January Arts Off 75: Get Your Tickets and Find Your Seat

As we collectively shake off the last shimmer of confetti from the 2025 festivities and step into the soft, quiet glow of early 2026, I can’t help but feel that familiar surge of excitement: the arts and cultural offerings across our region are already revving up again. This is the season of restoration, a moment to recharge our engines, refill our creative wells and prepare for the second half of what has already been a packed arts and culture season.

If you’re like me, the early days of January become a natural invitation to look back, take stock and savor the moments that made the past year sing. And 2025 gave us a lot to savor. From the powerfully diverse Member’s Exhibition at the Springfield Museum of Art, a testament to the depth of creative talent living right here among us, to the emotionally charged and technically dazzling Bold Moves program at Cincinnati Ballet, this past year offered no shortage of performances and exhibitions that reminded us why the arts matter. These moments are the threads that weave our community together.

And yet, January doesn’t just ask us to reminisce. It nudges us forward. Case in point: I am absolutely thrilled for the touring production of “Hell’s Kitchen” coming to the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. As someone who has been a fan of Alicia Keys since The Diary of Alicia Keys first hit my stereo system, with that unmistakable blend of soul, classical training and emotional honesty, I’m eager to see how her music and storytelling translate to the stage. Jukebox musicals can run the gamut of the good, the bad and the ugly, but I think what will set this Tony Award-winning production apart is Alicia’s deeply personal songwriting. Her lyrics, melodies and raw vulnerability offer fertile ground for a theatrical experience that is both compelling and resonant for all to quietly hum along.

Alicia Keys is more than a powerhouse musician. She is a curator, a collector and a champion for contemporary artists whose work expands our understanding of creativity. She and her husband, Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean), have built a collection that uplifts voices across the spectrum of the African and African American diaspora – a reminder that art doesn’t just decorate a room, it shapes culture. Their commitment to amplifying bold, visionary artists mirrors what I love most about our regional arts community: a belief that creativity flourishes when we bring diverse voices together, when we listen deeply and when we allow curiosity to lead the way.

So as we step into 2026, let us carry forward that spirit of hope and reflection. There is so much beauty yet to unfold on our stages, in our galleries and throughout our neighborhoods, and January is just the beginning. So get your tickets and find your seat, here’s to another year of artistry and the joy of discovering what moves us next.

Rodney Veal
CET and Think^TV Producer and Community Arts Liaison