When I declared my college major of Dance, I distinctly remember my grandfather saying, “What kind of job will you get with that?” The answer, I've learned, is, "One I love."  

In 2015, two Mariemont High School grads also took a stab at answering that question for any child who has found his or her spark in the arts. They wrote and published a children’s book called Anna Likes Art! to shine a light on careers that focus on creativity. Karyn Georgilis (now studying Industrial Design at UC’s DAAP program), wrote the text, and artist Morgan Renner illustrated it. The story begins with a teacher’s familiar challenge: what are you going to be when you grow up? And since the main character, Anna, likes art, the answer unfolds as a surprising series of possibilities. 

“Anna could be a web designer, and make computer games…. Or a Town Planner, and make towns fun (even when it rains!)”  

Karyn and Morgan are donating all proceeds from the sale of the book to ArtsWave. These special donations are added to those of the tens of the thousands of contributors who helped us raise $12,500,053 for 100+ arts organizations this year! 

Today at ArtsWave we began the process of reviewing the impact reports of the 40 arts groups we fund on a sustaining basis, in preparation for investing in them over the year ahead with the dollars contributed to the 2017 ArtsWave Community Campaign. The ten community-oriented arts organizations we heard in today's round of presentations to our community stakeholder panels showed an impressive focus on educational programs and collaborations with local school districts – from Covington and Cincinnati to Northside and Oxford.  

“Arts help kids discover their own voice and give them the ability to envision a future,” said Ellen Muse-Lindeman of Kennedy Heights Arts Center. 

Sparking the imagination of children is a critical part of positive development and preparation for the workforce. Arts organizations in Greater Cincinnati are playing vital roles in nurturing those sparks. More than 70% of business leaders ranked creativity among the top five skills they seek in new employees – and 85% of employers say they can't find creative applicants. By improving core curriculum and teaching essential skills through these arts education programs, we're able to fuel creativity and learning.  

Thank you for helping us shape our region's future talent and leaders. To read all of Anna's story, click here.