ArtsOhio Blog

Ohio Teaching Artist Roster Welcomes 10 New Artists in Second Year

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:33:36 GMT

Ten new teaching artists with expertise ranging from music and dance, to creative writing and visual arts, have been added to the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster, an online tool that helps connect communities with well-qualified Ohio teaching artists.

Launched in 2019, the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster is presented by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) in partnership with Art Possible Ohio, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, and OhioDance. The roster is designed for use by the community, particularly educators, to assist in identifying teaching artists who can lead high-quality creative opportunities for students, including in-person and virtual performances, workshops, and longer-term artist residencies.

The Ohio Teaching Artist Roster is available as a resource for applicants to OAC grant programs, including TeachArtsOhio and Arts Partnership, who wish to work with a high-quality teaching artist. Deadlines to apply to TeachArtsOhio and Arts Partnership are February 1, 2021, and March 1, 2021, respectively.

Inclusion on the roster indicates an artist’s artistic excellence; ability to integrate academic content; effective classroom management and student engagement; and strong communication with education, arts, and cultural partners. Artist profiles are reviewed and approved by the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster’s partner organizations.

The 10 new teaching artists approved for inclusion on the roster are:

Utpola Borah, music, Columbus
Susan Byrnes, visual arts, Cincinnati
Diana Chittester, music, Lakewood
Jennifer Hambrick, creative writing, Worthington
Andrea McCormick, dance, Cleveland
Klaire Smith, visual arts, Wheelersburg
Fariha Tayyab, multidisciplinary, Columbus
Lara Troyer, music, Cleveland Heights
Hans Utter, music, Columbus
Kerri Wilde, dance, Napoleon

The 2020 cohort of new artists joins the 44 teaching artists who were accepted for the roster’s launch last year and who will remain on the roster through the end of the 2020-21 school year.

One of those artists, Columbus-based poet Nancy Kangas, explained how her experiences working with students has influenced her professional artistic practice.

“Being a guest artist in schools gives me the chance to learn and practice all the good stuff: how to listen, what sorts of questions engage students, which poems help launch our own, how to roll with the unexpected, and how to collaborate with other educators,” she said. “It’s the kind of hard work you yearn for.”

Teaching artists commit to receiving ongoing professional development related to their placement on the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster on matters critical to success in collaborating with schools, educators, and learners of diverse abilities and backgrounds. Professional development is planned and implemented in concert with the roster’s five partner organizations.

“Through the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster, I have been able to meet and partner with other amazing creatives, experience networking events, and create programs that previously I never could have imagined,” said Terry Boyarsky, a roster artist and performing musician from Cleveland Heights. “There is nothing standard about being an artist-in-residence—it calls me to be my best, on every level and challenges me to be flexible in my teaching.”

Teaching artists interested in applying to join the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster can do so in the spring of 2021, when applications will again be accepted. The roster is open to working artists living in Ohio.

To access the online Ohio Teaching Artist Roster or to learn more, visit oac.ohio.gov/Resources/Ohio-Teaching-Artist-Roster or contact OAC Arts Learning Coordinator Jarred Small at jarred.small@oac.ohio.gov.

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.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured image courtesy of Countess Winfrey and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

Austin Smith of Bexley Named 2020 Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Champion

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 13:20:12 GMT

Austin Smith hadn’t expected to encounter a play-by-play of a football game in a poetry book.

“I was just looking through some of the poems and I saw one about football, and I thought about how strange it was, not only talking about football but the implications it had about life,” said the Bexley High School senior.

Smith ended up reciting this poem, "Wide Receiver" by Mark Halliday, as his first poem in the 2020 Ohio Poetry Out Loud (POL) State Finals on March 6 at the King Arts Complex, where he went on to recite two more poems that evening and win the title of State Champion.

He accepted his award on stage, beaming, with a few tears shining in his eyes, as he was surrounded by family and a cheering squad of his blue-and-white-clad peers.

“I was just thinking about making everyone who has gotten me to this point proud. That’s why I was on the stage crying,” Smith said. “I was trying to hold (the tears) back, but they escaped! It’s just a culmination of all the hard work that I’ve done and all the people who have helped me and supported me along the way.”

Smith was one of nine Ohio high school students who competed on the Nicholson Auditorium stage in the State Finals competition. As part of the national POL program presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, contests are held at the school, regional, and state level. State arts agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico participate every year.

Video by WOSU Public Media

Each student competing in the State Finals is asked to prepare two poems to recite in front of a panel of judges during the first and second rounds of competition. The highest-scoring students are then asked to recite a third poem in the final round. This year, for the first time in Ohio POL history, all nine state finalists were selected to recite their third poem.

In that final round, Smith recited John Donne’s “The Sun Rising.” This followed his moving round two selection: “Worth,” a poem by Cleveland-based poet Marilyn Nelson that vividly discusses the issue of slavery.

“I wanted one about racism and segregation, or just racism in general,” Smith said of his choice of Nelson’s poem. He added that when selecting his poems, it was important that he felt a connection to the message within the words. “You should choose your poem because you find something true with it. You just know when you pick the right poem because you’re able to convey feelings within it. Get to know the author because looking at their background might help you better your recitation.”

Smith said he tries to channel the emotions that are conveyed through the lines, stanzas, and phrases while he recites.

“With ‘Worth’ and ‘Wide Receiver,’ when I was reciting them, I would think of the saddest things that had happened in my life and just hope that that would help me to convey the true meaning and the feelings associated with the words,” he said.

POL encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage and contemporary life.

For Smith, POL showed him that poems often go beyond rhyming couplets to communicate life lessons and stories that resonate through their relevance. And the competition aspect gave him the confidence to share his skills on stage.

“If you told me as a freshman that I’d be up there winning a poetry competition, I’d look at you like you were crazy,” Smith said. “So, you never know! Give poetry a chance!”

ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD

The nation’s largest youth poetry recitation competition is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council. The Poetry Out Loud program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry, master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and study their literary heritage.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA)

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about the NEA.

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.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured photo: 2020 Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Champion Austin Smith. Photo by Terry Gilliam Photography.

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

9 Students to Compete in Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Finals

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 18:57:11 GMT

Nine Ohio high school students will compete for the title of Ohio’s 2020 Poetry Out Loud (POL) State Champion on March 6 at the King Arts Complex’s Nicholson Auditorium in Columbus.

Now in its 15^th year, POL is a program created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that is administered in partnership with state arts agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

POL encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage and contemporary life. Participating schools register for the competition each year, and contests are staged at the school and regional level. Students who perform successfully at their region’s semifinal are then invited to compete in the State Finals for the chance to win cash prizes and the opportunity to represent Ohio at the National Finals in Washington, D.C., in April.

