The Art Academy of Cincinnati celebrates the first and hopefully not the last 20 years of a program that is one of a kind in the Tristate. 20 Years/20 Artists showcases the work of artists who have received a city of Cincinnati Individual Artist Grant. With the city trimming its budget, the grant program met the axe. The program might be gone for now but the work lives on in the AAC’s Pearlman and Chidlaw Galleries.
Constance McClure applied for an Individual Artist Grant to fund a series of frescos she began in 1990. Working People illustrates the daily tasks of local men and women. McClure is fascinated by the triumphant murals covering the rotunda and concourse of Union Terminal. You can see that spirit of social realism in McClure’s frescos and in her drawing “Amy (Contessa)” hanging in the AAC’s Chidlaw Gallery. The drawing is part of McClure’s new work, which she calls The Walnut Hills Project. “Amy (Contessa)” is a glimpse into the life of a young woman working in John Haney’s frame shop in East Walnut Hills.
Go here to read Selena Reder's full review and to get gallery details.