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ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University artist Michael Stillion is taking part in a cross-disciplinary collaboration with Cincinnati Ballet that brings together visual art and dance.

Stillion, associate teaching professor of Studio Art at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, has been paired with choreographer Melody Mennite for Cincinnati Ballet’s Kaplan New Works Series, Sept. 18-26 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. The two artists have spent the past several months getting to know each other’s work and exploring connections between their respective creative practices.

Their collaboration will culminate in a new work choreographed by Mennite that will have its world premiere Sept. 18.

Cincinnati Ballet brought Stillion and Mennite together as part of this year’s Kaplan New Works Series, which creates a dialogue between dance and visual art. Stillion’s recent solo exhibition, And then it was flowers, at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center has served as one element of the pair’s creative exchange as Mennite develops the new work.

“I’m especially excited for the opportunity to collaborate with the Cincinnati Ballet and the incredibly talented choreographer Melody Mennite,” Stillion said. “Her vision of translating my work into movement is both inspiring and thrilling.”

The partnership follows Stillion’s recent exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center, which opened in April and featured approximately 50 works across painting, ceramics, digital animation, sculpture, and installation.

“My exhibition, And Then It Was Flowers, at the Contemporary Arts Center has been such a rewarding experience,” Stillion said. “Having my work shown in such a prestigious venue has been a true highlight of my career.”

The Kaplan New Works Series expands that experience into a new artistic setting, giving Stillion and Mennite an opportunity to explore how ideas can move between visual and performing arts.

The 2026 program brings together four internationally recognized choreographers: Robert Bondara, Anne Jung, Mthuthuzeli November, and Mennite. Cincinnati artists Stillion and Gee Horton are participating in collaborations with Mennite and November, respectively, creating connections between local visual artists and the choreographers developing new works for the series.

For Stillion, the experience has offered an opportunity to see how another artist approaches ideas, imagery, and creative expression through a different discipline.

“I can’t wait to see the finished work come to life at its world premiere on September 18,” he said.

The Kaplan New Works Series runs Sept. 18-26 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati. Tickets and additional performance information are available through Cincinnati Ballet.