“The Ohio Arts Council would like to hear from Ohio’s citizens in order to improve the way we serve Ohio,” said OAC Executive Director Julie Henahan. “The listening tour provides an outlet for Ohioans to tell us how they think the arts and creativity can be a bigger part of their community.”

A small group of staff from the OAC will lead three meetings in each town to discuss the arts, creativity and aspirations for the residents’ communities. During the morning meeting OAC staff members will meet with elected officials and community leaders; the afternoon meeting will be held with members of the arts community and educators; and the evening town hall gathering will bring people from all backgrounds together to discuss the arts and its impact in their community.

Information gathered from this tour will provide the agency with a better understanding of a broad range of Ohioans’ needs, including communities that have traditionally been underserved by OAC’s public funding, and assist the agency in developing the 2010-2013 Strategic Plan and the State of the Arts Report II.

Communities to be visited this fall include: East Liverpool on Oct. 15, Youngstown on Oct. 16, Marietta on Oct. 22, Coshocton on Oct. 23, Archbold on Nov. 12, Toledo on Nov. 13 and Chillicothe on Nov. 19. The Listening Tour will resume in the spring with visits to the following cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Kent, Mansfield and Wapakoneta. Register for the meetings online at http://www.maildogmanager.com/link.html?url=14&client=ohioartscouncil&campaign=206&email=##L@##H starting Oct. 1.

The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

Nominations will be accepted only online. A complete explanation of the nomination process is available on the 2009 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon Web site at www.oac.state.oh.us. For more information about the Governor’s Awards nomination process contact Jodie Engle at the Ohio Arts Council, 727 East Main Street, Columbus OH 43205-1796; phone 614/728-4409; fax 614/466-4494; e-mail stephanie.dawson@oac.state.oh.us.

The 2009 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon will be held Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at noon at the Columbus Athenaeum in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Tickets are $50 and include lunch and a dessert reception. All proceeds go to the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. The Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon is presented by the Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Winners will receive an original work of art by Ohio painter Jean Koeller at a public ceremony during the luncheon.

The annual Heinz Award, a $250,000 prize, is given to people who make notable contributions in the arts and humanities, the environment, the human condition, public policy and technology, the economy and employment. The Pittsburgh-based Heinz Family Foundation has presented the awards since 1994 in memory of the late Sen. John Heinz III, heir to the Heinz food fortune.

Ann Hamilton, of Columbus, Ohio, won the arts and humanities award. Hamilton is an artist and a professor of art at Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in exhibitions around the world.  Hamilton won a Governor’s Award for Individual Artist from the Ohio Arts Council in 2005.

Organizational Restructuring Leads to New Positions and Promotions at the Akron Art Museum

Gail E. Wild, Akron Art Museum administrator since 1999, has been named Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position. Wild received her M.B.A. from The University of Akron in 1987.

Elizabeth M. Wilson was hired as director of the new marketing and communications department. She most recently served as the director of marketing communications at Barberton Citizens.  Lindsey Gainer was hired as communications assistant. She recently graduated from Malone College in December 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts.

Arnold Tunstall, museum registrar since 1994, was promoted to collections manager and Allison Tillinger Schmid was promoted to the new position of assistant curator.   Gina Thomas, the new assistant educator, comes to the Akron Art Museum as a graduate from Mount Union College, where she earned her degree in art history.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia Announces Resignation

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia announced he will leave his position at the head of the NEA in January 2009.  He plans to join the Aspen Institute on a half-time basis as the first director of the Harman/Eisner (H/E) Program in the Arts.  He also plans to return to writing, his primary occupation prior to leading the NEA.

Gioia began his term in February 2003, becoming the NEA’s ninth chairman.  In December 2006 he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate for a second, four-year term. Chairman Gioia has led a transformation of the NEA, reinvigorating the institution with a mission of bringing the best of arts and arts education to all Americans. He has also helped restore the NEA's leadership in fostering informed public discussion of important issues affecting the arts, artists and education.

Somali Daispora, The Somali Documentary Project Releases First Book

After five years of documenting Somali Daispora, the Somali Documentary Project has just released its first book, “The Somali Disapora: A Journey Away.”  This book is unique in its comprehensive examination of the Somali Diaspora in America.  This is a story of an optimistic people as they struggle through the desperate challenges of fleeing a civil war and as they find that they must face different challenges in America.  Photographer Abdi Roble and writer Doug Rutledge begin their journey in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, where over 150,000 Somali people have come to escape the violence.  While in Dadaab, Roble and Rutledge met the family of Abdi Salaam, who was later resettled in Anaheim, California.  They documented the troubles and the triumphs of the family in Anaheim and then followed them when they moved to Portland, ME.  They also document the lives of Somali people in Columbus, Ohio, which is the second largest Somali community in the United States, and in Minneapolis, which has the largest.

“The Somali Disapora: A Journey Away” offers the intimate opportunity to introduce yourselves to your Somali neighbors across the country.  This book includes the work that was recently displayed in the Columbus Museum of Art.  The essays weave the stories together with photos to tell the tale of a people who have moved to a new land, while maintaining their unique and meaningful way of life.