We Can Support Ohio Arts by Working Together

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 01:21:56 GMT

It’s been quite a week in Ohio. With updates pinging our phones every second, emails flying to and fro, and difficult decisions being made every day, the Ohio Arts Council understands that this is not the start to spring that any of our wonderful arts organizations, arts educators, and artists had hoped for or anticipated.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how generous Ohioans are. How we pull together when times are tough. How we enthusiastically jump in to support each other when we see ways that we can help—and when those avenues of assistance aren’t immediately clear, how we start thinking creatively to find a solution. How we aren’t afraid to put our heads together to develop innovative ways in which we can have a positive impact. And how we are never too busy to take the time to check in with our friends, colleagues, and neighbors in the arts.

These past several days, the OAC has been having its own discussions, working to prepare a plan that will allow us to continue to serve you, our amazing Ohio arts community, to the best of our ability while adjusting our approach as more information becomes available from our state’s health and governmental leaders. We’ve had to make some difficult decisions of our own, as we’ve chosen to reschedule the 2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio for a later date.

As of March 13, the OAC has begun proactively issuing partial payments for nearly all current FY 2020 operating and project support grants that have not already received them. These are grants that have already been extensively reviewed via rigorous panel processes and awarded funding by the OAC board. Partial payments are typically awarded only upon request, but by taking this action the OAC will quickly inject more than $3.5 million directly into arts and cultural organizations around the state, which can then be put immediately to work within the Ohio economy.

More changes and updates will likely come as we learn more from Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton about our state’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), but we remain committed to the health and safety of our arts community as our top priority.

In uncertain times like these, it is sometimes hard to feel as if we can do anything that could make a difference. But I believe there are things every single one of us can do to support each other.

Here are a few suggestions:

Keep your tickets and registrations instead of asking for a refund.
For all of us who are holding tickets for concerts, plays, lectures, etc., let’s consider not asking for refunds, if we are financially able. Our artists and arts organizations need our support now more than ever. With event cancellations and other social distancing measures being implemented rapidly across the state in response to COVID-19, the Ohio arts and cultural community now faces a potentially grave and extended cash flow shortage, which may directly affect the state’s nearly 290,000 creative industries workers, their families, and communities.

Consider the amount you paid for your ticket as an investment in Ohio’s artists and musicians (who need paid even when shows are cancelled by no fault of their own). Helping to offset the loss of revenue for our nonprofits will make a huge difference as arts and culture organizations are forced to cancel events and programming due to the Ohio Department of Health’s ban on mass gatherings.

Take care of your own health and stay connected.
The Ohio Department of Health has a website that is updated daily and provides helpful tips on preventing infectious disease, educational videos, and news releases with updates from the Department of Health and the Ohio Governor’s Office, and more. A phone line has been set up for answers to your COVID-19 questions and is reachable at 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).

The Ohio Arts Council has developed a page to provide answers to frequently asked questions, keep you apprised of agency news and updates, and share resources to assist you in your operations and planning: oac.ohio.gov/About/Coronavirus-Updates. We will also be sharing links to emergency funding resources for artists and arts organizations on our social media pages in the coming weeks.

Share information with artists, arts administrators, and teaching artists in your community about emergency funds and other sources of support.
Many entities nationwide are offering emergency funding resources for artists and arts organizations.

Americans for the Arts launched their new COVID-19 Resource and Response Center on March 13, 2020. This hub of information includes valuable links to funding/grant opportunities throughout the country. It also features a link to an economic impact survey aiming to “capture a broad spectrum of data and stories that will demonstrate how the arts and culture workers triumphed and survived this crisis as well as the effect of the outbreak on operations through cancelled events, lost wages, and additional expenses.” You can access the survey and resource links here.

