cincinnati arts
The Arts Play a Part in Mayor's 'State of the City' Speech
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory gave his annual “State of the City” speech this week. We left feeling energetic and excited about the future of our city. He asked everyone to consider -- "What can I do for this place that I love”?
But before he asked the question, he highlighted the arts (among other things) and called for everyone to do their part to support them.
Here's what he said:
Cincinnati's arts – our music, dance, theatre, festivals, museums, and galleries – make our city vibrant and bring people together.
When the Aronoff has a show, Downtown restaurants do better. When the Macy's Music Festival is in town, hotels are packed. When the Playhouse in the Park has a play, you cannot get into a restaurant in Mt. Adams.
The Arts have a definite impact on the economy. And, Cincinnatians support the Arts like no other community. And, you want to talk about Great Cincinnatians; Louise Nippert gave $85 million to the Symphony last year. She did her part and now we need to continue to do ours.
The Arts have the ability to attract people to a city. We actually specialize in that.
You can donate here to do your part. Lots of small donations can make a big difference.
New Grants Support Community Vibrancy With Music and Dance and More
People in communities across the region are experiencing the surprising benefits of the arts every day. The Fine Arts Fund supports these benefits to people in our region by awarding grants to local organizations through a special competitive process.
Local music, dance, galleries, art centers, and others learned of awards totaling $77,812 last month. These grants support special projects or expand regular programming at organizations all over our region. These grants are possible thanks to the support of thousands of people through contributions to the annual community campaign for the arts.
Organizations receiving grants through the Fine Arts Fund benefit the entire community in surprising ways. These organizations—theaters, museums, and art centers—create vibrant neighborhoods and revitalized communities were people want to live work and play. Music, storytelling, and dancing bring people together—connecting with each other and understanding each other in new ways.
Community volunteers made the awards after careful consideration of grant proposals at a February meeting. The Fine Arts Fund Grants Program Committee Members for 2009-2010 include: Richard Batterberry (Committee Chair), Natalie Auzenne Swan, Tom Kent, Karol King, Carolyn McCoy, Sarah Michael, Michael Newman, Sean Parker, Ernest Robinson, Margo, Ross, Tim Ruffner, Terry Schwartz, Norma Skoog, and Carol Striker.
Here is the complete list of organizations awarded a grant last month:
Ballet Theatre Midwest, Inc.
Center for Independent Living Options
Cincinnati Art Club
Cincinnati Blues Society
Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Corryville Suzuki Project, Inc.
de la Dance Company
Dramakinetics of Cincinnati
Friends of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Grailville Retreat and Program Center
Hebrew Union College
Ink Tank
Lyrica
Media Bridges Cincinnati, Inc.
Melodic Connections
Peaslee Neighborhood Center
Showbiz Players
Voices of Indiana Limited
Woman's Art Club Cultural Center
Writers of Outstanding Words
YWCA
The Fine Arts Fund focuses on enhancing our community with arts and cultural experiences that offer joy, promote inclusion, and inspire creativity for a strong region.
You can show your support for the arts in our community by giving today. DONATE HERE.
Sharing the Joy on Sampler Weekend
On February 20 & 21, Cincinnati celebrated the arts all around us with the Fine Arts Fund's annual Sampler Weekend, sponsored by Macy's. Our city was filled with thousands of people visiting over 50 venues like theaters, museums, community art centers, libraries, schools, and beyond, for shows, exhibits, and hands-on activities throughout the entire Cincinnati region. Creative things – music, dance, storytelling, theatre, painting, and much more – happened all over the place, from the center of the city to the suburbs.
Our Kick Off and Sampler Weekend are creating a big buzz in Cincinnati that is giving our businesses a boost. Last week was a great example of the types of things that happen all over our community, all year long, bringing us together.
To see MANY more photos taken during Sampler Weekend, click here.
Reading Lessons: The Art Thief
In the evening, I like to escape into a novel and I'm almost always reading one. (Hardly a weekend goes by without a visit to my neighborhood library -- luckily mine is open on Saturdays and Sundays.)
Last night, I came across this paragraph in my current novel, The Art Thief, by Noah Charney. It's entirely consistent with everything we've learned in our recent research on how people think about "the arts" -- through the lens of the contemporary protagonist who is tracking a series of thefts of paintings.
"[Art crime] was considered high class. At the top level of the caste system, art crime was socially acceptable, even thought of as prestigious and intriguing. It was the only serious crime for which the public tended to root for the criminals....The average citizen felt somewhat detached, and sometimes threatened, by fine art. It was considered elite and elusive...and therefore frightening to many. It was with some satisfaction that the public read about gracefully orchestrated art thefts. It was a combination of voyeurism into a glamorous world apart, and a satisfying jab at an institution that felt exclusive."
'Sharing Art' -- Community Competition
Cincinnati, OH – The Fine Arts Fund is planning a community competition for everyone as part of this year's annual Sampler Weekend. The staff is inviting submissions that celebrate the way our large and small arts events across the region bring people together and make Greater Cincinnati a vibrant place to live, work, play, and stay.
Utilizing word-of-mouth tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the Fine Arts Fund staffers are letting the community know about this opportunity to share their art. There is just one guideline: the design must incorporate artists' view of 'Sharing Art'. Beginning on January 20, 2010, the Fine Arts Fund staff will post submissions and invite everyone in our community to vote on the designs.
The Fine Arts Fund leaders plan to print the winning design on tote bags and give them to partygoers at the Friends For the Arts Party, held at the Contemporary Arts Center on the Saturday of Sampler Weekend. Sampler Weekend will be on Saturday February 20 and Sunday February 21 and is an annual event when creative things happen all over the place – music, dance, storytelling, theatre, painting, and much more. Area residents and visitors enjoy these events every year and can find more information about Sampler Weekend by visiting www.FineArtsFund.org/sampler.
To view details about the contest and the application form for submissions, please click here.