Ohio Arts Council Kicks Off on Listening Tour This Fall
by Jaclyn Reynolds

Highlights from the Fall 2008 Listening Tours will be added to this page starting December 5. Please check back for comments and summaries from your community.

The Ohio Arts Council is hitting the road this fall to find out what Ohioans value about the arts, creativity and their communities. The OAC’s Listening Tour will travel to seven communities this fall and an additional seven in the spring discovering what creativity means to elected officials, arts professionals and citizens in large and small communities across the state.

“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 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 by clicking each city name.

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

For a complete itinerary of planned visits click here.

For a list of questions for the morning meeting click here.
For a list of questions for the afternoon meeting click here.
For a list of questions for the evening meeting click here.

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