ArtsOhio Blog

Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards Announced

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 14:53:02 GMT

Members of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board have approved $375,000 in grant funding to be awarded to Ohio artists through the OAC’s Individual Excellence Awards program for state fiscal year 2020.

Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of a creative artist’s body of work that exemplifies their specific discipline and advances the larger artistic community. These awards support artists' growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond.

During this funding cycle, applications in choreography, criticism, fiction and non-fiction, music composition, playwriting/screenplays, and poetry were accepted. Each award is $5,000. The grants were approved at the OAC board’s winter meeting on Jan. 29.

Awarded through an open panel review process focused on the basis of exceptional merit of an artist’s past body of work, Individual Excellence Award funding gives artists the resources to experiment and explore their art forms, develop skills, and advance their careers.

“The Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Awards give artists the opportunity to be recognized and rewarded for their exemplary artistic achievements,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “Through their art, the individuals selected for these grants have expressed visionary ideas, spoken in a diversity of voices, and explored thought-provoking topics and themes from a variety of viewpoints. We congratulate the Individual Excellence Award recipients and thank them for enriching Ohio’s creative community.”

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here. For a PDF list of grant recipients, click here.

A list of Individual Excellence Award winners follows:

CHOREOGRAPHY

Alice Blumenfeld (Oberlin, Lorain County)
Kimberly Karpanty (Akron, Summit County)
Russell Lepley (Columbus, Franklin County)
Samuel McIntosh (South Euclid, Cuyahoga County)
Alysia Ramos (Oberlin, Lorain County)

CRITICISM

Melissa Barrett (Columbus, Franklin County)
Jeremy Glazier (Columbus, Franklin County)
Joel Oliphint (Columbus, Franklin County)

FICTION

Seth Borgen (Akron, Summit County)
Valerie Cumming (Westerville, Franklin County)
Terry Dubow (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Bradley Felver (Toledo, Lucas County)
Erin Flanagan (Kettering, Montgomery County)
Billy Hallal (Lakewood, Cuyahoga County)
Michelle Herman (Columbus, Franklin County)
Karen Frank Kotrba (Columbiana, Columbiana County)
Lee Martin (Grove City, Franklin County)
Lynda Montgomery (Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Susan Petrone (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Robert Pope (Akron, Summit County)
Valli Jo Porter (Solon, Cuyahoga County)
Doug Ramspeck (Lima, Allen County)
Jason Sanford (Columbus, Franklin County)
Jamie Lyn Smith (Mount Vernon, Knox County)
Toni Thayer (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
John Thorndike (Athens, Athens County)
Gina Ventre (University Heights, Cuyahoga County)

NON-FICTION

Sayuri Ayers (Columbus, Franklin County)
Amy Butcher (Delaware, Delaware County)
James Cummins (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
James Fox (New Concord, Muskingum County)
David Hassler (Kent, Portage County)
Michael Loderstedt (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Sarah Lohman (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Joe Mackall (West Salem, Ashland County)
Sarah Minor (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Jenny Patton (Dublin, Delaware County)
Mary Quade (Madison, Lake County)
Eliza Smith (Columbus, Franklin County)

MUSIC COMPOSITION

Daniel Bruce (Lakewood, Cuyahoga County)
Christopher Coles (Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County)
Brian Harnetty (Columbus, Franklin County)
Mikel Kuehn (Sylvania, Lucas County)
Daniel McCarthy (Akron, Summit County)
Robert McClure (Athens, Athens County)
Jeffrey Mumford (Oberlin, Lorain County)
Adam Roberts (Akron, Summit County)

PLAYWRITING

George Brant (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Vera Brunner-Sung (screenwriting) (Columbus, Franklin County)
Anton Dudley (Mount Vernon, Knox County)
Thomas Hayes (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Les Hunter (Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Lisa Langford (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Faye Sholiton (Beachwood, Cuyahoga County)
Erik Sternberger (Westerville, Franklin County)

