ArtsOhio Blog

2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts Winners Announced

Thu, 06 May 2021 21:28:00 GMT

Nine winners have been selected to receive Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio.

A tradition since 1971, the Governor's Awards showcase and celebrate exceptional Ohio artists, arts organizations, arts leaders and patrons, and business support of the arts. Award recipients are presented with the only arts award in the state that is conferred by the governor.

In recognition of their impactful and visionary leadership in Ohio’s creative sector and sustained dedication to promoting artistic excellence, awardees will be honored during a virtual celebration premiering online on May 10, 2021, at noon.

“Ohio is lucky to have individuals and organizations who are committed to transforming communities and touching lives through creative leadership, artistic accomplishments, and enthusiastic support of the arts in our great state,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “The Governor’s Awards are a special opportunity to celebrate Ohioans who exemplify what it means to make a difference through the power of the arts. On behalf of the Ohio Arts Council, I congratulate this year’s award recipients and thank them for the great work they do for the arts and culture in Ohio each and every day.”

The 2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio will be presented as a virtual celebration premiering on May 10, 2021, at noon. The pre-recorded broadcast will feature video segments highlighting each of the nine award winners, along with remarks from Governor Mike DeWine, legislative leadership, Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins, and more. The OAC is partnering with the Ohio Channel to offer several opportunities to celebrate the impactful contributions of our 2020 award recipients, including the online premiere on Facebook and YouTube, and a televised rebroadcast on the Ohio Channel on Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Each of the winners will receive an original work of art by Cleveland-based artist Barry Underwood.

For more information about the Governor’s Awards, visit oac.ohio.gov/governorsawards.

The 2020 award recipients and categories follow:

ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Lora Snow, Executive Director at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre, Home of the Ohio Valley Symphony
Gallipolis (Gallia)

Lora Lynn Snow is the founder and executive director of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in Gallipolis, home of the Ohio Valley Symphony. Lora, an oboist, was inspired in 1987 to form a professional orchestra in Gallia County and recognized the amazing acoustics in the long-neglected 1895 Ariel Opera House that had been abandoned for 25 years. Lora spearheaded the restoration and set about to organize the community toward the grand reopening of the historic Ariel in 1990 with a performance of the Ohio Valley Symphony. Mrs. Ann Carson Dater gifted the Ariel as a permanent home to the Ohio Valley Symphony (OVS) in 2005, which added an additional theatre, conference room, and banquet rooms. The OVS, now in its 30th season as the only professional orchestra in the Ohio River Valley, recently premiered Songs of Rural America on PBS nationwide with folk singer Michael Johnathon.

Having a holistic view of the arts, Lora also established a music education program, a double reed festival, a community theatre troupe, and OVS woodwind and dance programs at the Ariel. An active recitalist, clinician, and consultant with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance and education from the Ohio State University, Lora has taught at several universities and public schools covering kindergarten through graduate level inclusive. She is principal oboist for the Ohio Valley Symphony and OVS Woodwind Quintet, a member of the West Virginia Symphony, and a freelance musician.

ARTS EDUCATION
Nigel Burgoine, Artistic Director at the Ballet Theatre of Toledo
Holland (Lucas)

Nigel Burgoine, artistic director of the Ballet Theatre of Toledo, is a classical ballet instructor and choreographer. A graduate of the Royal Ballet School and former principal dancer with the London Festival Ballet, Nigel has danced around the world, performing in Australia, Brazil, Africa, and throughout Europe in principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Nutcracker, and Romeo & Juliet. Fueled by his passion for sharing the magic of ballet with the next generation of dancers, Nigel has used his experience and training to teach ballet to diverse audiences. A founding member of the London Festival Ballet Education Team, Nigel has implemented educational programs for dancers and communities in cities in Norway, Spain, England, and throughout the United States.

Prior to founding the Ballet Theatre of Toledo in 2005, Nigel served as artistic director at several other Ohio companies, including the Cincinnati Ballet and the Toledo Ballet, where his full-length productions and educational programs were designed to inspire young dancers by confronting stereotypes surrounding ballet. Nigel continues to serve as an ambassador for Ohio arts, recently working as a guest teacher and choreographer in Japan and Canada and constantly seeking opportunities to connect international artists and organizations with Ohio dancers and their communities.

ARTS EDUCATION
Marshall C. Kimball, Marietta College
Marietta (Washington)

Marshall C. Kimball completed a 47-year teaching career upon retirement from Marietta College after 14 years of service. At Marietta College he was the chairman of the department of music, professor of music, and director of bands and instrumental activities. He holds a Bachelor of Music in music education and a Master of Music in music education from Ohio University.

While teaching at Marietta College, Marshall received the Freshman Advising Award, the Innovative Teaching Award, The Douglas Putnam Outstanding Service Award, and the Harness Outstanding Educator Award. In April 2019 he received the Lifetime Achievement in Music Award from the Ohio University School of Music.

Marshall began his teaching career in Starr-Washington Local Schools (Union Furnace, Ohio), then proceeded to Trimble Local Schools (Glouster, Ohio), and finished his 30 years in the Ohio public schools with 26 years at Marietta City Schools. During his time in Marietta City Schools, the high school band program was recognized as a standard of excellence regionally, statewide, and nationally.

Following retirement from Marietta City Schools in 2001, Marshall took on adjunct work at Washington State Community College and Marietta College. The adjunct professor position at Marietta College eventually led to a full-time position in 2006, where he achieved full professor rank and became the chair of the music department. He currently is an adjunct professor/music consultant for the music department, working 10 hours per week and deals with administrative and accreditation issues.

ARTS PATRON
The Charles H. Dater Foundation
Cincinnati (Hamilton)

The Charles H. Dater Foundation was founded in 1985 to make grants to organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area that carry out projects benefiting young people in the areas of arts and culture, education, healthcare, social services, and other community needs. Since then, the foundation—one of the largest private foundations in Greater Cincinnati—has awarded more than 3,100 grants totaling $51 million to approximately 400 private, nonprofit organizations and public agencies for an array of programs and projects. Named after its founder, Charles Hixson Dater (1912-1993), a Cincinnati native and U.S. Army officer in World War II, the foundation preserves the memory of Dater and his ancestors, whose hard work and business acumen over four generations provided them with the opportunity to share their success with others in their community. Run entirely by officers and directors with no full-time staff, the foundation upholds the Dater family’s philanthropic commitment to enriching young lives by supporting community programming and services that have a positive and lasting impact on children.

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS
Nicolettecinemagraphics
Columbus (Franklin)

Nicolettecinemagraphics is a two-person digital media business based in Columbus that has supported the arts in myriad ways since it was founded by filmmakers Nicolette and Matt Swift in 2006. From donating their time and resources for use by arts-based nonprofits, to conducting teaching artist residencies exploring the art of filmmaking and video production, Nicolettecinemagraphics has worked closely with organizations such as VSA Ohio, Bridgeway Academy, Food for Good Thought, the Vanderelli Room, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio State University Film Studies Program, and more. Through visual storytelling, the company supports and celebrates communities by creating digital content that showcases Ohio’s artists and arts organizations.

Nicolettecinemagraphics’ community involvement extends to initiatives such as the Columbus iteration of ReelAbilities Film Festival, a festival dedicated to presenting award-winning films by and about people with disabilities, and the Columbus Moving Image Art Review, a free quarterly screening event that provides local filmmakers, animators, and video artists with a dedicated space in which to share their work. By approaching film projects through the lens of accessibility, Nicolettecinemagraphics uses Nicolette and Matt’s expertise and knowledge to support creative projects that inspire and engage all audiences.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION
Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch
Pomeroy (Meigs)

Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch was initially built in 1989 as “a ranch that grows guitar players,” but it has since transformed into so much more. Founded by Jorma and Vanessa Kaukonen, the former of whom performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly with Hot Tuna, Fur Peace Ranch is an immersive music camp, conference center, concert venue, and art gallery located in Meigs County. Designed as a place where musicians can come together and draw inspiration from their creative surroundings, the ranch hosts students who stay in cabins, participate in group jam sessions, and attend music classes. Beyond the connections created over the course of music-filled weekends, Fur Peace Ranch also unites the broader community with outreach and engagement efforts taking place throughout Southeast Ohio.