This year, the nine students who will compete at the State Finals competition are:

Judy Bennett, senior, Gahanna Lincoln High School (Gahanna)
Zoe Douglas, senior, North Royalton High School (North Royalton)
Mi’Cayla Hendrix-Pitts, senior, Mount Notre Dame High School (Cincinnati)
Ryan House, sophomore, John Glenn High School (New Concord)
James Miller, junior, Woodward High School (Toledo)
Zurie Pope, junior, Piqua High School (Piqua)
Austin Smith, senior, Bexley High School (Bexley)
Zaria Spidell, freshman, Toledo Early College High School (Toledo)
Monserrat Tlahuel-Flores, junior, St. Frances DeSales High School (Columbus)

The State Finals will consist of three rounds. Each student will recite one poem in each of the first two rounds, and the top six highest-scoring students from the first two rounds will recite a third poem in the final round. Contest results will be determined by the cumulative scores from all three rounds, with the State Champion title awarded to the student with the highest score overall.

The State Finals will be adjudicated by three guest judges: poets Steve Abbott, Nancy Kangas, and Rose Smith. In addition to scoring the students’ recitations, Abbott, Kangas, and Smith will recite their own poems during one of the contest’s intermissions.

The Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Finals will begin at 6 p.m., with doors to the Nicholson Auditorium opening at 5:50 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.

The Nicholson Auditorium is located in the King Arts Complex, 867 Mt. Vernon Ave., Columbus, OH 43203.

ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA)

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.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

New Statewide Teaching Artist Roster Launches

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 18:29:56 GMT

A new online tool that helps connect communities with well-qualified Ohio teaching artists is now available on the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) website.

The Ohio Teaching Artist Roster is designed for use by the public, particularly educators, to assist in identifying teaching artists who can lead high-quality, arts-integrated creative opportunities that are aligned with academic content standards.

The roster is searchable by art form and focus, geography, and other key criteria. Educators can currently browse 44 profiles of individuals or organizations specializing in a variety of arts disciplines—ranging from comic and graphic novels to film and media.

Teaching artists are community members who partner with schools and other educational providers to supplement and build on existing arts and non-arts curricula.

Those listed on the roster underwent an extensive application review and approval process before being accepted. Applicants were asked to provide sample lesson plans, their teaching artist philosophies, examples of specific arts-related teaching experiences, and a portfolio of past artistic accomplishments, among other materials. To maintain their status on the roster, teaching artists commit to participating in ongoing professional development to sharpen their skills necessary to collaborate with schools, educators, and learners of diverse abilities and backgrounds.

The roster will be updated annually to ensure that returning artists’ information remains current and to give more artists the opportunity to apply.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said the roster presents exciting possibilities for further collaboration between teaching artists and communities.

“The Ohio Teaching Artist Roster offers Ohioans the opportunity to engage with high-quality teaching artists who are experts at creating innovative, impactful arts learning opportunities together with educators and administrators,” she said. “All of us at the Ohio Arts Council, in partnership with roster partner organizations, look forward to supporting our students, teachers, artists, and communities through the use of this new resource. Students can benefit from performances, workshops, artmaking, and so much more through teaching artist residencies.”

The Ohio Teaching Artist Roster is a partnership between the Ohio Arts Council, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, OhioDance, Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, and VSA Ohio. These partner organizations share administrative maintenance responsibilities and manage the roster and related professional development opportunities.

Teaching artists interested in applying to join the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster can do so in the spring of 2020, when applications will again be accepted. The roster is open to working artists living in Ohio.

###

Article by Jarred Small, Arts Learning Coordinator
Featured photo: Teaching artist Aaron Anslow conducts a community arts event in ceramics with Switzerland of Ohio Local School District. Photo courtesy of Diane Burkhart, Switzerland of Ohio Local School District.

Lima Student Wins 2019 Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Finals

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 20:22:15 GMT

Anna Kahle of Lima Central Catholic High School Wins Title of State Champion, Will Compete at Nationals in Washington, D.C.

A night of poetry and performance at Columbus’ King Arts Complex ended with the crowning of a new state champion.

Anna Kahle, a junior at Lima Central Catholic High School, was named the 2019 Ohio Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion March 8 at Ohio’s 14th annual POL state finals competition.

As the state champion, Kahle earned an all-expense-paid trip to the 2019 national finals, held April 30 – May 1. The national competition will feature students from every state as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. The total award pool is $50,000, including a $20,000 top prize for the national champion.

“I have so much gratitude for my parents, my teacher, my school for supporting me, and the judges. I’m just feeling gratitude for everyone,” Kahle said following the presentation of state finals awards. “I’m looking forward to traveling. I love to travel. And being in D.C., I haven’t been there since my eighth-grade trip, and this will be my first time there without a bus full of students, so it’ll be really cool! I just can’t believe it.”

Kahle’s winning performance consisted of three poems: “Enough” by Suzanne Buffam, “Now I Pray” by Kathy Engel, and “Early Affection” by George Moses Horton.

Of the three poems she selected, Kahle said she favors Engel’s “Now I Pray,” which she recited in the second round of competition. The poem depicts the narrator’s encounter with a homeless man and a boy searching for a church that might offer them a meal.

“It is so powerful and so moving …. I think everyone has felt a time when they’ve wanted to help someone but they can’t, or they look back on a time when they could’ve helped someone but they didn’t,” Kahle said. “I think it’s very relatable and poignant.”

Thirteen Ohio finalists competed at the state finals for the title of state champion following their participation in one of six regional semifinal events.

“Ohio’s Poetry Out Loud program truly shows how lucky we are to have talented and dedicated young artists residing in our state. It is an honor to see and hear the students perform their poetry recitations with such passion and reverence, and I am impressed each year by the hard work that goes into sharing these beautiful works of poetry,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “We would like to thank all the students who participated in Ohio’s competition at the local, regional, and state levels. We wish Anna the best at the national finals, and we are so proud to have her representing Ohio this year.”

In addition to the trip to nationals, Kahle also received a $300 prize, and the Lima Central Catholic High School library will receive $500 to purchase poetry books.

Dylan Abel of Bexley High School earned second place at the state finals. He received a $200 prize, as well as $200 for his school library.

Emily Enyame of Westerville Central High School placed third in the competition and received a $100 prize and $100 for her school library.

In recognition of their performance at the competition, the top three state finalists received a framed original print created by Cleveland artist Wendy Partridge. The print incorporated lines from the poem “Amor Fati” by Ruth Awad, an award-winning poet residing in Columbus. Awad, a Lebanese-American poet, editor, and author of the Ohioana Book Award-winning poetry collection Set to Music a Wildfire, recited two poems for the audience during state finals.

Former State Senator Eric H. Kearney of Cincinnati, who sponsored and secured passage of legislation creating the position of Ohio Poet Laureate in 2014, emceed the event. Throughout the ceremony, Kearney praised the genuine camaraderie among the finalists, noting that it was inspiring to watch the students congratulate one another after each round of recitation.

