How to go
What: “Winter Dialogues” discussion series
Where: Pyramid House, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday
Cost: $5 for members, $8 for nonmembers
Reservations: (513) 868-1234
HAMILTON — A local arts organization is kicking off its 15th anniversary in style by bringing some of the region’s influential art directors to town for talks about the future and direction of art in the Tri-state.
“Winter Dialogues,” hosted by the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum, is a series of four discussions open to the public beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the park’s Pyramid House. The first session features three of the areas most esteemed art directors — Aaron Betsky of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Raphaela Platow of the Contemporary Art Center and Tamara Harkavy of Artworks. The talks will focus on the directors vision for the arts in the region, including Pyramid Hill.
The “Winter Dialogues” series was spurred by a similar event Pyramid Hill conducted a decade ago, said Barbara Wilks, a co-director at Pyramid Hill.
“Pyramid Hill hosted a conference about 10 years ago on the state of the arts in the Tri-state,” Wilks said. “We thought it was time to do it again. All the people are different now and the local economic climate and the world is a very different place.”
The discussions are also being viewed as an opportunity for Pyramid Hill to integrate itself into the same group as the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, Wilks said.
“We also see Pyramid Hill as a regional attraction and therefore want to position ourselves in that group of institutions,” Wilks said.
Not only will the talks focus on the vision of art in the Tri-state, but how it can also relate to the Hamilton community, Wilks said.
“We also want to engage with the local art community to explore the changes that are taking place in the region and the world, and relate them to the local scene,” Wilks said. “We are asking visitors for ideas as to what they would like to see.”
Speakers for the remaining three dates have yet to be named, Wilks said, but will cover a broad range of topics.
“We will bring in a wide range of folks over the entire winter series,” Wilks said.
The discussions are just one part, however, of the Pyramid Hill organization’s 15th anniversary celebration.
“We will be improving our sculpture identification and the visitor map for next spring,” Wilks said. “We would also like to strengthen this experience — make it even more memorable and unique — for diverse visitors by providing more opportunities for strolling through a restored ecological landscape and engaging new sculptures as a pedestrian.”
Guests will also have the opportunity to interact with lecturers and sample wine after the discussion. Seating for the discussion series is limited to 50 guests for each session.
Contact this writer at spragoo1977@yahoo.com.
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