A Message from the President

Columbus is a city of districts, many of which encompass and promote artists, arts education institutions, arts organizations, creative industries and arts and culture-related retail businesses. In December, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, in partnership with the Americans for the Arts, presented Districts & Culture, a conference of national arts leaders that examined a variety of districts. Using Columbus as a national model, attendees learned how to measure the impact and effectiveness of districts in supporting and promoting culture.

This is just one example of how Columbus is viewed by the national and international arts community as an arts leader. And we know that reputation would not exist without the support of City Council, the Mayor’s office, Franklin County, the Ohio Arts Council and international arts community as a leading city in the arts. We thank our supporters for their continued partnership as we work to elevate Columbus’ national reputation even more.

We have enthusiastically tackled the primary objectives of our strategic plan, released in July of last year, and we’ve had fantastic results to date:

Artspace Artist Market Survey

We received excellent response for the Artspace Artist Market survey, conducted with the help of our partners - the City of Columbus, specifically City Council, JPMorgan Chase and the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation. A total of 387 artists and 99 arts organizations responded to the report, and the vast majority said they are interested in a live/work space in Columbus. We continue to work on determining a location for the first Columbus Artspace project. Additionally, the Artspace initiative is listed as part of the plans for the 2012 Bicentennial Commission. We are thankful for the support of our community partners and their desire to address housing and studio space issues for local artists.

Opportunities for Artists

In January, we debuted a professional development series for artists that helps them learn the business skills they need to succeed. OPPArt (Opportunities for Artists) has included resumé and grant writing workshops, networking opportunities and discussions on topics such as what it takes to make a living as an artist. In July, GCAC partnered with the Americans for the Arts to present Take Charge: YP Engagement in the Arts, a one-day workshop that explored how the arts can foster civic participation to improve communities and build a healthy democracy. To date, more than 300 artists have participated in OPPArt programs.

25 Years of Business Support

In March, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our annual Business Arts Partnership Awards by presenting three awards to businesses that support the Columbus cultural community — National City, Cameron Mitchell Catering Company and GRIP Technology. Since the inception of the program, businesses nominated for a Business Arts Partnership Award have donated millions of dollars and thousands of hours to supporting central Ohio’s arts and cultural organizations.

Public Review for Grants

In the spring, we continued our efforts toward an open, transparent grants process with the first public review of Operating Support grants. We awarded $2.5 million in support to 18 organizations, including three new organizations and one returning organization. Additionally, we granted more than $297,000 in Project Support, more than $43,000 in Technical Assistance and more than $75,000 through our Franklin County Neighborhood Arts grants. Through Operating Support grants alone, funding provided by GCAC through the City of Columbus will touch more than six million residents and visitors this year.

Again, we thank the City of Columbus for supporting the arts and culture in Columbus and for helping to make 2008 a successful year for GCAC and for the arts community. We also want to thank the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Ohio Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts for their funding and program support. And we thank the corporate community, private sector, foundations and individuals who continue to support GCAC and the many outstanding arts and cultural organizations that truly make up a vibrant, nationally recognized arts and culture community.

Sincerely,
Bryan W. Knicely
GCAC President

Photo courtesy of CAPA.