FRIDAY 13ART: UNRAVELED: TEXTILES RECONSIDERED AT THE CAC In Unraveled: Textiles Reconsidered, nine artists deconstruct and reanimate clothing, blankets, rugs and other fabrics into emblems of political and personal expression. Textiles are mined for their metaphors to explore aspects of identity and interconnectedness. Adrian Esparza’s “Dawn,” an azure weft spun around a grid of nails using a cheap serape’s single thread, may act as the exhibit’s skeleton key. It depicts, abstractly, a 1908 photograph of the Mount Adams incline, a long-demolished structure. Its title refers to the Procter & Gamble detergent — which Esparza reserves a certain nostalgia for — yet it could just as easily indicate artistic genesis. Read more about the exhibit
here
. Unraveled: Textiles Reconsidered is on display at the CAC through Aug. 14. More info:
contemporaryartscenter.org
.
EVENT: GERMANIA SOCIETY MAIFEST Raise a stein to spring with the Germania Society. Maifest is the traditional German celebration of the season, and the Society isn’t cutting any corners with this authentic bash. Carnival rides, traditional food, a spring flower market and games for kids and adults transform Germania Park into a tiny slice of Europe. Choose a homemade Maiwein or local craft beer in a German style and dance to live music from the likes of The Dynamic Duo, Chardon Polka Band and Hoot & Holler. Merchandise, gifts and crafts will also be for sale all weekend long. 6 p.m.-midnight Friday; noon-midnight Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. $3 adults; kids 12 and under free. Germania Park, 3529 W. Kemper Road, Fairfield,
germaniasociety.com
.
EVENT: MAINSTRASSE MAIFEST This springtime celebration takes over six city blocks to create a traditional bash of epic proportions. In addition to the essential German food and drink, this Maifest party features an assortment of arts and crafts by more than 90 different makers. Special areas are set aside for the young and young at heart — the Kinderplatz section contains rides and other adventures for kids, while the Amusement Midway has plenty of fun for grownups. On Saturday, guests with an artistic flare can face off in a street chalk-art contest near the Main Street Bier Garten. 5-11:30 p.m. Friday; noon-11:30 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. MainStrasse Village, Covington, Ky.,
mainstrasse.org
.
EVENT: UNCORKED AT FSQ It’s a weekend of vino at the corner of Fifth and Vine streets when Fountain Square gets taken over by Uncorked at FSQ. The two-day event features generous samples from the nation’s top-selling wine brands, along with local and regional wine producers. Guests can navigate their ways through booths of booze, food pairings and knowledgeable staffers to dine, drink and learn. Includes live music from The Hot Magnolias, Leroy Ellington Band and more. 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets sold in $10 increments; $2 per ticket; one ticket is equivalent to one 2 oz. pour. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown,
myfountainsquare.com
.
EVENT: CINCITALIA It isn’t all about Bavaria in Cincinnati this weekend despite our many Maifests — CincItalia brings a taste of the Old Country to Cheviot for a festival that celebrates the culture, cuisine and cannoli of Italy. Enjoy Italian cooking demos, travel talks, games, raffles, an open-air wine garden, a mini piazza — complete with a fountain and Tivoli lights — and carbo loads of homemade lasagna, spiedini, arancini, baked ziti and more from local Italian organizations and eateries. It’s a weekend to mangia and pop some prosecco after changing out of your dirndl. 6 p.m.-midnight Friday; 3 p.m.-midnight Saturday; 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Harvest Home Park, 3961 North Bend Road, Cheviot,
cincitalia.org
.
ONSTAGE: VIOLET
Ensemble Theatre staged this moving musical back in 1999 to great success, but that was before people were flocking to Over-the-Rhine as they do today. To close out its 30th-anniversary season, ETC has revived the story of an anxious young woman bearing a disfiguring scar from a childhood accident. She’s on a cross-country pilgrimage to a televangelist she hopes will heal her, but along the way she meets people who help her find the true meaning of beauty. Composer Jeanine Tesori created powerful anthems for this show, and director D. Lynn Meyers has assembled excellent singers and actors to perform them. Tickets are selling fast. Through May 22. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine,
ensemblecincinnati.com
.
SATURDAY 14
EVENT: ASIAN FOOD FEST Pho Lang Thang, Revolution Rotisserie & Bar, Mabuhay Pinoy Foods, Elephant Walk: The extensive list of local eateries participating in this year’s Asian Food Fest gives festivalgoers a lot to chew on this weekend at Washington Park. Fill up on two day’s worth of cuisine from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Indonesia, India and Malaysia while viewing authentic cultural song and dance performances. A new addition this year is a “Secret Menu” booth that features food from home chefs and aspiring entrepreneurs; the booth’s name is a reference to the hidden, more traditional menus that many Asian restaurants present only to customers who specifically request them. 4-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine,
asianfoodfest.org
.
EVENT: INCLINE DISTRICT STREET FAIR There are so many fests and fairs across town this weekend, and this one takes place in East Price Hill. The first of this year’s Incline District Street Fairs, this en plein air party celebrates the diversity and growth of the Incline District with goods from local crafters and artisans, along with food and drink. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. 3001 Price Ave., East Price Hill,
facebook.com/inclinedistrictstreetfair
.
GET INVOLVED: PEOPLE WORKING COOPERATIVELY REPAIR AFFAIR Since its foundation in 1975, People Working Cooperatively has performed home repairs and services for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners, enabling them to remain in their homes and live safely and independently. PWC is seeking individuals to get involved with their mission this weekend during the Repair Affair, the organization’s annual spring volunteer event. If you have home repair skills and are 14 years or older, you’re eligible to help PWC install handrails, repair drywall, fix leaky plumbing and more for clients in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Volunteers are asked to bring their own tools, and groups will be matched with projects based on skills and preferences. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Various locations,
pwchomerepairs.org
.
