Making Waves Blog

Last week I hosted 16 representatives from the Town and Chamber of Commerce of Opelika, Alabama. These distant neighbors had come to Cincinnati to learn more about how our city works, including how we support and involve the arts in civic life. I invited four arts colleagues to come help me tell our story and, as always when I listen to what our arts organizations are doing, I found myself inspired. It’s as if they are intentionally doubling their impact through amazing arts with impact on the community. Keep reading to find out how you can double your impact, too.

I’m inspired today by the IT group of First Financial Bank, one of 2015’s 270 business partners conducting ArtsWave campaigns. Their entry into an organization-wide sculpture competition took top prize, thanks to its ingenious incorporation of a list of required everyday materials transformed into something magical. Ladybug buttons, shredded paper grass, pipecleaner flowers and a popsicle stick birdhouse all were combined in a beautiful tabletop diorama.

Anticipating the first flowers of the growing season is a ritual that many of us share. For many of us, as well, there is the ritual of anticipating the coming season of arts events, announced by each organization with a mix of glorious abundance, pride and colorful exuberance.

My daughter Delaney recently asked me to be "The Producer" for her act in the elementary school talent show. The Working-Mommy part of my brain silently shrieked, "Oh no! I don't have time for One More Thing!" The Juggling-Mommy part of me said out loud, "Of course, what do you want to do?"

When I first moved here and marveled at all there is to do, a friend remarked enthusiastically that “Cincinnati has more festivals than weekends.” ArtsWave has been producing one of Cincinnati’s many festivals for nearly 30 years, and it’s coming up next weekend on March 7-8. Macy's Arts Sampler is two days of nearly 100 free arts events that span from Japanese music to puppet shows to hip-hop dance.

Cincinnati’s arts community embraces collaboration as a core value. Working together is our superpower, epitomized by the ArtsWave annual community campaign, dating back to 1949. Just think: once a year, for twelve weeks, arts organizations jointly promote fundraising by ArtsWave for the sake of generating tens of thousands of contributions for the entire arts ecosystem.

In my decade in Harford, Connecticut, I had the privilege of working with some outstanding CEOs and community leaders who chaired our united arts campaign--which was much smaller than ArtsWave's. I was often asked to research and report on what was different about Cincinnati's campaign...

I want to tell you the stories of Three Wise Men and One Very Brave Young Woman – all of them committed to those wonderful holiday ideals of Peace and Harmony, in unlikely ways.

My twin 7-year-olds have a big-deal, second-grade project this week: to write and present reports on their favorite holiday traditions I confess that this assignment has caused me some angst because, thanks to the various dreams and ambitions imposed on them by me and my husband, their young lives have been fairly nomadic. I worry that we've done a less-than-pinterest-worthy job of things like instilling and documenting family traditions. So imagine my surprise and delight...

This weekend made me take stock of all the things that arts organizations do in Greater Cincinnati to ensure access to stimulating, inspiring experiences like these for people dealing with the physical challenges of age or disability.

‘Tis the season to count our blessings, and ArtsWave has begun taking inventory. Here’s Part One of our Gratitude List:

Music Hall and Union Terminal are hubs of very necessary educational and cultural activity – activity that results in a ripple effect of benefits for the entire community. Mine are just two among thousands of personal memories that have been made inside Music Hall and Union Terminal.

I often get asked why my husband and I would leave our life on a Caribbean island behind to move back to the United States. The short answer to this question is similar to the reason why you would choose to stay in a place like Cincinnati: you miss things like concerts, museums, theaters and libraries if they aren’t readily available.

Now, as a parent, naturally I think about the world our kids will inherit. Numerous studies have shown the connection between arts education and academic achievement, social and emotional development, critical and creative thinking skills, and interpersonal skills.

It’s been four years since the Fine Arts Fund changed its name, mission, and vision for building community. Like any bold endeavor, the new “ArtsWave” made a splash. What did it mean, then? And what does it mean, today?

As more and more people find themselves changing locations for work or family reasons, it’s not unusual for newcomers to communities to wonder how to get connected. It takes a while to put down the proverbial “roots” at the same time you are navigating a new environment.