Guided by the belief in the power of music to promote peace and change lives for the better, Fur Peace Ranch supports local artists, farmers, and businesses; brings national recording artists to local audiences through a recurring concert series that is simulcast on WOUB’s “Live from Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch” every Friday; and promotes the reach of the arts throughout Southeast Ohio and beyond.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION
Joan Perch, Program and Outreach Coordinator at the Campana Center for Ideation & Invention at Lorain County Community College
Elyria (Lorain)

Joan Perch began her career as an arts educator and owner of several successful art galleries in downtown Cleveland. Recognizing the opportunity to combine and implement cutting-edge approaches to the fields of art, technology, business, and civic and economic development, Joan has pioneered programs that embraced innovation to further the impact of the arts. Drawing from her experience in STEAM education, entrepreneurship, creative placemaking, and the intersection of arts and technology, Joan has contributed to the development of programs such as Cleveland’s Sparx in the City; the Ingenuity Festivals of Art and Technology; and the FireFish STEAM Maker Teen Academy, a year-round apprentice program for culturally at-risk urban teens developed in partnership with the FireFish Festival in Lorain, Ohio.

A staunch advocate for artists in communities, Joan also founded RED Dot Project, a social enterprise that utilized web-based technologies to market the art of Northeast Ohio artists; and the Future Artist Lab at Lorain County Community College’s Campana Center for Ideation and Invention, where she is currently the program developer and outreach coordinator at Lorain County Community College’s Patsie C. and Delores Jené Campana Center for Ideation and Invention.

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Jesse Ayers, DMA, Composer and Professor Emeritus of Music at Malone University
Canton (Stark)

Jesse Ayers, DMA, is an award-winning composer and a professor emeritus of music at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Jesse began composing in his early teens, and at age 17 was invited by the legendary WJ Julian to conduct the University of Tennessee's top concert band in a performance of his first work for band. In 2011, Jesse was awarded the inaugural American Prize for Orchestral Composition and was named an “Honored Artist” of the American Prize in 2014. His music has been performed throughout the world in countries including Japan, South Africa, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, and Portugal, as well as in more than 100 U.S. cities.

Best known for his orchestral and symphonic band "surround-sound" concert stories that explore the intersection of the spiritual and natural worlds and the redemptive intervention of God in the affairs of the human race, Jesse has been honored with several Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards and was most recently named 2019 Ohio Music Teachers Association Composer of the Year. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate in music composition from the University of Kentucky.

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Andy Snow, Photographer
Dayton (Montgomery)

Andy Snow has worked as a professional photographer for more than 40 years after becoming fascinated with photography while finishing his philosophy degree at Princeton University. There, under the guidance of documentary photographer Sol Libsohn and photography historian Peter Bunnell, Andy learned the practice and art of illuminating narrative with photography. In 1993, he chronicled his work for TIME, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, The New York Times, Forbes, and Fortune magazines in his book titled Location Photography Secrets. Following post-graduate studies at Ohio University and Antioch University, Andy expanded further into sound, film, video, and all things digital. He completed a self-designed master’s degree program at Antioch in digital media in 2005.

A documentarian at heart, Andy is mindful of revealing essence through light, shadow, and color while remaining receptive to any surprising interventions that might be chaos or perhaps synchronicity. His historic project, “Watershed, Then&Now,” commemorating the Great Flood of 1913 in the Miami Valley of Western Ohio, was honored as one of 20 “Best Projects of 2013” by the American Society of Media Photographers. He has worked with a variety of clients ranging from General Electric and Procter & Gamble to the City of Dayton and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

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
Featured Image: Design by Alan Jazak, Formation Studio. Artwork: "Euclid Beach" by Barry Underwood
Editor's Note: This story was updated to include details about the 2020 Governor's Awards for the Arts Virtual Celebration on May 10, 2021, at noon | Originally published: Jan. 9, 2020

Columbus Student Monserrat Tlahuel-Flores Named 2021 Poetry Out Loud State Champion

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 18:54:49 GMT

Ohio’s new Poetry Out Loud (POL) State Champion Monserrat Tlahuel-Flores knows that poetry is best when it feels personal.

“I really tried to look for things that I could personally connect with because I feel like that is one of the important things when picking a poem,” said Tlahuel-Flores, a senior at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus. “It really needs to resonate. And it just makes it easier to memorize because it’s like telling a part of my story.”

Tlahuel-Flores was among five students who competed at the Ohio POL State Finals competition on March 5, reciting their poems live from the WOSU Public Media studios in front a virtual audience and panel of judges.

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. This year, due to coronavirus-related safety restrictions, the Ohio POL State Finals competition was broadcast publicly through Zoom. All participants and production staff followed public health and safety guidelines, such as practicing mask-wearing and social distancing, while on-site and participating in the event.

In round one of the competition, Tlahuel-Flores recited “The True-Blue American” by Delmore Schwartz, a poem she felt told an important story through its references to gilded, golden-age American iconography such as ice cream sundaes, small-town shops, and national landmarks like the Grand Canyon. Tlahuel-Flores said she was curious to explore how the American Dream touted in the poem differed from present-day realities.

“I really wanted to embody Jeremiah Dickson—the character that Delmore Schwartz was describing. I wanted to emphasize the audacity of the story being told because it’s talking about this golden time in America, it’s talking about all of these grandiose things,” she said. “The poem mentions these great ideals and dreams, but at the end of the day, only certain Americans get to have these things that they want, and they come at a cost.”

In the next round, Tlahuel-Flores chose to recite “The Only Mexican” by David Tomas Martinez. The poem, which Martinez wrote about his grandfather, discusses themes of inter-generational conversations, familial history, and identity.

“‘The Only Mexican’ captures the feelings younger Mexican-Americans experience when interacting with older family members who think of us as non-Mexican,” Tlahuel-Flores said. “No matter how much I try, no matter how much I try to perfect the language, I worry that my own Mexican family won’t ever accept me as Mexican and might just only think of me as American.”

In the final round, Tlahuel-Flores recited “And If I did, What Then?” by George Gascoigne, a poem she said that she chose as a technical challenge for its difficulty.

Tlahuel-Flores will have another opportunity to showcase her skills later this spring when she represents Ohio at the POL National Finals, which are being presented as a virtual, video-submission-based competition on May 2 and May 27.

“I’ve been watching the POL National Finals competitions for the past four years,” said Tlahuel-Flores, who placed second in the 2020 Ohio POL State Finals. “As I prepare for nationals, I’m looking over the poems again and finding more meanings, layers, and connections to my own life. When finding the emotion, I want to really look back at my own experiences and just let the poem flow in a natural way. I just want to take in everything that I’ve learned, everything I’ve gathered from the poem, and just really live in that moment.”

In addition to securing the title of state champion, Tlahuel-Flores received $200, while her school, St. Francis DeSales High School, received a $500 check to purchase poetry books for its library.

Jakob Tucker, a senior at Archbishop McNicholas High School who placed second at the state finals, and Lexi Gastelu, a senior at Piqua High School who placed third, were also honored for their achievements with an art print by Columbus artist Wendy Kendrick featuring an excerpt of a poem by Ohio Poet Laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour.

Tlahuel-Flores said she is grateful for the support she’s received throughout her journey with POL. She shared that after she was announced as the state finals winner, she received a flood of celebratory emails and text messages from family members, as well as her teachers and principal, who had all tuned in to cheer her on to victory.

“I really just want to thank my family and school. They have been so supportive,” she said. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t even know if I wanted to do this competition as a senior. My teachers really gave me that inspiration, that drive to just keep going and see what happens.”

Now Tlahuel-Flores is hoping to make Ohio proud at the national finals come May.

“Being from Ohio, I feel like people think we’re a ‘flyover’ state, and they don’t really appreciate the rich arts and culture community that we have here,” she said. “This competition gives me the chance to represent Ohio and Columbus and show what makes our state great on the national stage.”

Round one of the 2021 POL National Finals will be pre-recorded and streamed from Washington, D.C., on May 2, with a second round streaming on May 27. Both events will be available to watch on the National Endowment for the Arts’ POL website, poetryoutloud.org.

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.

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

Ohio Arts Council Secures New Funding for Creative Aging

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:37:32 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) recently secured new funding from a national grant program to advance creative aging programs for older adults in Ohio.

