Zaha Hadid - Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)

Inauguration
Zaha Hadid
Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)
Cincinnati, Ohio

The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) will inaugurate its new building, in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, on May 31, 2003.

Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)
Walnut Street facade (digitally altered)

With the move to this dynamic new building, the first free-standing home for the Center's pioneering programming, the CAC will become one of the most centrally located contemporary arts institutions in the nation.
The new Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art will extend the CAC's 64-year tradition of innovation by encouraging viewers, artists and art to interact in new ways within a presenting space.
The Center, which broke ground in 2001, marks Hadid's first commission in the U.S.

Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)
Sixth Street facade (digitally altered)

The six-story 87,000 square-foot Center features 17,000 square feet of gallery space, the UnMuseum (a children's education center for participatory art installations, hands-on projects and other programs) and a 150-seat performance space, a bookstore, cafŽ kiosk and office facilities.

Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)
(digitally altered)

The concrete, steel and glass building features undulating levels and ramps to accommodate the varied shapes, scales and media of contemporary art. The galleries, that appear to float over the main lobby, connect and interlock like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle, allowing for unobstructed viewing from all sides.

"The public lobby, where everyone enters, is downtown and central to the city so people who are just walking around can go in and have a coffee downstairs or hang around the lobby or go upstairs to quickly see a show. It is a very accessible building.
It's not a compact building and there is a degree of transparency on the ground and above. So it's not only how we use it, but also how we pass through it.
Every time you confront the space you have a different experience".
Zaha Hadid

The Contemporary Arts Center will present the largest group exhibition in its history to inaugurate the new space. Somewhere Better than this Place: Alternative Social Experience in the Spaces of Contemporary Art will feature works by 39 leading contemporary artists and artist collaboratives. The exhibition represents the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and sensibilities of leading U.S. and international artists working in various media - including installation, film, photography, video, audio and live performance. The work of renowned artists such as Vanessa Beecroft, Janet Cardiff and Yinka Shonibare will be on display alongside established and emerging artists from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

This ambitious show featuring 67 newly commissioned and extant works will inhabit the first five floors of the six-story Center, and will maximize opportunities inherent in Zaha Hadid's design to encourage interaction between viewers and the works of art.

The Center will open to the public on June 7, 2003.

Site area: 11,000 square feet
Floor area: 87,000 square feet
Gallery area: 17,000 square feet

An exhibition "Spatial Experiment", a survey of Zaha Hadid's built works and other projects, is on view through August 17, 2003 at the MAK in Vienna.

The exhibition, presented through pictures, drawings, plans, sketches, photos, and models, features a special room designed by Zaha Hadid.
Seven meters high, covering a floor space of 300 square meters, weighing eight tons, the room was developed especially for the MAK to give the public an opportunity to get an active feel for Hadid's radically new language of shape and space.

Previous feature "In construction Contemporary Arts Center"

Zaha Hadid arcspace features

May 26, 2003





				Features
		Inauguration Zaha Hadid Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) Cincinnati, Ohio The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) will inaugurate its new building, in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, on May 31, 2003. Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) Walnut Street facade (digitally altered) With the move to this dynamic new building, the first free-standing home for the Center's pioneering programming, the CAC will become one of the most centrally located contemporary arts institutions in the nation. The new Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art will extend the CAC's 64-year tradition of innovation by encouraging viewers, artists and art to interact in new ways within a presenting space. The Center, which broke ground in 2001, marks Hadid's first commission in the U.S. Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) Sixth Street facade (digitally altered) The six-story 87,000 square-foot Center features 17,000 square feet of gallery space, the UnMuseum (a children's education center for participatory art installations, hands-on projects and other programs) and a 150-seat performance space, a bookstore, cafŽ kiosk and office facilities. Image courtesy Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) (digitally altered) The concrete, steel and glass building features undulating levels and ramps to accommodate the varied shapes, scales and media of contemporary art. The galleries, that appear to float over the main lobby, connect and interlock like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle, allowing for unobstructed viewing from all sides. "The public lobby, where everyone enters, is downtown and central to the city so people who are just walking around can go in and have a coffee downstairs or hang around the lobby or go upstairs to quickly see a show. It is a very accessible building. It's not a compact building and there is a degree of transparency on the ground and above. So it's not only how we use it, but also how we pass through it. Every time you confront the space you have a different experience". Zaha Hadid The Contemporary Arts Center will present the largest group exhibition in its history to inaugurate the new space. Somewhere Better than this Place: Alternative Social Experience in the Spaces of Contemporary Art will feature works by 39 leading contemporary artists and artist collaboratives. The exhibition represents the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and sensibilities of leading U.S. and international artists working in various media - including installation, film, photography, video, audio and live performance. The work of renowned artists such as Vanessa Beecroft, Janet Cardiff and Yinka Shonibare will be on display alongside established and emerging artists from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. This ambitious show featuring 67 newly commissioned and extant works will inhabit the first five floors of the six-story Center, and will maximize opportunities inherent in Zaha Hadid's design to encourage interaction between viewers and the works of art. The Center will open to the public on June 7, 2003. Site area: 11,000 square feet Floor area: 87,000 square feet Gallery area: 17,000 square feet An exhibition "Spatial Experiment", a survey of Zaha Hadid's built works and other projects, is on view through August 17, 2003 at the MAK in Vienna. The exhibition, presented through pictures, drawings, plans, sketches, photos, and models, features a special room designed by Zaha Hadid. Seven meters high, covering a floor space of 300 square meters, weighing eight tons, the room was developed especially for the MAK to give the public an opportunity to get an active feel for Hadid's radically new language of shape and space. Previous feature "In construction Contemporary Arts Center" Zaha Hadid arcspace features May 26, 2003