CINCINNATI – After a three-year hiatus, BLINK Cincinnati returns in October.
“Like many of our residents, I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome BLINK back,” said Mayor Aftab Pureval. “This is something you can only experience in Cincinnati, and it’s part of what makes us such an amazing hub for arts and culture. I can’t wait to join neighbors for another incredible showcase of our city.”
Specific details about the route and planning were not released. However, officials from ArtsWave did share that the event will operate under the leadership of a new executive director, Justin Brookhart.
Brookhart moved to Cincinnati from Austin, Texas, to take the position. He has more than 15 years of private sector and nonprofit leadership experience in the arts and culture space. He’ll be charged with working with production partners AGAR, ArtWorks, Brave Berlin, the Haile Foundation and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
“It’s an honor to lead BLINK Cincinnati in collaboration with our producing partners to shine a light on Cincinnati’s innovative and forward-thinking arts and culture community,” said Brookhart, who studied at the University of Cincinnati. “I have long heard of Cincinnati’s collaborative creative spirit and I look forward to creating long-lasting partnerships in continuing the enormous success of BLINK.”
Blink is back! We are happy to announce that Blink will once again light up the streets of Cincinnati on October 13-16, 2022. Mark you calendar now and stay tuned to @blinkcincinnati for more information. #blinkcincinnati #cincinnatiohio #cincinnati #ohio #lightandart #festival pic.twitter.com/yRkSW2FqGE
— BLINK Cincinnati (@BLINKcincy) February 7, 2022
Free and open to the public, BLINK debuted in October 2017 and returned in October 2019. The event was conceived as a potential “catalyst for positive change and lasting impact as we look toward a future built on opportunity and hope,” according to the BLINK website.
Both events were experienced by more than 2 million visitors combined, according to ArtsWave, which supports or “illuminates” the event. The nonprofit arts organization called the crowd for BLINK the “largest gathering of people ever in downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine.”
For 2019, the event footprint expanded across the river to include Covington, Ky. Concerts and other related events took place in association with BLINK.
An economic impact study by University of Cincinnati in 2019 concluded that BLINK has had a total combined economic impact of $86.7 million. ArtsWave said the event supported 1,015 jobs, earning a total of $28.3 million.
Monday’s event announcement also included the unveiling of a new BLINK-themed Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar vehicle. ArtsWave said the vehicle will become a “permanent fixture on the streetcar route.”
Many of the installations for both of the previous BLINKs took place along the streetcar’s 3.6-mile route, which runs from The Banks to north of Findlay Market in OTR. The streetcar was also an important people mover and helped guests navigate the pedestrian-friendly event space.
It’s the second ArtsWave-supported streetcar vehicle wrapper announced in the last week and third overall. Last week, ArtsWave unveiled a wrapper designed by a local artist.
“BLINK Cincinnati… presents an extraordinary opportunity to showcase the more than 150 arts organizations and projects that our community campaign supports each year,” said Alecia Kintner, president and CEO of ArtsWave.
The timing for the announcement took place days after the start of the annual ArtsWave Campaign, described as “the largest community campaign in the nation” to help fund the region’s arts.
“When you give to ArtsWave, you make incredible arts, like BLINK, happen,” Kintner added.