As a three-time POL state finalist, Kahle said the new friendships formed throughout the evening among those participating is always one of the highlights of the POL experience.

“Something I learned is that we all have a lot of things in common. It takes a lot of courage to do this,” she said. “It’s important for us to support each other because it is really hard to go on stage and recite something and be so vulnerable, especially if it’s something you’re really connected to. It’s really important to support each other and affirm each other because we made it to the state level, so, obviously (everyone is) good, and it’s important to remind each other of that.”

A full list of students participating in the 2019 Ohio POL state finals follows:

Zoe Douglas, North Royalton High School
Dylan Abel, Bexley High School
Gracie Miller, Logan High School
Emily Enyame, Westerville Central High School
Scarlet Frishman, Toledo School for The Arts
Madelyn Feeney, Seton High School
Anna Kelly, Kettering Fairmont High School
Kirsten Stinson, John Glenn High School
Anna Kahle, Lima Central Catholic High School
Alexander Flood, The Lyceum
Lia Repucci, Upper Arlington High School
Agnes Guiselin, Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School
Riley Brown, Mt. Notre Dame High School

Find more information about POL at poetryoutloud.org. A livestream of the national finals will be made available at arts.gov April 30 and May 1.

ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD
The nation’s largest youth poetry recitation competition is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council. The Poetry Out Loud program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry, master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and study their literary heritage.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured photo by Terry Gilliam

Ohio Arts Council Accepting Applications for Arts Partnership Grants

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:01:40 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) is currently accepting applications for the Arts Partnership program.

Applications for this arts learning program are due by March 1, 2019 at 5 p.m.

Arts Partnership grants support arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. Grant recipients engage in collaborative planning with partners, emphasize in-depth study of the arts, and use arts learning outcomes and standards-based arts education practices.

Arts Partnership grants are two-year awards for project-based arts learning activities. This program supports Ohio schools and organizations that plan and conduct projects with arts learning at their core. Priority is given to projects that target underserved populations—including, but not limited to, youth populations in rural or urban communities. Many grantees use funding to support artistic or educational expenses.

Sample activities might include:

Enhancing skills or knowledge necessary for learners of any age to engage in the arts
Assisting professional development efforts that prepare educators to engage arts learners
Conducting research advancing the depth of knowledge about best practices in arts education
Leading planning work to expand access to arts learning in schools and communities
Hands-on participatory art-making with older adult

Other allowable expenses include program planning and evaluation.

Applicants may request between $4,000 and $25,000. All awards require a 1:1 cash match.

All applicants must possess nonprofit status or nonprofit intent, but need not be registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. More eligibility details are covered in the Arts Partnership grant PDF.

Applications must be submitted via the ARTIE system. Please refer to the ARTIE: Organizational Grant Applications guidelines for a description of the process.

Additional Ohio Arts Council grant opportunities can be found here.

###

Art Educators as Artists at the Riffe Gallery

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:26:00 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Riffe Gallery is currently exhibiting Art Educators as Artists, a juried exhibition showcasing art educators as artists on view until Jan. 5. The 68 works were made by 46 members of the Ohio Art Education Association divisions of Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Higher Education, Museum, Supervision Policy and Administration, and Emeritus. Media of exhibiting artwork includes painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and more.

The works in the show offer a myriad of expressions, storytelling, advocacy, and reflection. One artist-educator, Irene Maginniss, shows a piece titled Mistico Bridge (2018). Her glass collage is inspired by a trip to Costa Rica, where she encountered areas of lush greenery and colorful foliage. The shades in her fused-glass piece blend together earthy tones and bright oranges. “Working with various kinds of fusible sheet glass and a variety of components made in advance, I cut, arrange, and layer the various shapes and colors onto a background sheet of clear glass using sometimes untraditional ways with cutting and arranging to get the special effects I visualize… [It] has much to do with layers as well as my own memories and energies from times hiking, exploring, and imagining,” said Maginniss about her work.

Maginniss recently led a drop-in workshop at the OAC Riffe Gallery for those new to and experienced with glass. Participants were given a selection of supplies and a variety of glass from which to choose. Each person created their own colorful, textured collage. The workshop was a fantastic, hands-on learning experience enjoyed by all in attendance.

Another artist, Sarah Curry, features two large, vibrant paintings in the exhibition. These works embody “diversity, creativity, and love” and are portraits of couples in her community of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her paintings are personal and reflective. And We Toast (2017) is a self-portrait of Curry and her husband, David King, another artist showing in Art Educators as Artists. This piece depicts Curry holding a wine glass, toasting the viewer as she sits with paintbrush in hand, ready to create. An orange tabby cat bites one of Curry’s brushes, and King is in the background, petting the cat and inquisitively glancing at the viewer. Curry and King are in a room full of mismatched posters and trinkets hanging from the walls. With a pair of shoes strewn across the floor and her painting incomplete, Curry’s self-portrait seems to toast both her honest artmaking process and the viewer. Through this piece, Curry expresses the vulnerability of creating art with a warm welcome into her personal space. Her other featured work, Farming Out Music (2017), depicts two neighbors posed like Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930). In Curry’s piece, rather than the man holding a pitchfork, the woman is holding a classical bass and her husband is next to her with hands in his pockets. They stand outside their suburban home in Curry’s hometown. This piece reminds viewers to find the art in their everyday lives and experience the beauty in relationships.

Yet another artist, Cherie K. Bauer, exhibits a piece titled Breathless Wait (2015). This painting depicts her late husband, a victim of ALS. He is shown lying face-up with text written across his body inspired by scripts he wrote to Bauer when he was unable to verbally speak due to the progression of the disease. On his side is written, “My mouth was so dry I couldn’t sleep. In past would roll over to get it wet but can’t roll over now.” Across his chest, in capital letters, reads, “DO NOT RESUSCITATE,” a chilling message about the severity of ALS and the effect it has on the victim’s body. Bauer uses her work to bring awareness to the ugliness of this disease, its effect on victims, and the heaviness it weighs on caregivers. The painting’s black background leaves an ominous question for the viewer: What lies ahead?

Lastly, Jessie Barbarich features a piece titled Jellyfish (2018). This photograph shows a detailed orange jellyfish floating in dark waters. When seeing the piece, the viewer may wonder how Barbarich was able to not only get so close to such a creature but photograph it as well. She explains that the image was taken with her iPhone at the Akron Zoo. Barbarich, a mother, wife, educator, choreographer, and more, sees the necessity of finding the beauty in everyday life when her schedule does not permit it. While she may not have the time to photograph jellyfish in coastal, tropical waters, she intentionally chooses to make art where and when she can, even at the zoo! Barbarich reminds viewers to pause and appreciate the highlights in life’s daily moments.

