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A wrecking ball isn't waiting to demolish the historic home of the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC), adjacent to the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) in Eden Park. But there could be one in the future. Several local artists are concerned about the future of the 119-year-old building. Painter Richard Luschek learned about some aspects of the agreement between the AAC and the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) that made him fear the destruction of the building was imminent; he is adamant that the building should be preserved after the AAC moves to its new home in Over-the-Rhine during the summer.
"There's a lineage to my training," Luschek says. "I'm a classically trained painter. I studied in the Boston area for three years ... a lot of us who are trained in that way have a connection to Frank Duveneck." Considered by many to be the father of American painting, Duveneck led the AAC from 1905 until his death in 1919.
"He was one of the first people in America to really start seriously training American painters," Luschek says. "He trained a couple of men who ended up going to Boston and then starting the school that eventually lead to my teacher and to me."
CAM traded a warehouse it owned in Over-the-Rhine for the long-term lease the AAC had on the building it used in Eden Park; the building is actually owned by the Museum.
CAM also made a contribution of $1.5 million to the capital campaign to support the development of the new AAC campus at 1212 Jackson St. in Over-the-Rhine.
Great steps
Meanwhile Director Timothy Rub says CAM is working on the first facilities master plan for the institution in more than 60 years. The outcome of that process will guide the use, restoration or demolition of the AAC building. Until the plan is finalized, no decision will be made.
"One of the things I have pointed out to our trustees and staff and others is that a real question we're going to need to face is what to do with a building that has been significantly altered over time," Rub says. "When people talk about history and value and the rest, they're talking about restoring it back to something that more resembles the (original) intent of the architect."
He lists the changes already made to the Art Academy building when the museum, "literally ran into it" as the facility expanded over the years — the removal of the east-facing façade, the addition of a fire stair and the poor connections between the two buildings because their floors are at different levels.
Originally designed by Cincinnati architect James McLaughlin, the building housed art studios and classrooms. As an art historian, Rub recognizes the desire to preserve the past.
"I think the real question is how you balance a reverence and respect for the past with the present and future needs, particularly when those aren't being met," he says.
Gregory Smith, president of the AAC, says the desire to link the new campus to the old is what inspired his request for the removal of some of the slate steps from the Eden Park building.
"The ability to connect the new Art Academy location with, what one of our alums calls the Art Academy's 'old homestead,' " Smith says. "There are some things in the building that are extremely important to us, and I negotiated for them."
Smith notes that there's little architectural ornamentation throughout the building; however, the staircase has sentimental value for students and staff, so he requested that some of the slate treads be removed for use in the new facility.
"The reason is that everybody knows those steps have been worn down by Duveneck and Farny and Noel Martin and Petah Coyne and all the artists that have been through the Art Academy."
The age, deterioration and size of the stair treads meant they couldn't be integrated into the main staircase of the Jackson Street facility, so they will be made into benches and placed throughout the building. Smith says that pieces of slate will also be embedded into the main entryway of the building.
"The Art Academy artists of the future will traverse symbolically this threshold that's created from the Eden Park facility," he says.
Commemorative plaques, student lockers, sinks and other items will be removed from the Eden Park facility for the Over-the-Rhine building.
Not just "some school"
The memories and character of an old way of doing things are important and valued by the people charged with running the AAC and CAM; however, they are struggling to do that in a way that accommodates building codes, handicap access, air conditioning, ventilation requirements and elevators. The collision of two worlds is something the CAM staff is discussing with their board and members; they plan to broaden the conversation to the community they serve.
"That's the goal you want to aim for: You want to make the past work and speak eloquently about what this institution has been to the community, but you also want the museum to work well now and in the future," Rub says. "It's going to be difficult under any circumstances but it's worth doing. Part of the issue here is recognizing what needs to be preserved and brought forward — what needs to be undone because it didn't work one way or another and it makes things worse, or some things are so different from what they once were that they're no longer useful."
Jason Franz, a former AAC student and today the director of the newly established Manifest Gallery in Walnut Hills, recognizes this dilemma but values the preservation of the structure most.
"It's a cultural landmark. It isn't just some school," Franz says. "For me this symbolizes the decay of art institutions from being based on education, on rare enlightenment, on the promotion of excellence."
Franz sees the shift away from the past as a direct result of art schools and museums becoming more focused on entertainment or, "at best, 'edu-tainment.' "
Rub recognizes CAM's importance to different people throughout the region. To successfully address current issues such as limited parking, unsightly mechanical equipment and a front door that's at the back of the building, he intends to seek out and listen to community input.
"It's going to be very important to conduct a public conversation about its future, and that has to be part of the way we approach the facilities planning process," Rub says. "There are so many constituencies this museum serves. That's what makes it so great and kind of maddening at times. So I recognize that everybody's going to have an opinion about the museum and a stake in its future."
THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM begins the process of involving the community in its long-range planning on Tuesday morning with its Annual Report to the Community Breakfast. The event will feature an outline of CAM's comprehensive plan to improve its building and site, plus a preview of upcoming exhibitions. CAM's Timothy Rub says,"Facilities master planning will ... will involve conversations with many different constituencies throughout the community." Until meetings are scheduled later this year, public comments can be sent to [email protected]