POETRY

Ruth Awad (Columbus, Franklin County)
Melissa Barrett (Columbus, Franklin County)
George Bilgere (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Schyler Butler (Columbus, Franklin County)
Akhim Cabey (Columbus, Franklin County)
Babette Cieskowski (Columbus, Franklin County)
James Ellenberger (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Becca J.R. Lachman (Athens, Athens County)
Paula J. Lambert (Columbus, Franklin County)
Keith Leonard (Columbus, Franklin County)
Rebecca Lindenberg (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Aimee Noel (Dayton, Montgomery County)
Douglas Ray (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Robin Beth Schaer (Wooster, Wayne County)
Meg Shevenock (Columbus, Franklin County)
Joel Showalter (Columbus, Franklin County)
Ann Townsend (Granville, Licking County)
Christina Veladota (Athens, Athens County)
LaWanda Walters (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Catherine Wing (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)

For more information about the OAC’s grant programs, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants.

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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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $14.7M in Arts Grants

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:47:11 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board has approved $14,733,107 in grants to support Ohio artists, organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming during its initial and major state fiscal year 2020 funding round.

The board approved 743 grants when it met publicly on July 17 for its summer board meeting.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said the grant awards help arts organizations, educators, and artists throughout the state strengthen Ohio’s creative economy and enrich communities through the arts.

“We are honored to award these grants to the phenomenal arts organizations, art educators, and artists who work to champion the arts in Ohio,” she said. “Our state is rich in artistic ingenuity, creative collaboration, and passionate individuals who know firsthand the positive impact of the arts.”

The 743 grants awarded during this funding round are an important step toward the fulfillment of the agency’s ongoing commitment to directly fund arts and culture initiatives taking place in all 88 Ohio counties, something it has been able to do for the past two biennia.

Collins said a commitment to providing statewide support of the arts is more important than ever following the announcement of an historic $34.5 million allocated to the OAC through the 2020-21 state budget—a $5 million increase in funding from last biennium.

“We are very grateful to Governor Mike DeWine, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, for their support of public funding for the arts through the state budget’s appropriation to the Ohio Arts Council,” she said. “As we conclude a grant application cycle that saw a record-setting number of requests for funding, we are thrilled that support from our state’s governor and legislators ensures that more public dollars will be spent over the next two years on grants for the arts in Ohio.”

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here. To view all grants awarded this funding round as a PDF, click here.

Operating Support

Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state's arts and culture ecosystem. This four-year funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
- Large Organizations: 40 grants totaling $7,616,964
- Mid-Sized Organizations: 264 grants totaling $4,126,315

Arts Access supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres that broaden opportunities for the general public to participate in the arts. This flexible two-year funding provides general operating support for small organizations.
- 51 grants totaling $156,926

Project Support

ArtSTART provides accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, first-time OAC applicants, and organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
- 156 grants totaling $370,020

ArtsNEXT provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
- 55 grants totaling $422,889

Arts Learning

Arts Partnership supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC aims to strengthen arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
- 79 grants totaling $797,979

TeachArtsOhio brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.
- 50 grants totaling $880,800

Individual Artists

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships provide support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. These awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of Ohioans.
- 14 grants totaling $35,997

Ohio Artists on Tour

The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of performing artists and ensembles to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
- 28 grants totaling $113,008

Statewide Arts Service Organization Support

Statewide Arts Service Organizations (SASO) are qualifying organizations that provide statewide professional services to arts and cultural organizations. These organizations often serve as critical partners as they, along with their members or constituents, support the OAC's mission to strengthen Ohio communities through the arts. Statewide Arts Service Organizations are eligible to receive OAC support in a way that honors their unique and valuable contributions to Ohio’s arts sector.
- 6 grants totaling $212,209

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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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $12.6M in Arts Grants

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:18:58 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board has approved $12,620,446 in grants to support Ohio artists, organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming during its initial and major state fiscal year 2019 funding round.