If interested in experiencing any of the artworks featured in Art Educators as Artists, stop by the OAC Riffe Gallery at 77 S. High St. in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The gallery is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., except for state holidays. The gallery is also offering free workshops for anyone to attend during the run of the exhibition!

ABOUT THE RIFFE GALLERY
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio's artists and the collections of the state's museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery is located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, across from the Statehouse on High Street in Downtown Columbus. Like the Riffe Gallery on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

###

Article by Alexa Demyan, 2018-19 OAC Riffe Gallery Marketing and Exhibitions Fellow
Featured image courtesy of Sarah Curry

Never A Dull Moment for the Arts in Ohio!

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 19:09:00 GMT

The start of autumn is my favorite time of year. I’m not sure if your calendar looks like mine, but there is so much happening that I might need to add extra pages to my planner! In this month's Executive Message, you will find lots of opportunities for engagement!

To start with some quick hits, registration opens soon for our Arts Impact Ohio conference, centered on the theme of Arts And… The current exhibition at the OAC Riffe Gallery, Creating Identity From Place, runs through Oct. 13, with our next exhibition, Art Educators as Artists, opening Nov. 1. Poetry Out Loud registration has opened for interested schools, and nominations have opened for the 2019 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio.

Not enough for you? Read on—you’ll want to know about these opportunities, too!

The Ohio Arts Prison Connection will host its second annual convening on Oct. 12 at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus. There will be a keynote conversation between warden Ronette Burkes of the Ohio Reformatory for Women and Cincinnati-based theatre artist Mark Crawford. You can expect an afternoon panel featuring author Piper Kerman (author of Orange is the New Black), Cleveland artist and community activist Gwendolyn Garth, Judge David Branstool, and former warden Norman Rose. These guests will discuss how the arts can contribute to the prison and justice systems. Strategic roundtable conversations will be led by facilitators from around Ohio throughout the day. And, of course, there will be opportunities to engage with art at The Wex and art made by individuals who are incarcerated. Learn more and register here for just $10—and that includes lunch!

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) Board will meet on Oct. 17 at the Rhodes State Office Tower, 33^rd floor in Columbus. You are always welcome at our meetings, which are open to the public. The board is composed of 15 voting members appointed by the governor and four non-voting, legislative members. As you know, the OAC Board is an active engaged group of arts leaders from around the state. They are mainly responsible for final approval of funding requests, but they do so much more! Join us in person or listen to the live stream. (Information on how to connect to the live stream is posted a few days before the meeting on our website.)

Following the board meeting, in early November, the OAC Guidelines 2020-21 will be released. The Guidelines describe how funds entrusted to the OAC by the Governor and Ohio Legislature are to be invested in arts and culture, as well as the expected returns on those investments: quality arts experiences that strengthen Ohio culturally, educationally, and economically. As a refresher, organizational awards will be made in operating and project support programs; individual artists will be supported through programs that recognize excellence, preserve cultural traditions, and offer developmental support; and arts learning programs will fund a variety of purpose-driven experiences for educators and learners of all ages. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to review the Guidelines later this fall when they are available. You’ll be glad you did once you start applying!

I won’t list all the upcoming arts events from my calendar, but I can assure you of this—if you are engaged in the arts, you’ll never be bored. If you still have some open slots in your calendar between now and December and you want to find a way to fill your afternoon, evening, or weekend, check out ArtsInOhio.com for a one-stop statewide listing of arts opportunities.

And, if that doesn’t suit your fancy, you can always go to the local football game to see some of the best musicians in the state. When our marching bands take the field, they display the sights and sounds of what a quality education in the musical arts looks like. Watch for me—I’ll be the one cheering for the band louder than the home team’s last touchdown!

Until next time,

Donna S. Collins
Executive Director

Featured photo: Visitors to the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery participate in an artmaking workshop with Doreen St. John. Photo by Katie Monahan, Communications Strategist

Ohio Arts Education Data Project Launches

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 16:57:00 GMT

A partnership of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE), Ohio Department of Education, and New Jersey-based research firm Quadrant Research announced today the launch of an online database showing arts education access and enrollment in Ohio schools.

Since 1989, the three Ohio statewide agencies have worked together periodically to gather data and report on the status of arts education in Ohio’s schools. Now more comprehensive information is available through advanced technologies, and arts education data from preK-12 schools throughout the state is available online.

“Ohio is proud to be among the first few states in the nation to provide an online arts education data system available to the public,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “We are grateful for the partnership and hard work of the Ohio Department of Education in this endeavor.”

Users may review school-level, district, county, and statewide data. The interactive, color-coded dashboard displays arts access and enrollment data for Ohio’s preK-12 schools as reported annually via the state’s Education Management Information System (EMIS). Data from ensuing school years will be added annually, allowing the project to show the status of arts education over time. Demographic data is from the National Center for Education Statistics.

“With a shared commitment to making Ohio’s arts education data visible and useful to all stakeholders, we will gain a better sense of where we are and where we need to go for Ohio’s students,” said Tim Katz, executive director of the OAAE.

The National Arts Education Data Project was originally a partnership between the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education and Quadrant Research. The nationwide project coordinates with participating state departments of education to collect and report arts education data from State Longitudinal Data Systems and other state department of education data sets on an annual basis.

Original funding for the project was generously provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, NAMM Foundation, OAC, Educational Theatre Association, and National Association for Music Education. California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Wisconsin and now Ohio have online arts education dashboards in place.

ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL
The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. The OAC provides leadership and voice for the arts to transform people and communities. With funds from the Ohio Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, the OAC provides various grant funding programs that support artists and make arts activities available to a broad segment of Ohio’s public; and provides services that help to enhance the growth of the arts. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at oac.ohio.gov.

ABOUT THE OHIO ALLIANCE FOR ARTS EDUCATION
It is the mission of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) to ensure that the arts are an integral part of the education of every Ohioan. A statewide arts education service organization and nationally recognized leader in arts education, OAAE works to include arts learning in Ohio as part of a comprehensive preK-12 curriculum, to utilize the arts to improve student achievement, and to develop strong advocates who can speak about the importance of arts education.

ABOUT THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Ohio Department of Education oversees the state’s public education system, which includes public school districts, joint vocational school districts and charter schools. The Department also monitors educational service centers, other regional education providers, early learning and child care programs, and private schools. The Department is governed by the State Board of Education with administration of the Department the responsibility of the superintendent of public instruction.

ABOUT QUADRANT RESEARCH
Quadrant Research is a national leader in arts education research, analysis, and market intelligence serving the fields of culture, commerce, government and education. The company was founded by Robert Morrison, one of the nation’s leading researchers and advocates in the field of arts education. Mr. Morrison is nationally recognized for his pioneering work in measuring the statewide status and condition of arts education and has served as an advisor to several major arts and arts education organizations. Quadrant Research clients include numerous state agencies, associations, corporations and non-profits.

