THREE ACTS IN OVER-THE-RHINE
The Over-the-Rhine Museum invites you to be a part of our story series, Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine. Through this series we build relationships with individuals, businesses and organizations that are located in the ever-changing Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
First launched in July 2015, this guest story series brings in local historians, advocates, and residents of Over-the-Rhine who each briefly discuss a selected theme, topic, or era—an “act”—related to the neighborhood’s history.
Three presenters are invited to discuss research or first-hand accounts that relate to Over-the-Rhine, keeping the stories to about 15 minutes each. The goal is to make those in attendance think about Over-the-Rhine, encouraging them to engage their surroundings more fully and discover that these stories are part of the evolving fabric of the neighborhood.
Typically, each event attracts around 75 attendants and serves as a valuable fundraising opportunity for the Over-the-Rhine Museum. We also welcome and are grateful for the volunteers who donate their time to help us promote and set up these programs. Below are images from recent Three Acts events.
Since the summer of 2020, due to COVID-19, we have opened our program as a virtual or hybrid event where feasible. Audiences can view recorded talks by clicking on a past event listed below.
Note: The views and opinions expressed by program presenters are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent the views of the Over-the-Rhine Museum. The museum believes in sharing the broadest possible range of experiences, memories, and histories to expose audiences to the breadth of stories embedded in this neighborhood. We encourage all to engage critically with the stories we present to build their own understandings of Cincinnati’s past.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Snapshots of Over-the-Rhine celebrates the neighborhood in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s through photos taken by residents. The personal snapshots will be on display at and nearby the Over-the-Rhine Museum's building at 3 West McMicken.
PAST EVENTS
On December 18th, the Over-the-Rhine Museum will present Three Acts: Snapshots of Over-the-Rhine. This event will take place in Memorial Hall. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the program will begin at 6:30 PM. This unique edition of Three Acts is about our FotoFocus exhibition and the stories behind it. What was it like to grow up and raise a family in Over-the-Rhine between 1960 and 2001? Five co-curators tell their stories through personal photographs in our exhibition. See their pictures, learn more about FotoFocus, and discover the process of creating an exhibition.
On September 25th, the Over-the-Rhine Museum will present Three Acts: Stepping Into Art at the Pendleton Art Center. This event will take place in Memorial Hall's studio. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the program will begin at 6:30 PM. This edition of Three Acts will describe how the previously empty warehouse became Cincinnati’s premier workspace for local artists and what it has meant to three of those artists to be a part of this unique creative community.
Join us at the next installment of our story-sharing series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, March 14th at 6:30pm at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street in the Studio Room). Have you ever heard of a settlement house? Do you know why they are important in Cincinnati's history? Do you know that a few of these 19th-century immigrant aid organizations are still going strong today? Speakers Christine Anderson, Alexis Kidd, and Anne Delano Steinert will lead a three-part discussion that explores settlement houses in Cincinnati - past, present, and future.
Join us on Wednesday, December 13th at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street) at 6:30 PM to hear from speakers Preston Charles III, Damon Gray, and Zarleen Watts as they talk about their roles in supporting Over-the-Rhine’s culture of music.
Join us on Wednesday, September 20th at 6:30pm at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street) to hear three discussions …. Speakers Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller, Suzanne Fisher, and Thea Tjepkema will talk about ....
Join us on Wednesday, June 14th at 6:30pm at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street) to hear three discussions designed to change the way you view and use a unique subset of public infrastructure: alleys and staircases. Speakers Christian Huelsman, Derek Scacchetti, and Jenny Ustick will talk about their efforts to bring attention and beauty to the neighborhood spaces that help us get to where we’re going, sometimes providing unexpected vantage points.
Three Acts: Authors of Over-the-Rhine features discussions with local authors, each with a book that tells a unique story of people in and around Over-the-Rhine. We will begin with JR Zink’s historical fiction inspired by an Over-the-Rhine Museum walking tour. Holly Brians Ragusa will speak about her life, her Dad, and the crime that rocked her family in the 1980s. Finally, Mark Scott will provide a contemporary story of love, death, and drinking in Over-the-Rhine. Reserve your seats to this special event today!
