Black Artistry in Full Flow

ArtsWave has announced the fifth anniversary season of Flow, An African American Arts Experience, marking a milestone for Cincinnati’s cultural landscape. Since its inception in 2020, Flow has spotlighted world-class African American artists in music, theater, visual art, and opera. The 2025–26 season promises to be its most ambitious yet, bringing bold Black-centered artistry to some of the city’s most prestigious stages.

A Subscription that Builds Community

At the heart of the anniversary season is the Flow Pass, an all-inclusive subscription that offers more than tickets. For $200, or $185 for members of the ArtsWave Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts, subscribers receive premium access to four landmark events along with entry to Flow Socials. Sponsored by Triversity Construction, these pre-show gatherings feature drinks, light bites, and conversations with artists and fellow patrons. They create space for cultural connection while celebrating Black creativity.

ArtsWave President and CEO Alecia Kintner calls Flow a movement as well as a series. “As we mark five years of Flow, we celebrate a growing audience for Black artistry on Cincinnati’s most prestigious stages. The Flow Pass isn’t just a ticket, it’s about joining a community that sustains diverse voices and perspectives in our cultural landscape.”

Four Events, One Landmark Season

The 2025–26 Flow season spans visual art, orchestral music, theater, and opera:

• October 17, 2025 – Contemporary Arts Center
  Marcus Leslie Singleton: Next Steps opens the season with the first solo museum exhibition of Singleton’s work, presenting nuanced and deeply personal portraits of Black American communities. The evening includes a fifth anniversary Flow Social.

• January 17, 2026 – Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall
  American Voices celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., featuring bass Morris Robinson and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove under the baton of conductor Christian Macelaru. Flow subscribers will gather at a pre-concert social in the Wilks Studio.

• April 24, 2026 – Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
  August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson takes the stage with its powerful story of family, legacy, and inheritance. Flow Pass holders enjoy premium seating, a pre-show social, and parking.

• July 9, 2026 – Cincinnati Opera
  The season concludes with Lalovavi, an Afrofuturist opera set 400 years in the future. It follows Persephone, daughter of the ruler of Atlas, the city formerly known as Atlanta, weaving imagination with themes of identity and transformation.

A Mission with Momentum

Flow’s fifth anniversary underscores its role in shaping a more inclusive arts community. Co-Chair Mel Gravely of Triversity Construction affirms, “Over five years, we’ve been building a culturally curious and diverse audience coming together to experience excellence in Black artistry. The Flow Pass continues to build on the momentum of appreciation and demand for Black art in all its forms. The outcome enables more Black artists to thrive and inspire.”

ArtsWave’s Broader Impact

As the Cincinnati region’s central arts funder, ArtsWave leads the nation’s first and largest community arts campaign. In 2025 alone, it raised $12.3 million following a record $12.5 million in 2024. These funds stabilize organizations, seed new work, and expand programming across more than 150 organizations, projects, and artists each year. A recent study found that the arts sector drives $1.6 billion in economic impact over four years, proving that cultural investment also fuels economic growth.

Flow fits seamlessly into this landscape by amplifying Black artistry while attracting a diverse, culturally adventurous audience. Affinity groups like the Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts help fund Circle Grants that strengthen Black-led organizations and provide resources for artists of color.

Sponsors for the Flow series include Fifth Third Bank, Duke Energy, U.S. Bank, Triversity Construction, d.e. Foxx & Associates, Clever Crazes for Kids, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and The Enquirer & Cincinnati.com.

In five years, Flow has shifted the conversation around representation in Cincinnati’s arts scene. It has built a loyal subscriber base that values connection, cultural curiosity, and purpose-driven support. The fifth anniversary season proves that Cincinnati is not only a city where Black artistry is presented but one where it is embraced, sustained, and celebrated.

Subscriptions are on sale now at artswave.org/flowpass.