MUSIC: THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS The conversion from Rock and Punk to Bluegrass and Folk is an oft-told band tale in today’s music world. And so it is with The Howlin’ Brothers, an adrenalized trio that plays Bluegrass with the passion and verve of an amped-up Rock outfit. The threesome — banjoist/fiddler Ian Craft, guitarist/harmonicat Jared Green and upright bassist Ben Plasse — met as Classical music students at New York’s Ithaca College a decade and a half ago. Coming from basic Rock backgrounds, the three musicians discovered Folk at roughly the same time and began playing in various configurations, but coalesced in 2003 when Craft and Green sang three-part harmony with Plasse on a traditional tune for his senior recital. Read more about the group in this week’s
Sound Advice
. The Howlin’ Brothers play Southgate House Revival Saturday with Ian Mathieu and Scott Risner. More info/tickets:
southgatehouse.com
.
ONSTAGE: BRIGADOON This old-fashioned show from 1949 is just the kind of musical that Cincinnati Landmark Productions excels at staging. The story of a town in Scotland that disappears into the Highland mists and only returns one day every hundred years is a delightful, tuneful fantasy from writer Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe (the team that created My Fair Lady and Camelot). This tribute to simplicity, goodness and the power of love will have you humming your way out of the theater, especially “Almost Like Being in Love.” Through May 22. $23-$26. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Ave., 513-241-6550,
cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com
.
TV: SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Drake hosts and performs as musical guest. 11:30 p.m. NBC.
SUNDAY 15
ART: SIDEREAL SILENCE AT THE WESTON ART GALLERY Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, the Japanese-born, U.S.-based artist living in Cincinnati since 2008, has received international attention for work exploring nature in new ways and in unexpected spaces. His latest show — Sidereal Silence — debuts at downtown’s Weston Art Gallery on Friday. Occupying the entire gallery, the exhibition includes a surround sound installation of waterfalls, a large-scale clear-acrylic structure that disperses water vapor, a two-channel video of waterfall loops, paintings made outdoors on raw cotton canvas with natural, organic materials and a series of smaller sculptural works focusing on crystal formations that emulate stars. On view through June 5. Free. Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St., Downtown,
cincinnatiarts.org
.
ATTRACTIONS: ZOO BABIES Oh, baby: ’tis the season for tots of all sorts at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Cubs, calves, chicks and more will be on exhibit throughout the month of May. Gasp and squeal in the presence of more than a dozen babies, including Bowie the penguin in the Children’s Zoo; Dale the takin at Wildlife Canyon; Boca the alligator in Manatee Springs; and bonobos Kibibi and Bolingo in the Jungle Trails. The zoo’s recently born cheetah cubs will also be viewable at the nursery, and Emperor scorplings (aka baby scorpions) are on exhibit in the Insect World building. Human moms receive free admission on Mother’s Day (May 8). Through May 31. $18 adults; $13 children and seniors. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale,
cincinnatizoo.org
.
ONSTAGE: SATCHEL PAIGE AND THE KANSAS CITY SWING History suggests Satchel Paige was the greatest pitcher of all time. But his career preceded the moment that professional baseball’s color line was crossed. In fact, this new play — Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing — is set in 1947, just after Jackie Robinson’s debut. Paige and other black players are barnstorming in exhibition games against white teams when a downpour brings them together in a boarding house. We get to eavesdrop on their conversations about the changing world. The show is by the playwrights of Fly!, a past hit at the Playhouse. They used a tap dancer in that one; this time, a sax player called “Jazzman” extends the story’s emotions. Through May 21. $30-$85. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams,
cincyplay.com
.
ART: CHASING THE WHALE AND OTHER ENDLESS PURSUITS Self-taught artist Matt Kish wanted one last shot at creating something notable. The project he chose was illustrating Herman Melville’s 1851 literary classic Moby-Dick, one drawing per day for each of the 552 pages in his Signet Classic edition paperback version of the novel. It took him almost one and a half years of exhausting work, but it changed everything. By posting the daily illustrations on his blog, he caught the attention of the sizeable worldwide Moby-Dick community. That led to a contract with the prestigious Tin House press, which earlier had published the celebrated Pictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon’s Novel Gravity’s Rainbow by artist Zak Smith. Read more about Kish and the exhibit
here
. Chasing the Whale and Other Endless Pursuits continues through Aug. 14 at the Contemporary Arts Center. More info:
contemporaryartscenter.org
.
EVENT: BURLINGTON ANTIQUE SHOW One more outdoor eat-drink-buy event: the monthly Burlington Antique Show. This antiques and vintage-only collectibles market features more than 200 dealers hawking everything from giant metal letters and vintage postcards to industrial lighting, old globes, 1960s Fiestaware and more. It’s generally pretty crowded, so if you’re a real hunter, aim for early-bird admission ($5; 6-8 a.m.). 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. $3 starting at 8 a.m. Boone County Fairgrounds, 5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington, Ky.,
burlingtonantiqueshow.com
.
TV: GAME OF THRONES Tyrion meets a Red priestess and makes a deal in Meereen as Jorah and Daario zero in on Daenerys in Vaes Dothrak. As the former khaleesi prepares to join the Dosh Khaleen, Drogon intervenes. In King’s Landing, Jaime and Cersei stand up to the Faith Militant. Moving on to the Starks, Arya a girl takes on a new role; Sansa finds familiarity; Jon receives a threatening message. 9 p.m. HBO.
This article appears in May 11-18, 2016.
