A Message from the President

2006 was a year of transition for the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and a year of reflection about the state of the arts and culture in Columbus. It was also a year of great artistic achievement, from BalletMet Columbus' unveiling of its new 250-seat performance space, to the Columbus Museum of Art's exhibition Kehinde Wiley: Columbus, to the Columbus Jazz Orchestra's first recording since 2002. These examples, along with the countless other exhibitions, performances and projects too numerous to mention here, prove that Columbus most certainly has earned its June ranking in American Style magazine as one of the top 10 destinations nationwide for arts and culture.

In 2006, GCAC's programs and events directly touched more than 400,000 artists, teachers, students, arts patrons and greater Columbus residents and indirectly touched hundreds of thousands more through the artists and organizations funded by the Project Support grants, Operating Support grants, Individual Artist Fellowships, Designated Project Support and the Franklin County Neighborhood Arts Program Grants.

GCAC also expanded on its partnerships in 2006, thereby expanding its reach in the community. The Community Arts Education department leveraged its relationship with the Columbus Public Schools (CPS) to grow the Children of the Future program, and in October, GCAC and CPS began offering arts-based educational activities in 20 CPS middle school buildings citywide. Also this fall, GCAC partnered with the City of Columbus, the Columbus Chamber, Experience Columbus and Chase on the City's Attract and Retain Talent initiative to bring young professionals to the city and keep them here.

The Columbus Festival presented by Chase continued to be one of the region's premiere events. Although stormy weather kept the crowds to about 250,000 in 2006, the Festival remained one of the largest events for hotel room nights. More than 1.9 million constituents nationwide saw positive local and national press for the Festival, reinforcing Columbus' image as a city rich in cultural diversity.

2006 also marked the end of an era with the untimely death of former GCAC President Ray Hanley. GCAC remains committed to endowing the Hanley Arts Fund to support individual artists as they inspire, engage, challenge and stimulate all of us.

On behalf of our dedicated staff and board members, I want to thank you for supporting the arts and culture in Columbus and for helping to make 2006 a successful year for both GCAC and the arts community.

Bryan W. Knicely
President