Contemporary Arts Center

Address:	44 E 6th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA
Phone:	+1 513-345-8400
Site:	contemporaryartscenter.org
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–4PM Closed 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 27

Paul Jutte

Cannot recommend enough. Stop reading and GO! Even better its free to the public every Monday evening from 6-9pm! So what do you have to lose? Even if your not a fan of contemporary art and think a lot of it is quackery, even the darkest and most jaded of hearts will enjoy the top floor which is completely interactive! There is even a huge sexton for creating your own artwork! Also free! Everything from construction paper to water colors. And you are allowed to take it home with you! What?! Yes! The collections rotate periodically so if you didnt like it, go back in a few months; you may love it now! Also check their website or call for info on the large amount of interactive workshops, performances and activities that they offer (usually free, but sometimes a nominal fee is required). They also have a gift shop full of items you cant find anywhere else; perfect for that person that you dont know what to get for them! Id give this place 6/5 stars. One of my favorite places in all of Cincinnati! A must visit!

Luke Weller

Used PTO to extend my vacation to see Son Lux. Drove up from Atlanta with a trailer in tow. Didnt buy tickets ahead of time in case construction was too bad. Tried calling but apparently no one answers the phone after 5 even though there is an event going on. Found parking for my truck and trailer and paid for both. I arrive and there are many employees, all of which I imagine could answer a phone. But I am denied because they were apparently at capacity. Could have saved me a lot of headache, or better yet, sold me a ticket, if you guys answered your phones on nights that you have events.

Cedric McCay

This is a great place to meet and get started on an evening in Cincinnati! We enjoyed a free tour (because of the construction, we could only visit a few of the floors) and found the artwork unique. It was a bit avant-garde, but certainly thought-provoking. There is a wall of swinging lights which captivated my attention and which would have been worth the price of paid-admission! Parking was available on the street at meters. This is a short walk from a ton of activities in downtown and is a great place to enjoy art or a cup of coffee in the cafe.

Chris Place

Its nice being able to get your children exposure to art for free. There are 6 floors to view and the design and layout of the museum is very cool. The 6th floor is the interaction floor where kids and adults can engage interact and actually make some art. In theory this was great but unfortunately when we visited most of the art supplies were depleted and this left the kids with not much to do in the way of creating art.

Nathan Chick

This is my favorite building in Cincinnati designed by my favorite architect. So, thats amazing. I come here roughly twice a year to see what new exhibits are coming through. My only complaint is that there are rarely any "fun" exhibits. For someone whose taste is very amateur when it comes to art, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the pieces mean nothing to me and I just pass by.

Tom Bryan

Worst wedding ever! Rude, unfriendly, unprofessional staff led by Marty! Awkward, poor timing all night. No bathrooms on main floor; all guests had to use stairs or elevators to use restrooms. Guests locked out of building over and over. Would not recommend Contemporary Arts Center as a wedding reception venue to my friends.

David Shay

I think Ive this opinion for all the wrong reasons: still there wasnt much there. Almost too much space between exhibits. While the clown exhibit was lightly interesting... still my mom never let me leave my GI Joes laying all over the floor. Im not sure why this was much different.

Joe Wehry

Note: The cafe is open early, but the gallery doesnt open until 10 am. I hadnt been back since the opening, and love the addition of café and gift shop in the lower lobby. The exhibits here are top quality and explore many expressions of art. Def a gem in Cincinnatis art scene.

Scott Hand

Weve gotten addicted to the top floor Unmuseum. We have taken the kids several times and they absolutely love the programming, crafts, and space. The location and building are amazing, and its incredible to see true modern architecture blend into the cityscape.

larks tongue

If you love architecture - youll be impressed by this Zaha Hadids piece of art. If you like modern art museums in general - youll love this place. Compared to similar museums in Louisville, Philly and even Chicago, CAC wins them all.

Zepu Wang

I m fond of the building. But the display was a sort of joke. Especially on the third and fourth floor, I didnt see any pieces of art worth watching. But its free to visit, we should not ask for a standard that is too high.

Henry LeRoy Jennings

Made World Famous in 1990 by the exhibit of Robert MAPPLETHORPEs controversial photos which is being commemorated November 6, 2015 - March 13, 2016s exhibit "AFTER THE MOMENT: Reflections on Robert MAPPLETHORPE".

stephen dickson

It was a great place for the wedding and reception! We enjoyed walking around and looking at all the art exhibits. It also had some beautiful views of the city of Cincinnati. Definitely a great place to visit!

Devin Knott

Lived in Cincinnati all of my life, and just had my first visit here. Very clean, organized, and interesting. The building is beautiful, and the exhibits are wonderful. Will be there again!

Jeremy Ross

CAC is free admission to amazing international shows of contemporary art. Membership is reasonable and gets you into all openings, events, and artist talks early for some great one on one.

Grace Ortalano

The space is awesome with cool stairs to walk between floors. They have modern or contemporary art, so a lot mixed media. It is excellent for those into that type of art.

Caden Ohlwiler

Multi-level building with unique arcitecture. Has a small black-box performance space for bands & other shows, and a gallery for visual art exhibitions and installations.

john frazer

Love it that Cincy would hire Hadid to do this important expansion of its facility. Not sure if the building or the collection is the star, but a fascinating place.

Kasper James

Great Location. I loved the amount of varied art there was. The staff was helpful and The interactive displays were great for kids and my dude. Will be returning!

James R Smith

Contemporary art is not really my thing but the exhibits here are at least thought provoking. Been here a few times for events and we always enjoyed ourselves.

Lisa Rossi

Beautiful and interesting building! Entry is free. There is a great area for kids on the sixth floor, where family activities are held from month to month.

Alex Coyle

Great exhibits, and the perfect quantity. You can spend a few hours here and dont feel overwhelmed by the amount of art like in a traditional gallery.

Elena Thier

Always a great place to go on an off day - especially since its free now! As an interior design major, its always fun to see what theyre doing next!

Jonathan McCollough

A lot of interesting exhibits and fun interactive stuff on the top floor. Its pretty quick to get through but is free so worth its worth the visit.

Joe Pearce

Wonderfully built modern architectural building. Exhibits are always very interesting. Favorite recent exhibits are Do Go Suh and Glenn Brown.

Mark Mascolino

Beautiful building with an ever changing series of exhibitions. Recently the admission was reduced to free which makes this a great bargain.

Christine Kwon

The building architecture was very contemporary, it was a whole experience itself. The clown exhibition was terrifying and fascinating.