As Jewish Cincinnati’s bicentennial year comes to a close, this program features three talks about the roles and impacts of Jewish residents in Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Join us on Wednesday, June 15th at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street) at 6:00pm for our summer installment of “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine.” This program features speakers who will discuss three long-standing Over-the-Rhine establishments: the Emanuel Community Center, Sweet P’s Barber Shop and Skeeter’s Beauty Shop. We’ll also be joined by Stephen Albert, a photographer who will be sharing select photographs from his recently published book, “Over-the-Rhine in the 1970s: A Journey into a Unique Cincinnati Neighborhood.”
Join us on Tuesday, March 29th at 6:00pm at The Orbit Room (1833 Vine St). Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine: Life During the 1970s features three stories that shed light on the lived experiences of Over-the-Rhine residents during the 1970s. Guest speakers are: Greg Hand, Netra Owensby, and Stephen Albert. CLICK TO LEARN MORE!
Join us on Thursday, October 21st at 5pm at 1816 Race Street (outdoor patio next to Deeper Roots). Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine: Community Change Through Art & Athletics features Kim Popa, co-founder and Executive Director of Pones, Julie Fay, long-time resident and owner of the Imperial Theatre, and Christina LaRosa, Executive Director of Cincinnati Golden Gloves for Youth.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum and Findlay Market will move back to in-person events when Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine: Findlay Kitchen Edition takes place at 6:00pm on June 10th at Jane's at Findlay Market (on the Elm Street Esplanade). Marianne Hamilton, Director of Food Innovation for the Corporation for Findlay Market, will deliver opening remarks and introduce three Kitchen members who will share their entrepreneurial stories. They are owners of: The Arepa Place, Flavors of the Isle, and Honey Child Artisan Pops.
As our country reaches one year of life in a pandemic, our city’s beloved Opening Day Parade, sponsored by the merchants of Findlay Market, will be deeply missed this spring season. Joining us to tell the stories of their long-standing Findlay Market businesses and their experiences as Opening Day Parade organizers are Jeff Gibbs, Neil Luken, and Debbie Knueven Gannaway. Their video presentations will be released at 6:00 pm on the following three Thursdays: March 25th, April 1st and 8th.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum will be highlighting three of the innovating outdoor gathering spaces that serve the Over-the-Rhine community. On December 3, we will hear from Bryna Bass and LaTasha Kimbro who will talk about the Rothenberg Rooftop Garden and the Imani Family Center. December 10 will feature June P. Alexander and Janet Albright-Captain discussing the re-imagining of Imagination Alley. On December 17, Greg Potter will dive into the 40-year history of the Over-the-Rhine People’s Garden. Click on the event image/title to learn more and watch the recorded stories.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is delighted to announce that the next installment in our quarterly lecture series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine,” will take place virtually in September, 2020. Three video presentations, featuring Jay Schuermann, Tracy L. Wilson, and Kevin Mason will be released at 6:00 pm on the following three Thursdays: September 10th, 17th, and 24th. Click on the event image/title to learn more and watch the recorded stories.
The Women of Over-the-Rhine will feature storytellers Barbara Behler, Bonnie Neumeier, and Molly Wellmann, each sharing stories of the women whose lives and work have touched Over-the-Rhine and surrounding urban neighborhoods. All video presentations will be made available for online viewing on our website (this event page) beginning at 6:00pm on June 18, 25, and July 2. Click on the event image/title to learn more and watch the recorded stories.
The latest set of talks in our Three Acts series will offer a diverse set of topics with something for everyone. We will start off with stories told by Barbara Howe about the Zion Evangelical Church, then learn from speaker Ed Rider about Procter & Gamble’s history in Over-the-Rhine, and finally Annette Januzzi Wick will share a tale about a family who lived at 1419 Race Street.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is delighted to announce the next installment in our lecture series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, September 12, at First Lutheran Church, 1280 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine. Doors will open at 6 pm and the program will begin at 6:30 pm. The latest set of talks in our Three Acts series will offer a diverse set of topics with something for everyone. We will start off with a talk about connections between Over-the-Rhine and the West End, using the Revelation Baptist Church building as an example, then learn about Over-the-Rhine's longest operating chili parlor, and finally explore detailed plans for Over-the-Rhine created in the 1970s but never implemented. Click the image for more information!