###

How Gritty Are You?

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 20:20:00 GMT

You may remember from one of my earlier articles I wrote about the topic of grit and shared, "Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality." The quote comes from Angela Lee Duckworth, the author of Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

As we begin a new school year, I am reminded of Ohio’s teaching artists—and all teachers—who have grit. Year after year, they bring their passion of learning and creativity to the classroom where more than one million of Ohio’s students enjoy the opportunity to explore and experience the arts—dance, drama and theatre, media arts, music, and visual arts.

The Ohio Arts Council’s board and staff have “arts education grit.” Together, we invest nearly $1.3 million in arts education through our TeachArtsOhio (TAO), Arts Partnership, Big Yellow School Bus, and Poetry Out Loud programs. This commitment truly demonstrates the power and passion we have for arts education for Ohio’s children.

This year we launched our newest arts education grant program: TeachArtsOhio. This innovative and forward-thinking program brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences. Engagements can vary from short introductory exposures to residencies lasting a full school year. Creative and experienced teaching artists, through TAO grant awards, offer learners the opportunity to participate in a unique creative process, bridge cultural differences, develop fresh ways of learning through the arts, and realize lasting benefits from in-person contact and collaboration with professional artists who are experienced in working with school-age children and youth.

Big Yellow School Bus grants provide funding for school field trips to cultural centers by defraying transportation costs. These grants play an important role in arts education efforts, providing exposure to arts events otherwise inaccessible to many students. Let the Ohio Arts Council help your school provide professional arts experiences for your students—this grant program has a rolling deadline throughout the year to meet your planning needs.

Poetry Out Loud (POL), a countrywide program administered by the National Endowment for the Arts, encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. POL helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage and contemporary life.

Last but not least, the OAC’s Arts Partnership grant program supports arts education projects throughout the state. From funding art-making to research, professional development to planning, the grant meets a variety of needs in Ohio’s arts education community.

As school doors fly open, bells ring, marching bands take the field, and Ohio’s educators and teaching artists show their grit—let us all applaud and support the value of arts education to a complete education. Our kids are worth it!

Until we meet,

Donna S. Collins
Executive Director

Photo courtesy of April Deacon, professional art educator at Portsmouth High School, a TeachArtsOhio grant recipient.

Meet Scott Wilson, the Ohio Department of Education’s New Fine Arts Consultant

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 19:20:00 GMT

Scott Wilson has been passionate about the arts since appearing in his first theatre production as a child. In addition to his work with the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) and the Ohio Educational Theatre Association, Wilson has provided a voice for the arts at several state and national arts advocacy days. Now joining the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) as its new fine arts consultant, Wilson is excited to share why the arts matter in Ohio schools. Here’s what he had to say about his new position and what he hopes to work on in the future:

You recently joined the Ohio Department of Education as a fine arts consultant. What led you to this position?
I’ve been a theatre educator for 20 years here in Central Ohio. I am on the board for the Ohio Educational Theatre Association, and have been for 18 years, and served four years as the director. I’ve also been on the standards revision team for Ohio twice, and I helped write the national standards for theatre.

Those experiences all fit together to make this job ideal for me. I just feel like it is a job for which I’ve been training for my entire career, without really knowing that I was training for it.

You’re an Otterbein alum—what did you study while in college?
My undergrad is in musical theatre, and then I went back to school and got my teaching certification. I also have a master’s in theatre design and a master’s in school counseling.

In regards to your new role, what are you most excited about? What do you hope to accomplish during your time with the ODE?
My top priorities are:

To collaborate with different arts organizations and professional arts education organizations to increase opportunities and access for all of our students here in Ohio
To provide resources for arts educators that are updated and innovative
To bring awareness about the importance of a quality arts education for all

Last winter, the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) launched its newest grant program, TeachArtsOhio, which brings customizable teaching artist residencies into schools. What value do you see in connecting professional artists with students through these kinds of experiences?
My first reaction is that it helps pick up where the schools aren’t able to go. The teachers need to follow a curriculum, they need to follow standards, but there is so much more out there that can be explored. It’s an awesome opportunity for kids to get that exposure and learn from someone who is immersed in the art and working professionally. It will allow students to see the arts as a viable career option.

TeachArtsOhio elevates what our teachers are already doing, it’s definitely an enhancement for what’s going on in the classroom.

Can we look forward to any partnerships or collaborations between the ODE and the OAC’s Arts Learning team?
A project that’s been in the works among top leadership at ODE, OAC, and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education is about to launch and I’m excited about it. The Ohio Arts Education Data Project will provide a new look at arts education to help us better understand student access to arts instruction in Ohio schools. You’ll hear more about this work in the coming weeks.

In what capacity should readers expect to work with you in the future?
A few of the big things are teacher certification in the arts, revising the arts academic content standards, and model curriculum. Basically, I am the customer service rep for anything having to do with the arts in Ohio schools. I will also be working closely with the OAC’s Jarred Small and Chiquita Mullins Lee on projects to support quality arts education for Ohio's students. I’m also very excited to work with the professional organizations—Ohio Music Education Association, Ohio Art Education Association, OhioDance, Ohio Educational Theatre Association— and all who seek to serve our students through the arts.

What do you wish more people knew about the role of arts in education? How do you hope to get that message out there?
From what I’ve seen in my 20 years of education, the arts take the skills and knowledge that students already have and bring it to life. The arts have the ability to foster understanding by using creative processes to dive deeper into meaning.

The arts teach many transferrable skills—collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, flexibility—and those are the important skills to help grow the whole child and make them fully human.

The biggest thing that art education does is it teaches empathy. It teaches kids to look at people through different lenses and to also celebrate and tell their own stories. Without the arts, we lose that. We lose the heart of the child. The ODE stresses the importance of developing the whole child, and I feel the arts are crucial and integral to fulfilling that goal.

What do the arts mean to you?
The arts are my life. I started in theatre formally in second grade when the local high school needed a little boy to be in the show. The director went to my church, so she came to me and said, ‘I need you to do this,’ and that was it.

I've been doing theatre for nearly 40 years, and I have been singing for almost 30. It just is a part of who I am. It allows me to express myself in ways that other people can’t. It really is my survival. Everything I do tends to go back to the arts. And, in reality, everything everybody does goes back to the arts. Everything around us is influenced by the arts.

Your first on-stage role was an unnamed character in The Curious Savage. Have you been in any shows recently?
Most recently, I was in Sideshow with Gallery Players. I’ve worked on productions with Gallery, Available Light Theatre, Worthington, and Standing Room Only—a little bit of everywhere. Whoever is doing a show that I really want to do, I’ll go there.