The board approved 679 grants when it met publicly on July 25 for its summer board meeting.

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here.

“Thanks to the Ohio governor and legislature’s prioritization of arts funding in the state budget, the Ohio Arts Council continues to invest in Ohio’s creative economy,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “With these awards, Ohio’s arts sector will engage our citizens, undertake innovative projects, and lead our state to a bright, shared future.”

Grant funding was awarded in the following areas:

Operating Support

Sustainability supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the largest and most administratively sophisticated organizations in the state's arts and culture ecosystem. This four-year funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers that are positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
- Large Organizations: 35 grants totaling $6,359,375
- Mid-Sized Organizations: 245 grants totaling $3,750,082
Arts Access supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres that broaden opportunities for the general public to participate in the arts. This flexible two-year funding provides general operating support for small organizations.
- 31 grants totaling $89,526

Project Support

ArtSTART provides accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, first-time OAC applicants, and organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
- 172 grants totaling $424,244
ArtsNEXT provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
- 60 grants totaling $521,548

Arts Learning

Arts Partnership supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC aims to strengthen arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
- 62 grants totaling $717,014

TeachArtsOhio brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences.
- 41 grants totaling $641,700

Artist Programs

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships provide support for master artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. These awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of Ohioans.
- 10 grants totaling $37,425

Ohio Artists on Tour

The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of performing artists and ensembles to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
- 23 grants totaling $79,532

In addition to approving the grants, the OAC board also affirmed the selection of Westlake musician Hasu Patel for an Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award. The OAC annually awards Ohio Heritage Fellowships in recognition of the significant impact an individual or group has had on the people and communities of the state through their work in the folk or traditional arts.

This year, Patel, a world-class artist who performs classical music on the sitar, was selected for the Performing Arts category. In addition to receiving a $5,000 award, she will be recognized at a community event and ceremony later this year.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Women Veterans’ Work on Exhibit at Ohio Governor’s Residence May – July 2018

Thu, 05 Jul 2018 14:11:40 GMT

None of the busts that Terri Meyer created for the spring Spotlight: Featured Artists at the Ohio Governor’s Residence exhibition can speak, but each tells its own story.

“People who join the military come from all walks of life and their personal stories are as unique as their facial features,” said Meyer, a sculptor and painter from Ashland County. “Each of these veterans made sacrifices for their country and now have an audience through art to be appreciated for their military contribution. None of these people would have been acknowledged for their service in this way, had they not been turned into pieces of sculptures.”

Sculpting the busts in her military series from live models gave Meyer, who served as an Air Force staff sergeant, the opportunity to learn more about her subjects—Nancy Pierce, John Barr, Dave Zacharias, and Barry Wheeler, the model for “The Aviator”—and their experiences.

“I give thanks to all of them for spending time with me, recounting their stories of service while I sculpted them,” she said.

The spring Spotlight exhibition features the work of seven Ohio military and veteran women artists. While not all the pieces have military themes, their creators are women who have served as members of the United States Armed Forces.

“This quarter, I think it is really special that we are featuring female artists who are veterans,” said Ohio First Lady Karen W. Kasich. “We are pleased that they not only share our passion for their country and we thank them for their service, but also we are so excited to see their passion for the arts and for communicating through the arts.”

In addition to Meyer’s four sculptures, the exhibition includes work by Shannon Bryant of Pickaway County, Jacqueline Hatcher of Lucas County, Amy Magnus of Greene County, Carolyn Nagy of Lucas County, Allison Smith of Trumbull County, and Megan Stafford of Franklin County.

At the exhibition’s artist reception on June 18, Chip Tansill, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, said Ohio has 800,000 veterans, the sixth-largest population in the United States. Of this total, he said, 67,000 are women.

The exhibition, Tansill said, shows how art can inspire both the artist and the viewer.

“Everyone expresses themselves differently. I love to look at art and think, ‘What brought that out? What made you think of that?’” he said. “Some have a passion for art, some work things out through art, and some do both.”

