportunity with the Jordan brand. Photo: Provided by Corporate

Katie Griffith is CityBeat’s arts and culture reporter. She proudly hails from the West Side of Cincinnati and studied journalism at the University of Cincinnati. After freelancing for CityBeat for many...