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Taft Museum of Art Press Releases & Media Kits
Welcome to the Taft Museum of Art's online Press & Media Room where you can access the latest information and assets on our upcoming events, announcements, and exhibitions.
To download all of our available media kits, click here, or select your topic of interest below.
Questions? Contact pr@taftmuseum.org. For more ways to stay up to date with happenings at the museum, culture your inbox by subscribing to our e-newsletter.
Imitator of Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669), Man Leaning on a Windowsill, probably early 1700s, oil on canvas. Taft Museum of Art, Bequest of Louise Taft Semple, 1962.1
Taft Museum of Art Presents Fakes, Forgeries, and Followers from the Taft Collection
CINCINNATI, OH (September 2022)—Although scarce in museum collections, fakes
and forgeries provide some of the most compelling stories in the art world. Of the hundreds
of works in the Taft Museum of Art collection, the number of attribution mysteries is few, but
immensely captivating. On view October 22, 2022–February 5, 2023, Fakes, Forgeries, and
Followers in the Taft Collection displays a selection of these museum works, many of which
have not been seen by the public in more than 30 years.
John R. Schmidt (American, b. 1878), Twenty-Third Wedding Anniversary, 1923, gelatin silver print, 6 3/8 x 8 1/4 in. Collection of Randle and Cristina Egbert
Taft Museum of Art Presents First Major Exhibition of Female Pictorialist, Nancy Ford Cones
CINCINNATI, OH (August 2022)— Nancy Ford Cones created photographs that earned her an international reputation and recognition in prestigious journals such as Camera Craft, as well as popular outlets including National Geographic magazine and Kodak advertisements. Despite the praise her works received during her lifetime, Cones’s imaginative and exquisitely crafted photographs were largely forgotten after her death. The Taft Museum of Art’s special exhibition, Craft and Camera: The Art of Nancy Ford Cones (October 1, 2022–January 15, 2023) will be the first major presentation of her work.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Awards Taft Museum of Art Museums for America Grant
CINCINNATI, OH (August 2022)—The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced grant awards totaling $29,681,960 for museums across the nation to improve services to their communities. The Taft Museum of Art is one of nine Ohio museums to be selected through the agency’s largest competitive grant program, Museums for America, and its special initiatives.
Rebekah (Becky) Beaulieu, Louise Taft Semple President/CEO
Rebekah Beaulieu Appointed to Taft Museum of Art President/CEO
CINCINNATI, OH (August 2022)—The Taft Museum of Art’s board of directors is pleased to announce the selection of Rebekah (Becky) Beaulieu as the museum’s next Louise Taft Semple President and CEO.
Taft Museum of Art’s $12.7 Million Infrastructure Project Nears Completion, Appoints COO and Interim Director
CINCINNATI, OH (May 2022)—The Taft Museum of Art’s Love This House capital campaign nears its $12.7 million goal, ensuring the completion of the Bicentennial Infrastructure Project this June. This coincides with the retirement of the museum’s long-time Louise Semple Taft President/CEO, Deborah Emont Scott. As the museum continues a nation-wide search for Scott’s successor, Lindsey NeCamp has been selected by the board of directors to lead the museum as chief operating officer and interim director as Scott plans her departure at the end of June.
Taft Museum of Art Awarded “Best Education and Outreach” by Ohio Museum Association
Outreach program in 30th year, Artists Reaching Classrooms, among prestigious cohort of 2021 Award of Achievement winners
CINCINNATI, OH (April 2022)—2022—The Ohio Museum Association (OMA) has presented the Taft Museum of Art with one of six 2021 OMA Awards of Achievement. The Taft Museum of Art received the award as the category winner of “Best Education and Outreach” with the nomination of the museum’s annual high school outreach program, Artists Reaching Classrooms, now in its 30th year. Each award is earned by demonstrating “the tireless work museum professionals undertake to advance Ohio’s museum community both locally, and on a national level,” as stated in the OMA’s release.
