Skip to content

The Culture:
Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century

June 28–September 29, 2024

Western & Southern Galleries (Galleries 232 and 233)
Ticketed. Free for Members. Save $2 when purchasing tickets online.
Adult tickets: $12 in-person, $10 onlineSeniors, college students and children 6–17 years: $8 in person, $6 onlineChildren 5 years & under: free
Press Release

Purchase Tickets

See the exhibition for free on Thursday nights from 5–8 p.m.; during Art After Dark on June 28, July 26, August 30, and September 27 from 5–9 p.m.; during the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend from July 25–27; and on CAM Kids Day on Saturday, August 3.

 

In the wake of hip hop’s 50th anniversary, the Cincinnati Art Museum is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition exploring the genre’s extraordinary influence on contemporary society over the past two decades.

The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century showcases more than 90 works of art by some of today’s most important and celebrated artists—such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roberto Lugo, Carrie Mae Weems, William Cordova, Hassan Hajjaj, Hank Willis Thomas—and fashion brands, with looks from Gucci, Cross Colours and Vivienne Westwood. A range of music ephemera will also be on display.

The exhibition is guest curated by Jason Rawls, EdD, originally a Cincinnatian, who is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of African American & African Studies and the School of Music, a DJ himself (aka J. Rawls), an author, and a prolific record producer.

The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog with contributions from more than 50 artists, writers, scholars, curators, and arts leaders.

One of the leading figures in the study of hip hop and an advocate for education about the genre will guest-curate the exhibition. Jason Rawls, EdD, is an assistant professor of hip hop at The Ohio State University, leading the team that is creating a hip hop studies program in its School of Music and Department of African American & African Studies. Dr. Rawls–who is featured in a hip hop exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History–is also known for his music production work with artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Beastie Boys and is a published author and DJ (aka J. Rawls). Prior to OSU, Dr. Rawls helped develop the first hip hop-based education program in a college of education at Ohio University.

Members Opening — The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century

Thursday, June 27, 5–7 p.m.

 

Opening Panel Discussion

Thursday, June 27, 7–8 p.m.
Details coming soon.

 

A Happening: Press Play

Saturday, June 29, 2024, 6:30–11 p.m.
Details coming soon.

 

Gallery Talk Plus

Saturday, July 13, 1–3 p.m.
Details coming soon.

 

CAM Kids Day

Saturday, August 3, 11 a.m.–p.m.
Details coming soon.


The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century is organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Ford Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Ford Foundation Henry Luce Foundation The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

 

Presented by

The Ragland Family Foundation

 

P&G

 

Exhibition Sponsors

 Triversity Construction

 

   
PNC    

 

 

Media Sponsor

The Wiz 101.1, the Nati’s #1 for Hip Hop and R&B