Exceptional museums aren’t the ones we visit just once; they’re places to which we return to revisit a favorite exhibit or to discover something new. With close to 70,000 artifacts representing 6,000 years of history, The Cincinnati Art Museum meets this distinction. Draws us back time and time, again.

On display are portraits, carvings, jewelry, weapons and dishes all representing various cultures and societies. Divided into various galleries, the museum offers a glimpse into American, African, Asian, Islamic and European worlds.

The collections include acquisitions by community leaders and museum trustees. They represent donations from generous individuals and avid collectors. Everyone can find something to which they may be drawn.

In addition to the galleries devoted to world art, there is a wing filled with Cincinnati art. It’s here where I find comfort in the familiar. Statues acquired from local churches. A bronze model of the iconic Tyler Davidson Fountain located in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square.

Currently under construction and due to open this spring is the Art Climb, which involves multiple flights of steps and landings on the hillside of the museum ground’s northern corner near the intersection of Gilbert Avenue and Eden Park Drive. The climb, stretching nine stories, will feature 164 steps and 16 landings. It will also include a pavilion with city views and four art plazas to provide the opportunity to showcase outdoor art.

Once this project is complete, I look forward to a return trip.

The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. The Terrace Cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays. General admission is free, but admission to special exhibits is $16 for adults, $8 for seniors and children ages 6-17, and free for children five and under. Admission is $8 for college students with a valid id and free from 5-8 p.m. on Thursdays.

(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of the travel blog Tales from the Trip, which is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at [email protected].)

A bronze statue of Pinocchio greets visitors to the Cincinnati Art Museum.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_pinochio.jpgA bronze statue of Pinocchio greets visitors to the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Made of marble, the Adoring Angel was once on display at Price Hill’s Churches of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_angel..jpgMade of marble, the Adoring Angel was once on display at Price Hill’s Churches of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church.

A row of stools are positioned for visitors to contemplate this interior mural painted by Saul Steinberg.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_longhall.jpgA row of stools are positioned for visitors to contemplate this interior mural painted by Saul Steinberg.

Suspended at the entrance of the Cincinnati Art Museum is a blown glass chandelier blown in Finland for an event held in Venice, Italy.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_blue.jpgSuspended at the entrance of the Cincinnati Art Museum is a blown glass chandelier blown in Finland for an event held in Venice, Italy.

An Egyptian sarcophagus, made from wood, served as a layer of protection for a mummified body.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_mummy.jpgAn Egyptian sarcophagus, made from wood, served as a layer of protection for a mummified body.

The grand staircase of the Cincinnati Art Museum is a beautiful path for visitors to take from the ground floor to the second.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_stairs.jpgThe grand staircase of the Cincinnati Art Museum is a beautiful path for visitors to take from the ground floor to the second.

Marjorie Appelman