Recognizing that older adults have many contributions to make to their communities—but that they often face ageism and isolation and have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19—the OAC sought funding from the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging program, a joint initiative of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and Aroha Philanthropies. Ohio secured $60,000 for the Ohio Intensive Creative Aging Training Initiative.

“The Ohio Arts Council is thrilled to engage in this critical work to expand Ohio’s ability to provide arts programming for older adults,” said Donna S. Collins, OAC executive director. “Through training teaching artists and providing participatory art-making experiences, together we can improve Ohioans’ quality of life.”

The OAC is one of 36 state arts agencies receiving awards from NASAA. With this funding, each state will conduct creative aging activities tailored to the unique needs of its constituents. Activities will include providing professional development for teaching artists and providing direct programming to older adult audiences.

"NASAA is proud to have Ohio in our creative aging cohort," said Pam Breaux, NASAA president and CEO. "This grant will help to grow opportunities for creative aging in Ohio over time, facilitating lifelong learning, joy, social engagement, and improved well-being for older adults."

"Aroha Philanthropies is proud to partner with NASAA to support creative aging through our state and jurisdictional arts agencies," said Ellen Michelson, founder and president of the foundation. "This initiative marks an important step toward broadened awareness, adoption, and funding of creative aging programs across the country."

For more information about NASAA's Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging initiative, visit nasaa-arts.org/communication/new-initiative-expands-creative-aging-nationwide.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF STATE ARTS AGENCIES
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is a professional association of the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies. NASAA is a national, not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that champions public support for the arts in America. Together, NASAA and the state arts agencies advance the arts as an essential ingredient in the well-being and prosperity of our nation’s individuals, communities and families. For more information, visit nasaa-arts.org.

ABOUT AROHA PHILANTHROPIES
Aroha Philanthropies is a nonprofit arts organization, working in the Twin Cities and beyond to improve quality of life through creative self-expression. Built on the foundation of love, Aroha combines selflessness, tolerance, kindness, and compassion to support the development of artistic and creative opportunities—and the personal discoveries that go with them—for everyone. For more information, visit arohaphilanthropies.org.

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Article by Justin Nigro, Operations and Public Affairs Director

Ohio Arts Organizations and Artists Receive $650K from National Endowment for the Arts

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:37:04 GMT

Twenty-nine Ohio arts organizations have been awarded federal funding through the National Endowment for the Arts’ Grants for Arts Projects program, and three Ohio poets have received Creative Writing Fellowships, the National Endowment for the Arts announced in a media release on Thursday.

The Ohio awards total $650,000. Arts Projects grants for organizations in Ohio range from $10,000 to $50,000 to support arts programs and initiatives throughout the state. Each of the Creative Writing Fellowships are $25,000.

According to the release, Arts Projects grants cover the artistic disciplines of Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theatre, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theatre, and Visual Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts’ principal grants program for organizations, Arts Projects provide project-based funding to support “public engagement with, and access to, various forms of art across the nation, the creation of excellent art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life,” the National Endowment for the Arts website states.

In this first round of federal FY 2021 funding, 1,073 Arts Projects grants totaling nearly $25 million were awarded to organizations across the United States, the release said.

The three Ohio recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing Fellowships are among 35 artists selected for the award this year. According to the release, “these FY 2021 fellowships are in poetry and enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.”

“We thank the National Endowment for the Arts for its continued support and recognition of the creative excellence of Ohio’s arts organizations and artists,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “This past year has been especially challenging for the arts and culture sector throughout the country, and this investment in Ohio is a testament to our state’s strengths of innovation, inventiveness, and ingenuity.”

The National Endowment for the Arts’ awards for the first round of federal FY 2021 total $27,562,040 and span 14 artistic disciplines, the release stated.

“The creativity and resilience of artists and arts organizations across the country have inspired Americans during this challenging year,” said National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Ann Eilers in the release. “These projects represent the vitality and perseverance of arts organizations small and large to overcome significant challenges, transform to new ways of engagement, and forge new relationships that benefit the diverse populations in neighborhoods and cities throughout the United States.”

A list of Ohio organizations receiving National Endowment for the Arts funding follows:

Chagrin Falls

Chagrin Falls Documentary Film Festival | Arts Projects – Media Arts ($10,000)

Cincinnati

Cincinnati Ballet | Arts Projects – Dance ($10,000)
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra | Arts Projects – Music ($15,000)
Cincinnati Opera Association | Arts Projects – Opera ($25,000)
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | Arts Projects – Theatre ($10,000)
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Arts Projects – Music ($40,000)
Educational Theatre Association | Arts Projects – Arts Education ($50,000)

Cleveland

Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra | Arts Projects – Music ($35,000)
DANCECleveland | Arts Projects – Dance ($20,000)
Cleveland Public Theatre | Arts Projects – Theatre ($10,000)
Tri-C Foundation | Arts Projects – Dance ($15,000)
Tri-C Foundation (on behalf of Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland) | Arts Projects – Music ($20,000)
Front Exhibition Company | Arts Projects – Music ($20,000)
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation | Arts Projects – Media Arts ($20,000)
Karamu House | Arts Projects – Theatre ($15,000)
L.A.N.D. Studio | Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works ($35,000)
The Cleveland Orchestra | Arts Projects – Music ($40,000)
The Sculpture Center | Arts Projects – Visual Arts ($20,000)
SPACES | Arts Projects – Visual Arts ($25,000)
Zygote Press | Arts Projects – Visual Arts ($20,000)

Cleveland Heights

Leila Chatti | Creative Writing Literature Fellowships – Poetry ($25,000)

Columbus

Ruth Awad | Creative Writing Literature Fellowships – Poetry ($25,000)

OhioDance | Arts Projects – Dance ($10,000)
Opera Columbus | Arts Projects – Opera ($20,000)
Wexner Center for the Arts | Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works ($15,000)

Gambier

Kenyon Review | Arts Projects – Literary Arts ($10,000)

Mansfield

Renaissance Performing Arts Association | Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works ($10,000)

Marion

Marion County Historical Society | Arts Projects – Folk & Traditional Arts ($15,000)

Oberlin

Oberlin Center for the Arts | Arts Projects – Local Arts Agencies ($10,000)
Robin Beth Schaer | Creative Writing Literature Fellowships – Poetry ($25,000)

Springfield

Westcott House Foundation | Arts Projects – Design ($20,000)

Willoughby

Fine Arts Association | Arts Projects – Musical Theatre ($10,000)

To download and view a complete, filterable list of award recipients, click here. To view the list of award recipients as a PDF, click here.

The National Endowment for the Arts is currently accepting applications for the next round of its Grants for Arts Projects program. The application deadline for Arts Projects is February 11, 2021. The next cycle for National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships will focus on creative writing in prose (fiction and non-fiction). Applications for this program are due March 10, 2021.

For more information, visit arts.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts 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 National Endowment for the Arts 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.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

75 Artists Receive Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:53:17 GMT

Members of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board have approved $300,000 in grant funding to be awarded to 75 Ohio artists through the OAC’s Individual Excellence Awards program for state fiscal year 2021.

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

During this funding cycle, applications in crafts, design, interdisciplinary arts, media arts, photography, visual arts 2D, and visual arts 3D were accepted. Each award is $4,000. The grants were approved at the OAC board’s winter board meeting on Jan. 20.

Individual Excellence Award funding is awarded through an open panel review process focused on the basis of exceptional merit of an artist’s past body of work.

“Individual Excellence Awards represent investment in imagination, artistry, and talent by giving artists the resources to innovate, explore their art forms, develop skills, and advance their careers,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “These awards honor the outstanding accomplishments of Ohio artists, who we are proud to support as they continue to shape creative conversations in our state through their work in and mastery of their chosen disciplines and crafts.”