Taft Museum of Art Commemorates 30th Anniversary of Artists Reaching Classrooms with Juried Student Exhibition
“Revival” on view at The Annex Gallery March 23–April 30, 2022
CINCINNATI, OH (March 2022)—For 30 years, the Taft Museum of Art has celebrated students and their artwork with the annual program and exhibition, Artists Reaching Classrooms. Amid the ongoing pandemic and strapped educational resources for classrooms, the Taft has continued to ensure outreach and support future career opportunities for high students across Greater Cincinnati. This year’s student participants will be exhibiting their artwork at The Annex Gallery for an exhibition titled Revival, where the community can share in celebrating their achievements. Students' awards will be announced at the exhibition opening on Wednesday, March 23 from 6–8 p.m.
Wedding Dress, (detail), from Sense and Sensibility, 1995, Ang Lee, director. Worn by Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood. Jenny Beavan and John Bright, costume designers
Jane Austen: Fashion & Sensibility Exhibition to Make North American Debut at Taft Museum of Art, Tickets on Sale Now
Celebrity costumes from eight Austen films and series, on view June 11–September 4, 2022
CINCINNATI, OH (February 2022)—The Taft Museum of Art welcomes Jane Austen: Fashion & Sensibility, a special exhibition displaying costumes from eight acclaimed film adaptations of Jane Austen’s classic novels. The collection is traveling from London, England for its North American debut at the Taft, on view June 11–September 4, 2022.
Taft Museum of Art Announces 35th Duncanson Artist-in-Residence—Ajanae Dawkins—Writer and Performance Artist
Dawkins will lead public programs, teach workshops, and visit schools across Greater Cincinnati April 10–23, 2022
CINCINNATI, OH (January 2022)—After a nationwide call for artists, the Taft Museum of Art and the Robert S. Duncanson Society welcomes writer, performer, and educator Ajanae Dawkins, as the 2022 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence April 10–23, 2022.
Rare “Taft” Stradivarius Violin Makes Special Appearance at Former Home, now the Taft Museum of Art
CINCINNATI, OH (November 2021)—Once belonging to Anna Sinton Taft, the “Taft” Stradivarius Violin made a special appearance this Tuesday at the Taft Museum of Art. The rare instrument is currently on loan to Canadian violinist Chris Whitley from the Canada Council for the Arts as part of the Musical Instrument Bank’s national competition.
Deborah Emont Scott to Retire as Taft Museum of Art President/CEO
CINCINNATI, OH (August 2021)—Deborah Emont Scott, the Louise Taft Semple President/CEO of the Taft Museum of Art, announced Monday to the board of directors that she will conclude her tenure in summer 2022 following the completion of the museum’s widely publicized Bicentennial Infrastructure Project. Followed by a transition period and a national search for her successor, she will mark over 12 years of distinguished leadership and be named Director Emerita.
Taft Museum of Art Annual Fundraiser Raises Over $160k to Support Education Programs
CINCINNATI, OH (June 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art welcomed audiences to experience Tables of the Taft, an exciting new take on the museum’s annual fundraiser June 2 and June 3, 2021. The event was inspired by the special exhibition Walk This Way | Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes (February 24–June 6, 2021). The event raised over $160,000 to support the Taft’s educational and outreach programs.
American Alliance of Taft Museum of Art Promotes Curators Tamera Lenz Muente and Ann Glasscock, PhD
CINCINNATI, OH (June 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art promotes two outstanding curatorial members. Tamera Lenz Muente, who has a focus in paintings and works on paper, has been promoted from associate curator to curator. Dr. Ann Glasscock, who has a focus in decorative arts and furniture, has been promoted from assistant curator to associate curator.
American Alliance of Museums Awards Taft Museum of Art with Excellence in Label Writing
"More to the Story” Interpretative Texts Provide a More Diverse Understanding of History, Garnering National Recognition for Bicentennial Exhibitions
CINCINNATI, OH (June 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art has been awarded the 2021 American Alliance of Museums’ Excellence in Label Writing Competition for the exhibition, A Splendid Century | Cincinnati Art 1820–1920, featuring “More to the Story” labels. The Taft Museum of Art is the only art museum among this year’s 11 winners selected from over 100 entries.
