AAC Faculty Exhibition 2026

Join Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) for the opening reception on Friday January 30th from 5-8pm. The exhibition, which remains on view in the Pearlman and McClure Galleries at AAC through March 6th, presents a first-hand look at the applied experience of the teachers who guide and help shape so many young artists in our city. The artwork in the show represents all mediums taught at the Art Academy made by the artists who teach them. AAC Faculty Exhibition 2026 celebrates the depth, range, and continuity of the Academy’s artist-educators, featuring new and recent work by faculty across painting, sculpture, photography, video, design, writing, and interdisciplinary practices. AAC’s faculty are accomplished, practicing artists and designers whose work is exhibited, published, and collected regionally and nationally, and whose professional engagement directly informs their teaching. Working within AAC’s intimate, studio-based learning environment, faculty provide sustained mentorship, individualized guidance, and rigorous critical dialogue, fostering a culture where experimentation, conceptual development, and technical excellence thrive. Many members of the AAC faculty have been part of the institution for decades, and a significant number are proud alumni of the Academy, creating a powerful through-line between AAC’s past, present, and future. Their long-term commitment reflects a deep investment in the school’s mission, its students, and its historic Over-the-Rhine campus. Together, their work reveals a vibrant, intergenerational community of makers for whom teaching and creative practice are inseparable. They are artists who not only shape the next generation of creative voices but also continue to actively contribute to the cultural life of Cincinnati and beyond. AAC Faculty Exhibition 2026 kicks off the spring semester at AAC and leads up to the senior thesis shows. There are 17 faculty artists participating in this exhibition including recent Artadia Award winner Erika NJ Allen. Additional artists include Jimmy Baker (Painting and Drawing Chair), Jordan Bardgett, Keith Benjamin (Studio Arts Chair), Jeff Ebbeler, Jase Flannery, Joe Girandola (President), Marc Governanti (Digital Arts Animation Chair), Matt Hart (Creative Writing Chair), Ian Hersko (First Year Experience Chair), Thomas Osorio, Rachel Reisert, Sarah Stolar (Academic Dean), Kate Tepe (Design Chair), Mark Thomas (Associate Dean), Steve Weinstein, and Lindsey Whittle. ABOUT THE ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI Art Academy of Cincinnati, established in 1869, is an independent college of art and design. Degrees granted are the Associate of Science in Graphic Design; the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Design, Illustration, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Print Media, Digital Arts Animation and Sculpture; and the Master of Arts in Art Education. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Art Academy is a charter member of both NASAD and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. The AAC is also accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education. The AAC’s mission is to create and sustain radical, forward thinking, contemporary visual artists and designers whose creative contributions make a substantial difference in all the lives they touch.

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