Art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson launched an innovative concept in 2006 when they opened the first 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Their vision was to revitalize the city by bringing contemporary art to an unconventional context and making it accessible to a broader audience. What began as a single location has now expanded to seven hotels throughout the Midwest, each featuring unique exhibitions and contemporary art collections that transform the traditional hotel experience into a continuous art encounter.
The concept behind 21C Museum Hotel is revolutionary in its approach to art accessibility. Unlike traditional museums with limited operating hours, the hotel's art collections are available for viewing 24 hours a day. Contemporary artworks are strategically placed throughout every space, from hallways and elevators to individual guest rooms, each designed with various artistic themes. This unconventional approach ensures that guests and visitors can engage with art at any time, breaking down the barriers typically associated with formal museum settings.
A recent visit to the Cincinnati location showcased the current exhibition titled "Revival: Digging Into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow," which runs through September. The exhibition proved to be on par with presentations found in established galleries or museums, offering a thoughtful meditation on the complex relationship between past and present. The show features works by renowned contemporary artists including Isaac Julien, Ebony G. Patterson, and Myrlande Constant, among others, each contributing to the overarching theme of temporal connection and cultural continuity.
One of the exhibition's most striking pieces is Ebony G. Patterson's installation "When the Land is in Plumage" (2020), which serves as a true showstopper. The work features a sculpture of a peacock adorned with white flowers, positioned atop golden conch shells. Strands of pearls cascade behind the peacock like the train of an elaborate wedding gown, creating a visual connection to a multicolored, bejeweled tapestry mounted on the wall. This stunning installation evokes a fantastical garden while providing commentary on humanity's role in shaping and ultimately overtaking the natural world.
Another maximalist work that commands attention is Myrlande Constant's tapestry "GUEDE (Baron)" (2020), which revisits recurring themes present throughout the artist's body of work. The title references the guede, a family of spirits in Haitian Voodoo tradition associated with ancestor worship and spiritual guidance. This drapo, or ritual banner, incorporates both sacred spiritual iconography and elements from everyday life, creating a complex visual narrative that collapses the boundaries between death, the afterlife, and future possibilities through its intricate imagery.
Indo-Caribbean artist Suchitra Mattai contributes a more intimate perspective with her multi-part portrait "Eclipse" (2023), which conveys a deeply personal narrative about identity and visibility. The work can be interpreted as symbolic of either erasure or emergence, depending on the viewer's perspective. The central panel features an embroidered bust of a woman of color, where the threading becomes increasingly dense as it approaches the top of her head, making the image more cohesive and defined in that area, suggesting themes of clarity, recognition, and coming into being.
The success of these unconventional art presentations can be attributed to the careful curation overseen by Alice Gray Stites, who manages the artistic direction for all seven 21C locations. Stites brings extensive experience working with private collectors and nontraditional exhibition environments, allowing her to skillfully balance the unique public-private dynamic that defines the museum hotel concept. Her expertise ensures that the artistic integrity remains intact while adapting to the hospitality setting.
The concept of a museum hotel inherently risks reducing significant artworks to mere decorative elements, potentially diminishing their cultural and artistic impact. However, the works featured in "Revival" and throughout the 21C collections are far too assertive and commanding to fade into background decoration. Each piece maintains its artistic authority and continues to engage viewers meaningfully, regardless of the unconventional setting in which they are displayed.
The exhibition also includes Isaac Julien's video work "Lessons of the Hour" (2019) and Jeannette Ehlers' "Black Magic at the White House" (2009), both adding moving image components to the diverse media represented in the show. Additionally, the hotel features works by artists like Kristine Donnelly and maintains collection displays such as camel memorabilia from 1960-2010, demonstrating the breadth and variety of artistic expressions housed within the space.
The 21C Museum Hotel model represents a significant shift in how contemporary art can be presented and accessed by the public. By removing the traditional barriers of museum hours, admission fees, and formal gallery settings, the hotels democratize art appreciation and create opportunities for unexpected encounters with significant contemporary works. This approach has proven successful across all seven Midwest locations, each contributing to the cultural revitalization of their respective cities while maintaining the highest standards of artistic presentation and curation.
