21 Things To Do in Cincinnati This Week (Feb. 19-25)

WEDNESDAY 19

ONSTAGE: americUS at the Playhouse in the Park
Multicultural, multidisciplinary performance collective Universes creates a portrait of America in americUS at the Playhouse in the Park. Through March 8. Tickets start at $30. Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.
Photo: Mikki Schaffner Photography

WEDNESDAY 19

ART: The Taft’s N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives
Unearth the work of a 20th-century artist that inspired the likes of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Large-scale, vivid and fantastical, the illustrations of Newell Convers Wyeth — known as N.C. Wyeth — are on display at the Taft Museum of Art via a retrospective exhibition titled N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives. Through May 3. 316 Pike St, Taft Museum of Art, Downtown. taftmusuem.org.
Photo: Courtesy Taft Museum of Art

WEDNESDAY 19

ART: Genius of Liberty: The Long Struggle for Women’s Equality at the Main Branch of the Public Library
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote. And this centennial is being celebrated at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Main Branch via the exhibit, Genius of Liberty: The Long Struggle for Women’s Equality. The show, which takes its name from an 1850s feminist publication by Cincinnati advocate Elizabeth Aldrich, showcases facts and ephemera ranging from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the adoption of the 19th Amendment. “Few copies of (Genius of Liberty) have survived to the present day but you can see some issues in the exhibit,” says Katherine Durack, an independent scholar and former Miami University faculty member, in a release. Durack, who also hosts the podcast Genius of Liberty, curated the exhibit with reference librarians Christopher Smith and Diane Mallstrom. In addition to feminist facts and figures, there are also fun displays about local historical suffragettes like Trixie Friganza, who raised money and advocated for the cause and “inspired the song ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” as well as Laura Carter Pruden, “mother of the Magic 8 Ball inventor” and member of Cincinnati’s Harriet Taylor Upton Club. Through April 26. Free admission. Main Library, 800 Vine St., Downtown, cincinnatilibrary.org.
Photo: Provided by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

WEDNESDAY 19

ATTRACTION: Bloom & Grow at the Krohn Conservatory
If the dull gray of winter is getting you down, you don’t have to wait until April to enjoy lush, green landscapes. Krohn Conservatory is hosting its Bloom & Grow floral show, an exhibit dedicated to the bright colors of the born-again flowers that bloom in springtime. Vibrantly colored and kid-friendly, this exhibit features tulips and daffodils, a nature-lined “hiking” path, a reading nook and activities to challenge your crafting skills while getting away from the cold a little early. Through March 8. $7 adults; $5 ages 5-17; free children 4 and under. Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiparks.com.
Photo: Cincinnati Parks

THURSDAY 20

MUSIC: Stuyedeyed
Brooklyn-based Stuyedeyed (pronounced "stide-ide") is a mosaic of musical dynamics and cultural awareness, whose adopted hometown is one of the planet's biggest melting pots. As for the quartet's musical aesthetic, Stuyedeyed's intense blend of Punk, Garage Rock and Psychedelia howls with inescapable rage and passion. Their latest EP, Moments of Terribleness, exudes the verve and fury of bands like Black Sabbath, Suicidal Tendencies, At The Drive-In and Fugazi, while also often twisting things through a trippy, kaleidoscopic lens. Thursday, Feb. 20. Free. MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St, Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com.
Photo: Rachel Cabitt

FRIDAY 21

MUSIC: KRS-One
Legendary rapper KRS-One is performing in Cincinnati this week. With his philosophical, political and socially-minded lyrical daggers, KRS-One emerged from The Bronx in the mid-’80s with Boogie Down Productions, whose 1987 album Criminal Minded is a cornerstone Hip Hop classic. BDP's DJ Scott La Rock was shot and killed during the making of the album's follow-up, By All Means Necessary, leaving KRS to carry on the project for a couple more albums before recording under his own name beginning with 1993's Return of the Boom Bap. The influential, pioneering Hip Hop artist is scheduled to appear at OTR Live in Over-the-Rhine on Friday, Feb. 21. Local artists Sons of Silverton and DJ Pillo will also perform at the 10 p.m. show. Doors open at 9 p.m. Advanced tickets are available via otrlivemusic.com.
Photo: Provided by OTR Live

FRIDAY 21

MUSIC: Left Lane Cruiser
Explosive guitar/drums duo Left Lane Cruiser play the Southgate House Revival. Friday, Feb. 21. The Southgate House Revival. 111 E. Sixth St. Newport, southgatehouse.com.
Photo: Joel Faurote

FRIDAY 21

EVENT: The Art of Food
The Carnegie in Covington is hosting the 14th-annual Art of Food celebration on Feb. 21. And the theme? “Family style.” This one-of-a-kind culinary f?te combines food, fun and art for an evening of culture and cuisine. This year, six top local chefs are partnering to prepare a unique and “curated” five-course sit-down dinner. Participating chefs include Scotty Berens of Dead Low Brewery, Doug Faulkner of Dojo Gelato, Tony Ferrari of Fausto, Steve Waddell of Jeff Thomas Catering and Stephen Williams and Mitch Arens of Y’all Hospitality. Coffee Emporium, Sixteen Bricks bakery and wine vendor Cutting Edge Selections are also participating. In addition to the meal, guests will be treated to interactive creative works like live painting and dance by more than a dozen visual and performing artists. Tickets include entertainment, dinner and wine and beer pairings. 6 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. $125; $240 per couple. The Carnegie, 1028 Scott St., Covington, thecarnegie.com.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

FRIDAY 21

EVENT: Precipitation Retaliation Happy Hour
Ever wanted to watch the likeness of a snowman slowly melt into ash in a glowing inferno? Come to Bockfest’s annual Precipitation Retaliation Happy Hour at Milton’s and gawk as avid Bockfest fans set a hiberal effigy alight, carrot nose and all. Legend goes, a Frosty-shaped victim is burned at the stake each year as an offering — or warning — to the weather gods after an unprecedented snowfall almost canceled the 2008 Bockfest parade and party. Since 2009, people have been lighting a snowman on fire to ward off bad weather and it has, apparently, worked. They’re doing it again this year, and presumably consuming large amounts of beer afterward. 4-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. Free admission. Milton’s, 301 Milton St., Liberty Hill, facebook.com/bockfest.
Photo: facebook.com/MiltonsTheProspectHillTavern

FRIDAY 21

ART: Vhils Opening Celebration at the Contemporary Arts Center
Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, is best known for his pioneering bas-relief carving technique, in which he literally scratches the surface of urban environments by carving large-scale portraits of everyday people directly into outdoor walls. He does so through industrial means — drilling, controlled explosions, ripping away debris, etc. Most recently, you may have noticed his portrait of John Mercer Langston at 1818 Logan St. in Over-the-Rhine, a mural he created as part of 2019’s BLINK light and art experience. Now Cincinnatians can see the artist’s work rendered on gallery walls at the Contemporary Arts Center. Titled Haze, the exhibition will mark Vhils’ first large-scale solo show in a United States art institution. It seeks to create a “subtle dialogue” with the CAC’s iconic architecture, as designed by the late Zaha Hadid. Sprawling through two floors, most of the exhibited works are site-specific: “carved wooden doors, sculptural dioramas, large-scale and small-scale hand-carved billboard pieces, immersive video installations and carved plasterboard compositions.” According to the show’s description, it also seeks to create a dialogue between Cincinnati and other locations in which Vhils has worked across the globe. Opening reception 8-11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. Exhibit on display through July 6. Free. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org.
Photo: Alexander Silva // Contemporary Arts Center