Do you ever go on adventures solo? I decided to take advantage of my husband and boys spending the afternoon watching football to sneak away for a few hours to explore the Taft Museum of Art. I understand that we won’t always want to try the same things all the time. One of my friends couldn’t make it due to working later so I went to my adventure destination anyway.
I grew up in the Cincinnati metro area and don’t remember hearing much about the Taft Art Museum until I moved back. Maybe that’s because checking out historic art museums wasn’t as much of a priority as a teenager. As an adult, I’m grateful for the rich heritage of the arts that Cincinnati has to offer that is accessible for everyone.
I took advantage of the museum’s FREE Sunday admission. The building is a historical landmark built in 1820 that is tucked away on a quiet street in downtown Cincinnati.
The museum is also located steps away from Lytle Park which is also a registered historic district. There is metered parking or you can park for FREE in the museum’s onsite garage. I opted for a short walk from a side street only because I didn’t know about the parking garage. It did give me the opportunity to get up close with the Lincoln statue and look at a few other historical plagues in the park.
The main floor offers a cafe with a variety of tasty menu selections including kids meals. The inside of the museum is room after room of discovery of collections from all over the world. The Tafts gave their private collection of 690 works of art and their historic home to the people of Cincinnati in 1927.
Each room offers a new exploration.
The museum offers events for kids called Third Sunday Fundays that typically fall on the 3rd Sunday. The Sunday I went was the “Live the Dream” theme in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The kids were working on activities that had to do with dreams that help make a better life. The craft was commemorating Rosa Parks’s historic bus ride.
The museum has a scavenger hunt available on a regular basis for kids. It’s a great way to have them engage in the appreciation of art that they encounter.
The Taft Museum brings in special exhibits regularly.
*This Sunday, January 27 is your last chance to see the exhibit listed below.
Star Power: Edward Steichen’s Glamour Photography
“Edward Steichen was instrumental in creating the idea of fashion and celebrity photography as we know it,” says Nancy Huth, the Taft’s curator of education and the installing curator for Star Power. “This exhibition includes several iconic images of film stars of the ‘20s and ‘30s, along with gorgeous fashion images intended for the pages of Vogue. Steichen’s work for Condé Nast in the 20s and 30s pointed the way for fashion and celebrity photography well into the future.” -Taft Museum of Art website
The exhibits that are not part of the permanent collection are not allowed to be photographed. The images below are courtesy of the museum.
Gloria Swanson. 1924.
Elizabeth Miller wearing a black tulle evening dress with jet beading, back V-neckline, and layered skirt with asymmetric hem by Lelong; black satin pumps by Delman and jewels from Marcus; photographed standing in Condé Nast’s apartment, with one hand placed on a table next to her.
I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of the fashion and images of the celebrities who were iconic during that time in history.
*The next exhibit will be Immortal Vessels: Chinese Porcelains of the Qing Dynasty on view January 25 through April 7, 2013
This exhibition of a small group of fine Chinese porcelains from the Taft Museum of Art’s collection creates an intimate space for close inspection and interpretation. The objects date primarily from the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) when Chinese ceramic technology reached its peak.
The Taft is open
Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Taft Museum of Art is located at 316 Pike St Cincinnati, OH 45202