Lisa Desatnik
To Be Great, Have Passion
ArtWorks Cincinnati Celebrates Cincinnati Love
Theirs is a brilliant concept. Hire young, creative, untapped talent and give them the opportunity to work side by side a professional artist. Encourage them to think, problem solve, share ideas, work together as a team, create, and build. Watch communication and life skills, confidence, and creative wisdom soar.
And, in the end, another beautiful, permanent masterpiece is unveiled as a gift to our region and a lasting reminder of the growth that occurred in the process.
That is the impact of a Cincinnati nonprofit for which I have huge admiration, called ArtWorks Cincinnati. Through installations, sculptures and more than 100 murals, ArtWorks has become the largest employer of visual artists in the region. The organization has provided jobs, training and business development support to thousands since it was founded in 1996.
In ArtWorks own words, it is ‘head over heels in love with Cincinnati and it is their mission to help everyone else experience that love as fully as they do.’
Gosh, what an amazing mission. And the team behind that love continually dreams up new, innovative ways to get our community engaged.
If you drive past (or walk up to) the Freedom Center Lawn in downtown Cincinnati on Freedom Way at Walnut Street (at the foot of the Suspension Bridge in Cincinnati), you will see ArtWorks latest idea that was just dedicated this week.
‘Sing the Queen City’ is the signature piece of a project called #CincyInk supported by Pure Romance and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation.
#CincyInk
The project began with a call for letters, stories, tweets and other written expressions of love for Cincinnati from everyone who calls are vibrant region home. More than 1,000 declarations were submitted that were carefully reviewed, organized and fit together into a beautiful poem called Seven Hills and a Queen to Name Them, commissioned by Chase Public.
Then, Kurt & Kremena divided the poem into 263 words and phrases, and designed each of them as a unique tattoo and One Shot Tattoo permanently inked them on the bodies of more than 250 proud Cincinnatians.
The project will culminate November 20…more details to come!
What a fun and incredible effort to bring our community together, all around our common admiration for this place where we live, play and work.
Thank you to ArtWorks Cincinnati for all that they do to enrich our region…and enrich lives.
ArtWorks – CinyInk Promo Video from ArtWorks Cincinnati on Vimeo.
Seven Hills and A Queen to Name Them
Poem commissioned by ArtWorks, underwritten by The Johnson Foundation, and crafted by Chase Public.
Learn more about the making of the poem (click here).
I always say a prayer
when I see you through
the cut in the hill,
my drama Queen City.
You swam in bourbon and blues
and called your song the river.
I doused myself in your laughter.
Now I climb hilltop woods
and stone halos
to find an unabridged view.
You’re an artist until proven innocent.
I reached for your hand in a gallery
with a painting named Springtime.
You stood me in the northern light
of a Court Street window
and made a photograph.
You made away with me.
*******
Cincinnati was first spoken by the mouth
of the Licking, in a bend
of the good river, the Ohio.
A city lifted by the genius of water.
Who can know this place,
its streets laid out with the peculiar vision
of constellation charts? Let’s draw our own maps:
triangulate the bells of every parish,
sketch neighborhoods that overlap zip codes.
Buy a cone at every summertime stand,
blow a horn at every pawn shop,
eat barbecue and slaw at every smoker
while we sift through the small talk:
Which chili parlour? West side or east?
State or commonwealth? What high school?
Can anyone say where our city ends?
The Queen shares her crown
with the northern South
and all who call her home.
Our city’s limits are carved in hearts, not stone.
*******
The Queen dreamed out loud,
Mama’s gonna pull history from the buildings,
roll it out on the street for you to see
original brick, hidden under siding, under asphalt.
Story on story, hoisting us higher into history.
Mama’s gonna open bar doors, stretch the taps out
to the sidewalk, pour drafts for drinkin’.
Light the sacred glass in blooms of stonework
and paint the streets like a beer bottle mosaic.
Mama’s gonna build a boat bigger than Noah’s,
a wheel and tall stacks, to whistle your name.
Plow the lonely barge lanes in winter
and hop-skip the river boat to boat when fireworks fly.
Mama wants to make it happen.
Mama’s doin’ it for you.
*******
Corn-fed pig town.
You taught me three-ways, goetta fests
and pony kegs. Bengal shouts in winter winds.
