Dennis Harrington to Retire from the Aronoff Center's Weston Art Gallery

The Cincinnati Arts Association has announced the retirement of Weston Art Gallery Director Dennis Harrington after twenty-nine years of dedicated service. He will step down from this position at the end of the Weston's current 2023-24 season on August 31, 2024.

The award-winning Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center) features the work of local and regional artists and is the only gallery in the Greater Cincinnati area able to commission and support site-specific works. Since opening in 1995, numerous national and international emerging and professional artists, curators, designers, filmmakers, and performers working in all media have found creative and professional support in achieving their artistic vision.

Originally hired as the Weston's exhibition preparator, Harrington served closely with founding director Salli LoveLarkin, who laid the Gallery's foundation and forged its early programming efforts from 1995-98. Early in her tenure, LoveLarkin was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Due to the progressive nature of the disease, she retired in May 1998, and Harrington was appointed director in June 1998.

During his long association with the Weston, Harrington was responsible for implementing 284 exhibitions and countless associated performances, workshops, and screenings involving more than 1,200 artists, performers, designers, and curators that reflected the robust visual arts tradition of the region.

“Dennis' impact on the local and regional visual arts landscape has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Steve Loftin, President, Cincinnati Arts Association. “His authentic commitment to artists, inclusivity, contemporary issues, and high-quality exhibitions have set him and the Weston Art Gallery apart from other institutions. Dennis will leave his eternal legacy on the Weston Art Gallery and the larger Cincinnati arts scene. We wish him much happiness in his retirement.”

Throughout his tenure, Harrington took full advantage of the Weston's unique glass enclosed street-level atrium space, which served as an incubator for new work and afforded artists opportunities for site-specific installations not available elsewhere in this prominent and highly visible space. The two lower gallery spaces, situated directly beneath the atrium space, were envisioned by Harrington as “flex space” to manipulate and transform to suit the needs of the artists working in those spaces. Providing exceptional service and support to artists became a mainstay for the Weston and its dedicated staff.

“It has been a rich and rewarding experience to be a part of the Weston since its inception in 1995,” said Harrington, reflecting on his many years with the Weston. “I am grateful for the vision of Alice and Harris Weston, who advocated for a visual arts component in the Aronoff Center dedicated to showcasing local and regional artists. The seeds they planted have flourished.  It has been my pleasure and great privilege to work with many outstanding artists and be part of the collective effort and support from CAA President Steve Loftin, the CAA Board, CAA staff, Weston Art Gallery Support Committee, many generous Weston sponsors, and a committed and hard-working Gallery staff to make the Weston such an outstanding success. I look forward to welcoming a new director to the Weston, assisting them in transitioning the Gallery to new leadership,  and continuing to build a strong and exciting future for the Weston.”

Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state's finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than two million students and adults.

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