CINCINNATI — A rising star in Ohio’s art community is being featured once again in ArtsWave’s celebration of black and brown artists and their inspiring work at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.   

Cincinnati-based Michael Thompson is exhibiting a mammoth 16-by-9 feet painting as part of the “Truth and Healing Artist Showcase.”  

What You Need To Know

• ArtsWave's "Truth and Healing Artist Showcase" features a 16x9 feet work by Cincinnati artist Michael Thompson


• Thompson's work is called "Murmurations" inspired by the mass movement of starling birds


• Thompson created a lighting track under the canvas to trace the birds' movements


• The exhibition runs through September 10th

​Last year, the exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum featured several smaller paintings from Thompson, who was the youngest ever “artist in residence” at the museum.

Thompson, a recent graduate of Thomas More University and native of Richmond, Kentucky, says he is honored to be exhibited at the Freedom Center, a place that made a big impression on him as a boy.

“It was really striking to me to see that there was such an incredible institution that was dedicated to the history and triumphs of my people,” Thompson said. “So now to be back here as an artist with an installation of this size, I’m really honored to be in this space and I’m excited to work with the Underground Railroad Freedom Center more in the future.”

Thompson, who considers himself more of a storyteller than a painter, has made a reputation for thought-provoking pieces that start conversations.

For the painting on exhibit, he was inspired by the rhythmic flights of starlings, who move in unison and create waves throughout the sky. Those movements are called “murmurations,” which became the title of Thompson’s work.

“As an artist, I have very personal connections to murmurations and nature and the reason that I made this piece is because I wanted to honor the people I collaborate with and honor the process of the creative ecosystem that I live inside of,” Thompson said.

He has found a creative community of artists in Cincinnati and throughout Ohio.

“I think Ohio has a lot of potential and even though we are not often portrayed in the national media as a state that is progressive or has innovative ideas coming out of it, I think my peers and I are really trying to start a revolution,” Thompson said.

He thinks exhibitions like the one sponsored by ArtsWave are a step in the right direction.

“Simply by working with the Freedom Center, which is the number one history museum in the nation, and creating museum quality work, I want to change that conversation and allow Ohio and Cincinnati to be at the forefront of it,” he said. “Artists here in Cincinnati are creating bigger and better things that will affect the city and the world.”

Thompson said his “Murmurations” is a metaphor for the beginnings of that conversation.

“That is the inklings of a conversation, the beginnings of a movement, and all of that has to happen beginning with the individual and as the individual begins to participate with the group,” Thompson said. “That’s where social change really happens and that’s what murmurations is about.”    

The work features a cutting-edge use of oil paint, combined with a translucent canvas that features a lighting track underneath, highlighting the swirls of the starlings’ movements.

“I really wanted to change the way we think about an oil painting by lighting it not only from the front with the gallery lights but also from the back and then use multiple layers of transparent oil paint on top of it to kind of alter the color in certain portions,” Thompson said.

He also revealed that his use of color comes from constantly being challenged by his color blindness.

“So it’s very difficult oftentimes for me to consistently mix the same color or to even understand the subtleties in the color as I’m painting so you’ll see in a lot of my work that I defer back to complimentary tones and very high contrast,” Thompson said. “I think it feeds not only into the narrative of this piece but also it allows me to understand my own work and while I’m working with different lighting techniques, by pushing those oranges, and allowing the gallery lights to create different levels of opacity with the greens and the blues, it brings you into the consistent loop that draws you in and hopefully keeps you there.”

The lighting follows a proven path in Michael’s approach to painting - inviting you inside to discover a deeper meaning.

“For this work, I wanted to make sure that there were multiple access points that allow you into the work that it was something that was immediately striking to you - obviously the scale and once you get into the piece, once you’re a part of that conversation, then I can challenge you to consider other more nuanced ideas about nature, about your environment and about social and political things on a local and national scale,” he said. 

Thompson’s work will be on exhibit at the Freedom Center as part of the Truth and Healing Artists’ Showcase until Sept. 10th.