By Steve Ramos

It happens about this time every year. In a publication that puts substantial time, energy and resources into treating the local arts community as significant news, CityBeat takes a deep breath and unfurls its annual arts issue. (Be kind. This is the only occasion when I use ArtsBeat to toot CityBeat's own horn). Much of the attention is placed on the most reader-friendly of endeavors: listing the 25 most significant members of Cincinnati's arts scene. It is a mathematical guessing game of editorial prognostication. And while most artists, arts volunteers, arts administrators and arts patrons might take issue with various rankings, there is little argument that the assembled gathering truly defines Cincinnati's arts establishment. I won't be redundant and repeat any honorary listees. Just flip to pages 17-26 for this arty Who's Who.

Still, looking at this year's model, staring at a Top 25 that pretty much resembles past lists, I wonder: How tightly knit are Cincinnati's arts leaders?

Check and double-check the key figures on various boards. Browse a Regional Cultural and Planning Committee brochure. Scan the members for the City of Cincinnati's Arts Allocation committee. Tally the amount of money donated by select philanthropists to leading institutions. Watch the efforts by active arts volunteers. The network of leading arts advocates might be smaller than you think. Some might call it synergy. Still, frequently, the insider feel of Cincinnati's arts community feels more like a remote Appalachian hamlet where everybody knows everybody's business. More importantly, how does an arts newcomer open doors if she or he doesn't know anybody here?

This was my question while I spoke with Brian L. Revere, a 21-year-old African-American artist from Middletown. Revere lines up a series of his paintings on the wall of Main Street's Suzanna Terrill Gallery, which currently represents some of his work. He is an emerging artist in baggy jeans and tortoiseshell eyeglasses from a working-class background. Few students studied art at Middletown High School. He was the only student to pursue art. He knew since age 4 that he wanted to become an artist. It wasn't easy. His mother had to raise her family alone. There were few support mechanisms. Proof that talent sometimes isn't enough, Revere lost an opportunity for a scholarship at the University of Dayton due to some serious, youthful transgressions.

"There are no young black artists in Middletown," says Revere. "You either work in a steel mill or you sell dope."

Still, Revere kept drawing. He came to Cincinnati for a fresh start, seeing a town more supportive of artists. He took some classes at Antonelli College, gaining a reputation for asking too many questions. He attends church regularly. He tries to visit his mother in Middletown at least three times every month.

Life in Cincinnati hasn't been easy. Without a car, he relies on Metro to get him to his job at a bank in Norwood. He has no place of his own, staying with various friends around town. Meanwhile, shuttling around on Metro, looking for his own place, Revere continues his artwork. He is blissfully ignorant. Revere is not familiar with the Cinergy Foundation or Joe Hale. He's never met Alice or Harris Weston. Revere is not up-to-date on the Contemporary Arts Center's new downtown museum. Basically, Revere is a young unknown artist in a town where everyone knows everyone. And if the right doors don't open? Well, despite a desire to stay in Cincinnati and start his own gallery for young African-American artists, Revere's prospects are unclear. Still, he's hopeful.

"I always knew that being an artist was the one thing that was going to take me the farthest," says Revere.

Scan the top 25 members of Cincinnati's arts scene and wonder: Will any of them ever have the opportunity to meet Brian L. Revere? He and other emerging artists represent Cincinnati's cultural future. The establishment needs to start opening their doors a little wider.

E-mail Steve Ramos

Midnight in the Garden of Warm and Fuzzy (April 15, 1999)
Pleased to Meet You (April 15, 1999)
Culture Clash (April 8, 1999)
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