Is there anything else we should know about you or the work you’ll be doing at the ODE?
I just want to emphasize that the ODE is going to be working hard toward collaboration, and working not only with the OAC and OAAE, but with other arts providers, especially those working with the schools so that we can be sure there is standards-based alignment with all program offerings being provided to our students.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Photo by Nick Lingnofski

Art & Accessibility: Tip #9

Fri, 11 May 2018 15:43:49 GMT

Art & Accessibility Tip #9: What to know when writing about disability

When writing about people with disabilities, do you ever wonder if you’re saying the “right thing?” The National Center on Disability and Journalism has a Disability Language Style Guide to assist you in writing. And remember: When in doubt, put the person first.

For more accessibility ideas from local, regional, or national websites, contact Kim Turner, the accessibility coordinator at the Ohio Arts Council, at kim.turner@oac.ohio.gov.

The Ohio Arts Council believes that everyone has the right of equal access to the arts. Each month, the ArtsOhio newsletter includes an accessibility tip for arts organizations. For additional accessibility resources, visit oac.ohio.gov/About/About-the-Council/Accessibility.

###

Article by Kim Turner, Investment Associate and ADA Coordinator

Student-Composed Songs Sing Success of Teaching Artist Residency

Tue, 08 May 2018 13:38:42 GMT

When Bella, a junior at Midview High School, saw that a new songwriting class was being offered this year in the music department, she knew she had to take it.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve loved making music, so once I heard about this class, I was so excited for the opportunities to come,” she said.

Emily, a senior, said she was also drawn to the course, which is taught by Justin Caithaml, choir director at Midview Local Schools.

“I was initially interested (in) this class because I had written my first song about two months prior,” she said. “I was very excited to learn more about writing songs and to write more of them.”

Approaching the end of a successful inaugural year, the songwriting class teaches students the theory and practice behind writing and recording original compositions. Caithaml, who is in his third year of teaching at his alma mater, said he was inspired to develop the course after seeing the passion students had for music.

“I noticed that students were writing songs on their own after school and coming in and playing the piano at their lunchtime … kids were in my room playing piano or they were sitting in the hallway playing guitar,” he said. “I organically noticed these things happening, so I pitched the idea of us putting it into the format of a class.”

There are currently 20 students from grades ranging from sophomores to seniors enrolled, and they have spent months writing songs and performing them both for class critique and for audiences throughout the Cleveland area.

So far this year, the students have performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and at a school board meeting, Caithaml said.

The students’ exposure to the inner workings of the music industry is further enhanced by the mentorship of Brent Kirby, a songwriter from Cleveland who has been working with Caithaml and his students through an Ohio Arts Council TeachArtsOhio (TAO) grant.

The TAO program pairs schools and community organizations with teaching artists to offer customizable artist residencies for pre-kindergarten to 12^th grade students in Ohio’s schools.

Caithaml said including a teaching artist in the course curriculum was a natural fit.

“If I am going to teach a songwriting class, I want kids to have a real-world application for what they are doing right away,” he said. “When Brent is here, he is looking at it from a very realistic, artistic perspective. I am able to present a musical concept or frame something based on the students’ previous work. He is able to frame it within the context of ‘what makes a song work on the radio?’ or ‘what makes a song work when you go record it?’ The kids immediately are able to get a greater depth of experience because of his additional insight.”

The class has been working with Kirby to produce “Living in the Moment,” a CD featuring six songs written entirely by the students.

“One of best moments I’ve had so far with the kids is taking the songs that they have written to the studio, producing them with session musicians, and seeing the faces on the kids when they heard their songs become fully orchestrated for the first time,” Kirby said. “I hope that the students come away from this project knowing how to write a song and being able to carry that through life with whatever they do. Using their creative thinking skills, understanding how music and words put together make you feel something bigger, and how it creates connection between all of us.”

Caithaml said students were invited to submit recordings of songs to be considered for the CD, with the final selection made by a committee of faculty members.

“It is really turning into a project involving most of the school at this point,” he said. “I sort of take it as my responsibility every single day to … empower the students to figure out what the arts mean to them and then how to communicate that to the broader community.”

The students will soon have the chance to share their music with the broader Ohio community because “Living in the Moment” will be played during the 2018 Arts Day and Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio luncheon and awards ceremony on May 16. Plans are underway to feature the music in the Ohio House of Representatives Student Art Exhibition hallway, where artwork by high school students from each of the 99 districts in the House of Representatives is featured.

Midview High School Principal Tom Faska said the CD project has had a positive impact on all who have become involved.

“These types of residencies and in-the-field experiences lend themselves to the well-rounded education that we want and expect for our students. Without these types of programs, many of our students may never have this opportunity again,” he said. “It is and was very exciting to not only have the opportunity for this program, but to see it blossom along the way, which is a tribute to the instructors and to our students.”

Keagen, a senior whose song is included on the CD, said he is excited to see how listeners react to its message.

“There are so many great songs on this record, but I’m most excited for people to hear the song that I wrote with my friend Tyler. It’s about growing up and how it can make you feel scared and alone,” he said. “I feel like it’s a song that people my age can easily relate to.”

For Maddie, a sophomore, the most exciting part about the project has been seeing how the group’s compositions have changed since the beginning of the year.

“We all have learned and improved so much and our knowledge of songwriting is far more vast,” she said. “This class really does help those who are passionate find a unique sound and way of writing.”

As both a teacher and as a musician himself, Caithaml is looking forward to sharing his students’ talents with the world.

“The TeachArtsOhio program really empowers us as teachers to realize that new ideas are possible, and that they don’t have to stay ideas. That’s what I love,” he said. “I am blown away by their talent, but I am also blown away by their originality and their creativity and how much this class means to them this year. I am impressed every single day when I walk into this class with them.”

To learn more about the TAO program and other grant opportunities, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

Art & Accessibility: Tip #8

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 19:12:56 GMT

Art & Accessibility Tip #8: Seek Out Accessibility Inspiration

Have you ever wondered about examples of good accessibility? Try the Smithsonian for ideas for your website. Or another good example is The Kennedy Center's page on how to approach accessibility.

For more accessibility ideas from local, regional, or national websites, contact Kim Turner, the accessibility coordinator at the Ohio Arts Council, at kim.turner@oac.ohio.gov.

The Ohio Arts Council believes that everyone has the right of equal access to the arts. Each month, the ArtsOhio newsletter includes an accessibility tip for arts organizations. For additional accessibility resources, visit oac.ohio.gov/About/About-the-Council/Accessibility.

###

Article by Kim Turner, Investment Associate and ADA Coordinator

Dayton Student Wins 2018 Ohio Poetry Out Loud State Finals

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 17:21:14 GMT

Caroline Delaney of Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School Will Represent Ohio at the 2018 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington D.C., April 23-25

Ohio has a new Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion.

