Art in the House & TRANSIT ARTS

Art in the House and its partner program TRANSIT ARTS are a comprehensive network of free, educational arts-based opportunities for youth ages 5-19 and their families during out-of-school hours. Both programs are financially assisted by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council, the Nationwide Foundation, American Electric Power, Honda, the Columbus Foundation, GCAC and the Columbus Federation of Settlements.

Art in the House programming takes place in the Columbus Federation of Settlements' Settlement Houses. Through Art in the House, children ages 5 to 11 begin their connection to lifelong learning through the arts. Accomplished artists partner at each site with apprentice artists and site staff members to provide hands-on introductions and exploration of various art forms to program students throughout the year. Regular programming is now being conducted at Central Community House, South Side Settlement House, St. Stephen’s Community House and Gladden Community House. In 2008, 562 children participated in Art in the House programming through thousands of contacts at one of the four sites.

TRANSIT ARTS is a dynamic network of young artists on the move, creating, learning, inspiring, teaching, cultivating and attracting young talent while honoring the master artists in our communities. TRANSIT ARTS celebrates the exciting diversity of our city while guiding youth as they discover and expand their creative minds and artistic talents. Master artists and arts administrators engage young people 12- to 19-years-old through a wide variety of arts and related skills during afternoon and evening hours at Central Community House, South Side Settlement and multiple sites around the city, including other Settlement Houses, Recreation Centers, other youth and community organizations, libraries, parks, arts organizations and performance venues.

In 2008, the TRANSIT ARTS program served 357 youth. TRANSIT ARTS partnerships and/or performance venues in 2008 included Franklin Park Conservatory, Wexner Center for the Arts, Actor’s Theatre Columbus, Columbus Museum of Art, CAPA, Opera Columbus, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus Metropolitan Libraries, BalletMet Columbus, Jazz Arts Group, King Arts Complex, Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Phoenix Theatre, Otterbein College, Ohio State University, Columbus Recreation and Parks, Columbus City Schools and the 2008 Columbus Arts Festival.

Photo courtesy of The King Arts Complex.