Don’t BLINK or You Will Miss It: ETBD Program at BLINK
November 4, 2024 | Courtney Russell

By: Natalie Janssen, sophomore at Miami University
Wonder: Something lost in the busyness of everyday life, and something people tend to leave in childhood. BLINK brings wonder back to society’s commonplace. Transforming an entire city into the largest light show in the country allows wonder in life, art, and love to grow.
Cincinnati is home to many things: the Bengals, the Reds, Skyline Chili, Graeter’s ice cream, and also, one-of-a-kind art. The Queen City has a burning passion for creating and appreciating art.
What is BLINK?
BLINK takes place every other year in the heart of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, projecting unique and beautiful works of art on the many skyscrapers that line the streets. This year, BLINK stretched from the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood to Northern Kentucky.
BLINK is centered around the idea of wonder. It creates a space where artists from around the world showcase their work on some of the most iconic buildings in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.
More than two million people from across the country come to the Queen City for the light show, and it is the largest light show in the country. BLINK allows attendees to take a minute away from their everyday lives, relax, and appreciate the beautiful city and art.
Rediscovering Wonder as a Miami Student
I have been going to BLINK since I was 14; a lot has changed since then. I remember when I was little, and my family and I would go to BLINK, and my parents would show us around the city they called home while in college. We would go see Cincinnati Music Hall – that was my favorite building – and stare, astonished, at the light peaking through the glass windows. The beauty that was portrayed was truly one of a kind.
This year, I went to BLINK with some of my best friends from Miami. With us, we took two people who had never been to Cincinnati before, thinking this would be the perfect time to show them around our beautiful city. We were right.
Every corner was lit up with blue, green, purple, and every color you could think of. It was truly amazing watching the buildings lit up because you knew that there was someone in the audience who created that art, watching in pride that they had made it.
One of our favorite places to see was Fountain Square, which had this beautiful cube that projected a variety of colors. Music Hall and Washington Park, as always, were breathtaking.
One of the most iconic and awe-inspiring moments was when we were walking down Walnut Street and saw the YWCA building. There was our school, Miami University, shown to millions of people in the heart of Cincinnati, during the largest light festival in the country. We stood there, astonished, and couldn’t keep our eyes off the beautiful display of light and color created by our peers.
Miami University at BLINK
The beautiful art project on the YWCA building was created by a team of Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD students.
This program examines how technology can create a positive impact on society. One of those ways is by creating a stunning light display to be projected onto a very well known building, in the heart of Cincinnati, during BLINK.
Seeing this amazing program highlighted at BLINK was a unique experience that we will never forget.
A sense of pride for Miami washed over us. When we saw the artist’s names projected onto the building, we pointed out those we knew. When people asked us if we knew them, we had the honor and privilege to say, “That is our college up there.”
This was a beautiful, iconic, and special moment for our ETBD program and its students.
To the ETBD students who worked on this project, you did so well and made Miami University extremely proud. Seeing your work projected for so many people to see must have been a surreal moment. Standing there, watching your art made us feel proud and so excited. Keep doing what you are doing because you are doing great things!
BLINK is scheduled to happen in 2026 in the heart of Cincinnati. If you missed it in 2024, be sure to mark your calendar now because you won’t want to miss this light show. If you blink, you will miss it.