University of Cincinnati
10/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/09/2026 18:23
Lighting up the skyline for Blink
Lighting up the skyline for Blink
CCM represents at the nation's biggest public arts event
10 minute read October 9, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print Story Like
A team of University of Cincinnati students are taking over in the heart of Blink, the nation's biggest public light and art festival. You can catch the dazzling display through Oct. 11 at Cincinnati's Elm Street Plaza.
Cincinnati's nationally ranked street art comes to life this weekend at the biannual festival, spanning over 35 blocks from downtown Cincinnati to Northern Kentucky. Last time the event was staged, in 2024, Blink saw over 2 million attendees and it continues to grow with more artists and events.
This year, four UC College-Conservatory of Music technicians teamed up to create "Echoes of Light," a display of music and light on the largest continuous mural in the state. The mural, created by Tristan Eaton in 2022, stands at about 18,000 square feet and features 10 iconic Cincinnati musicians including the Isley Brothers, Doris Day and Bootsy Collins.
The installation was created by CCM lighting design and technology students Jacob Kaplan, lighting designer; Lia Lubinsky, sound designer and co-programmer; Lucy Dunn, lighting project manager; and Jack Walter, programmer; with faculty adviser Sharon Huizinga, CCM associate professor of lighting design and technology.
The student crew went into the project not knowing which mural they would light. "All I knew was that I was doing Blink and I knew who was doing it with me," Kaplan said. "My first thought from that was, I looked at this list of names and I was ecstatic," he said.
Meet the team behind the display.
For the CCM students involved, Blink is not just a festival - it's a professional-level project that will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people, and a major line on their resumes.
Four lighting design and technology undergrads teamed up for UC's Blink contribution this year.
How CCM students prepared to light up Blink
The run up to Blink this year included months of preparation and deliberation. Each year, CCM students are assigned roles on productions as part of their hands-on education. This is the third time that a project with Blink has been part of that experiential learning, and CCM's largest project for the festival so far.
Faculty adviser Huizinga helped pilot the Blink education initiative, a new style of proposal system where she put in a Blink application on behalf of the department.
The team had about a week to set up on site at Elm Street Plaza.
"We didn't know the exact students yet, and we didn't know a concept or a location," she explained. "But in the application we showed all the ways our department has done this kind of work before and why we think we can deliver on this."
Huizinga said the long run-up from conceptual development to the festival became an amazing learning opportunity for her students. Once the Blink team was picked, she took a back seat, offering advice and expert opinions as needed. She was at the meeting where the team pitched their idea to the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, but the students took the lead.
"We all love what we're doing, and we're having a great time doing it. And if we're there long hours, our faculty are there long hours," Kaplan said. "It's really amazing that they are there to support us even after their teaching hours may have concluded."
I visited [CCM] and was just bowled over with how specialized it is and how it prepares you for your career.
Lucy Dunn CCM lighting design and technology student
The unique opportunity ties perfectly into the lighting program's experience-based approach. "All of our learning is based on really hands-on experiential learning. And this is a whole other level with 2 million people coming to watch," Huizinga said. "That's a really exceptional thing to walk out of an undergraduate degree with on your resume."
Having gotten their assignments in the spring, the team knew what they were doing and how by the fall semester.
Planning, programming and producing
Huizinga said she deliberately brought in a variety of types of experience in lighting in creating this year's team, but one piece was crucial: Making sure each student was ready for this scale of work.
"Faculty assign shows taking into account what they think we will thrive in," Kaplan explained. "I was shocked when I was assigned Blink, but very excited. It's very different from anything I've worked on before."
He said figuring out the scale and size of the light show was a huge learning process. Even the way he worked on building professional relationships with artists was different for Blink than it was for his previous experiences at venues including the Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Ballet.
The Blink team programmed in CCM's light lab.
Conversely, programmer Walter has plenty of experience programming lights for flashy live events. Even the late night hours assisting the creative team for singer/songwriter Charli xcx's summer headliner shows prepared Walter for the odd, overnight hours required of Blink.
