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Pecha Kucha Cincinnati comes full circle at CAC

The visionary presentation format that is Pecha Kucha (pronounced “peh-chak-cha”) is back with its fifth evening of Cincinnati area speakers that have something to say. Friday, March 19th, PK Volume 5 will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) from 6pm to midnight. Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “chit-chat,” is a format of sharing ideas designed to move the speaker along at a quick page and get their message across in a succinct and interesting way.

Each speaker gets 6 minutes and 20 seconds to present their information. They show a series of 20 slides, and get 20 seconds to speak about each particular slide. This style prevents the presenter from getting stuck on one point, and allows the audience to remain interested and engaged throughout.

Pecha Kucha is an international movement dating back to 2002, but the Cincinnati chapter is just over a year old. Its inaugural event was held at the Contemporary Arts Center in February 2009, and has since hosted events at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and most recently a breakfast meeting for professionals at the METS Center in Northern Kentucky. The upcoming event at the CAC has PK Cincinnati founder Greg Lewis excited.

“We’ve got a pretty good representation from students and faculty at both the Art Academy and University of Cincinnati,” said Lewis. “One stand out presentation I’m really looking forward to is Jim Rauth, who has written a book about mannequins from all over the world.”

So far the majority of PK presenters have been architects and design professionals, but the reality is that anyone can be a presenter. “We’re really trying to diversify outside of architecture and design. We are trying to reach into science, medicine and philosophy,” explained Lewis who emphasized that the point is to have an interesting story to share, and from there, the presentation topics are limitless.

Pecha Kucha Night Volume 5 is Friday, March 19 at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati (map). Tickets are $8 for CAC members and $12 for non-members. You can order tickets online or at the door. The doors and art galleries open at 6pm, presentations run from 7.45pm to 9.30pm, and the after party is from 9.30pm to 12am.

CAC Pecha Kucha photograph by Scott Beseler.

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Arts & Entertainment News

2010 Bockfest Photos

Two weeks ago today, the 2010 Bockfest celebrations kicked off at Mecklenberg Gardens in Corryville. The festival celebrating the coming of bock beer, among other things, carried on through the weekend and attracted thousands of visitors to Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

Visitors came to celebrate Cincinnati rich brewing heritage, explore historic churches and breweries in Over-the-Rhine, take part in the Bockfest’s many festivities including the parade from Arnold’s Bar & Grill up Main Street through Over-the-Rhine, and drink lots of beer. The fair weather brought huge crowds out to this year’s festival, and Cincinnati photographer and historian Jake Mecklenborg (no relation to Mecklenberg Gardens) was there to capture it all.

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Development News Transportation

UC students working to solve Cincinnati’s urban issues

When it comes to finding solutions to fix the problems our city faces, we can’t overlook the talented minds found at the universities and colleges right here in our city. And for urban design issues, many of these minds can be found at the University of Cincinnati in the fields of urban planning, engineering, architecture and political science.

68 students in these fields have been working on solutions to problems in Downtown, Uptown, Northside, Camp Washington, and other Cincinnati neighborhoods recently, and many will be presenting their findings today at the Turner Building (2728 Short Vine, Corryville) from 1pm to 5pm.

One group focused on improving the interchange between I-71 and Taft/McMillan Streets in Uptown. Their plan adds a giant roundabout connecting Taft & McMillan and adding access to southbound I-71. Their plan also calls for converting McMillan Street through Walnut Hills from a one-way street to two-way.

“The chief part of our business district (located on McMillan Avenue between I-71/Gilbert Avenue and Victory Parkway) was harmed when the city designated McMillan and William Howard Taft as one-way streets years ago,” said Kathy Atkinson, president of the Walnut Hill Area Council. “People speed right through our business district. It’s no longer a destination due to traffic patterns. Top on our list is to have that changed.”

As bold as the students’ plan may sound, there are other, even bolder options for improving the urban landscape of Uptown. Several neighborhoods have been pushing for a completely new interchange to the north at Martin Luther King Drive. This would allow for improved access on the already auto-oriented MLK Drive, while taking much of the traffic demand off of Taft and McMillan streets. Both streets could then be converted to two-way for their entire lengths, making them more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

Eventually, a streetcar loop could be added to the Taft/McMillian pair, connecting the Clifton Heights and Walnut Hills business districts together while also connecting those areas with the proposed north-south Cincinnati Streetcar line at Vine Street. New businesses and residents would be attracted to this energetic, accessible, multi-modal corridor.

Other students’ plans focused on Broadway Commons, the future site of Cincinnati’s casino; an area in Northside and South Cumminsville that will be affected by the Mill Creek Expressway I-75 construction project; and many other sites throughout the city. Learn more about the students’ plans by visiting the presentation tonight, or read more about the plans online.

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News

This Week in Soapbox – 3/16

This Week in Soapbox UrbanCincy has the following seven stories that you must check out. Read about how to maximize the use of the city’s historic alleys, a new first of its kind land use modeling program, Bartini joining the downtown nightlife fold, the challenges facing individual investment in the urban core, SORTA’s newest board member, and two terrific feature stories about the hidden gem that is North Avondale and how the arts community is helping change the conversation in Cincinnati.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 3/16/10:

  • Making the most of Cincinnati’s alleys – full article
  • New modeling program to help region with future land use decisions – full article
  • Bartini to open in downtown Cincinnati’s Backstage Entertainment District – full article
  • Resolving the challenges facing individual investment in Cincinnati’s urban core – full article
  • Cincinnati transit authority to swear in youngest ever board member – full article
  • Neighborhood Gem in North Avondale (feature story) – full article
  • Changing the Cincinnati conversation through art (feature story) – full article
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News

South by Southwest conference comes to Cincinnati

The nation’s largest interactive conference takes place today in Austin, Texas, but the newly-formed New Press Club is helping bring the conference to local interested in interactive media with the first-ever “South by Southwest by Cincinnati” which will tap into the South by Southwest conference being held in Austin.

Event organizers say that for one hour, and possibly longer, South by Southwest by Cincinnati attendees will be able to hear some of top thinkers and most influential people in the world of interactive media. Those attending will even have the opportunity to ask questions of these individuals and get the latest news about what is developing in the industry.

“Greater Cincinnati has one of the most active social media communities in the world,” said Joe Wessels, New Press Club founder and board member. “This event provides an excellent opportunity for those in Cincinnati to get a cut of the action in Austin and bring some of that knowledge back here without leaving home.”

The live discussion will start at 5:30pm at Mainstay Rock Bar tonight in downtown Cincinnati (map), and will include a networking and social time immediately after the live discussion. The event is free and open to anyone who wants to come, and those with Twitter accounts are encouraged to follow @NewPressClub for live updates.

Mainstay Rock Bar exterior photo by 5chw4r7z.