5chw4r7z:: the ethos of downtown Cincinnati

The Art of Food

One of my favorite events in the Cincinnati area is The Art of Food held in Covington at the Carnegie. Food and art mix together in a genre bending multi media event. Is it food? Is it art? Is that a person? Yes, yes it is. Art of Food is a yearly fundraiser for the Carnegie arts venue. The chefs and artists pull out all the stops with artist food and art whose subject is food. This years theme was farm to table.
Andrew hanging out front rocking his American Gothic impression.

Antonio Adams had a series of chef portraits that reminded of a discussion I had with Phil awhile back. He mentioned he didn't like selfies because they didn't look like what he saw in a mirror. I said the mirror lies and the camera tells the truth. But looking at Antonio's portraits I think I had it wrong. The eye translates the truth while the camera gives you the brutal truth. Mr Wright has always been one of my favorite chefs.

I've always loved Tony Dotson's popart. I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on a piece he had at the show last year.

a rice crispy cinder block

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Sid Saturday

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

*Ole Smokey

whimsey, serendipitous, extemporaneous
There are many words you can use to describe the unexpected, but most people just end up using WOW. At the recent Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show held in Rhinegeist there were all the expected customs. And there were a few unexpected, builders who didn't give a crap about the status quo or what anyone else thought. Take for example *Ole Smokey, normally a two stroke would be seen in a bike where light weight or high performance was needed. It was surprising to see on two stroke stuffed into a chopper. And the details just kept revealing themselves the longer I looked. A nomex wrapped expansion chamber hidden behind an old license plate beaten into shape around the pipe. The exhaust pipe tied to the bikes frame with leather ties and belts. *Ole Smokey was oozing coolness and don't give a f#@k. A tail light made out of an oil can, an old tractor seat and a heal rest made from an old cap gun were also neat little touches.

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

the deep end of the Wave Pool

The Wave Pool hosted an exhibit to launch its latest publication, Cincinnati 5: Artists Impacting the Community. The artists each had a small installation and I didn't know much about any of them except for Pam Kravetz. I first met Ms. Kravitz as her alter ego Pinky Shears the lead Bombshell in the Cincinnati yarn bombers. My mind was blown when I first learned about yarn bombing as I had always loved graffiti and multimedia art. I would call what Ms Kravitz does outsider art although I'm not sure that would be a strict definition of the term. Don't get me wrong, I can apreciate fine art but I've always been drawn to art that challenges your preconception of what art is. If you've ever attended one of The Carnegie's Art of Food events they feature Ms. Kravitz's unique artistic vision. All that plus the fact I've heard of The Wave Pool but have never been there drew me to check it all out.

love is in the hair

There was an Art Academy student installation upstairs, including one that contained the contents of a student's apartment. Imagine my surprise seeing small art pieces from other artists i know. But I guess really I shouldn't have been too surprised.

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Sid Saturday

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Mary Queen of Heaven fish fry

Mary Queen of Heaven aka The CodFather is still the litmus I use to judge every other church fish fry. When we first started the fish fry road show 4 years ago Mary Queen of Heaven was head and shoulders about all the other Lenten fish fries. Time marches on and people learn and over the years the quality of area fish fries has improved greatly. But Mary Queen of Heaven has consistently stayed ahead of the pack. We decided to start right out with them this year and we weren't disappointed. The fish sandwich may have been even better than I remember, crispy yet tender fish and a uber fresh bun. The fries were crispy and the slaw was exactly what I was expecting. Plus a beer guy working the line to order. If you can only make one fish fry this year, make it this one. 4.5 out of 5 fish.
You're doing something right if the local news is there to do a story.

Is it me or does Mary look like Margery?

The Codfathers

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Toynbee Tiles

I have no idea if these are real Toynbee tiles or if they are fan art. According to wikipedia they have been seen in about two dozen cities. Its amazing to think one guy could have traveled around unknown and placed these, but its not outside the bounds of reason. At first I thought they might be fan art because they seemed to lack the anger of the original tile I had seen at 7th and Walnut. That tile disappeared when the streetcar tracks came through. but then i read that normally an elaborate tile will be found with simpler secondary tiles nearby. This would be consistent with what I've seen in downtown Cincinnati. These are all within a block of Fountain Square. There could be a couple more out there, they are usually placed about 5-6" outside a crosswalk where a car would sit during a red light. I've discovered these three on early Sunday mornings. Along with the tile outside of Ruby's Steakhouse that disappeared, there was another one on Walnut outside of the CAC that was simply worn away years ago.
Whoever the person is they have an ax to grind with print media and if you want to go down a rabbit hole of insanity watch Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. Who ever it was that said there is a fine line between genius and insanity hit the nail on the head with this artist whoever he is.

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Mardi Gras

I didn't go to MainStrasse's Mardi Gras when I first moved to Cincinnati but I remember all the news reports afterwards. MainStrasse ended up requiring tickets to attend and then it seems like it disappeared for a few years.This year with the warm weather we rolled over the river to check it out. It wasn't a long parade, which is a good thing for me because I lose interest in them after a half hour or so anyhow usually. The last truck through was full of guys in the back throwing beads as fast as their arms could move. The beads flying out looked like they were being expelled by a fire-hose, the scene was kind of crazy.

Han shot first!

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Sid Saturday

[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
comments?

Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show at Rhinegeist

The Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show at Rhinegeist was totally off the hook the hook again this year. Luckily it was another half decent day in February and I rode bike bike to Rhinegeist. A bike of the pedal category that is, and I beat all the traffic.
Amazing beer, people and bikes. You can't ask for much more than that. It blows my mind there are as many custom bike builders in the area as there are. A couple of these bikes, the longer I looked at them the more details appeared. I think I'll have to do a dedicated post for a couple of the coolest bikes. At any rate here is an overview of what happened.