Taft Museum of Art Creates Bicentennial Exhibitions, Laying Groundwork for Infrastructure Project
In a New Light opens July 3, 2021 at the Taft followed by Borrowed Gems, July 23, 2021 at Cincinnati Museum Center
CINCINNATI, OH (May 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art opened to the public in 1932 comprised of the personal art collection of Anna Sinton Taft and Charles Phelps Taft. Ever since, the collection has been displayed throughout the Tafts’ former home. For only the second time since the museum’s creation nearly 90 years ago, the Taft’s prized artworks will be temporarily removed from the beloved 1820 landmark to prepare for the much-anticipated Bicentennial Infrastructure Project, set to begin this August. Supported by the Love This House capital campaign, the project will ensure the future stability of the 200-year-old historic house.
To prepare for rehabilitation work, the Taft will begin deinstalling the permanent collection from the historic house this May. Two exhibitions drawn from the permanent collection will be created: In a New Light | Treasures from the Taft and Borrowed Gems from the Taft Museum of Art. Each show will offer audiences the opportunity to continue to enjoy the museum’s storied artworks, but also offer up new insights as the works get reinterpreted for a 21st-century audience.
Taft Museum of Art Announces Public Programs for 2021 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, April 12-26, 2021
Fashion designer Asha Ama Bias-Daniels will lead public programs, teach workshops, and visit schools across Greater Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, OH (March 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art and the Robert S. Duncanson Society kicks off the 34th Annual Duncanson Artist-in-Residence this April with fashion designer Asha Ama Bias-Daniels. Bias-Daniels is most widely recognized as the first Cincinnati designer to be a competitor on the television series Project Runway as a finalist on Under the Gunn and as a returning contestant for the newest All Stars season.
Taft Museum of Art Announces 34th Annual Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, Project Runway alum Asha Ama Bias-Daniels
Exploring Black identity through fashion, Daniels will lead public programs, teach workshops, and visit schools across Greater Cincinnati April 12-26, 2021
CINCINNATI, OH (January 2021)—The Taft Museum of Art and the Robert S. Duncanson Society welcomes fashion designer Asha Ama Bias-Daniels as the 2021 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, which will now take place annually each Spring.
Footwear in Step with Labor Activism, Suffrage, and the Sexual Revolution at the Taft Museum of Art
Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes on view February 27– June 6, 2021
CINCINNATI, OH (February 2021) – From silk boudoir shoes created for the 1867 Paris Exposition to leather spectator pumps signed by the 1941 New York Yankees, Walk This Way features more than 100 striking pairs of shoes. Organized by the New-York Historical Society, the Taft Museum of Art will present this special exhibition from February 27 to June 6, 2021 in the Taft’s Fifth Third Gallery. Spanning nearly 200 years, the historic footwear—from the collection of high-fashion shoe designer Stuart Weitzman—will be on view for the first time in the Midwest. Weitzman’s wife, businesswoman and philanthropist Jane Gershon Weitzman, formed and added to the collection as a gift to her husband over their 50 years of marriage.
Reach out for more information at pr@taftmuseum.org.
Taft Museum of Art Announces $10.7 Million Capital Campaign
Love This House campaign will raise critical funding needed for the Taft’s Bicentennial Infrastructure Project
CINCINNATI, OH (October 2020)—The Taft Museum of Art’s Love This House Campaign will raise the critical funding needed to ensure the future stability of the Taft’s 200-year-old historic house as part of the Museum’s Bicentennial Infrastructure Project. The Museum is seeking to raise $10.7 million by Spring 2022 and secure a 4:1 matching grant for $750,000 through the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Taft Museum of Art Continues 200th Anniversary of Historic House with Self-Organized Exhibition, A Splendid Century
Discover the artists who inspired an era, from Robert S. Duncanson to Rookwood Pottery
CINCINNATI, OH (September 2020)—The Taft Museum of Art celebrates its historic house’s bicentennial year with two self-organized exhibitions, A Splendid Century: Cincinnati Art 1820-1920 (October 3, 2020–January 24, 2021) and Built to Last: The Taft Historic House at 200 (now on view).
National Endowment for the Humanities Announces $750k Grant for Taft Museum of Art
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant awarded to support Taft’s Historic House renovations in Bicentennial year
CINCINNATI, OH (January 2020)—The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced, via a press release, that the Taft Museum of Art (TMA) has been awarded the competitive Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant in the maximum amount: $750,000. The grant will directly support the TMA’s Bicentennial infrastructure project kicking off later this year. The funds will help to preserve and reconstruct the Museum’s 200-year-old Historic House.