Our Tables | Public Repair

Our Tables

Turning a moment of unrest into a shared table.

In the summer of 2020, Cincinnati was hurting. Windows were boarded, tensions were high, and people were searching for a way to move forward.

Created on Juneteenth by Cincy Nice alongside a coalition of Black artists, organizers, activists, and cultural leaders, the project transformed boarded-up window art from Over-the-Rhine businesses into long communal tables on Main Street. What had been used as a barrier became an invitation.

For one evening, neighbors, artists, business owners, civic leaders, and residents gathered across two city blocks for open conversation, storytelling, listening, and collective healing. The project created space for Black voices to lead, for difficult conversations to happen in public, and for the city to imagine repair through connection.

Part public art installation, part civic gathering, and part community conversation, Our Tables received local media attention and was recognized as a 2020 "Moment That Mattered" by the Cincinnati Marketing Association. More importantly, it became an early example of the work Cincy Nice continues to pursue: using culture, symbolism, and shared experience to help people come together when it matters most.

Areas of Practice
Civic Experience • Public Life • Partnership Development • Cultural Strategy

Organizing Team:

Cincy Nice, Gee Horton, Siri Imani, Lauren Eylise, TC Flowers, The Black Brass Band

Made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of:

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, OTR Chamber, Urban Sites and the OTR and downtown Cincinnati merchant community.

In the News:

“People come together in OTR to discuss ways of moving city forward” — WKRC

“OTR Juneteenth Event 'Our Tables' to Host Community Conversation on Main Street” — CityBeat

Living Proximate with Chuck Mingo

We Built This with Urban Consulate

2020 ‘Moment That Mattered’ Honoree, Cincinnati Marketing Association