Please share these links with those who you feel can benefit from this funding. They are not by any means the only resources out there, but they are a good way to get started:

For the Literary Arts

The PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund assists professional fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. Grants range from $500 to $1,000, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis with a decision expected from the emergency fund committee within 10 days.
Rolling deadline | More information: pen.org/writers-emergency-fund

For the Performing Arts

The Actors Fund offers free and confidential social service programs that are available nationally and address a wide array of challenges faced by people in performing arts and entertainment.
More information: actorsfund.org

For the Visual Arts

The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc. Emergency Grant provides interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Each grant is given as one-time assistance for a specific emergency. The maximum amount of this grant is $15,000, a typical grant is $5,000.
Rolling deadline | More information: gottliebfoundation.org/emergency-grant

The Foundation for Contemporary Arts’ (FCA) emergency grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists who incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates. The FCA makes approximately 12-15 grants each month, and grants range in amount from $500 to $2,500.
Rolling deadline | More information: foundationforcontemporaryarts.org

The Artists Fellowship web page offers a list of emergency aid resources and additional grant funding opportunities for visual artists, many of which are open to qualified artists in craft, design, and fine arts disciplines.
More information: artistsfellowship.org/emergency-aid-resources

For Musicians

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.
Rolling deadline | More information: sweetrelief.org | Looking to donate? You can donate to the Sweet Relief COVID-19 Donor-Directed Fund

As we continue to learn more about the coronavirus in the coming days and weeks, let's continue to do the right thing by our fellow Ohioans in the arts. We will support each other and get through this together, as we always do in Ohio.

Until next time,

Donna S. Collins
Ohio Arts Council Executive Director

Featured photo by Katie Monahan, Communications Strategist

Celebrating Arts and Humanities Month at the OAC

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:47:00 GMT

Celebrating the arts during National Arts and Humanities Month every October is like celebrating the birthday of a close friend or relative. Even though you appreciate them all year round, it’s nice to have an opportunity to highlight the things that make them special or impact you deeply on a regular basis.

“National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Each year since 1993, NAHM has helped give millions of Americans the opportunity to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives and has encouraged them to begin a lifelong habit of active participation.”- The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

Being the director of a statewide organization for the better part of twenty years means I have been traveling all over Ohio for almost as long. I always try to experience a piece of the local community’s arts and culture during my visits. In doing so, I have come to learn how vibrant and diverse the artists in our state are.

Whether it’s student exhibitions, craft museums, or street performances, the artists and the work they create all have something to teach us. For one thing, the arts are part of our lives every day. Whether we notice it or not the billboards we pass during our commutes, the band accompanying our sports teams, and the Halloween costumes filling store windows are all a product of someone’s art education.

I am so fortunate to work with people who see the value in these aspects of society. And to have an entire month to remind myself of the many facets of creativity. Ohio’s powerful arts communities are certainly worth celebrating this month. The OAC’s Creative Economy grants help arts and cultural organizations engage with their partners in city planning, urban and rural development, and parks and recreation. Funded projects bring together people from all walks of life, often for the very first time. Through these initiatives, Ohioans become invested in their localities, which leads to even more positive outcomes for the world we all live in. But not everyone has the consistent opportunity to see Ohio from all angles.

So this year, the OAC will participate in the NAHM #ShowYourArt Instagram campaign. Led by national leaders at Americans for the Arts, members of the arts community will upload photos and videos to their Instagram accounts with the tags #ShowYourArt and @Americans4Arts, and share posts via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more! We can all learn more about Ohio and about each other by sharing our own art, art we like, and art events we attend in October. Most of all, I am excited to pay extra special tribute to the arts and humanities this month because they bring joy and purpose into the lives of everyone they touch.

Artfully yours,

Donna S. Collins
Executive Director

Celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month with #ShowYourArt

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 18:27:00 GMT

There's still plenty of October left! Keep using #ShowYourArt on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram—mention the Ohio Arts Council so we know how you're celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month and we'll share some highlights throughout the month.

ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at oac.ohio.gov.

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ArtsOhio Blog

We Can Support Ohio Arts by Working Together

Celebrating Arts and Humanities Month at the OAC

Celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month with #ShowYourArt