The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) announced last week that the board had approved $18,479,247 in grants to support Ohio artists, arts and cultural organizations, students, educators, and public arts programming when it met on July 21 for its summer board meeting. This marks the largest amount of grant dollars distributed to constituents applying to OAC funding programs in the agency’s history.
The 746 grants approved at the meeting constitute the initial and major state fiscal year 2022 funding round for the OAC.
In Adams County, the Ohio Arts Council approved funding to support year-long arts and cultural programming including the J.R. Bradley Summer Arts Camp for children, a Ghost Walk with historical figures from Adams County and tours of historical homes and sites, an art exhibit featuring local artists in the Adams County Government Center, a winter theatre production, the All County Arts Show for high school students, and displays and art projects at community events
OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins said these grants are a significant step toward the fulfillment of the agency’s ongoing commitment to directly fund arts programming in all 88 Ohio counties, something it has been able to do for the last six fiscal years.
She added that the OAC’s commitment to providing statewide support of the arts has renewed importance following the announcement of a record-setting state appropriation of $40 million for the OAC’s 2022-23 operating budget.
“We are very grateful to Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate for their continued support of public funding for the arts,” she said. “This investment will fuel the spirit of innovative resilience that defines Ohio’s arts and cultural sector.”
Collins said the grants will have an especially substantial impact this year as many artists and arts organizations work to recover from the devastating financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Throughout the past year and a half, we have been reminded time and time again that the arts are better when we work together,” she said. “These grants will support the restoration of arts programming in communities across Ohio, the hiring and rehiring of arts professionals, and the renewed work and livelihoods of artists and arts educators.”
