Arts Learning—Frequently Asked Questions

1) Where are the old programs?

Most of the "old" programs have been subsumed into the Arts Partnership program, except for the Artist in Residence program. Those who have applied to the Arts Basic to Education, Arts Education Partnership and YouthReach Ohio programs should now apply to the Arts Partnerships program. You should first contact the program coordinator before you apply. Those who are interested in applying for an artist residency may continue to apply to the Artist in Residence program. You should first contact the program coordinator, Joanne Eubanks, before you apply.

2) Can I get help if something in the guidelines is unclear?

Yes - we’re here to help you. The staff can explain and clarify eligibility requirements, review criteria, category definitions, application materials and the grant review process.

If you have questions about the Arts Learning categories – Arts Partnership or Artist in Residence, contact the Arts Learning program coordinators via e-mail or at 614/466-2613.

3) Can we get help as we prepare our grant application?

An important part of the application development process is submitting a draft so that we can review it carefully and provide you with suggestions for improvement based on our scoring criteria. Drafts must be submitted online via OLGA 30 days prior to the final grant deadline. Applicants who prepare a draft application typically are more competitive in the panel review process.

4) Why does the Office of Arts Learning have program outcomes?

The Arts Learning program outcomes communicate our priorities and the results we hope to see from our investment in your work. Each applicant is asked to identify an Arts Learning outcome that is most relevant to its work. The identification of an outcome provides a target from which to design your strategic activities. The use of outcomes also encourages applicants to consider the logical progression of needs, goals, activities and outcomes thus ensuring that a project has strong potential to be effective and of value to its participants and community.

By encouraging a focus on tangible results and tracking those results through evaluation, Arts Learning grantees will also be better prepared to seek support from a wide range of public and private funders, especially at the federal level, thus ensuring their projects’ viability and longevity.

5) What advice can you give me on communicating the public value of our Arts Learning project?

We suggest that you use your identified Arts Learning outcome as your starting point when describing the value dimensions of your work. Your public value story should illuminate how your participants have benefited in tangible and meaningful ways as a result of their arts learning experience. For example, if you select the outcome: Children, youth and adults demonstrate skills and deepen their knowledge and/or understanding of the arts, then, your public value story can illustrate the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits of in-depth learning in the arts, such as, greater imaginative thinking, better problem-solving abilities, a broader world view, increased empathy for others, or personal joy and satisfaction with creating.

When sharing your public value story, you should always consider your audience and ask how your organization’s story would resonate with those who are interested in your work – program participants, political overseers and citizens. As greater numbers of grantees share their stories and experiences, Ohio’s taxpayers will understand the important impact that public funding for the arts is having at home and across the state.

6) What are the age ranges that can be supported through the Arts Partnership and Artist in Residence programs?

The Office of Arts Learning supports lifelong learning in the arts for citizens of all ages throughout their lives. Projects generally serve a wide range of individuals including preschoolers, children, youth, and young people through older adults.

7) Does our project have to address state arts education standards?

Yes. If a program is school-based, it must address state and local arts education standards. Grant review panels will evaluate the potential of a project to increase and strengthen participants’ knowledge and skills in the arts consistent with these standards. At the conclusion of the project, grantees will report back to the OAC on their achievement in the context of the standards.

Learn more about Ohio Fine Arts Academic Content Standards on the Ohio Department of Education’s Web pages. (This pdf file is very large and will take a lengthy time to appear)

8) How is a school-based project defined?

School-based projects are:
• 1) For children and youth between kindergarten and grade 12
• 2) Directly connected to the school curriculum and instructional program
• 3) Ensure the application of state and local arts education standards. Such activities may take place in or outside of the school building at any time of the day. This includes after-school and summer programs that are formally connected to school curricula and authorized by a school entity or a board of education.

9) Why must school-based Arts Learning projects address the state arts standards?

The OAC is committed to achieving the highest level of arts learning for children and youth. A critical component of achieving this level of quality is the use of standards.

