Pendleton Art Center

Visited for Final Friday at Thanksgiving and really enjoyed such a vast area of local talent. This place is huge but is a really cool old building, and it’s great they’ve left so much of it in its original state. Word to the wise — leave your coat in the car, it’s ROASTING in there. Loved discovering some new artists.

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This place is a hidden gem. Tons of amazing artists all in one giant building. Final Friday is a definite must! Do say «thank you» if an artist talks to you about their work or offers you a snack. Do tip the valets, even if you have to wait a while to get your car.

Came here on Friday for final Friday and it was so much fun and such a neat older building.
It was the first time I have ever been to a final Friday mainly because I work on Friday nights, all the artists were super nice and struck up a conservation with my guests and I. From some of the rooms there were killer views of the downtown skyline and it looked beautiful.
We kept our parking spot by A Tavola and walked and had no problem with anybody bothering us.

ashamed.
pendleton gets 5 stars.
mike gest ZERO stars.
this is, embarassingly, the first time i’ve been here.
i went to pick up a painting from a friend, marc wavra. and boy, will i be back.
this is the largest collection of artists under one rook in the WORLD. that’s right. WORLD.
with 8 stories of awesomness, cool art, some for sale and beuatiful architecture i cannot think of a hipper spot i’ve been too in a LOOOOONG time.
i’ll be back again and again.

Great — final friday! YAY — so cool and always changing. Wish there were more things like this to do in Cincinnati.

Pendleton Art Center is your one stop shop for all things art! Every art medium is represented in this 8-​story mecca located in the historic Over-​The-​Rhine neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati. Valet parking ensures you won’t have to walk far to get a glimpse of the hundreds (yes, there are hundreds) of artists and their offerings. There is something in everyone’s price range and taste at the Pendleton. Enjoy Final Friday or Second Look Saturday at Cincinnati’s Pendleton Art Center. Don’t forget to stop over to Main Street to catch their version of Final Friday too.

After wanting to go experience a «Final Friday» in this town for some time, I finally got the chance and really enjoyed the experience. First, lemme get the negative points out of the way; but DO NOT let these scare you away from this great place/​event.
The neighborhood around this place is not the best, it’s on the fringe of what most consider the nicer part of Over the Rhine. Travel in groups and try to park close and you should be fine. There is apparently a shuttle that can transport you at the corner of Sycamore at 12^th and 13^th to take you to the Pendleton Art Center, but it did not seem to be running on any kind of consistent schedule.
Okay, enough negativity, on to the positives. The place is full of art, mostly paintings, some decent photographers, a little bit of sculpture, and then some misc. artwork for good measure.
If you are in a large group, I recommend not trying to stay together, the place is huge (8 floors!!!) and there is a lot to see, disperse and reconvene at a certain floor staircase at a set time or something.
Granted, there is certainly a lot of «lesser quality» art to sift through, but that is half the fun of Final Friday. Most of the artists have snacks, wine, or other munchies to lure you in and keep ya there, so maybe reciprocate and buy a small item here or there if your finances allow. It was nice to see some of the studios using the Square device on their iPhone to take credit card payments. There are some unique views of the city from this building, and some studios have balconies where you can stand and (get some fresh air) and take a photo.
There is also a 2^nd Look Saturday that might be of interest to those with Friday plans.
Here is a link with a schedule and more info:

I must admit I might be a little biased because I have a studio there (509A), but I was attending Final Fridays at the Pendleton Art Center long before I opened a studio there. This is a one of a kind experience: Eight floors of art in a charming 100 year old brick building, with a charming manual elevator, FREE. Every last Friday of the month. And, if you are seriously looking to buy art, you will bypass the middleman –or middlewoman whichever the case may be :) –at the Pendleton on Final Friday.