Photo: Daniel Ransohoff

The Over-the-Rhine Museum is delighted to announce the next installment in our story-sharing series, “Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine,” on September 2, 2026, at 6:30 PM at Memorial Hall (1225 Elm Street). 

This month’s Three Acts will introduce our upcoming FotoFocus exhibition, Second Look: Danny Ransohoff's Cityscapes Through New Eyes. In preparation for the show, we will be exploring legendary Cincinnati native Daniel J. (Danny) Ransohoff’s life and legacy with three local luminaries, each of whom knew Ransohoff in their own way. 

These three presenters will shed light on scholar, educator, social worker, historian, and all-around Cincinnati promoter Danny Ransohoff with specific attention to his unique talent in photography. During this event, audiences will get a sneak peek at images from the upcoming show while learning more about Cincinnati through Ransohoff’s eyes. 

The Second Look: Danny Ransohoff's Cityscapes Through New Eyes exhibition will invite visitors to explore change over time in Over-the-Rhine and urban Cincinnati by comparing Danny’s photographs with “today” images taken by UC students. It will open in the Museum’s storefront on October 3, 2026.

Doors open at 6:00 PM and the program begins at 6:30 PM. Walk-ins are welcome until we reach room capacity. Reserve your place today.

SPEAKERS

Robert Flischel

Robert (Bob) Flischel met Danny Ransohoff while bartending at a private party. As a young photographer and social worker, Robert was familiar with Danny's work in the legendary photography exhibit, "The Family of Man." He asked Danny to help him find a job as a social worker. Danny immediately offered to help, while also informing Robert that there were two strikes against him. When prodded on what those two strikes were, Danny’s response was typical of his character. He responded, "You said you were a photographer and social worker." After this encounter, Robert began work with The Cincinnati Association for the Blind.

Robert’s talk will explore Danny's lifelong commitment to documentary photography. He will analyze Danny’s unique style and sensitivity as a photographer, and share some of Danny's best stories and insights as he probed the concentrated poverty of the region.

Daniel Hurley

Dan Hurley is a local public historian who has focused his work on helping Cincinnatians create context to better understand the history of our region. Dan consciously chose to work primarily outside the classroom as a producer/reporter for commercial television, a columnist for newspapers and magazines, and as a curator of museum exhibits. In the early 1990s, Dan took over Danny's "Understanding the Urban Environment" course at the School of Planning at UC.

Dan’s talk will explore Ransohoff’s commitment to local history and Danny and Dan’s shared love of their city. Although they sometimes had different approaches, Danny's photography repeatedly informed Hurley's research into the history of Family Service and the Children's Home of Cincinnati. They shared an enthusiasm for communicating insights from history to adult learners through vehicles like bus tours. On a personal level, Danny's contribution of a photo of an old woman silhouetted in an Over-the-Rhine tenement window for the groundbreaking Family of Man exhibition in 1955 helped Dan, raised in suburban Park Hills, better understand his Aunt Daisy.

Terry Grundy

Terry Grundy and Danny Ransohoff were the best of friends for decades and enjoyed working together on many projects at the United Way. They taught together at UC’s School of Planning — where Terry continues teaching as UC’s longest-serving “permanent” Adjunct Professor. One of the projects they collaborated on was Danny’s wonderful book, There Is in Every Human Countenance, Either a History or a Prophesy, and an earlier book, How Can I Help? Terry professes boundless admiration for Danny’s creativity, eccentricity, love of people, and irrepressible boosterism for his beloved Cincinnati.

Terry’s presentation will focus on how Danny, as a young man, was affected by the Great Depression and the hardships it inflicted on his city’s poor and vulnerable. Terry will trace how that led Danny to study Social Work in college and, after World War II, enter that profession — first at Family Service of Cincinnati and then at the Community Chest & Council (later United Way). Danny carved out unique roles for himself in both organizations, supporting their fundraising, communications, and public policy advocacy efforts. In those roles, he honed his skills as a photographer in the “social realism” tradition and became an influential advocate for the public support of social services and for any other cause that captured his attention.

EVENT ARRIVAL

This Three Acts event will be held in the ballroom at Memorial Hall (main entrance). Accessible entry is available on the north side of the building. Parking can be found at the Washington Park garage, nearby lots, or at marked on-street locations. Bus and streetcar stops are located across from Memorial Hall. A Red Bike bikeshare station is also located at the northwest corner of Washington Park.

ABOUT THREE ACTS

Three Acts in Over-the-Rhine is an innovative lecture series designed to expose attendees to stories of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Each event features three fifteen-minute talks and concludes with a group question-and-answer period. The Over-the-Rhine Museum welcomes your support for these provocative stories. Donate online at www.otrmuseum.org/donate.

ABOUT THE OVER-THE-RHINE MUSEUM

The Over-the-Rhine Museum curates immersive historical experiences that center shared heritage and encourage community engagement.