The essence of the arts standards (see next paragraph) – what learners should know and be able to do in the arts – is about excellence in artistic experiences for children and youth. Arts standards do not spell out the specific content of learning or the instructional methods of achieving the desired knowledge and skills. Ohio’s arts standards provide the guideposts to assist program designers in helping our young people achieve excellence in the arts.

Ohio’s arts standards are also about access. Excellence is also achieved when we provide every student, by their graduation from high school, with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in the arts.

Ohio’s young people should be able to:
• Communicate at a basic level in the arts disciplines. This includes knowledge and skills in the use of vocabularies, materials, tools, techniques and intellectual methods of each arts discipline.
• Communicate proficiently in at least one art form, including the ability to design and solve problems with insight, reason, and technical proficiency.
• Develop and present basic analyses of works of art from a variety of cultures and historical periods, and a basic understanding of historical development in the arts disciplines, across the arts as a whole, and within cultures; and
• Relate various types of arts knowledge and skills within and across the arts disciplines. This includes mixing and matching competencies and understandings in art-making, history and culture, and analysis in any arts-related project.

10) Can projects that focus on research and evaluation (e.g., the study of effective practices, the dissemination of research findings, or other research-based programs and practices) be considered under the Arts Learning categories?

Yes. Research efforts that inform both arts learning policy and practice are critically important. The OAC encourages efforts to understand the nature of teaching and learning in the arts, as well as efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and practices, particularly where the results and findings will be disseminated widely. If you have a project that is focused on research or evaluation, you should apply under the Arts Partnership category.

11) When and how do we get the funding award?

Grants are paid after completion of the project. The OAC’s fiscal year runs July 1 – June 30. Application deadlines occur in the winter/spring prior to each July 1. For example, March 1, 2006 will be the deadline for applications to the Arts Partnership Program for activities occurring July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. February 1, 2006 will be the deadline for sponsor applications to the Artist in Residence Program for activities occurring July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. Funded applications receive a grant agreement with beginning and end dates. These dates must fall between the July – June time period. Your final report will be due to the OAC 30 days after the end date on your grant agreement. Your check will then be issued and mailed to you four to six weeks after receipt of your final report. As an example, if the end date of your grant agreement is June 30, your final report will be due to the OAC by July 30 of the same year. If all is satisfactory with your final report, you may expect your check by mid-September.

Partial Payment Request: Grantees have the option to request a partial payment of up to 50% of the grant amount, to be disbursed earlier in the fiscal year. Once your grant agreement has been issued, you will receive an electronic prompt to log into your online account (via OLGA) and click on the “partial payment” request, if you so choose. The reminder of the grant amount will be disbursed after the receipt of your final report, as described in the previous paragraph.

12) We receive funding through the Sustainability category; can we apply to the Artist in Residence and Arts Partnership programs?

Yes, you can; however, you may be asked to submit a budget breakout to document the ways in which your request to either or both of the Arts Learning categories is different from your request to Sustainability.

ARTS PARTNERSHIP

1) Our organization wants to apply to the Arts Partnership, and we do not have much experience with assessment and evaluation. What should we do? Where should we go?

Evaluation is a powerful tool in planning and implementing programs. With an emphasis on improving arts learning and program effectiveness evaluation needs to be an ongoing, integrated part your program development cycle. Visit our Learning Resources for School Leaders and Their Arts Partners Web pages, and click on Evaluation Studio. Under this tab, you will find a variety of resources for learner assessment and program evaluation. There are three avenues for assistance, depending on the individual’s and the organization’s needs and interests:
• a beginning tutorial on evaluation terms and concepts
• tip sheets on how to design an evaluation tool based on needs
• examples of effective evaluation tools, plans and reports.


We also recommend you obtain a copy of The Power of Arts Assessment in Teaching and Learning, which was developed by the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and the Ohio Department of Education. Copies may be obtained by going to the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and click on Resources/Products.