You taught me to Ezzard Charles,
to jab, weave and strike like a cobra.
To throw myself out of the corner and into the fight.
To cheer into the river night
with the ghosts and golden spirits
of Crosley Field, a palace to the fans.
Throat sore, eyes too full of light.
You taught me to avoid the tag,
to sing the knotted history of the hit king
with a stubborn tongue.
To slide head-first into home.
*******
I came for the magic and stayed
for the music. Heard your trumpet calls,
symphonies and syncopations.
I let a stranger sing to me,
lines that told the truth like graffiti
over sanctioned street art.
She phrased a phrase too charged to hold key.
Music reaches down the one-ways from a public stage,
rebounds off homes from church festivals.
Brick, here, is a canvas for revolution,
a reawakening of sweat and spirit.
The site of the blacksmith off Ridge is now
a record store, hammer clang to cymbal crash.
Time goes by, places change, the rhythm pushes on.
*******
The fog rolls over the night hills—
not every hill, but here.
Rolls in and hides the limits of the night.
I drive Montgomery Road to our centennial house.
From the porch, I hear the baby cry,
a new squall storming old plaster.
Joining the wind, an anthem
to our alma mater. In my arms,
I shush with wordless whispers
and no magic, sounds to settle
an arrival home.
This street, where puddles splash. On this hill,
with no historic name, one among many,
the fog paddles on into memory.
*******
Home. The name of a surprising house,
its numbers bright as jewels.
There’s a title for every square foot
of this city. We call them all again.
Reclaim them. Choosing a name
is a declaration of intent.
But it’s uncertain magic.
Cincinnati, named for the leader who cast aside
his sword when the war was won.
Named for power surrendered, and power is surrendered
in time. Swords not laid down will one day drop.
We who had been torn, stirred, packed down,
formed and baked into the brick of change,
are now referred to as able—
spoken of when pointing to progress.
The mystery unwinds but doesn’t unravel.
*******
Cincinnati is a promise that we make
to our inner selves,
and I promise
there are still stories
to tell and to tell.
Streets to walk, and corners,
like the city , to come around.
Marry me in Eden Park,
Lay with me at Spring Grove.
It would be beautiful.
You’re the heart in my wrist,
the arrow on my chest.
I tried to draw you some mysterious name
but you turned my line
into a circle around us.
Sing the Queen City.
Say home.
Coast the long cut.
Cross that bridge.
*******
Cincinnati’s Kelly Richey Talks About Her Inspiration
I’d like to introduce you to Kelly Richey. Kelly is a Cincinnati based musician, writer and educator who has been described as “Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman’s body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out”. Having shared the stage with many legends, she has been listed as among the top 100 gifted guitarists by the Truefire Community in 2011, and frequently draws comparisons to blues guitar icons Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Kelly has been teaching guitar almost as long as she’s been playing; with over three decades of teaching experience under her belt, she is a deeply dedicated and inspirational guitar instructor who has taught well over 1,000 students to date.
Additionally, in 2009, Kelly founded Powered By Intention, a Coaching Consultancy designed to educate, motivate, and inspire people to identify their life’s true purpose and achieve the life of their dreams. And, she is president of Music4Change, Inc. a Cincinnati nonprofit organization committed to music education in today’s schools as a vehicle for human expression, cultural understanding, and academic achievement. Three specifically aligned programs offer live performance, lecture, interactive participation and facilitate learning opportunities for youth.
As if all of that weren’t enough, Kelly is a gifted writer and shares her talent as a facilitator for another nonprofit called Women Writing for a Change.
On Kelly’s website, she candidly shares her own, very personal story – her journey as a person who has dyslexia and ADHD, and how they impacted her determination and success, and desire to help others succeed.
“Having a reading disability has caused two dynamics for me: 1) I have an insatiable appetite now for learning and 2) I have a passion for teaching and helping others learn. Nothing excites me more than to work with my students and clients… teaching, coaching, consulting,” she wrote.
“Had I not gravitated towards music and discovered books in audio form, I honestly don’t know what I would have done. My life would have turned out much differently, I’m sure. What I know now is that there is no cookie cutter mold to learning. I’m proof that even someone with severe dyslexia can learn to play a musical instrument….For many years having dyslexia negatively affected my self-esteem. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s that I began to realize I might actually be rather intelligent.”
