History Coming To Life In Cincinnati

Mar 9, 2016 • Mike Field

Look Here! is a compelling history exhibition transforming the public realm into a temporary museum using historic photographs of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

THE INSPIRATION

Look Here! was inspired by a number of similar place-based exhibitions. These include Jay Shell’s rap lyrics project in New York City, RepoHistory’s work on Civil Disturbances (1998-1999) and Queer Spaces (1994), and The Museum in the Streets in Hastings-On-Hudson, New York.

The Rap Quotes campaign installs signs printed with site-specific rap lyrics at the exact locations mentioned. What began in Shell’s hometown where 75 signs had popped up throughout various boroughs of New York City, has now spread to a growing network of cities. Another 100 signs have been installed in Los Angeles, 22 more have been installed in Philadelphia, and another 27 have appeared in Atlanta.

Photo Credit: [url]https://www.jayshells.com[/url]

The Museum in the Street is a series of heritage discovery trails, designed to create free walking tours using panels of historical photos and facts about the historical context of a particular place. These interactive, self-led walking tours originated in New York and have been adopted in cities and towns throughout the world.

Photo Credit: [url]https://www.themuseuminthestreets.com[/url]

Anne Delano Steinert’s Look Here! exhibition received support from the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Public History Program of the History Department at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Parks, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Over-the-Rhine Foundation, and People’s Liberty. This installation will conclude in March 2016. What neighborhood this project can pop into next, depends on you.

Article by Mike Field