A list of Individual Excellence Award winners follows:

CRAFTS

Tom Bartel (Athens, Athens County)
Stephanie Craig (Berea, Cuyahoga County)
Peter Christian Johnson (Kent, Portage County)
Eva Kwong (Kent, Portage County)
Andrea LeBlond (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Cynthia Lockhart (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Sarah McMahon (Homeworth, Columbiana County)
Mychaelyn Michalec (Dayton, Montgomery County)
Marc Petrovic (Euclid, Cuyahoga County)
Stephen Yusko (Lakewood, Cuyahoga County)

DESIGN

Anne Kmieck (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Misty Thomas-Trout (Dayton, Montgomery County)

INTERDISCIPLINARY

Jay Bolotin (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Malcolm Cochran (Columbus, Franklin County)
Kara Güt (Avon, Lorain County)
Calista Lyon (Columbus, Franklin County)
Migiwa Orimo (Yellow Springs, Greene County)
Nate Ricciuto (Columbus, Franklin County)
Thu Tran (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)

MEDIA ARTS

Roger Beebe (Columbus, Franklin County)
Jeremy Bessoff (Athens, Athens County)
Jesseca Ynez Simmons (Dayton, Montgomery County)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Donald Black Jr. (Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Amanda D. King (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Sharon Koelblinger (Kent, Portage County)
Jacob Koestler (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Bridget Murphy Milligan (Tiro, Crawford County)
Ardine Nelson (Columbus, Franklin County)
Pipo Nguyen duy (Oberlin, Lorain County)
Gina Osterloh (Columbus, Franklin County)
Rachel Girard Reisert (Cincinnati, Hamilton County)
Sheilah ReStack (Columbus, Franklin County)
Gregory Spaid (Gambier, Knox County)
Mary Jo Toles (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Eric Zeigler (Maumee, Lucas County)

VISUAL ARTS 2D

Christine D'Epiro Abbott (Columbus, Franklin County)
Diana Abells (Columbus, Franklin County)
Shelley Brenner Baird (Columbus, Franklin County)
Kelley Booze (Springfield, Clark County)
Christopher Burk (Columbus, Franklin County)
Larry Collins (Oxford, Butler County)
Susan Danko (Parma, Cuyahoga County)
Christian Faur (Granville, Licking County)
Timothy Gaewsky (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Deborah Griffing (Sunbury, Delaware County)
Hiroshi Hayakawa (Columbus, Franklin County)
Glen Holland (Columbus, Franklin County)
Charles Kanwischer (Waterville, Lucas County)
Stanka Kordic (Bedford, Cuyahoga County)
Natalie Lanese (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Nickolaus Larsen (Gahanna, Franklin County)
Jeremy Long (Dayton, Montgomery County)
Taryn McMahon (Kent, Portage County)
Andrea Myers (Columbus, Fraklin County)
Jeannette Palsa (Hudson, Summit County)
Magda Parasidis (Columbus, Franklin County)
Shawn Powell (Kent, Portage County)
Danielle Rante (Dayton, Montgomery County)
Marc Ross (Columbus, Franklin County)
Nikos Rutkowski (Columbus, Franklin County)
Daniel Sapp (Berlin Heights, Erie County)
Dana Saulnier (Oxford, Butler County)
Karen Snouffer (Gambier, Knox County)
Kate Snow (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Christopher Taylor (New Albany, Franklin County)
Edward Valentine (Delaware, Delaware County)
Rebekah Wilhelm (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Eileen Woods (Columbus, Franklin County)

VISUAL ARTS 3D

Kate Budd (Akron, Summit County)
Lauren Davies (Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Dana Depew (Sullivan, Lorain County)
Paul O’Keeffe (Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County)
Priscilla Roggenkamp (Alliance, Stark County)
Brittany Sievers (Columbus, Franklin County)
Lauren Yeager (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)

To download and view a complete, filterable list of award recipients, click here. To view the list of award recipients as a PDF, click here.

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

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Correction 01/25/21: Several names of artists receiving Individual Excellence Awards were adjusted per the artists' requests.

Statement on Resignation of Susan Allan Block

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 18:55:06 GMT

The following statement is attributable to Donna S. Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), on the resignation of Susan Allan Block from the OAC board:

"As I shared yesterday, agency staff does not comment on the personal opinions of its sitting board members. However, Susan is no longer on the board, so let me now say this."

"Our agency does not condone or endorse these inflammatory opinions in any way, and we will continue to work in alignment with our shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusivity."

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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.

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

Governor DeWine Appoints Adam Shank of Powell to OAC Board

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 18:06:25 GMT

Governor Mike DeWine has appointed Adam Shank of Powell to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board for a term expiring July 1, 2024.

Mr. Shank is the executive director of the Ohio Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, where he is responsible for leading Clubs in Ohio through a strategic shift to grow organizational capacity and extend the impact Clubs have to all Ohio’s youth. Previously, he served as the director of strategic planning and transformation for Dublin City Schools, overseeing the district’s operational excellence programming.

Mr. Shank is a licensed attorney and active contributor to the Association of Corporate Counsel, a national nonprofit organization aimed at advancing the corporate legal profession. As the past president of the Central Ohio Chapter, he worked closely with local and national contacts to grow and advance the offerings for members in the area.

A statewide nonprofit leader focused on service to youth, Mr. Shank is an ardent believer in the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs to ensure that all children, especially those that need us the most, can reach their full potential as responsible, caring, and productive citizens. He holds a BA in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Juris Doctorate from the Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law at Case Western Reserve University, and a master’s in business operational excellence from the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University.

“We are excited to welcome Adam to the Ohio Arts Council board,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “His expertise in nonprofit leadership is well-matched to the work undertaken by the OAC that seeks to provide transformational art experiences to Ohioans of all ages, from professional masters to youth just beginning their artistic journeys.”

All appointments remain subject to the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate.

ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL'S BOARD
The OAC Board is composed of 15 voting members appointed by the governor, and four non-voting members—two each from the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives. The Council Board is responsible for final approval of funding requests. The Board meets four times during a calendar year and all meetings are open to the public.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist

9 Ohio Arts Organizations Receive COVID-19 Relief Grants from Arts Midwest Totaling $260K

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 21:26:16 GMT

Sixty-one Midwestern arts and culture organizations, including nine based in Ohio, have received COVID-19 relief grants from Ohio’s regional arts organization, Arts Midwest, through the second phase of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund.

Selected organizations will each receive a grant ranging from $10,000 - $50,000. Recipients may direct Resilience Fund grants to their most pressing needs and opportunities, from response activities to investments that build resiliency and sustainability.

The Resilience Fund’s goal is to support historically under-resourced arts and culture organizations across the United States as they work to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with these priorities, 32 of the funded organizations are based in rural areas, 25 are led by and serving people of color, and five are led by and serving Native and Indigenous communities.

In November, Arts Midwest announced that 30 mid-to-large-sized organizations, including four in Ohio, received a total of $1.5 million in aid during a first wave of funding. Today’s second round of award announcements was made possible by an anonymous donor who provided a matching investment of $1.5 million to support smaller organizations with annual budgets between $50,000 - $249,000.

A list of Ohio recipients in round two of the Resilience Fund grants and their award amounts follows:

Passion Works Studio (Athens) - $50,000
Black Swamp Arts Festival (Bowling Green) - $35,000
Majestic Theatre (Chillicothe) - $15,000
Maroon Arts Group (Columbus) - $15,000
Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach (Homerville) - $20,000
ArtSpace Lima (Lima) - $40,000
Paper Circle (Nelsonville) - $10,000
Piqua Arts Council (Piqua) - $25,000
The Youngstown Playhouse (Youngstown) - $50,000

Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins thanked Arts Midwest for their leadership in providing much-needed aid to more Midwestern arts organizations through this second round of funding.

“We are grateful to Arts Midwest and the anonymous donor who expanded the Resilience Fund to reach organizations that are the binding threads in the fabric of their communities,” she said. “The arts in Ohio are strengthened through the work of arts and cultural organizations of all sizes. We applaud the tenacity and creativity championed by arts leaders throughout the state and thank them for their hard work and dedication in such trying times.”

“As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the nation, smaller arts and culture organizations are deeply hurting,” said Torrie Allen, president and CEO of Arts Midwest. “We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation and our anonymous funder for investing in the creative core of the Midwest. We are hopeful that these funds will help organizations across our region weather the storm so that they can keep serving their communities for years to come.”

For more information on all the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund recipients, visit the Arts Midwest website.

ABOUT ARTS MIDWEST
Arts Midwest believes that creativity has the power to inspire and unite humanity. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest grows, gathers, and invests in creative organizations and communities throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six nonprofit United States regional arts organizations, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 30 years. For more information, visit artsmidwest.org.

