The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) partnered with ArtWorks in 2021 to create two larger-than-life murals in the airport’s rental car facility and terminal expansion. Take to the Water is one of two in the building extension, located on the first floor.

”It cannot be that I shall live and die a slave. I will take to the water…” 

-Frederick Douglas

Inspired by a quote from Frederick Douglass and countless enslaved Africans that refused to be the subjects of dehumanization, Take To The Water reflects on the significance of Cincinnati and the Ohio River as a beacon of freedom and passage from one phase of life to another.

Based on the architectural interiors and structures of Cincinnati and waterways, Gaither explores color, pattern, and the semicircle into a motif of bridges. Each semicircle responds to the tension experienced when traveling, the feelings of excitement, anxiety, and relief in addition to the imagined possibilities/outcomes associated with reaching our destinations.

Adrienne Gaither is a visual artist from Cincinnati, Ohio, whose abstract paintings explore various topics, including race, familial ties, emotional health, class, and the politics of geometric abstraction. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Howard University and currently resides in Washington, DC.