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is delighted to announce the next installment in our lecture series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, June 13, at Art Beyond Boundaries Gallery, 1410 Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. We are looking back at how Over-the-Rhine has celebrated the arts, culture, and sports in the past and the present. Each of our three speakers will use their own lens to explore how residents have experienced these different facets of the neighborhood’s dynamic environment. We hope you will join us for this deeper dive into the history of the ever-changing Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Jymi Bolden, John Erardi, Larry Phillips, Katy Heins and Pat Clifford will speak at this June 13 program.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is delighted to announce the next installment in our lecture series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, April 4, at First Lutheran Church, 1208 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine. Doors will open at 6 PM and the program will begin at 6:30 PM. Tickets can be reserved at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/three-acts-the-changing-places-of-over-the-rhine-tickets-59277121466
We are pleased to celebrate the season by bringing together three stories of the gift of serivce in Over-the-Rhine. Our speakers will explore: service to our country through the eyes of an Over-the-Rhine resident who served in the 9th Ohio Infantry of the Union Army during the Civil War, service to women by 19th and early 20th century midwives and the changes they experienced as professional medical practice usurped their role, and service to the neighborhood's low-income Appalachian community in the 1960s and 70s at the Main Street Bible Center.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is thrilled to announce the next installment in our quarterly lecture series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Thursday, September 27, 2018, at Chatfield College, 1544 Central Parkway in Over-the-Rhine.
In partnership with the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, our next Three Acts event will be a twist on our usual three short talks featuring three short films with a question and answer period for film makers and participants.
The hot and sticky Cincinnati summers have led to some wonderful diversions. Join us for three short talks about the revelry and playful pastimes that have seen Over-the-Rhine’s residents through the summer heat. This next “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine” will be on Thursday, June 7, 2018, at The Over-the-Rhine Community Center, 1710 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine.
We all know Over-the-Rhine is changing fast. As new residents arrive, established groups are working to maintain and expand the communities they have built. The Over-the-Rhine Museum is thrilled to welcome three community builders to share their stories. Please join us for our tenth Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine Program: Community Building in Over-the-Rhine, on Thursday, March 15 at Chatfield College, 1544 Central Parkway.
What would holiday season be without hot chocolate, cookies, and candy canes? Just in time for Christmas, we will explore Over-the-Rhine’s legacy candy businesses and the neighborhood’s sweet new arrivals at our ninth Three Acts Program. Come out and learn more about the stories of Maverick Chocolate, Doscher’s Candy, and Velveteen Chocolate!
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is excited to announce the eighth in our Three Acts Lecture Series: Mapping Over-the-Rhine. Before the smart phone GPS and location technology, we used good old fashioned maps to get around and orient ourselves. This event will take place on Thursday, September 7, at Graydon on Main at 1421 Main Street.
The Over-the-Rhine Museum is thrilled to announce our “Three Musical Acts in Over-the-Rhine” on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at the historic Woodward Theater, 1404 Main Street. It will be a night of music and stories with three amazing local performances – Molly Sullivan, Katie Laur with Ma Crow, and Jake Speed and the Freddies.
This time we're focusing on Feeding Over-The-Rhine. Join the Over-the-Rhine Museum for an engaging evening of conversation about building community through food. Our featured speakers are: Marvin Smith, owner of Ollie's Trolley, Joe Tucker, son of long-time Tucker’s operators, and Kate Zaidan, owner/operator of Dean's Mediterranean Imports.
Join Over-the-Rhine Museum at the Rookwood Pottery Factory for our Autumn program. We will feature three speakers connected to business in Over-the-Rhine with Derrick Braziel of MORTAR, George Hibben of Rookwood Pottery, and Emily Wagner.