ABOUT UNITED STATES REGIONAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and Western States Arts Federation occupy a unique niche in the U.S. cultural ecosystem. They partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, state arts agencies, and others to develop and deliver programs, services, and products that support and advance the arts. Learn more at usregionalarts.org.

ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION
Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the largest national supporter of the arts and humanities, endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. Additional information is available at mellon.org.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured image: Athens, Ohio's Passion Works Studio is one of nine Ohio arts and culture organizations selected to receive COVID-19 relief grants from regional arts organization Arts Midwest through the second phase of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Photo courtesy of Passion Works Studio.

Artists of Expanded Dimensions Push Boundaries of Fiber Art

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:35:03 GMT

Expanded Dimensions comes upon us at the perfect time. In this year unlike any other, full of unrest and uncertainty, drastic life changes, and tremendous loss, we have all had to reimagine our lives. Yet, despite all of the ongoing challenges this year, the artists in this exhibition showed up, and the work they brought with them is more than the warm, nostalgic embrace we’ve come to expect from fiber art. This year, the energy of their work echoes like a shockwave through the gallery, and it’s clear that something powerful is happening here.

All of these women have participated and/or taught at the Quilt and Surface Design Symposium over the last few decades. Many of them are (or were) quilters, and that history and tradition is embedded in their work, but the connections are subtle. The traditional three-layer structure, the confines of a square block, and the use of “usual” materials may not be present, but they have not been absent-mindedly or foolishly abandoned. Rather, these women have worked beyond them. They have mastered the plot twist, effortlessly transforming their own processes and concepts—though a variety of materials—to create works that are entirely new and magnificent in scale and construction, but that retain the incredible detail that comes from the meticulous hands of fiber artists.

Sue Cavanaugh created “S.O.S to the Universe” primarily out of recycled parachutes, and she incorporated Morse Code and COVID-19 mobiles, recycled plastics, and a drawing of wildfires into her monumental installation that discusses recent devastating global events. The three floor-to-ceiling, nearly transparent, wall-like sheets of hanging fabric that make up the piece surround viewers as they make their way through a blue-hued maze of intricately stitched fabric reminiscent of an ocean wave. It is only from a distance that one realizes the fabric pieces are shaped into the coded letters “S.O.S”. The immersive scale heightens the sense of urgency Cavanaugh wants you to feel when you stand within the letters; the S.O.S. feels personal, and Cavanaugh has struck a nerve. The world needs help, the piece seems to say, and we are the helpers.

Image Credit: Sue Cavanaugh, "S.O.S. to the Universe"

Judy Rush flows as fluidly as the fibers on display in her wet-felted installation, “Falling Bowls,” which explores the themes of chaos, order, destruction, creation, and evolution. Her bowls are impossible to resist, and standing underneath them, you can feel the labor of Rush’s hands and a deeper connection to the cosmos.

Image Credit: Judy Rush, "Falling Bowls"

Mary Ann Tipple, pioneer of early photo-to-fabric transfer techniques, has taken portraits of her loved ones and turned them into living meditations. Her compositions are clean, every textile carefully chosen, and each stitch is long-arm sewn in patterned lines that provide structure and utterly transfix the viewer on her subjects.

Image Credit: Mary Ann Tipple, "Alone"

Andrea Meyers’ fabric collages are vibrant, wildly colored, patterned, and stitched. They’re a little messy up close, just like the human condition. Yet, these collages are sophisticated, and Meyers’ expert use of color and design move the eye around and leave the viewer satisfied from any vantage point.

Image Credit: Andrea Myers, "Teetertotter"

Deborah Griffing’s collages are intuitively built through stream-of-consciousness drawing, stitching, painting, and weathering. She has focused on the mental and chronic illness in her family, and the resulting works are like intimate, intricate mind maps.

Image Credit: Deborah Griffing, "Signs of Life"

The work in Expanded Dimensions is a call to broaden our horizons while deepening the ties that bind us together. It ladles out comfort and tradition while recognizing the need for expansion and release from constraints that no longer serve us. These artists have tapped into the truth about our connection as human beings, our part in a global tribe. While our time together may be short, our impact, like these works, cannot be limited. The transformational power of women artists moving beyond craft and small-scale works into full-scale installations and a variety of new media says something about their hope that this work will be deeply experienced. They have guided us through the first steps in our own journeys of exacting and expanding our dimensions.

Expanded Dimensions: The Quilt & Surface Design Symposium 2020 is on view at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery from Nov. 5, 2020 – Jan. 9, 2021. The Quilt & Surface Design Symposium strives to present one of the most comprehensive art quilt conferences in the world, offering a wide variety of fiber arts classes and highly qualified instructors. The exhibition was curated by Tracy Rieger, director of the Quilt & Surface Design Symposium.

Featured artists include Sue Benner, Susan Callahan, Sue Cavanaugh, Jiyoung Chung, Deborah Griffing, Amanda McCavour, Andrea Myers, Diane Nunez, Judy Rush, and Mary Ann Tipple.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Riffe Gallery is closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore Expanded Dimensions virtually at oac.ohio.gov/Riffe-Gallery/On-View.

ABOUT THE OAC 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, 77 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43215.

Visit Riffegallery.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram.

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 Aimee Wissman, 2020-21 OAC Riffe Gallery Marketing and Exhibitions Fellow

Ohio Arts Council Awards $20 Million in CARES Act Economic Relief for the Arts

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:38:39 GMT

Today, the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) announced 296 grant awards totaling $20 million in economic relief from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the arts and culture sector.

The OAC will not retain any dollars for its own overhead or administrative expenses.

“This investment will go a long way in supporting the recovery and resilience of Ohio’s creative economy, which is among the pandemic’s hardest hit sectors,” said Executive Director Donna S. Collins.

CARES Act funds were made available to the OAC through the initiative of Gov. DeWine and state legislative leaders and through the approval of the state’s Controlling Board.

“In this season of thankfulness, I join with the OAC board to express my gratitude to Governor Mike DeWine and leaders of the Ohio General Assembly for investing in Ohio’s performing and cultural arts organizations,” Collins said.

Awards were determined through a tiered, need-based formula that considered each eligible applicant’s budget and reported expenses qualifying under the CARES Act.

For a complete list of awards, click here to view an Excel spreadsheet or here to view a PDF.

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Article by Justin Nigro, Operations and Public Affairs Director

Ohio Arts Council Statements on $20 Million in CARES Act Economic Relief for the Arts

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 18:38:26 GMT

View funding guidelines and an announcement to eligible grantees here.
View a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.

Today, the Ohio Controlling Board approved $20 million in economic relief from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the arts and culture sector to be distributed through the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). This funding was previously announced Friday by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and legislative leaders of the Ohio General Assembly.

The OAC will regrant the entirety of the $20 million in federal CARES Act dollars without retaining any for overhead or administrative expenses. Pursuant to federal law, the OAC must expend CARES Act funds by Dec. 30.

“This significant investment comes at an urgent time to ensure the resilience of Ohio’s arts and cultural organizations,” said Ginger Warner, chair of the Ohio Arts Council. “On behalf of the Ohio Arts Council, I deeply thank Governor Mike DeWine, House Speaker Bob Cupp, Senate President Larry Obhof, and legislators of the Ohio General Assembly.”

“The arts make us stronger. They are crucial to educating our children for the 21^st century workforce, improving our quality of life especially in difficult times, and helping our communities restore their vitality,” said Jim Dicke II, vice-chair of the Ohio Arts Council. “I am grateful that our elected leaders recognize the merit of providing relief for one of the hardest hit economic sectors.”

“Sound stewardship of tax dollars is critical to maintaining Ohioans’ broad support for public funding for the arts. This investment is essential to sustaining to the performing and cultural arts in Ohio, and the OAC stands ready and able to play a role in helping our state to recover from COVID-19,” said Executive Director Donna S. Collins.

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Article by Justin Nigro, Operations and Public Affairs Director

4 Ohio Arts Organizations Receive COVID-19 Relief Grants Totaling $205K

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 16:01:03 GMT

Funds Provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Will Help Historically Under-Resourced Arts and Culture Organizations Weather the COVID-19 Crisis

Thirty Midwestern arts and culture organizations, including Ohio-based organizations Cleveland Public Theatre, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Karamu House, and Stuart’s Opera House, have received COVID-19 relief grants from Arts Midwest through the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund.