"I'm one of the few students in the program who doesn't really have a whole lot of theatrical experience," Walter explained. "This type of project aligns much more with the design and creative process of something like a concert tour instead of theater. The technical skills required to execute this project was something that I've been building up over my time in the program."
Preparing for Blink took months of coordinating and coding.
A musically themed display, assistant designer Lubinsky is in charge of the musical mashups that play for "Echoes of Light."
"I've been making the music mixes for the two pieces of activations we're doing," Lubinsky said. "One piece is like a jazz and funk type group and the other piece is more pop and rock. We split it up into five and five artists which worked out well."
Lubinksy also spearheaded coordinating the music that will play between the two choreographed lighting displays, curated from even more local Cincinnati musicians across genres.
And it's all managed by Dunn, who booked all the team's time in the lighting lab, relayed logistics and coordinated work days and media connections on site. They even measured and drafted a 3D model of the mural's wall that the team could use ahead of working on location.
"On site, I help deal with making sure everything is running smoothly. It's a public park, people are going to be in and out," Dunn explained. "I'm making it so all the team has to worry about is designing lights."
Lubinsky pivoted to lighting design after getting accepted into CCM for media production, describing herself as having "by accident stumbled into one of the best schools" for lighting.
Nationally recognized education
Kaplan has always been into the arts, but found his niche in lighting design during the COVID-19 quarantine when he pivoted from acting.
Still in high school, he attended a summer theatre program where he worked with a teacher that was a CCM lighting design and technology alum. After talking, Kaplan said that CCM quickly shot up to the top of his college application list.
A later trip to Cincinnati sealed the deal. "I had applied all over the place, but the second I visited campus I knew this was the school I wanted to be at," Kaplan said.
Some of the best things about his program, Kaplan said, are the networking opportunities and the work experiences outside of theater.
He stressed the value of working under professors that are actively involved in the industry. "They're taking us on jobs, so we get to see what it's like in the real world," he said. "It creates this environment that allows us to become better people, better designers, better technicians and really just grow."
Dunn also got involved with lighting in high school, quickly falling in love with the technicality and artistry of it. "After I was accepted to CCM, I visited and was just bowled over with how specialized it is and how it prepares you for your career," Dunn said.
UC's ongoing collaboration with Blink and Cincinnati's arts scene
UC is no stranger to Blink, having participated in 2022 and 2024. CCM alumni, along with grads from UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, have been creating for the festival since its inception.
"Echoes of Light" is CCM's third and largest contribution to Blink.
"Being involved with Blink in 2022 and 2024 were both great trial run experiences. We learned a lot as a department," adviser Huizinga said. With an application process now in place for educational institutions, she hopes to continue to apply on behalf of CCM for years to come. "I really want to shout out Blink leadership including Ben Nicholson. The educational track is a great process."
A CCM alum himself, Nicholson was appointed assistant professor of immersive media and visuals for live events in August.
And student experience extends beyond the festival itself. Student documentary filmmakers from CCM's production master class get to chronicle the whole experience of bringing "Echoes of Light" to life, like they did two years ago for CCM's 2024 contribution to Blink. Across schools, UC continues to get involved in the arts scene with hands-on opportunities unlike any other.
The team spoke with local media about the project ahead of the festival.
"I see all the stories about UC alumni doing cool things in the world, no matter what college they were part of," Walter said. "And I'm always like, 'That could be me and my friends one day.'"
Blink is just one of the opportunities in CCM's jam-packed schedule this season. Across disciplines, students are consistently churning out professional-level productions nearly every week this year.
"Our students are just so incredible," Huizinga said. "They're ambitious, they're talented, they're enthusiastic, they're hungry."
Cincinnati is our city
Cincinnati is our extended classroom, lab, career network and a place to explore, learn and serve. UC's urban location gives students unmatched access to real-world learning, artistic inspiration and vibrant culture. Our research and community engagement continually benefit the city we call home.
Featured image at top of "Echoes of Light" at Elm Street Plaza. Photos/UC Marketing + Brand/Connor Boyle
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