Art Academy of Cincinnati

🎓 Commencement 2026 Recap 🎓

Last weekend, we celebrated the newest graduates of the Art Academy of Cincinnati—artists, writers, designers, animators, photographers, makers, and creative thinkers ready to shape their world.

Over years of studio practice, critique, experimentation, collaboration, and persistence, this class built more than portfolios. They built voices, communities, and futures in art. We couldn’t be prouder of everything they created here—and everything they’ll create beyond AAC. 🧡

Special congratulations to this year’s THREE valedictorians: Rae Brady, Claire Sinsley, and Alex Steffen. Your dedication, creativity, and leadership embody the spirit of AAC.

We were honored to welcome commencement speaker John Elizabeth Stintzi (JES) (they/she), acclaimed author of My Volcano, Vanishing Monuments, Bad Houses, Junebat, and The Children of Gulga-Krü. Their words encouraged graduates to continue making work that is fearless, honest, and deeply human.

We also proudly recognized Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Mary Ellen Goeke, Class of 1980—artist, visionary cultural leader, and co-founder of FotoFocus—whose extraordinary impact on Cincinnati’s contemporary arts landscape continues to shape artists, institutions, and creative communities across the region.

To the Class of 2026:
MAKE THE WORK. BUILD YOUR LIFE IN ART.

You now carry forward a 155+ year legacy of artists and makers—and we can’t wait to see where your work leads next. ✨




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🇺🇸 AMERICA 250! 🇺🇸

Duck Tape® sculptures are taking over Washington Park. 🦆✨

From May 8–18, experience 8 larger-than-life sculptures created entirely from Duck Tape® by students and alumni from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, local artists, and students from The Summit Country Day School.

This year’s exhibition celebrates creativity, transformation, and the spirit of American making through bold public artworks built from one of the most iconic DIY materials imaginable.

Join us for the public reception:
📍 Washington Park
📅 Saturday, May 9
⏰ 11 AM – 2 PM
🎁 Free rolls of Duck Tape® while supplies last

Led by AAC President Joe Girandola and sponsored by Shurtape Technologies, the annual Duck Tape® studio course challenges students to think at full scale—transforming an everyday material into ambitious public art.

“In my opinion, duct tape is the quintessential American ‘oil paint’ and the theme this year of America 250 is perfectly aligned with this year’s sculptures.” — Joe Girandola

Come see what happens when art, experimentation, and a whole lot of Duck Tape® collide. 🇺🇸🎨

The closure of The Modern College of Design is deeply felt across our creative community.

To the students affected by this transition: your creative path still matters, your work still matters, and there are people ready to help you continue forward.

Art Academy of Cincinnati is offering transfer opportunities designed to support students with continuity, individualized advising, scholarship opportunities, and pathways to degree completion.

Creative communities are built by supporting one another—and AAC remains committed to helping students keep making the work and building their future in art and design.

Learn more about transferring to AAC →
https://www.artacademy.edu/admissions/themodern/

🌸🛍️ Happening Now: Spring Market at AAC!

We’re live at SITE1212—come shop handcrafted work by Art Academy of Cincinnati students 🎨

Prints, jewelry, gifts, decor + more—all made by AAC artists.

📍 SITE1212
🕛 Now through 4:00 PM

Stop by, support student artists, and take something original home with you ✨

That’s a wrap 🎨

Jimmy Baker’s Intro to Oil Painting class closed out the year with the end-of-year group portrait. Paint, process, and a semester’s worth of looking closely, layered and learning together.

Congratulations to AAC student Caitlyn Confer 👏

Her work is featured in the Croma exhibition at Queen City Clay—reception is tonight.

🗓 On view through 6/19

Spring classes are coming to an end, and today felt like one of those moments you don’t want to rush past.

AAC President Joe Girandola out at the grill, cooking for students, hanging out, talking, laughing. Good food. Good people. Good time together before final reviews and everything that comes next.

These are the in-between moments that make this place what it is.

See you at the grill 🍔🔥

Congratulations to AAC Alum and AAC Advisory Board Member Jacquelyn Sommer-Denny on being honored as the Ohio Art Education Association Secondary Division, Ohio Art Educator of the Year Award! We are incredibly grateful for your contributions fostering future artists and creatives!

Photo credit:

The words are on the page—and they’re out in the world. ✍️

Congratulations to our Creative Writing students at the Art Academy of Cincinnati on a powerful season of works. From poetry and fiction to experimental and cross-disciplinary pieces, your voices are shaping stories that challenge, question, and connect.

And to our graduating seniors Imani Berry, Niyah Neal, and Veronika Negron Velazquez—this is just the beginning. 🎓
Your work, your perspective, your commitment to the craft—it all carries forward from here.

We’re proud of what you’ve made.
We can’t wait to see where your writing goes next.