Art museums in major metropolises are experiencing substantial growth in attendance and the “museumification” of art culture. In contrast art museums in the Midwest are struggling for attendance and to reach out to their general public. These contemporary places of “high-art” are not well connected to their vibrant local art communities. Similarly the art community is detached from the public at large. Thus, the propagation of local art and public appreciation and understanding of art is absent. Instead the culture of the Midwest is one that has become centered on events; e.g. sports, concerts, tours, religion, etc. These spectacles occur at a variety of scales, from the neighborhood to the state to the national level and provide an audience for engagement.
This thesis uses a methodology linked to critical art movements that respond to the issues of spectacle culture and the everyday. It oscillates between the realms of art and architecture to facilitate new ways of visual interaction with the everyday environment. The specific site in Cincinnati becomes an armature for regional investigation into larger social questions of spectacle culture, interstitial urban spaces, curating the everyday, art and framing, and human engagement with architecture. Using this successful model for engagement, the local art community can weave together these separate entities: high-art, local art, and the general public, into a new museum typology that resonates more with Midwestern culture through a renewed understanding of art and the everyday environment.