For Meyer, art is a journey that has allowed her to grow creatively and share her voice through her work.

“The way each of us creates art expresses our uniqueness and is our gift to the world, as it reflects our inner soul,” she said. “It was an honor to be selected and acknowledged (in the spring Spotlight exhibition). The event made me feel valued in two respects, as a veteran and as an artist.”

2018 Spring Spotlight: Ohio Military and Veteran Women Artists at the Ohio Governor’s Residence is on view at the Ohio Governor’s Residence through mid-July.

Members of the public who wish to view the Spotlight exhibition can schedule a free tour of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden by calling 614-644-7644 or online at residence@governor.ohio.gov.

ABOUT SPOTLIGHT: FEATURED ARTISTS AT THE OHIO GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE
Spotlight: Featured Artists at the Ohio Governor’s Residence is a program created by Ohio’s First Lady Karen W. Kasich that celebrates Ohio artists by showcasing a sampling of their artworks in the Residence foyer. The program enhances the ongoing partnership between the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden and the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). Since 1985 the OAC has assisted in placing artwork by Ohio artists and from Ohio cultural institutions in the Governor’s Residence and throughout the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts. The Spotlight program offers quarterly exhibitions at the Governor’s Residence highlighted by opening receptions. Spotlight Artists are selected by First Lady Kasich with assistance from the OAC. All Ohio artists are eligible to submit their work for consideration. To be eligible for the program the artist cannot be a student enrolled in a degree-granting program and must be a resident of the State of Ohio.

ABOUT THE OHIO GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE AND HERITAGE GARDEN
The Jacobean Revival style home was originally built for the family of industrialist Malcom Jeffrey in 1925, and has served as the official Ohio Governor’s Residence for nearly 60 years. Examples of Ohio art, industry, and craftsmanship are showcased throughout the house while outside, the surrounding Heritage Garden reflects the state’s diverse native botanicals and landscapes. Free tours of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden can be scheduled by calling 614-644-7644 or online at residence@governor.ohio.gov.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured photo courtesy of the Office of Ohio First Lady Karen W. Kasich

Ohio Artists Receive Individual Excellence Awards

Thu, 03 May 2018 12:58:45 GMT

Board members of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) approved Individual Excellence Awards for state fiscal year 2018 during a public meeting on April 25.

Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of creative artists for the exceptional merit of a body of their work that advances or exemplifies the discipline and the larger artistic community. These awards support artists' growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond.

During this funding cycle, applications in choreography, criticism, fiction/non-fiction, music composition, playwriting/screenplays, and poetry were accepted. Each award is $5,000.

“We are fortunate to have a creative abundance of outstanding artists in Ohio,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “Frank Lloyd Wright was known to say, ‘I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things I want to see happen.’ The artists earning the Ohio Arts Council’s 2018 Individual Excellence Awards have indeed been tapped for their success.”

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, download the Excel spreadsheet here.

A list of Individual Excellence Award winners follows:

ASHLAND

Sarah Wells (Ashland) – Non-Fiction

ATHENS

Merri Biechler (Guysville) – Playwriting
Sharon Hatfield (Athens) – Non-Fiction
Mark Phillips (Athens) – Music Composition

BUTLER

TaraShea Nesbit (Oxford) – Non-Fiction

CLARK

Mimi Dixon (Springfield) – Non-Fiction

CUYAHOGA

Michael Credico (Lakewood) – Fiction
Caitlin Dargue (Shaker Heights) – Playwriting
Keith Fitch (Cleveland Heights) – Music Composition
Mary Grimm (Cleveland) – Fiction
Christopher Johnston (Shaker Heights) – Non-Fiction
Bradley Ricca (University Heights) – Non-Fiction
Pandora Robertson (Cleveland Heights) – Playwriting
David Shimotakahara (Cleveland Heights) – Choreography
Gregory Vovos (Rocky River) – Playwriting
Megan Young (Cleveland) – Choreography

