Local media covers UC's Hero Bearcats public art exhibit
Local media coverage of UC’s new art exhibit, which supports student scholarships and services and celebrates Cincinnati’s everyday heroes
They’re life-sized, they celebrate everyday heroes and they’re popping up this week at prominent locations across Greater Cincinnati. The University of Cincinnati’s new Hero Bearcats public art campaign, which launched April 5, is generating both buzz online (#HeroBearcats) and local media coverage.
The exhibit, which features 30 life-sized, distinctively decorated statues of the university’s iconic Bearcat mascot, celebrates everyday heroes like astronauts, nurses, firefighters, police officers, farmers and others in colorful, whimsical ways.
The statues, decorated by local artists, including students from area high schools, will blanket the region for six months. You can find them at prominent locations across Greater Cincinnati from Florence to Downtown to Butler County’s Liberty Center.
Proceeds from statue sponsorships benefit student scholarships, the Bearcats Food Pantry and healthcare services for underserved members of the community. Kroger and UC Health are presenting sponsors of the campaign.
Hero Bearcats in the news
Cincinnati Business Courier: http://bit.ly/2Kh1VRa
Local 12: http://bit.ly/2uRWMV8
The River City News: http://bit.ly/2UlPLLz
Engineering Bearcat. Andrew Higley/UC Creative Services
Featured image at top: Hero Bearcats on display. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative Services
Related Stories
CCM welcomes new piano faculty member Liza Stepanova
April 28, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Liza Stepanova, DMA, as CCM's new Associate Professor of Piano. Her faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026. Praised by The New York Times for her "thoughtful musicality" and "fleet-fingered panache," Stepanova is in demand as a soloist, collaborator and educator.
Expeditions of American stories
April 24, 2026
Long-running project explores displacement, community and memory through stories of river life
CCM announces winners of 2026 Winstead Artistry in Wind Playing Competition
April 21, 2026
The UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is proud to announce the winners of the fifth annual competition for wind players in memory of Cincinnati Symphony principal bassoonist and long-time faculty member, William O. Winstead. The winners of CCM's 2026 Winstead Artistry in Wind Playing Competition are: - Winstead Prize ($2,000): Seongjin Kim, clarinet - Honorable Mention ($500 each): Valentina Arango-Sanchez, flute; and Michael Zelinksi, horn - Collaborative Pianist Prize ($1,000): Giorgos Kyriazidis, piano