Blink will return to Cincinnati next year.
Mayor John Cranley announced the news at a press conference on Wednesday morning, saying $1 million in COVID-19 stimulus money will be used to bring the downtown light show back for the first time since 2019.
More than $10 million in federal aid will go to arts organizations in Cincinnati, said Cranley, flanked by city leaders and members of the city's creative and performing arts community on the steps of Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine.
It will pay to create murals, help theaters reopen in the fall and keep museums operating.
Cincinnati expects to get $290 million from the $1.9 trillion national stimulus passed by Congress for COVID-related expenses.
"I miss the arts!" Cranley shouted into the microphone following local singer Andrew Maloney's rendition of "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning." "I miss the arts. Welcome back."
Then, after a solo from Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra clarinetist Christopher Pell, Cranley announced the arts are coming back.
Here's where the $10.7 million will go:
- $1 million to stage Blink in 2022.
- $1 million for outdoor public art spaces to stage outdoor performances.
- $6 million for performing arts organizations to help them stay open and have productions in the summer and fall.
- $1 million in aid to museums, including the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Taft Museum.
- $1 million for murals and other public art.
- $500,000 for the Clifton Arts Center.
- $250,000 to restore the Black Lives Matter mural in front of City Hall.
Cranley led the announcement with the return of Blink. The massive light show projected on downtown buildings and streets draws thousands downtown each year and has received national attention. It grew out of Lumenocity, an event organized by the symphony from 2013-2015 where the orchestra performed to light displays projected on Music Hall.
Cranley said he's encouraging arts organizations to start performing now outside "in safe places."
"Cities and our city's renaissance, which is in full bloom despite the pandemic, is centered around culture," he said. "Art is the center of a good life."
This story will be updated.
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