The privately held national development and investment firm, Corporex, is partnering with ArtWorks, a nonprofit creating community-based public art and career opportunities for artists of all ages, to complete two murals at Ovation, a 25-acre mixed-used development located on the banks of the Ohio and Licking Rivers.
Embellishing the ends of the soon-to-open Homewood Suites by Hilton Newport Cincinnati at Ovation, both murals are set to be completed by early summer and bring to life the concept of CASA – Color, Art, Sound and Architecture. The community at Ovation has been intentionally crafted to offer residents and guests a dynamic blend of visual and auditory experiences across the property through CASA.
“From Ovation’s conception, it was always very important to establish a concept that breathes life into this community by creating a crescendo of senses through light, colors, sounds and aromas,” said Bill Butler, Founder and Chairman of Corporex and the visionary behind Ovation. “This idea of CASA brings life and energy into the development by filling it with public art, music and architecture for everyone in the community to enjoy. Our partnership with ArtWorks is one of the first steps in making this concept a reality and turning Ovation into an experience and destination.”
The first mural, “Sunrise,” was designed by Adrienne Dixon, a multidisciplinary artist, art educator, and arts administrator who received her MFA from the University of Cincinnati School of Design Architecture Art and Planning in Fine Art in 2022, and her BFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2011. Throughout her career, she has participated in a diverse array of exhibitions across the United States and abroad. Currently, she serves as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, and as a Creative Projects Manager at ArtWorks Cincinnati, all while continuing to further her research in her artistic studio practice in Camp Washington.
Dixon’s mural will be positioned at the eastern end of the hotel, facing the MegaCorp Pavilion and offering an ideal vantage point to view the sunrise.
“I have spent a considerable amount of my life in Kentucky and have been considering all of the things I love about the state in the design process,” said Dixon. “The variety of land is awe-inspiring – from blue grass fields to powerful mountains and entrancing waterways. I love the agricultural legacy that lives in this state, the history of food, and there are some of the best storytellers to live captured within the oral history archives in Frankfort. Kentucky has a richness that I hope to capture in this design.”
The second mural, “I Wrap Myself in Starlight,” was created by Emily Howard. Howard is a printmaker, illustrator and author working out of her home studio just south of Nashville, Tenn. She earned her BFA in studio arts at the University of Kentucky and then an MFA and accompanying MAE from the University of Cincinnati. She has served as an art teacher in several schools across Northern Kentucky and in various roles participating in the ArtWorks summer mural program. Inspired by mythologies, folklore, the natural world and the divine human form, Howard creates limited edition linocut prints, original paintings, printed home goods and sculptures, which she sells through her online shop and at art fairs.
Howard’s mural will be situated on Third Street on the west end of the building, overlooking Ovation Office Building I and the Ohio Riverfront.
“’I Wrap Myself in Starlight’ was inspired by the simple act of looking up. There is much hope in the darkness of night and the stars are comforting to me – these tiny lights suspended above my head traveled millions of years to meet my eyes,” said Howard. “As the promise of a new day is reflected in the face of the moon, I chose to paint a lunar goddess wrapping herself in starlight. The central figure is rendered in blue tones and is crowned with a barn-star-inspired halo, a consistent thread in my relief work depicting goddess and Gaia figures. She wraps herself in a lavender-tinted mist of starlight and the golden tones of the stars are reflected in her face and hair.”
“Sunrise” and “I Wrap Myself in Starlight” will be completed by the Mural Studio Artists at ArtWorks. Mural Studio Artists ages 18 – 24 years old, work under the guidance, mentorship and supervision of professional artists. This program offers a unique opportunity to develop skills in mural design, client management and production. The artists onsite executing the two murals include:
Allison Boyle, 21, Art Academy of Cincinnati, OTR
Hannah Feibelman, 23, West Price Hill
Peyton Harshfield, 24, Dayton, Ky.
Kendall Matsey, 23, University of Cincinnati DAAP, Cheviot
Jay Maupins, 22, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Clifton
Harvest Riddle, 23, Northside
Simon Schubert, 19, University of Cincinnati DAAP, Corryville
Trinity Stewart, 21, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Fairfield
Ellie Wallace, 23, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Camp Washington
Painting of both murals began on April 19 and is slated for completion in early summer. Two additional murals are coming to Ovation in 2024 through a direct partnership between Corporex and a locally-based artist, which will be located on The Boardwalk Residences.
ArtWorks is an award-winning Greater Cincinnati nonprofit that creates community-based public art, providing career opportunities for artists of all ages. To learn more, visit: artworkscincinnati.org/.
Ovation is a 25-acre, urban, mixed-use development sitting at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Ovation will continue to evolve to include a hotel, luxury residential and rental units, Class-A office space, entertainment and dining spaces. Learn more about Ovation at: ovationontheriver.com.