Not only was our recent move a huge shift in location, but it was also Dan and my first time living together. Such a huge transition! It would have been easy for me to just move into Dan's place in Clifton, but it would have been *his* place. When we moved, we wanted to go somewhere neutral, where we could start a new kind of life together.
For me, a big part of the cohabiting transition has been
art. Dan already had his favorite artwork framed, and we knew where it would hang in our new home. But since we knew we'd be moving, I'd been on the hunt for a piece of art that would represent
me.
While strolling through
Mica 12/v one day, I saw a print by VisuaLingual and it was love at first sight. Not only is it a gorgeous print set on vintage wallpaper, but it's a beautiful linguistic feat: a poem done entirely in anagrams for "Over-the-Rhine." It was everything I could ask for in a piece of artwork: a tribute to my new home, a quirky bit of style, a sweet piece of poetry... and a chance to support a local artist that I adore.
The
Over-the-Rhine anagram print (still available through
VisuaLingual's Etsy store, by the way) hangs in our kitchen area, between two windows that show off our view of the city.
Dan has a new piece of artwork as well. When
Shepard Fairey visited for the inaugural kickoff of his Contemporary Art Center exhibition, he did a
limited edition, signed print made specifically for (and of) the CAC. We weren't able to be there that night, so Dan was crestfallen that he wouldn't be able to nab one of the prints. But never question the awesomeness of the social network: I covertly asked our friend
@5chw4r7z to pick up a copy of the print, and he generously did so. (Good thing, too, as the print sold out within hours.)
The print now hangs proudly in the little nook where you first walk into our home. It's impossible not to see it. It too is perfect for the space: the image is of a piece of Cincinnati's heritage, it acts as a timestamp for when we moved downtown, and the iconic, bold reds and blacks that Fairey is known for help it stand out against the exposed brick in our flat.
There is more art hanging in our new home... could it really be "home" without it? But these are the pieces that Dan and I bought together, and they're new to our home and our life together. I've already started to forget what this place looked like without them.
VisuaLingual's Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/visualingualMy anagram print:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/35343641/over-the-rhine-cincinnati-anagram-printShepard Fairey's CAC exhibition:
http://contemporaryartscenter.org/ShepardFaireyShepard Fairey's print:
http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/RiseAbove
And a hodgepodge of other shots from DAAP Works 2010:
Mm, here comes a personal favorite. :)
I'm so glad we decided to pop over to DAAP! Dan was already familiar with the department, as he has a design degree from Miami and had spent a lot of time with friends at UC. But it's all new to me-- that's a bit of a trend on this blog, eh?
Worth coming here just for the vista! On our way out, we noticed that there's a park next to the building, with the same view. We might have to hit that up sometime... with camera in tow.
The building is festooned with antique details, from ancient silver radiators and beautiful old cash registers. The building itself is a treasure trove, even aside from the books.
On the highest floor, you had to turn on the lights depending on which aisle you were browsing. Not sure why this struck me as such a gorgeous feature but it did.
There were... just so, so many books. An obscene amount. Something out of a fairy tale-- well, my kind of fairy tale, anyway.
The Ohio Book Store used to be a book bindery. Well, it still serves that function, but that used to be its claim to fame. Many of the rare books were bound in-house, and in the basement the bindery is still up and running.
The Ohio Book Store: http://ohiobookstore.net/
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