Caroline Delaney, a senior at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, won Ohio’s 13th annual POL State Finals held on March 3 at the King Arts Complex in Columbus, Ohio.

Delaney recited “Plaint in a Major Key” by Jorge Sanchez, “The American Soldier” by Philip Freneau, and “Planetarium” by Adrienne Rich.

“I found ‘Planetarium,’ and that poem … is about Caroline Herschel, who was an astronomer. Every word and every line in the poem is a reference to something about her or astronomy,” said Delaney, who plans to attend Miami University to study neuroscience on a pre-med track. “(The poem) is just really interesting and it captured my attention and it was something I could really see myself doing.”

Eleven Ohio finalists competed at the State Finals for the title of state champion following their participation in one of six regional semifinal events held throughout the state in February.

“Now in its 13th year, Ohio’s POL program once again joins with high school students and their teachers, state arts agencies, and the National Endowment for the Arts nationwide to celebrate poetry in all its forms. We know this program provides a high level of engagement for students and is one more opportunity for them to be immersed in arts education,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “We are thrilled with the commitment by Ohio’s students to POL and congratulate all who participated at the local, regional, and state levels. We now have the honor of cheering Caroline all the way to Washington D.C., as she represents Ohio at the National Finals in April.”

As the state champion, Delaney earned a $300 prize and an all-expense-paid trip to the 2018 National Finals, held April 23-25. The national competition will feature students from every state as well as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. The total award pool is $50,000, including a $20,000 top prize for the national champion.

Delaney said she is excited to compete in the nation’s capital.

“I am just looking forward to being able to say that I represent my state and having all these people behind me,” she said. “I would like to thank my mother and my father. They’ve signed me up for acting classes, they’ve sat me down at the foot of the bed and made me recite until my brain hurt ….They’ve made sure I knew what I was doing and was confident in my own ability.”

Thanks to Delaney’s success at the State Finals, the Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School library will receive $500 to purchase poetry books.

Anna Kahle, a sophomore at Lima Central Catholic High School, earned second place at the State Finals. She received a $200 prize, as well as $200 for her school library.

Magnus Saebo, a senior at Upper Arlington High School who placed third in the competition, received a $100 prize and $100 for his school library.

All three state finalists received a framed original print created by Dayton artist Patrick Mauk. The print incorporated lines from the poem “River on Fire” by Ohio Poet Laureate Dave Lucas. Lucas, an instructor at Case Western Reserve University and author of Weather, recited three poems for the audience during State Finals.

Former State Senator Eric H. Kearney of Cincinnati, who sponsored and secured passage of legislation creating the position of Ohio Poet Laureate, emceed the event.

Delaney, who first participated in POL as a freshman, said she hopes to share her passion for poetry with her peers by emphasizing its prevalence in everyday life.

“Poetry isn’t something that a lot of kids these days really care about, but what they don’t really understand is … everybody loves music, but music is poetry and vice versa. We all have poetry in our life that we love and enjoy,” she said. “Overall, Poetry Out Loud has taught me that there is always something you can learn and that every word you say has a meaning to it. You just have to find it and convey it.”

ABOUT POETRY OUT LOUD
The nation’s largest youth poetry recitation competition is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in partneship with the Ohio Arts Council. The Poetry Out Loud program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry, master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and study their literary heritage.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Photo Credit: Terry Gilliam Photography

Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins Awarded Honors from the Ohio Music Education Association

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:40:35 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Executive Director Donna S. Collins accepted the 2018 Distinguished Service Award at the Ohio Music Education Association’s (OMEA) Annual Conference on Feb. 9.

“Receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Music Education Association is such an honor,” Collins said.

The highest recognition an OMEA member can receive, the Distinguished Service Award is given to one member each year who has made a difference through service in music education. Traditionally, the award is presented at the OMEA’s Professional Development Conference, which took place this year at the Greater Columbus Convention Center Feb. 8-10.

An affiliate of the National Association for Music Education, the OMEA serves Ohio’s elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools through the promotion of music education, professional development for music educators, and opportunities for students.

In addition to the Friday night award presentation, the conference also included performances by OMEA all-state ensembles and regional groups.

Collins will join the ranks of Distinguished Service Award winners dating back to 1953, when the award was first given.

“Donna has advanced policies and programs benefitting music and all arts education for 20 years, including Ohio’s Academic Content Standards, Ohio’s Arts Education Assessment Project, and the Status of Arts Education in Ohio’s Schools (report),” said Terry Herschman, past president of OMEA.

In recognition of her ongoing commitment to supporting arts education in Ohio, Collins received 24 letters of support from colleagues in the music education community.

Tim Katz, executive director of Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE), wrote one of these letters, stating, “(Donna’s) contributions to education, arts, and culture in Ohio are unquantifiable.”

Collins became executive director of the OAC in 2014. Prior to leading the OAC, she served as the executive director of the OAAE and as the executive director of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA). During her tenure, both the OAAE and OCA were recognized statewide and nationally for their success at increasing services to constituents, creating policy, and generating more funds for the arts.

A proven leader in the field of arts education and arts advocacy, Collins has more than 20 years of experience in leading statewide nonprofit organizations, demonstrating consistent success and solid results that impact policy, education, economic development, and arts and culture.

Collins has worked with the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) on the Network Leadership Committee and as a consultant to state alliances across the nation. She also served as an Americans for the Arts state captain and a State Arts Action Network chair and member, as well as chair of the Arts Education Council.

In November 2017, Collins was elected to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ (NASAA) Board of Directors. She also serves on NASAA's Development Committee and on the Awards and Dues Task Forces. She has received the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award from Americans for the Arts; Distinguished Fellow and Arts Administration Awards from the Ohio Art Education Association; VSA Ohio's Fran Bay Award; executive director recognition from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network in 2003, 2008, 2011, and 2014; and induction into the Ohio Educational Theatre Association's Hall of Fame.

“This moment has given me the chance to reflect on the people who rooted for me, helped me, put their reputations on the line for me—all the people who believed in me throughout my career,” Collins said, thanking her family, friends, and colleagues for their support. “This award is really more about honoring them and what they helped me achieve—things I could have never done alone.”

###

Article by Kayla Draper, 2017-18 Social Media and Events Fellow
Photo Credit: Ohio Arts Council and Scott Nave

2018 Governor’s Awards for the Arts Winners Announced

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:45:05 GMT

Nine winners have been selected to receive awards at the 2018 Arts Day & Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio luncheon and ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at noon at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus. The 2018 award recipients and categories, including city, county, biographies, and additional information follow:

ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Howard Parr, executive director of the Akron Civic Theatre
Akron (Summit)

ARTS EDUCATION
Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
Cleveland (Cuyahoga)

ARTS PATRON
Stuart and Mimi Rose
Springboro (Warren)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS (SMALL)
Heartland Bank
Gahanna (Franklin)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS (LARGE)
The J.M. Smucker Company
Orrville (Wayne)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION (co-winners)
Sierra Leone, president and artistic director of OFP Theatre Company
Dayton (Montgomery)

David Poe Mitzel, Ph.D., founder of Appalachian Hills of Ohio Territory (AHOOT)
Zanesville (Muskingum)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Ricardo Averbach, DMA, director of orchestral studies at Miami University
Oxford (Butler)

IRMA LAZARUS AWARD
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
Dayton (Montgomery)

Learn more about this year's winners here.

