The New American Art Gallery, in Tower Place Mall

MUSE has a new ticket outlet. Be sure to visit the New American Art Gallery II. It is tucked away on the top floor of Tower Place, right next to the Everything Cincinnati Shop.

Four years ago Toilynn O'Neal started a gallery where 15 to 20 artists sell their paintings, fabric arts and cards. African jewelry and artifacts, including drums are beautifully displayed. You can buy educational posters of historic leaders and books (caught a title by Sharon Draper, out of the corner of my eye). Artists at the gallery take commissions for portraits, sketches, and yes, even face painting for young ones.

I pondered why the gallery title had a II attached to their name. It turns out that Robert O'Neal, Toilynn's father, started New American Art Gallery I in 1968, 40 years ago. It was, at first, a gallery that displayed African American art, but soon expanded to include many varied and talented artists. Artists associated with the gallery took the name US, or United Self-expression, a multi-cultural band of artists, establishing the first gallery on Main Street (1400 block).

Many people from out of town frequent the gallery when they attend conferences and meetings in the downtown area. Lately, they are seeing more traffic from residents of Cincinnati as they begin to frequent downtown Cincinnati once again.

Toilynn sees herself as an arts administrator. She is the diversity coordinator at St. Ursula, and is the outreach coordinator for the Cincinnati Art Museum in the education department.

Robert O'Neal, a remarkable and distinguished artist and arts educator, can be found in almost any neighborhood across the city, networking, connecting and introducing people to each other, building a love for the arts. He often is at the Gallery to welcome everyone.

The beautiful art works of Linda Chapman, Carmen Bush, Annie Ruth, Debora Hilson, Charlotte Hunter, Reginald Leary, Nathaniel Duncan, and Kasa Stanley (Kitabu) can be found at the downtown gallery.

Next time downtown, stop at the New American Gallery II. Better yet, rush downtown to buy tickets for the 12th New Spirituals Project, Saturday April 5th and Sunday 6th. The concert, Hope Come True, is at the House of Joy in College Hill. MUSE will feature and collaborate with Central State University Chorus (Wilberforce, OH) and Linda Tillery (Oakland, CA).