The Resilience Fund’s goal is to invest in historically under-resourced arts and culture organizations across the United States as they work to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with these priorities, 22 of the funded organizations are led by and serving people of color and/or Indigenous communities, and 11 are based in rural areas.

The 30 selected organizations will each receive $50,000 – $55,000 as a one-time investment with no matching funds required. Recipients may direct United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund grants to their most pressing needs and opportunities, from response activities to investments that build resiliency and sustainability.

A list of Ohio recipients of Resilience Fund grants and their award amounts follows:

Cleveland Public Theatre (Cleveland) - $50,000
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (Dayton) - $55,000
Karamu House (Cleveland) - $50,000
Stuart’s Opera House (Nelsonville) - $50,000

Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins thanked the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Arts Midwest for their support of arts organizations that provide crucial access to the arts in Ohio communities.

“We are grateful that four Ohio arts organizations were able to receive support through this national funding initiative generously offered by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Arts Midwest,” she said. “We know so many of our colleagues in the arts are facing unprecedented challenges and uncertainties in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, especially those serving under-resourced communities. We commend their strength, innovation, and perseverance as they continue to work each day to provide transformative arts experiences accessible to all audiences.”

The impact of COVID-19 has created incredible financial obstacles for the arts, with Americans for the Arts estimating current losses for the creative sector at more than $12.5 billion and counting. These losses exacerbate deep, existing inequities present across the Midwest and the nation. Historically under-resourced communities and organizations now face an additional lack of access to critical support, investment, and capitalization to weather the pandemic, putting their work acutely at risk.

The United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund began in June 2020, when each of America’s six Regional Arts Organizations, a national collective of place-based nonprofit arts service organizations, received allocations of a $10 million emergency grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. To distribute its $1.5 million share, Arts Midwest shaped an equity-focused trust-based philanthropic investment model to ensure that rural communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color were integral voices in the funding process. Decision making on how to allocate Resilience Funds was guided by rural culture makers and arts leaders of color from across the Midwest as well as representatives from Arts Midwest’s nine partner State Arts Agencies.

In total, more than 500 Midwestern organizations were nominated by community members to receive money through the Resilience Fund.

“These organizations play a critical role in the civic and economic vitality of our communities and are core to our quality of life in the Midwest,” said Torrie Allen, president and CEO of Arts Midwest. “We are proud to be partnering with our state arts agencies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and our fellow U.S. Regional Arts Organizations on this recovery effort and are humbled by the continued need for support within and beyond these communities.”

The United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund will continue to support organizations across the Midwest beyond this first wave of funding. Thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor, an additional $1.5 million in support will be invested in Midwest organizations that are small, rural, and/or led by and serving people of color and Indigenous communities. Recipients of this second round of funding will be announced in late November 2020.

For more information on all the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund recipients, visit the Arts Midwest website.

ABOUT ARTS MIDWEST

Arts Midwest believes that creativity has the power to inspire and unite humanity. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest grows, gathers, and invests in creative organizations and communities throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six nonprofit United States regional arts organizations, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 30 years. For more information, visit artsmidwest.org.

ABOUT THE UNITED STATES REGIONAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS

Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and Western States Arts Federation—occupy a unique niche in the U.S. cultural ecosystem. RAOs partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, State Arts Agencies, and others to develop and deliver programs, services and products that support and advance the arts. Learn more at usregionalarts.org.

ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION

Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the largest national supporter of the arts and humanities, endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. Additional information is available at mellon.org.

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

Governor DeWine Announces Three Appointments to OAC Board

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 14:29:19 GMT

Governor Mike DeWine has announced three appointments to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board, including the reappointment of two board members, Tina Husted of Upper Arlington and Tom Johnson of Somerset, and the appointment of Beth Waldren of Galena. All three board members will serve terms expiring July 1, 2025.

“We’re thrilled to continue working with Tina and Tom, and we extend our warmest welcome to Beth as she joins a phenomemal group of leaders in the arts,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “The Ohio Arts Council is fortunate to have a board equipped with talent, experience, and, above all, a shared passion for strengthening and supporting the arts and culture in our state.”

Bios for the appointed board members follow.

Ohio Second Lady Tina Husted

Tina Husted is the wife of Jon Husted, who is in his first term as Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, and the mother of two daughters, Katie and Kylie. She is an entrepreneur and has begun and managed three businesses on her own—as a real estate broker (Street Sotheby’s International Realty), a personal coach and ART therapist (A.R.T. Squared), and an artist (Tina’s Pastels). She is a member of Riverside United Methodist Church, where singing with the agape choir and contemporary praise groups gives her great joy. She also serves on the Staff Parish Committee, where she assists in church staff issues. Most recently, she was able to obtain a national license for a nonprofit called The Open Table (a mentoring group for those who are homeless or in poverty) and serves as the Mission Leader. She considers her faith in Christ the most central part of who she is and whose light she intends to shine into the world as much as possible.

Tina served as a board member of Franklin County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and is currently a member of the CASA Ohio State board. In 2007, she graduated as a class member of the Jo Ann Davidson of Ohio Women’s Leadership Group. She is an originator of Dan’s Fund—a brain cancer endowment fund her family started in honor of her late father, Dan Zwayer. She was born in Bucyrus.

Mayor Thomas Johnson

After retiring from a career in international banking, Mayor Thomas Johnson returned to his roots and has helped to drive investment to Perry County and Ohio’s Appalachian region. Since his election in 2009, Somerset has received more than $7 million in public and private grants, impacting civic infrastructure, economic development, arts and culture programming, and historic and nature preservation. Mayor Johnson also served on the 2014 Arts and Culture Capital Bill Committee, which recommended $3.4 million in funding for 18 Appalachian arts projects. In addition to serving as mayor, Johnson was also named executive in residence at Ohio University in 2017, where he is responsible for helping the university strategically support regional collaborations that improve quality of life in Appalachian Ohio. As part of the Ohio University’s Rural Revitalization Partnership Initiative, he identifies and helps to address the significant disparities that exist between Appalachian Ohio and the rest of the state and nation. He currently serves as a board member of the Greater Ohio Policy Center, as founding director of the Community Foundation for Perry County, and as co-chair of the Perry County Access to Healthcare Working Group. He previously served as chairman of the board for Hocking Technical College and has been appointed to the Association of Ohio Commodores.

Beth Waldren

Beth Waldren brings more than 25 years of public policy, nonprofit fundraising, and special event planning experience to the OAC. She worked in the Office of Governor George V. Voinovich from 1991 until 1999. After her tenure there, she began working as a public affairs consultant and then as the director of development for the Columbus affiliate of Susan G. Komen. In 2015, Beth formed her own firm–The Waldren Group–and she continues to work in the public affairs arena as a consultant, event planner, and fundraiser.

All appointments remain subject to the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate.

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Athens Musician, Composer, and Professor Paschal Yao Younge Awarded 2020 Ohio Heritage Fellowship

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 15:49:51 GMT

Dr. Paschal Yao Younge, a master artist specializing in African Traditional Musical Arts, has been awarded the 2020 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award for Performing Arts from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC).

Ohio Heritage Fellowships are awarded in recognition of the significant impact an individual or group has had on the people and communities of the state through their advancement and preservation of the folk or traditional arts. The award, which is $5,000, is given in one of three categories: Performing Arts, Material Culture, or Community Leadership.

Younge is a professor of music education at Ohio University, where he also serves as director of the annual International Summer Program in African Interdisciplinary Arts and co-artistic director of the African Ensemble. A musician, composer, scholar, and author, Younge is a specialist in African choral and brass music and a clinician in sub-Saharan African musical arts. His research focuses on topics such as intercultural and multicultural music education and fine arts curricula, creative performance issues and practices in music and dance, and world percussion. Younge also directs Azaguno, an Ohio-based performance group focusing on the “research, preservation, and performance of African, African-American, Caribbean, and Latin American music and dance,” according to its website.

WATCH: "THE STRUGGLE AHEAD (LIFE IS SHORT)" PERFORMED BY AZAGUNO

Video courtesy of Azaguno on YouTube

Through Azaguno, as well as his career as a solo artist and teacher, Younge has performed and taught traditional African Musical Arts throughout Ohio and abroad. As part of this work, Younge has created opportunities for children, university students, academics, and professional artists to engage, study, and perform African music.