Please continue reading to learn more about Cincinnati’s music legend.
GTGA: What is something people may not know about you?
Kelly: People mainly know me as a guitarist, singer/songwriter, recording artist, performer and guitar instructor, but there is an entire “other” side to my life. I am a life coach and hold certifications as a Dream Coach and True Purpose Coach; I’m trained in Voice Dialog; and I recently became certified as a facilitator for Women Writing for a Change. It is my deepest desire for my life’s work to weave together elements of musical performance and recording by teaching one-on-one and workshops, and life coaching and facilitating writing workshops for personal growth and community building.
GTGA: Tell us about a challenge that you overcame in life and how it impacted you.
Kelly: I am dyslexic, so learning to read has presented me with a series of challenges throughout all stages of my life. My dyslexia left me unable to succeed in school, as much of the understanding and support provided in schools today simply did not exist when I was in grade school. Thanks to books in audio format, I’ve managed to work my way through hundreds of books over a lifetime committed to learning and self-education.
Here is an article on my blog, How Dyslexia Made Me a Better Teacher, that addresses this in more depth.
GTGA: What are some of your simple pleasures?
Kelly: A great cup of coffee, conversation with a good friend, healthy places to eat out, and a good power-nap.
GTGA: What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
Kelly: One of my favorite childhood memories is listening to my grandmother tell me stories.
GTGA: Name three things on your Gratititude List.
Kelly: If I had to list three things I was most grateful for, they would be: all the great friends I’ve collected throughout my life, many of whom have been profound teachers; good health and strong constitution; and the ability make a living doing what I love.
GTGA: What is an accomplishment you achieved of which you are proud?
Kelly: Overcoming learning disabilities and finding a way to build a successful and sustainable career doing what I love.
GTGA: Tell us about someone who has been a positive influence on your life and why.
Kelly: My Uncle, Rev. Bob Brown, was one of my biggest influences. He was the preacher for the church where I grew up. My uncle was a passionate preacher, teacher, storyteller and community builder. Our church was the first church to integrate, and it was burned to the ground when I was 5 years old. He was a leader in civil rights; he believed in separation of church and state; and he felt the church should be relevant if it was to serve in meeting the needs of people in their individual communities.
GTGA: What is a motto you live by?
We must first be in integrity with ourselves in order to be in integrity with others.
A Life Lesson On Disabilities
What a wonderful story. Teaching and inspiring children to learn about differences, and equally important about what all of us as human beings share is such a valuable life lesson. Each of us, no matter our origin, our color of skin, our religion, our economic status, our mode of doing things has a desire to be included, valued, respected and loved.
Eiizabeth and Steve Wampler share this message with humor, genuineness and passion. They are among the truly incredible people who I had the fortune to get to know through my work with the ReelAbilities Film Festival. Steve uses a wheelchair because of having cerebral palsy. It is but one characteristic that you will notice about him, but what I notice first is his huge smile that lights up a room. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have such infectious warmth that radiates from them and when
they laugh you can’t help but laugh along with them.
The reason they were in Cincinnati is because we were showcasing the documentary film about Steve journey as the only person with a disability to have ever climbed the magnificent El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. At twice the height of the Empire State Building, it took Steve 20,000 pull ups over 6 days, sleeping on the sheer face of the mountain and over-coming enormous fear to accomplish this monumental task (with his team).
Recently, Elizabeth shared this photo with friends and this story to go with it:
“Yesterday at the mall, this darling boy came up to us with his mom, and had some questions about Steve and his wheelchair.
That was wonderful, but what struck me was just how incredible his mom was. She was really brave, and asked her child if he
had any questions about Steve or his chair. It was brilliant. Steve answered questions until he seemed satisfied, and then they
went on a tiny little impromptu ride in a circle. I wish everyone was brave like this little man, it was just great all around! He is
SO young, but had a really pleasant experience, and got a head start at being comfy around people with disabilities.
Way to go, little man!”
– Elizabeth Wampler
Way to go Elizabeth and Steve for giving that little man an experience that will impact the way he sees people for the rest of his life!
About the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation
The Stephen J. Wampler Foundation’s mission is to make adventure programs accessible to all children, regardless of their background or ability. To provide outdoor adventure and environmental programs that foster their social and emotional growth, physical rehabilitation and environmental awareness for children with physical disabilities.