The month of October has offered Greater Cincinnatians a plethora of superior art exhibitions, as well as lectures, discussions and other adjunct programming as part of the second biennial FotoFocus.  Some of the most sophisticated photographers exhibited their work here, and FotoFocus organizers added an intense series of speakers, conversations between and amongst our own directors and curators, with visiting artists and curators, much of which took place in Memorial Hall.  October was also declared Mural Month by the city of Cincinnati, and AEQAI has attempted to bring these two dominate strains of art together in this issue under the heading of Public Art.  My own column, this month, addresses some of the perceived strengths and suggestions about FotoFocus, current and future, and addresses issues raised by the increasing number of murals in the area.

The October issue offers a conceptual framework for, and specific examples of, the mural project in Covington, KY, much of which grew out of ideas generated by the branding and design company BLDG.  The article is written by Cate Yellig Becker, Director of Covington Arts, and includes plans for the future of Covington’s murals, and includes an increasing role for ArtWorks.  AEQAI also offers an article/essay by Columbus businessperson Ralph Rosenfield, who is primarily responsible for the existence of the murals in the Short North part of Columbus.  We include a large number of photographs from Columbus.  Next month, AEQAI will continue the conversation about murals and public art, with a conversation with Tamara Harkavy, and members of the ArtWorks staff, as ArtWorks has been the pioneer with so much public art in our region.  We also will have a feature by Lexington writer/AEQAI board member Christine Huskisson, who was the driving force behind the various mural projects in Lexington.  We will also have a short article by Tim Maloney, President of The Haile Foundation, whose commitment to public art has been exemplary.

We offer a number of reviews of FotoFocus shows this month, including a review of retired Enquirer photojournalist Michael Keating’s photographs at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.  Durrell also found a fascinating show of multi-generational photographs at The Majorie P. Lee Home in Hyde Park.  Karen Chambers takes a look at one of the rare historical photograph shows, work by Baldus, at The Cincinnati Art Museum.  They are almost all photographs of architecture in Paris.  And Sue Ann Painter gives a superior analysis and description of the “Stills 2” show at Michael Lowe Gallery downtown, an important aspect of FotoFocus 2014.

Matthew Metzger offers a typically astute review of the Sherry show at 1500 Elm, also a designated FotoFocus show (not all the photography shows are actually a part of FotoFocus).  Jonathan Kamholtz returns with a review of art museum associate curator Brian Sholis’ key exhibition “Eyes on the Street”; this show might be considered the heart of FotoFocus, as Sholis also has curated photographs on area billboards, and thus, public art comes together with the murals in photography shows of this type.  Kamholtz’s profile of Sholis will appear in the November AEQAI, along with his review of “Night and Day” The Taft Museum’s FotoFocus show.  Stacy Sims takes a look at the photographs of Sochi, Russia, at The Reed Gallery/DAAP at UC, which juxtaposes the billions spent on Olympic excesses with the poverty surrounding Sochi itself.

Keith Banner combines the review and essay/memoir form to explain the show at Visionaries and Voices, while explaining how the concept of “outsider art” may no longer be a valid one, and he offers the idea of all artists just being artists, without any victimized prefixes.  Marlene Steele reviews a show of digital work using Hipstamatic lenses, curated by Jens Rosenkrantz, Brad Smith and Tad Barney at The Clifton Cultural Arts Center.

Our Chicago correspondent Cynthia Kukla has written a superb “Letter from the Midwest”, touching on shows in various Midwestern cities.  Saad Ghosn returns with his monthly “Art for a Better World”, featuring the work of literary artist Scott Donaldson, and visual artist Richard Hague.  Katie Dreyer adds a very moving and descriptive “Letter from Brooklyn”, about a day she spent with drag performer Kris Grey.  Fran Watson reviews an excellent show of representational paintings at Eisele Gallery in Fairfax.  AEQAI also offers two profiles of area artists this month; Mike Rutledge offers a splendid profile of Constance McClure, and Kevin Ott, one on Cal Kowal.

In honor of FotoFocus, AEQAI offers our own photo essay, of work by Brooklyn-based photographer Raymond Adams, whose images of Coney Island today include all aspects of art’s genres, and remind us how often Coney Island has welcomed new waves of immigrants, whom we see at leisure in Adams’ photographs.  The color work almost becomes America in microcosm.  Louis Zoellar Bickett returns with his conceptual photographs, this time about finding someone on Union Square in New York.  AEQAI also asked Emily Kamholtz, a senior at The Art Academy, to offer us some of her photographs as an example of work by a new generation of photographers, as we emphasize the educational aspect of FotoFocus.

My book review this month is about the magnificent Marilynne Robinson’s new novel Lila, which is the prefix to Gilead and Home, completing what became a trilogy.  Robinson may well be considered to be one of America’s leading Christian theologians as well as one of our finest novelists.

–Daniel Brown