Younge said he is “delighted and humbled” to be selected for the 2020 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award.

"My heritage and identity are intricately tied to Ghanaian (African) history, culture, and the arts, which I have been performing and promoting from an early age of 8,” Younge said. “I am forever thankful to the Ohio Heritage Fellowship Committee and the Ohio Arts Council’s board for this prestigious honor. What a privilege to be joining the exclusive group of past awardees. A country, a state, a town, or a village without a conscious mechanism put in place to promote the arts is undoubtedly a society without a soul."

Rising to the level of traditional master artist through years of study and practice, Younge acquired the skill, techniques, and knowledge of traditional African Musical Arts and Culture from the Republic of Ghana and in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with nearly 100 traditional masters and performance groups and has presented and performed in more than 16 countries.

WATCH: "CLAIM YOUR SPACE!" A TEDx TALK BY DR. PASCHAL YAO YOUNGE

Video courtesy of TEDx Talks on YouTube

The Ohio Heritage Fellowship program supports artists who are not only masters of their chosen art form, but who also contribute to the public visibility of the folk and traditional arts in Ohio as practitioners, mentors, or community leaders.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said Younge routinely occupies all three of these roles at once.

“Paschal’s passion for his life’s work is evident in his performances and compositions, as well as his experience as an educator,” she said. “The devotion with which he approaches his art and research inspires others to deepen their awareness of the artistic and cultural traditions that flourish throughout Ohio. The OAC is pleased to present Dr. Younge with this award in honor of his continued exemplary accomplishments.”

To learn more about the Ohio Heritage Fellowship program and Ohio folk and traditional arts, visit folkarts.ohioartscouncil.org.

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Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist
Featured Image Photo Credit: Kelly O'Quinn

OAC's Riffe Gallery Presents Paper Routes: Women to Watch 2020 - Ohio

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 19:18:30 GMT

The Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Riffe Gallery, in collaboration with the Ohio Advisory Group of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, presents Paper Routes: Women to Watch 2020 - Ohio, July 30 – October 17, 2020.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., is the world’s only museum solely dedicated to celebrating the creative accomplishments of women. With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, NMWA champions women through the arts and advocates for equity. As the exclusive affiliate of the Women’s Museum in Ohio, the Ohio Advisory Group (OAG) of NMWA extends the mission by showcasing women’s contributions to Ohio’s rich cultural landscape. The founding members of the OAG are distinguished women leaders in the region who share a passion for the arts and/or advocacy for women. The exhibition was curated by Matt Distel and Stephanie Rond.

Featured artists include Kristine Elizabeth Donnelly, ¡Katie B Funk!, Sydney Joslin-Knapp, Sarah Kabot, Natalie Lanese, Charlotte McGraw, Emily Moores, Susan Li O’Connor, Alice Pixley Young, Sa’dia Rehman, Carmen Romine, Adrienne Slane, and Breanne Trammell.

Paper Routes is on view at the OAC’s Riffe Gallery through Oct. 17, 2020. While the gallery is temporarily not accepting in-person visitors, a virtual exhibition can be viewed online at oac.ohio.gov/Riffe-Gallery/On-View.

WATCH: Curators' Tour with Matt Distel and Stephanie Rond
Matt Distel and Stephanie Rond, two curators of the Paper Routes exhibition at the OAC's Riffe Gallery led a virtual curators' tour through the show on July 31, 2020. You can watch a recording of the presentation below.

EVENTS | All events are free and hosted online unless otherwise noted.

Friends and Family Workshop with Charlotte McGraw
Saturday, Sept. 12, 1 - 3 p.m.
Participants attending will make a quirky creature from Charlotte's make-believe town of "Charlottesville." These are collage portraits of treasured town folk that have all sorts of jobs and special talents. Recommended materials for this workshop are available at riffegallery.org.

Artist Demo with Susan Li O'Connor
Thursday, Aug. 27, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Long-time educator and artist Susan Li O’Connor will discuss the parallels between her work in the Paper Routes exhibition and her personal journey and experiences. Tuning in on Facebook Live, audience members will get a glimpse into Susan's studio life and artistic practice and come away with an understanding of how her work is made.

Creative Writing Workshop with Mimi Chenfeld
Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Join celebrated author, teacher, poet, and folk dancer Mimi Chenfeld for an evening of joy and creativity as she leads a virtual workshop that is sure to inspire. As a beloved literary artist, Mimi is also a great Ohio woman to watch.

VIRTUAL ARTIST TALKS
Learn about the artists’ creative journeys, processes, and inspirations during their educational, livestreamed artist talks.

Natalie Lanese | Thursday, Aug. 13, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Alice Pixley Young | Thursday, Sept. 3, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Carmen Romine | Thursday, Sept. 17, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Adrienne Slane | Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Closing Reception at the OAC Riffe Gallery | Saturday, Oct. 17, 2 – 4 p.m.

Guests can celebrate the accomplished artists and incredible work from the exhibition while enjoying music from violinist Mariko Shimasaki and cellist Diana Flores.

Visit Riffegallery.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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Article by Aimee Wissman, 2020-21 OAC Riffe Gallery Marketing and Exhibitions Fellow

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $12.5M in Arts Grants

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 15:08:05 GMT

698 Grants Awarded to Artists and Arts Organizations throughout Ohio.

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board approved $12,500,446 in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming when it met virtually on July 22 for its summer board meeting.

The 698 grants approved at the meeting represent the initial and major state fiscal year 2021 funding round for the OAC.

STATE FUNDING

The Ohio Arts Council’s FY 2021 state funding is less than originally appropriated by about $3 million, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its fiscal repercussions on the state budget.

OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said the agency and board are grateful for the opportunity to support artists, organizations, and teaching artists through grants awarded in the midst of a spring and summer that has been devastating for the arts and culture sector due to the pandemic.

“Now, more than ever before, public funding for the arts is essential. Our hearts are with our colleagues in the arts throughout Ohio who are struggling and making tough decisions and sacrifices every day,” she said. “We thank Governor Mike DeWine, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, for continuing to support the arts through the state budget’s appropriation to the Ohio Arts Council during such uncertain times.”

Collins said the OAC will continue to support the statewide presence of the arts in every way possible.

“The work of our grantees showcases the high level of quality synonymous with the arts in Ohio,” she said. “We are touched and inspired by the strength, courage, and innovation embodied by our constituents, and we know that we’ll get through this together.”

FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH THE OAC

In a recent Executive Message, Collins explained that the OAC has taken steps to offset the unexpected $3 million state budget reduction with the agency’s annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) state partnership grant award, which amounts to $1,061,150, and the OAC’s share of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding through the NEA, which adds another $517,200. All of these federal dollars have been blended into the OAC’s distribution of grant awards for FY 2021, and none were used for OAC operating or administrative expenses.

FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH THE NEA

The NEA also provided direct CARES Act grant funding to 855 nonprofit arts organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In July, the NEA announced that 27 Ohio organizations were selected for CARES Act grants and awarded each organization $50,000, infusing an additional $1.35 million into Ohio’s creative economy.

Earlier in June, the NEA also announced that 15 Ohio arts organizations received direct funding through its Art Works, Research Grants in the Arts, and Our Town programs. These awards, totaling just more than $1.4 million for Ohio organizations, were distributed separately from the NEA’s CARES Act grants.

REGIONAL FUNDING THROUGH ARTS MIDWEST

The regional arts organization Arts Midwest is also directly supporting 11 arts organizations in Ohio with their portion of CARES Act funding, bringing an additional $86,000 to the state.

In coming weeks, an additional tranche of funding for Ohio arts organizations is expected thanks to the U.S. Regional Arts Resilience Fund. The fund is an initiative of the United States Regional Arts Organizations, including Arts Midwest, and made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Awards will range from $30,000 to $75,000 for small and mid-sized arts organizations, with priority going to those led by and serving people of color and indigenous people and/or led by and serving people from rural communities.

DETAILS ON GRANTS

For a complete, filterable list of grant recipients, click here to view an Excel spreadsheet. To view the full list of awarded grants as a PDF, click here.

OAC 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.

301 grants totaling $9,839,848

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 $141,200

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.

149 grants totaling $338,523

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.

56 grants totaling $441,684

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.

77 grants totaling $708,408

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

49 grants totaling $801,000

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.

