Introduction

Since the last edition of OAC’s Guidelines, we have seen advancements in technology and information sharing, new national and statewide arts education partnerships, and the beginning of the OAC’s Appalachian Arts program, an important program for the cultural vitality of our state. We have also witnessed state budget shortfalls across the country, resulting in sometimes dramatic decreases in state arts council budgets. For 2003–2004, the Ohio Arts Council received a 21% reduction in its state appropriation.

Through planning, perseverance and foresight, the OAC has survived this challenge. We are supported in our efforts to help our constituents through the strong advocacy of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts. We are also streamlining OAC programs and processes. With input from constituents around the state, we reduced program funding areas from 24 to the seven detailed here. This was necessary both for creation of our OnLine Grant Applications (OLGA) and to better align program areas with the focus on public value.

One of the most important components of our planning over the past three years has been receipt of a significant grant from the Wallace Foundation (formerly the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund) in 2001. The Ohio Arts Council was awarded $1.1 million over four years to invest in arts participation and recognition of the public value of the arts in communities around Ohio. As we enter the last year of the grant, we see new doors that demand to be opened. We have traveled the state, participated in numerous retreats and meetings, and surveyed the field to help us make sure we truly understand the challenges and opportunities our constituents face. It’s time to carry this work forward.

At the Ohio Arts Council, we have always maintained a basic philosophy of support and accessibility for all, responding to opportunities and challenges with strategies for inclusion and participation. We have added persistence, boundless energy, a willingness to embrace change and a profound belief in the ability of the arts and artists to create healthy communities. These principles will carry us into the future and enable us to infuse communities throughout Ohio with the message of the public value of the arts.

Each community—through its citizens, businesses and organizations—defines its own public value. As we enter a new era for the arts, the OAC’s goal is to help constituents seek out and define the public value within their own work and their own communities.

Susan R. Sofia, Chair, Ohio Arts Council Board
Julie S. Henahan, Executive Director, Ohio Arts Council