The Governor's Awards Selection Committee, comprised of six Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board members and three members selected by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA) Foundation, recommended winners after reviewing nominations submitted by individuals and organizations across Ohio.

"The 2018 Governor’s Awards winners are true innovators and leaders in their communities. They exemplify Ohio’s creative and forward-thinking spirit," said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. "On behalf of the Ohio Arts Council, I congratulate this year’s group of individuals, organizations, and businesses on earning our state’s most prestigious artistic and cultural achievement.”

Winners will receive an original work of art by Ohio artist Carol Stewart.

The Governor’s Awards luncheon is held in conjunction with Arts Day, an annual arts advocacy event sponsored by the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation.

ABOUT THE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS IN OHIO
Since its beginning in 1971, the Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio has recognized individuals and organizations who have been vital to the growth and development of Ohio’s cultural resources. Each year, the public is invited to nominate individuals and organizations in eight award categories. The program is presented by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization.

ABOUT THE OHIO CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS FOUNDATION
The Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, formed in 1990 as a companion organization to Ohio Citizens for the Arts, leverages support for the arts and arts education. For more information about the foundation, visit ohiocitizensforthearts.org/about-oca-foundation.

###

Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Photo: Design by Alan Jazak, Artwork: "Marigold" by Carol Stewart

Ohio Arts Council Accepting Applications for TeachArtsOhio Grants

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:47:00 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) is currently accepting applications for the TeachArtsOhio (TAO) program.

The deadline for the OAC’s newest arts learning program is February 1, 2018.

TAO brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, and high-quality arts learning experiences.

Grants are awarded to schools to cover the artist fees, and 100 percent of the artist fees are paid for using OAC funds, alleviating financial burdens from school and district budgets.

While no cash match is required, schools must provide all program-related materials and supplies.

Ohio’s public, private, charter, or parochial schools (pre-kindergarten through grade 12) are eligible to apply for the TAO program, which offers learners the opportunity to participate in a unique creative process, bridge cultural differences, and develop fresh ways of learning through the arts.

TAO programs aim to showcase lasting benefits from in-person contact and collaboration with professional artists who are experienced in working with school age children and youth.

Applicants may apply for TeachArtsOhio in one of five categories according to residency length:

Express: A brief mini-residency within a single week

Basic: A residency of between two and four weeks

Grading Period: A residency of approximately six to nine weeks

Full Semester: A residency of approximately 18 weeks

Academic Year: A residency of approximately 36 weeks

A panel of arts and cultural professionals, educators, artists, and other community members will evaluate and score TAO grant applications.

Applications will be judged on criteria divided into four categories: Program Quality, Community Engagement, Defining and Measuring Success, and Resource Management.

For more information about the TeachArtsOhio program and how to apply, visit the TeachArtsOhio guidelines PDF or contact Jarred Small at jarred.small@oac.ohio.gov.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on February 1, 2018 in order to be considered. Applications must be submitted via the ARTIE system.

Additional Ohio Arts Council grant opportunities can be found here.

###

Creating Connections with NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 21:04:00 GMT

From sister to sister, NewBridge Cleveland has created a successful connection to arts-based learning and future careers for Tristan Bankhead’s family.

Enrolling at NewBridge in the ninth grade because her older sister was previously involved, Bankhead, now 19, is a Cleveland resident who attended the NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology.

Originally signing up for a variety of classes, Bankhead found a passion in ceramics. She created mugs, bowls, and vessels throughout the school year and during summer vacations before graduating high school.

“It helped me be more patient with people,” Bankhead said about her time spent enrolled at the community-based arts and career training center.

Founded in 2009, NewBridge provides Cleveland’s most disadvantaged communities with access to creative learning. Its youth programs serve the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, offering free, arts-based education targeting at-risk high school students.

“NewBridge is based on the idea of providing people with a path where one didn’t exist before,” said Stephen Langel, NewBridge’s development director.

Using an approach popularized by Bill Strickland and the Manchester Bidwell Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NewBridge uses arts-based learning to cultivate a variety of skills that lift people up through the arts.

“The gap that existed, that this program fills, is leadership and emotional development, employability skills, and the sort of thing that students need to be successful in the long run, and using art to do so,” Langel said. “We go into schools and recruit specifically … kids who (teachers and school administrators) think are sort of at a tipping point where the arts would make that much of a difference, those who they think are most in need and can benefit.”

NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology is one of 10 replication sites of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation. The center aims to remedy the economic cycle of poverty and education, Langel said, adding that programming is provided free of charge for the students.

“In almost all cases, our students wouldn’t be able to take advantage of these programs if they weren’t free,” he said. “Our students don’t pay any costs and the funding we get from the Ohio Arts Council and other institutions is used to offset a variety of things.”

In FY 2017, the center received an Arts Partnership grant from the Ohio Arts Council. The $16,377 in funding was used to hire professional teaching artists, as well as to provide art materials and other equipment.

NewBridge’s goal is to bridge the gap between adversity and success through helping students discover self-worth, self-sufficiency, and self-esteem and using the arts to target those skills.

“With our specific program, the idea is that you have students who learn the kind of skills necessary to become leaders in their communities,” Langel said.

According to the NewBridge website, 99 percent of youth who attend the Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology graduate high school. The center has an 82 percent college acceptance rate, and 93 percent of individuals who take part in the center’s adult healthcare programming have achieved job placement within six months of graduating.

For Bankhead, NewBridge provided the background she needed to begin a career in the healthcare industry.

Bankhead said she has been able to take the leadership and other skills gained through the program and apply them to her path pursuing phlebotomy. And, although she found her calling in a field outside of the art world, Bankhead said she still takes time to make ceramics and volunteer at NewBridge.

Now, NewBridge’s influence is impacting new generations, as Bankhead’s two younger sisters are currently enrolled in the youth program.

Looking back at her experience at NewBridge, Bankhead can’t deny the impact it had beyond the walls of the classroom.

“NewBridge connected me with a path,” she said.

For more information about NewBridge, visit newbridgecleveland.org.

To learn more about the Ohio Arts Council’s Arts Learning programs, visit oac.ohio.gov/grants#4435-arts-learning.

###

Article by Kayla Draper, 2017-18 Social Media and Events Fellow
Photos courtesy of NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology