Today is the annual Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., an event attended by hundreds of arts lovers and professionals from arts organizations across the country. Arts Advocacy Day brings together America's cultural and civic organizations, along with more than 500 grassroots advocates, to push for the development of strong public policies and increased public funding for the arts. 

The Ohio delegation, organized by Ohio Citizens for the Arts, comprises about 50 individuals – a very strong showing from our state, which deserves props for support of the arts in many different corners.

Greater Cincinnati’s community arts campaign, founded in 1949 by ArtsWave (when it was known as the Fine Arts Fund), is the oldest such campaign in the country. If we reach our goal of raising $12,450,000 by April 28 (we’re 37 percent of the way there), we also will hold on to our spot as the nation’s largest united arts campaign.

ArtsWave has counterparts in other areas of Ohio that also are doing innovative things. In the Cleveland area, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture distributes significant dollars generated from a publicly-supported (twice!) cigarette tax. In the Canton area, Arts in Stark operates an Arts District and encourages schools to compete for “Genius Awards” that reward student teams that innovate with the same box of mystery supplies. In Columbus, the Arts Council produces a major summer riverfront arts festival every year. In Dayton, CultureWorks runs a campaign like ArtsWave’s, that provides the largest general operating support grants for the arts in that region as well. 

You don’t have to be in Washington today to show your support of the arts. Right here in Cincinnati, right from this screen you're reading, you can do two important things:
1) Make your donation to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.
2) Make your voice heard in support of national polices and funding that enables the transformative effects of the arts to be felt across our region, our state, and the entire country. Send your customized message to Congress here.

Thanks for being a leader for the arts!