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Cincinnati Museum Center Reopens

Tana Weingartner
/
WVXU
Sophia and Zach Schuster check out the fountain before heading inside the newly reopened Cincinnati Museum Center.

A few months later than usual, the Cincinnati Museum Center Friday welcomed guests back with the annual fountain ceremony.

A duo from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra provided music before the ceremonial turning on of the fountain and will continue through the day inside the museums.

CEO Elizabeth Pierce detailed thefive new exhibits on display, including Maya: The Exhibition.

"We were so excited to open on the 13th of March and then (it) immediately closed the next day, so, it has been sleeping, resting, and absolutely waiting for you to come and enjoy."

Sarah Weiss, CEO of the Holocaust and Humanity Center, took a moment to reflect on the current pandemic.

"We're reminded in this moment of the resilience of the survivors and we invite everybody who needs a little inspiration to come and learn those stories."

Credit Tana Weingartner / WVXU
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WVXU
Two CSO musicians perform prior to water returning to the fountain July 17, 2020.

Thefive new exhibits include:

Maya: The Exhibition encompasses more than 300 objects from clay and stucco figurines as well as intricate jewelry, stone carvings, tools and interactive elements.

An Unfinished Revolution: Women and the Vote explores the fight for women's suffrage on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Inspired by Nature: The Art and Activism of Charley Harper features 30 paintings by the beloved Cincinnati artist and the accompanying stories he penned, along with a celebration of his activism.

The first three exhibits are temporary. Two new permanent exhibits are also now online in the Cincinnati History Museum.

Shaping Our City looks at how various forms of transportation from rivers to rail and roads have shaped and been shaped by the region's geography, connecting some while dividing others.

You Are Here is broken into three themes looking at what defines Cincinnati as a place to live, work and play.

Credit Tana Weingartner / WVXU
/
WVXU

About The Fountain

The original fountain was designed by Fellheimer & Wagner, according to the Cincinnati Museum Center's unofficial building historian Nick Massa. The Cassini & Martini Terrazzo Company crafted the recognizable green terrazzo finish.

Rebuilding the 8,000-square-foot fountain meant removing 2,300 pieces of limestone and granite. Some 57 trucks hauled in 450 cubic yards of concrete. The basin holds 44,000 gallons of water, circulated at a rate of 2.4 million gallons per day.

You can go behind the scenes of thefountain being rebuilt here.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.