DARKE

Myrna Stone (Greenville) – Poetry

DEFIANCE

Mary Catherine Harper (Defiance) – Poetry

ERIE

Daniel Sapp (Berlin Heights) – Poetry

FAIRFIELD

Charles Salmons (Canal Winchester) – Poetry

FRANKLIN

Marc Ainger (Columbus) – Music Composition
Jenny Deller (Columbus) – Playwriting
Darren Demaree (Columbus) – Poetry
Mya Frazier (Columbus) – Criticism
Linda Fuller-Smith (Columbus) – Poetry
Kevin Griffith (Columbus) – Poetry
Samantha Tucker Iacovetto (Columbus) – Non-Fiction
Jahir Johnson (Columbus) – Playwriting
Kris Paulsen (Worthington) – Criticism
Susan Petry (Columbus) – Choreography
Rebecca Seum (Westerville) – Non-Fiction
Maggie Smith (Bexley) – Poetry
Michael Vander Does (Columbus) – Poetry
Nick White (Columbus) – Fiction
Carmen Winant (Columbus) – Criticism
David Yee (Columbus) – Fiction

GEAUGA

Patrick Culliton (Chardon) – Poetry
Brian Macaskill (Chardon) – Criticism

GREENE

Heather Christle (Yellow Springs) – Non-Fiction
Will Clemens (Fairborn) – Poetry
Rebecca Kuder (Yellow Springs) – Non-Fiction

HAMILTON

Michael Fiday (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Luke Geddes (Cincinnati) – Fiction
Jennifer Habel (Cincinnati) – Poetry
Ellen Harrison (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Kristen Iversen (Cincinnati) – Non-Fiction
Matt Jones (Cincinnati) – Non-Fiction
Douglas Knehans (Cincinnati) – Music Composition
Julia Koets (Cincinnati) – Poetry
Brian Roley (Montgomery) – Fiction
Judith Turner-Yamamoto (Cincinnati) – Fiction

HARRISON

Sharon Mooney (Scio) – Poetry

KNOX

Jaquira Diaz (Gambier) - Non-Fiction
Kora Radella Feller (Gambier) – Choreography
Margaree Little (Mount Vernon) – Poetry

LAKE

Christopher Harris (Madison) – Non-Fiction

LORAIN

Elizabeth Ogonek (Oberlin) – Music Composition
Marco Wilkinson (Oberlin) – Non-Fiction

LUCAS

Jim Ferris (Sylvania) – Music Composition
Mikel Kuehn (Sylvania) – Music Composition
Eric Pfeffinger (Toledo) – Playwriting
Benjamin Stroud (Toledo) – Fiction

MADISON

Vicki Sairs (London) – Fiction

MONTGOMERY

Furaha Henry-Jones (Centerville) – Poetry
Sharon Short (Centerville) – Fiction

PORTAGE

Lora Gray (Kent) – Fiction

RICHLAND

Mark Jordan (Lucas) – Criticism

SUMMIT

Mary Biddinger (Akron) – Poetry
Robin Prichard (Akron) – Choreography
Barbara Sabol (Cuyahoga Falls) – Poetry
Stefanie Wass (Hudson) – Fiction

WARREN

Katrina Kittle (Springboro) – Fiction

WAYNE

Anthony Tognazzini (Wooster) – Fiction

WOOD

Sharona Muir (Perrysburg) – Fiction
Frank Rzicznek (Bowling Green) – Poetry
Daniel Williams (Perrysburg) – Playwriting

For more information about the OAC’s grant programs, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
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Updated May 3, 2018: This story has been revised to include an updated version of the spreadsheet that lists Sarah Wells' current city and county (Ashland, Ashland County) and Individual Excellence Award recipient Jaquira Diaz.
Updated May 29, 2018: This story has been updated to include the correct spelling of Mya Frazier's name.
Updated June 1, 2018: This story has been updated with Daniel Williams' correct discipline (playwriting).