The major Arts & Culture event this weekend is Saturday’s Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival — the parade begins at 11 a.m. at Seventh Street and Central Avenue in Downtown and works its way down to Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove, where the festival occurs.
But beyond that, there’s much else: Here are our Top Five other Arts & Culture picks:
• Maybe it’s because the bullying and endless braggadocio of our current president have left many hungering for past role models of “our better selves,” but the new documentary about Mr. Rogers —Won’t You Be My Neighbor? — shows all the signs of becoming a surprise major indie-film hit. IndieWire reported that in its second week of limited release (last weekend), the film averaged $10,253 per theater and already has grossed $1.7 million. It opens today (Thursday) at the Mariemont Theatre. Morgan Neville’s inspiring documentary about Mr. Rogers aims to show that “a little kindness makes a world of difference.” The late, great Fred Rogers from 1968-2001 was the gentle host of a classic public television children’s education series, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Tickets/more info: mariemonttheatre.com
• There’s an opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday at the BLDG Gallery in Covington Friday for the collaborative art project Vibrant Minds Colorful Lines, featuring work by Brooklyn art collective KiiK Create and artists Natalie Lanese, Jenny Ustick and Lindsay Whittle. According to BLDG, “the show features an array of multidisciplinary forms and practices from 2D and 3D works of art, to mural painting, performance and social engagement all seeking to understand the myriad ways in which we vibe together.” Additionally, artists will be at Downtown Cincinnati’s 21c Museum Hotel at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for a discussion and mural dedication. The show is up through July 27. BLDG is at 30 W. Pike St. For more info, see BLDG’s Facebook page.
• For those with a taste for underground film, the No Response Festival — which primarily is a showcase for experimental music at the Woodward Theatre — on Friday is holding a special screening of 1985’s Johnny Vortex Presents ‘D Street’: Avenue of Fear and Music Videos by Jud Yalkut. It’s at 5:30 p.m. at the Mini Microcinema; doors open at 5. Johnny Vortex was a performance/video collaboration among three artists associated with the old Cincinnati Artist Group Effort (CAGE) — Kate Gallion, Jason Tannen and John Bender. (No Response is screening the rare video portion.) Yalkut, who taught film/video at Dayton’s Wright State University and had a national reputation for his avant-garde work, worked in 1982 with the band Dementia Precox on the videos to be shown. Donations are requested at the door. The Mini is at 1329 Main St. in Over-the-Rhine. More info: mini-cinema.org
• On Saturday, Taft Museum of Art opens an exhibition of work by one of America’s most famous and influential photographers — Ansel Adams: A Photographer’s Evolution. His luminous black-and-white photographs of the west, especially the U.S.’s national parks like Yosemite, have indelibly shaped our thoughts and dreams about the ideal wilderness. This exhibit features 42 prints that Adams made from earlier negatives, plus 10 additional images. The show is on display through Sept. 16. The Taft is at 316 Pike St., Downtown. Tickets/more info: taftmuseum.org
• On Monday from 6-10 p.m., Texas-based photographer and filmmaker Bill Daniel — who refers to himself on his website as a “confirmed tramp” — comes to The Lodge in Dayton, Ky. for a one-night show of still photographs he has taken during a current road trip across America. He has developed a following for his documentary Who is Bozo Texino?, which begins with the premise of a road trip searching for the artist of boxcar graffiti featuring a blank-staring cowboy character with the scrawled moniker “Bozo Texino.” Admission is free; The Lodge is at 231 Sixth Avenue in Dayton, Ky. More info: http//www.billdaniel.net
Send information about events to be considered for this weekly column to srosen@citybeat.com.
This article appears in Jun 20-27, 2018.