9 grants totaling $20,751

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 to the OAC’s work as they, along with their members or constituents, support our 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 $209,032

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

Governor DeWine Names Kari Gunter-Seymour Ohio Poet Laureate

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:43:46 GMT

Governor Mike DeWine has named Kari Gunter-Seymour of Albany, Ohio, the state’s poet laureate. Gunter-Seymour, whose term began June 10, 2020, succeeds the state’s second poet laureate, Dave Lucas.

“Poetry is a way for people to express their thoughts and feelings, and it can bring people together. Fran and I are looking forward to the work Kari Gunter-Seymour will be doing to highlight poetry to Ohioans, especially young people, across our state,” Governor DeWine said.

Gunter-Seymour said she hopes to use her time as poet laureate to build a greater appreciation for poetry and serve as a mentor to poets and writers across Ohio. She also plans to focus her efforts on providing workshops for those in recovery.

“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to serve as poet laureate of the state of Ohio. Poetry—hearing it, reading it, writing it, sharing it—can be so deeply healing. When we write our truths, we create a force of light and understanding, a place where we can draw strength and find solace,” Gunter-Seymour said.

A third-generation Athens Countian, Gunter-Seymour has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design and a Master of Fine Arts in commercial photography from Ohio University. In 2020, she was named Ohio Poet of the Year by the Ohio Poetry Association. She is the founder/executive director of the Women of Appalachia Project (WOAP) and a recently retired instructor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Prior to joining the teaching staff, Gunter-Seymour worked for Ohio University’s Advancement Communication and Marketing office, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and served on the Provost’s Women’s Commission.

Gunter-Seymour was named poet laureate for Athens, Ohio, in 2018-2020, during which time she partnered with Ohio University to develop a “Poetry Trail,” part of “mAppAthens,” OHIO Museum Complex’s outdoor museum project; and also published an anthology titled "Essentially Athens Ohio,” a collection which includes more than 100 poets, storytellers, songwriters, and fine artists living in or having strong ties to Athens county. In 2019, she was a featured poet for the Thurber House Summer Literary Picnic Series; Word Stream: The Weekly Writers Voice in Knoxville, Tennessee; the Bridgewater International Festival in Bridgewater, Virginia; and the Ohio Poetry Association Showcase at the Ohio State Fair. Her fine art and photography work has been published in The Sun Magazine, Light Journal, Looking at Appalachia, and Appalachian Heritage Magazine. Gunter-Seymour is the editor of the WOAP “Women Speak” anthology series and author of “A Place So Deep Inside America It Can’t Be Seen” (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions 2020) and “Serving” (Crisis Chronicles Press 2018).

More information about Gunter-Seymour can be found at her website at karigunterseymourpoet.com.

Legislation creating the position of the state’s official poet was passed in 2014. Gunter-Seymour was recommended for the position by the Ohio Poet Laureate Selection Committee, following an extensive statewide nomination and review process. Members of the selection committee were:

Committee Members:
Geraldine (Ginger) B. Warner, Chair
David Barber
Jon Holt
Tina Husted
William B. White

Advisors:
Dave Lucas, former Ohio Poet Laureate
Jeff Worley, Kentucky Poet Laureate

ABOUT THE OHIO POET LAUREATE PROGRAM
The Ohio Poet Laureate has the opportunity to foster the art of poetry, encourage literacy and learning, address central issues relating to the humanities and heritage, and encourage the reading and writing of poetry across the state.

Throughout a two-year term, the Ohio Poet Laureate undertakes a significant cultural project, such as bringing poetry to people or to a region of the state that might otherwise be underserved in this regard. The Ohio Poet Laureate engages a variety of constituencies, enriching the lives of residents by sharing and promoting poetry through public appearances, readings, workshops, and digital and social media.

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National Endowment for the Arts Announces CARES Act Arts Grants for Recent NEA Grantees

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 16:36:53 GMT

On April 8, 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced guidelines to distribute funding it received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to nonprofit arts organizations through direct NEA grants.

Important Note: The NEA is stipulating that CARES Act funding is only open to organizations that have received direct NEA grants in the past four federal fiscal years (FFY 2017-FFY 2020). The NEA explains why on its CARES Act FAQ page.

CARES Act grants from the NEA can be used for staff salary support, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs. These special grants will not require a cost share or match and will be for a fixed amount of $50,000. Designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request $100,000 or $250,000 for subgranting programs.

The deadline to apply is April 22, 2020, with the earliest announcement of grant award or rejection by June 30.

For more information, please see the Arts Endowment’s website for program description, eligibility requirements, application review, and FAQs.

The direct grants described above comprise $40 million of the $75 million appropriated to the National Endowment for the Arts through the CARES Act. The NEA will award the remainder of the funds directly to state and regional arts agencies by April 30, 2020. The Ohio Arts Council is currently waiting for additional state-level guidance on these funds and is considering several different scenarios, which will be dependent on NEA criteria. We promise to provide more information once our board’s leadership has approved the way forward for these additional funds.

For more information about the NEA’s direct grants and eligibility, visit arts.gov/grants-organizations/CARES/applicant-eligibility.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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. Read more here: oac.ohio.gov/About/Coronavirus-Updates

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.

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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.

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

ArtsOhio Blog

2020 Governor’s Awards for the Arts Winners Announced

ARTS EDUCATION Nigel Burgoine, Artistic Director at the Ballet Theatre of Toledo Holland (Lucas)

ARTS PATRON The Charles H. Dater Foundation Cincinnati (Hamilton)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS Nicolettecinemagraphics Columbus (Franklin)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch Pomeroy (Meigs)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION Joan Perch, Program and Outreach Coordinator at the Campana Center for Ideation & Invention at Lorain County Community College Elyria (Lorain)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST Jesse Ayers, DMA, Composer and Professor Emeritus of Music at Malone University Canton (Stark)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST Andy Snow, Photographer Dayton (Montgomery)

Columbus Student Monserrat Tlahuel-Flores Named 2021 Poetry Out Loud State Champion

Ohio Arts Council Secures New Funding for Creative Aging

Ohio Arts Organizations and Artists Receive $650K from National Endowment for the Arts

75 Artists Receive Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council

Statement on Resignation of Susan Allan Block

Ohio Teaching Artist Roster Welcomes 10 New Artists in Second Year

Governor DeWine Appoints Adam Shank of Powell to OAC Board

9 Ohio Arts Organizations Receive COVID-19 Relief Grants from Arts Midwest Totaling $260K

Artists of Expanded Dimensions Push Boundaries of Fiber Art

Ohio Arts Council Awards $20 Million in CARES Act Economic Relief for the Arts

Ohio Arts Council Statements on $20 Million in CARES Act Economic Relief for the Arts

View funding guidelines and an announcement to eligible grantees here. View a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.

4 Ohio Arts Organizations Receive COVID-19 Relief Grants Totaling $205K

Funds Provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Will Help Historically Under-Resourced Arts and Culture Organizations Weather the COVID-19 Crisis

Governor DeWine Announces Three Appointments to OAC Board

Athens Musician, Composer, and Professor Paschal Yao Younge Awarded 2020 Ohio Heritage Fellowship

OAC's Riffe Gallery Presents Paper Routes: Women to Watch 2020 - Ohio

Ohio Arts Council Board Approves More Than $12.5M in Arts Grants

698 Grants Awarded to Artists and Arts Organizations throughout Ohio.

Governor DeWine Names Kari Gunter-Seymour Ohio Poet Laureate

National Endowment for the Arts Announces CARES Act Arts Grants for Recent NEA Grantees

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

ARTS EDUCATION
Nigel Burgoine, Artistic Director at the Ballet Theatre of Toledo
Holland (Lucas)

ARTS PATRON
The Charles H. Dater Foundation
Cincinnati (Hamilton)

BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS
Nicolettecinemagraphics
Columbus (Franklin)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION
Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch
Pomeroy (Meigs)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTICIPATION
Joan Perch, Program and Outreach Coordinator at the Campana Center for Ideation & Invention at Lorain County Community College
Elyria (Lorain)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Jesse Ayers, DMA, Composer and Professor Emeritus of Music at Malone University
Canton (Stark)

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
Andy Snow, Photographer
Dayton (Montgomery)

View funding guidelines and an announcement to eligible grantees here.
View a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.