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The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame has opened following a two-year planning and design process led by JRA, part of RWS Global
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 10 Aug 2023
The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame opened at the beginning of August following a two-year planning and construction process Credit: JRA part of RWS Global
The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, has opened to the public after a two-year planning, design and construction process.
The free-to-attend attraction celebrates Black musicians, songwriters, composers and industry professionals from the Cincinnati area and is designed to be accessible to everyone.
It was founded by Hamilton County Ohio Commission President Alicia Reece after being unanimously approved by the Board of Commissioners in 2021.
JRA, part of RWS Global, served as the attraction’s planning, experience design and project management lead, working alongside Abernathy Lighting Design, and EOS Lightmedia Studio, which created the attraction’s lighting, and Trivium Interactive, who developed its digital media elements.
The attraction features several experiences including Meet the Stars! Where guests can learn about the 12 most recent Walk of Fame inductee CREDIT: JRA PART OF RWS GLOBAL
Experiences on offer include:
Interactive Podium Kiosks: Positioned along the visitor walkways are thirteen interactive kiosks. Each kiosk features two signature artists from the region, with visitors able to hear a 30-second sample from each musician at the touch of a button. For the hearing and visually impaired the kiosks offer haptic panels that vibrate the music and include Braille translations.
Meet the Stars!: Teaching visitors about the music, stories and cultural contributions of the 12 most recent Walk of Fame inductees, Meet the Stars! consists of a reader rail and an adjacent media screen. The panel and media footage complement the inlaid terrazzo markers featuring each of the inductees. Guests can also scan a QR code where they can nominate their favourite local artists as future inductees.
Beat Maker: Narrated by prolific music producer and Walk of Fame inductee Hi Tek, Beat Maker is an interactive eight-person drum machine where guests can play blues, hip hop and funk beats. When successful, visitors are rewarded with a colourful light show at a nearby fountain.
Beat Maker features an interactive eight-person drum machine, where guests can play blues, hip hop and funk beats CREDIT: JRA PART OF RWS GLOBAL
Interactive Media Consoles: Encouraging visitors to dance, the four Interactive Media Consoles feature a digital media display and six rotating songs from Hall of Fame inductees.
Augmented Reality Band Interactive: Features virtual green screen technology, this experience that enables visitors to take centre stage alongside stars such as Parliament Funkadelic legend William “Bootsy”’ Collins and “Snap!: I’ve Got The Power” singer Penny Ford.
Finally, Dance Party and Nighttime Takeover is an interactive dance party, located on the upper levels of the attraction, that combines music, theatrical lighting and interactive media consoles. At night the experience is transformed into the Nighttime Takeover when the site is brought to life with music, motion lighting and digital media.
“I told JRA to ‘bring me to Disneyland and they delivered,” said Reece.
“Incorporating cutting-edge technology was extremely important to me and between the interactive kiosks, the lighting effects, the green screen media and the overall aesthetics, JRA have more than fulfilled that brief.
“Together, we’ve turned a gravel lot into one of the world’s greatest outdoor interactive Black music tourism attractions and for that I am immensely grateful,” she added.
The Interactive Kiosks feature two signature artists from the region, with visitors able to hear a 30-second sample from each musician at the touch of a button CREDIT: JRA PART OF RWS GLOBAL
Tony Schmidt, JRA directory, studio, added: “We were honoured when Commission President Reece approached us to design the experience for the Walk of Fame, and we were inspired by her vision for the project.”
“We knew immediately that this would not only be a tourism driver for the region, but a way of honouring the unsung heroes of music and the contributions they have made to the industry and to music culture as a whole.
“It was a truly collaborative effort on an aggressive deadline that stretched our team creatively, aNd we’re thrilled at the overwhelmingly positive response.”
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