Arts & Culture in Columbus: Moving Forward
Columbus' nonprofit arts industry generates $330 million in spending each year, along with $16 million in local tax revenue. That's big business. So, in light of recent local and national research on the arts in Columbus, we thought it was time to take a look at where this important industry is now, and where it's going.
What: Arts & Culture in Columbus: Moving Forward
Purpose: A community discussion about collaborative approaches to building our city as we move toward the 2012 bicentennial and beyond.
When: Thurs., Oct. 11 - Fri., Oct. 12
Location: Columbus State Community College Center for Workforce Development, 315 Cleveland Avenue
Price: The full event is sold out, but please join us for the free Public Forum on Friday from 8-9:30 a.m.
Session topics:
Day 1: Where are we now?
Thurs., Oct. 11, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
8-8:30 - Registration and continental breakfast
8:30-10:00 - Turning Research into Action
Panel: Bill Faust, Ologie; Bill Kiefaber, GRIP Technology; Pete McGinty, VP Marketing, Experience Columbus
Moderated by: Emily Swartzlander, Greater Columbus Arts Council
How can arts and cultural organizations and the Columbus community put the latest market research to use, and what is the significance to the corporate sector? Nonprofit and for-profit organizations will discuss what the city's arts community can do for other area industries and citywide initiatives.
10:15-11:45 - Filling in the Blanks: The Role of Arts Education
Panel: Vesta Daniel, Department of Art Education, The Ohio State University; Tim Katz, Greater Columbus Arts Council; Jackie Calderone, Transit Arts; Linda Edgar, Columbus City Schools
Who isn't being served by the arts community, and why? How can arts education programming address these weak areas, and what are the implications? Based on new market studies about the Columbus arts and culture audience, we'll determine which areas aren't being served. We'll then look at models with a proven track record and discuss new opportunities for Columbus.
12:00-1:30 - Keynote Lunch: The Arts Mean Business in Central Ohio
Speaker: Mary Margaret Schoenfeld, Americans for the Arts
The nonprofit arts and culture industry is an economic driver in Columbus—supporting jobs, generating government revenue and building a cornerstone for tourism. Mary Margaret Schoenfeld, Community Development Manager at Americans for the Arts, will join us to explore Arts & Economic Prosperity III, an economic impact study about the nonprofit arts and culture in Columbus and nationwide.
1:45-3:15 - The Creative Economy: Where Nonprofit and For-profit Arts and Culture Intersect
Panel: Stephanie Hightower, Columbus College of Art and Design; Louis Tsamous, Jazz Arts Group; Mary Vaughn, Columbus State Community College
Moderated by: Bob Breithaupt, Jazz Arts Group
In a creative economy, strong nonprofit and for-profit sectors work together to forward a city's cultural and economic goals. We'll look at how the creative economy has worked elsewhere, and how it could work in Columbus.
3:30-5:00 - Building a Thriving Artist Population
Panel: Michael Reed, Visual Artist, Couchfire Collective and Junctionview Studios; Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge, Somali Documentary Project; Anna Sullivan, Anatomical Scenario
Moderated by: Ruby Classen, Greater Columbus Arts Council
How do artists contribute to community problem solving? What's already here to support an artist community, and what resources do we need? Artists and arts services organizations will share their experience and ideas.
Day 2: Where are we going?
Fri., Oct. 12, 8:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
8-9:30 - GCAC Public Forum: Looking Toward 2012 and Beyond
Speakers: Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Columbus City Councilmember Kevin L. Boyce
As the city prepares for its bicentennial in 2012, how to the arts and culture fit in? A panel of civic and arts leaders will discuss the role of the arts in this important milestone, and the ways we can keep the momentum going as we head into the city's next 200 years.
GCAC's annual forum helps us monitor the pulse of the arts community while providing a platform for the public to directly address GCAC's Board of Trustees on any arts issues of interest. GCAC Board members and President Bryan W. Knicely will be available for questions with the audience following the presentation.
9:45-11:15 - The Role of Arts and Culture in Attracting and Retaining the Talent in our Region
Panel: Matthew McColister, Columbus Chamber of Commerce; Andrea Applegate, Columbus Chamber of Commerce; Chester Jourdan, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; a representative from ChopChop Gallery
Moderated by: Lynette Santoro-Au, Arts Manager, City of Upper Arlington
As a city with strong suburban communities, what are the benefits of working as a region to achieve our artistic and economic goals? We'll use the city's initiative to attract and retain young professionals as a case study on how we can work together regionally to solve a community issue, in this case to ward off an impending workforce shortage. How can the arts address regional issues for central Ohio? What is the role of the young professional artist in the initiative to attract and retain talent?
