The Ohio Arts Council board has approved $12,067,366 in grants to support Ohio artists, organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming during its initial and major FY 2018 funding round. The 15-member board approved 635 grants when it met publicly on July 19 for its summer board meeting.
“Thanks to the Ohio governor and legislature’s prioritization of arts funding in the state budget, the Ohio Arts Council continues to invest in Ohio’s creative economy,” said OAC executive director Donna S. Collins. “With these awards, Ohio’s arts sector will engage our citizens, undertake innovative projects, and lead our state to a bright, shared future.”
This year, the OAC awarded 114 new applicants with funding. Grant funding was awarded in the following areas, with awards in Richland and Ashland Counties noted:
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.
- Mansfield Fine Arts Guild Inc., Mansfield — $12,795
- Renaissance Performing Arts Association, Inc., Mansfield — $30,048
- Richland Academy of the Arts, Mansfield — $23,920
- Ashland Symphony Orchestra Association, Ashland — $10,962
- Literature/Ashland University, Ashland — $5,975
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.
- Ashland Chautauqua Committee/Ashland Main Street, Ashland — $3,614 to support the Lose Your Marbles Fringe Festival, including free city-wide dance presentations, and film and dance showcases
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.
- American Federation of Musicians Local 159, Mansfield — $2,637 to sponsor the annual “Music in the Park” performance series
- City of Ashland, Ashland — $2,637 to support a summer performing arts series at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell, including music, dance, and theatrical performances in multiple genres.
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.
- Neos Dance Theatre, Ashland — $13,974 to support the Lose Your Marbles Fringe Festival, including free city-wide dance presentations, and film and dance showcases
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.
- Renaissance Performing Arts Association, Inc., Mansfield — $6,203 to sponsor the Kennedy Center Partners in Education
Artist in Residence brings schools and community organizations together with artists to share in-depth, engaging, personal, and sustained arts learning experiences.
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.
The Creative Aging Ohio program helps create and expand programs that engage older adults in the visual arts, dance, music, writing, and theatre. The initiative’s goal is to help older adults—many of whom may live with degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, or suffer from isolation and loneliness—age more healthfully and renew their purpose and talents through the arts.
The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of performing artists and ensembles to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