2) What is the match requirement for the Arts Partnership program?

You must provide a one-to-one match. That is, you must match the amount of the grant you are requesting with an equal amount of cash or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions. If you are using a mix of cash and in-kind, up to 50% of this match may consist of in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions used for part of a cash match must be documented and submitted with your Final Report support materials.

In-Kind Contributions/Donations:
Goods or services that are donated and not paid for by the applying organization, including volunteer time by a professional, office space, facilities and equipment rental. If in-kind donations are needed to meet a required match, written documentation must be provided. A letter signed by the provider that lists the service provided and its estimated value is adequate.

3) What are the funding restrictions? How many consecutive years can I be funded for a particular project?

There are legal requirements as well as funding restrictions. First, you should review the Legal Requirements and Ohio Arts Council Rules. In addition to those requirements the Arts Partnership category has these restrictions:
• Transportation for participants is an allowable expense, but cannot be more than 10% of program budget or exceed $1,000.
• Meals or snacks that are a part of programming are permissible expenses; however, hospitality expenses such as food for exhibition openings, receptions or public performances are not funded by the OAC.


There is no definitive rule regarding how long an organization can seek funding for a particular project or program. The OAC understands that it may take several years for an organization, particularly one applying to the Arts Partnership program, to develop and become fully functional in the fulfillment of its program goals, objectives and outcomes. In order to make this determination, the OAC will be looking for continued evaluation of the project or program, as well as evidence that the organization is evolving and adapting to the needs of its constituents. We encourage you to include this topic in your discussion with the program coordinator, prior to completing your application.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

1) What can we expect when we have an artist in residence?

A professional artist creates an exciting and nurturing learning environment, which encourages sponsors and participants to engage deeply in an arts discipline. Artists share their professional experience, insights and unique artistic vision to reveal the role of the artist in society and community life. Through collaborative work with the artist, the creative process is illuminated and more easily integrated into teaching.

Through an artist residency, the sponsor and the participants will find:
• Pleasure and power in creative expression
• Enjoyment in artistic processes
• Understanding the role of the arts in our everyday lives
• Satisfaction in your unique artistic voice
• Commonalties with the artist through shared work and discussions of the arts role in daily and civic life.

2) What resources are available to help us understand the Ohio Arts Council's Artist in Residence Program?

One important resource is the Arts Learning Residency Handbook. This document details the residence experience from conceptualization, to design and grant application development, and to conducting the residency through final reporting.

The Office of Arts Learning has many other resources to support your arts learning efforts at Arts Learning--Resources.

3) Do we need to have an artist selected before we write our grant?

For newer sites the answer is “No.” Use the Arts Learning Artist Directory as a source of inspiration and ideas only; we will help you choose the right artist for your needs and situation, after your grant is approved.

For more experienced sites, you may develop a general plan for your residency with an artist prior to the design and submission of your grant. If a grant is awarded, your residency committee and artist will further develop their initial plans as a team.

4) What arts disciplines are represented in the Artist in Residence program?

We have professional artists who represent a wide range of artistic disciplines including: creative writing, dance, design, media, music, theatre, traditional arts and visual arts.

5) What concepts need to be stressed in the grant application?

The strongest applications show a collaborative effort on the part of a broad-based planning committee. The concepts to emphasize are: 1) an interest in exploring the creative process rather than solely the creation of a product; 2) ability to plan a focused, in-depth experience for a targeted group of learners rather than a brief encounter for many individuals; and 3) the value of working with a professional artist to your school’s or community organization’s mission and programming.

6) What are core and peripheral groups?

Artists have four contact times each day with participants. The residency sponsors must select at least one group of learners that will work every day with the artist. This group is usually the size of an average class or smaller, depending on the residency plan, arts discipline or characteristics (age, abilities, developmental factors, etc.) of the participants. Other groups, peripheral groups, and other activities such as a teacher workshops, family workshops, and community sharings are scheduled in the remaining three contacts each day.