CINCINNATI, OK.- The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) has partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month. Through the creation of digital exhibits, CAM joins over 50 other institutions displaying 4,000+ items in this remarkable project – bringing together important archives from Black history for anyone to access not only during Black History Month, but throughout the year.

The CAM digital exhibition tells the story of renowned 19th-century landscape painter, Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872) and his role in African American artistic identity in the Queen City during his lifetime. CAM is one of three museums in the world where Robert S. Duncanson’s work can be examined in-depth. Thanks to this new virtual exhibition, users will be able to see eight notable works by Duncanson and many other treasures of the museum in just a few clicks here.

This exhibit is the fourth digital exhibit specially curated by CAM. Previous exhibits include interactive narratives of U.S. History, Myths & Heroes, and The Cincinnati Story. The newest digital exhibit provides information and highlights including:

• Woodland Pool (1868), a lesser-known Duncanson painting in a remarkable state of preservation, with the fine brushstrokes of the branches still amazingly intact.

• Blue Hole, Flood Waters, Little Miami River (1851), long considered one of the artist’s masterpieces and a highlight of the Cincinnati Art Museum collection.

• Cincinnati from Covington, Kentucky – 1850, a long-term loan to the Cincinnati Art Museum from the Cincinnati Museum Center.

In addition to the Duncanson digital exhibit, the Art Museum has also added to the Art Project collection six photographs by James Presley Ball, a noted African American photographer and abolitionist.

Virtual tour with Street View
Using the Street View feature, people can move around CAM virtually, selecting works that interest them and clicking to discover more or diving into the high resolution images, where available.

A specially designed Street View ‘trolley’ took 360 degree images of selected galleries which were then stitched together, enabling smooth navigation of the Museum’s permanent collection galleries, including a view of Duncanson’s Blue Hole, Flood Waters, Little Miami River (1851) as it was displayed at the time. Blue Hole and six additional works by Duncanson are currently on view at CAM.

“It’s exciting to share this treasure, the artwork of Robert S. Duncanson, beyond the walls of the Cincinnati Art Museum through this project,” said Emily Holtrop, Director of Learning and Interpretation, Cincinnati Art Museum.