ArtsOhio Blog

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

Ashtabula Parachute Mural Project Promotes Artistic Pride, Community Placemaking

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 19:09:00 GMT

A new mural in Ashtabula is not only adding to the downtown landscape, but it’s also changing how some residents view public art in the city.

Designed by Minneapolis-based artist Greta McLain, the 500-square-foot parachute cloth mural features imagery that celebrates Ashtabula’s history as a northern port city and terminus on the Underground Railroad.

The mural, located on the side of the Ultimate Appearance Salon building (4702 Main Ave.), received an ArtsNEXT grant during the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) initial and major FY 2018 funding round.

"When I heard that ‘Ashtabula’ is a native term that was translated as ‘River of Many Fish,’ I immediately heard ‘abundance’ or ‘more than enough,’” McLain said. “I thought of what’s there, like the natural resources, rich history, and the people and their relationships.”

Throughout the mural creation and installation process, McLain said she had the opportunity to personally observe the formation of a special relationship between the city and the idea of largescale public art. But, she added, it wasn’t immediately clear how the project would be received.

“When I first presented the sketch, I felt like I was being fed to the wolves, in that (many people were) not interested and not smelling what I was cooking,” McLain said. “It was my role and job as an artist to be open to letting that go with the understanding that the goal of the whole thing was to invite everybody along for the ride.”

Getting everyone on board turned out to be a hands-on endeavor, said Ashtabula Arts Center Executive Director Meeghan Humphrey.

“In this community, we don’t have a tradition of public art in that way,” she said, recalling the skepticism that surrounded the initial review process. “(One individual) was really angry and very negative. When I got the OK to do it, she got up and walked out of the room.”

However, Humphrey said her demeanor changed as soon as she picked up a paintbrush at the community painting party, an event that attracted more than 70 participants.

“She came to that public painting party and halfway through it pulled me aside and said, ‘I take back everything I said. This is a fabulous event. I can’t believe you got all these people here to do this,’” Humphrey said. “I think, to me, that’s the power of what we’re doing. You can change a mind.”

The 10-day mural creation process introduced the technique of creating a 30-foot-by-25-foot image out of the same material used to make parachutes. The design was projected onto smaller pieces of cloth, painted in sections, and then adhered by hand to an acrylic gel-coated surface.

Humphrey said the collaborative nature of the project was what initially drew her to this art form.

“From the very beginning, I wanted to do this parachute cloth method because there’s that community component,” she said. “I think it’s nice when artists do decorative things in public spaces, and I think it has the power to create a transformation. But when it’s a community project, that power is doubled.”

Jane Haines, past president of the Ashtabula Downtown Development Association (ADDA) and the property owner of the building on which the mural was placed, said she was excited, albeit slightly nervous, to be a part of an artistic placemaking project.

“When Meeghan came to the ADDA board and asked ... I immediately said, ‘Sure, you can use (my building),” said Haines, who also owns Ultimate Appearance Hair Salon. “When they were circulating the advertisements (for the paint party), it said it was a ‘giant paint by numbers project’ and that ‘no talent was required.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I just want to pass out now!’”

Luckily, Haines’ apprehension was short- lived, almost immediately dissipating once she saw the dedication and pride showcased at the community painting party.

“I think there are moments in life that, I guess, are perfect moments,” she said. “(The paint party) was one of those perfect moments. We were all doing art and it was beautiful.”

Looking back at a week and a half of long hours and hard work, Humphrey said she is pleased that the mural has the power to change the city both physically and philosophically.

“We have people who worked on (the project) who are going to drive by and say, “Oh yeah, I worked on that mural!’” she said. “I changed a mind with this project, which is, to me, stunning. That’s like the best possible outcome.”

As Ashtabula celebrates its mural, McLain said she would not be surprised if more art was in the works.

“There was one community member who was like, ‘Yeah, this is like the best public art that we have locally—so far,’” she said. “There is that feeling that this is just the beginning ... Local residents are getting pumped about investing artistically in this place. It’s so powerful, and I think there was a seed of that that was sowed through this project.”

Additional information about the Ashtabula Arts Center can be found at ashtabulaartscenter.org.

To learn more about opportunities available for arts organizations through the Ohio Arts Council, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Photo courtesy of the Ashtabula Arts Center