DISCOVER PUBLIC ART IN OHIO WITH NEW PERCENT FOR ART DIRECTORY
In 1990, the Ohio Legislature, recognizing the state's responsibility to foster culture and the arts and to encourage the development of artists and craftspeople, established the Ohio Percent for Art Program. The law provides funds for the acquisition, commissioning and installation of works of art for certain new or renovated public buildings. Whenever the legislature appropriates more than $4 million for a public building, the law requires one percent of the total appropriation to be allocated for artwork.
Since the legislation went into effect 80 projects have been completed. Those projects have brought public art into many cities and small communities around Ohio. The Ohio Arts Council administers the state's Percent for Art Program. We have created a directory to help taxpayers discover how their funds have been invested in artwork that enhances public buildings. Discover Public Art in Ohio, the Ohio Arts Council's Percent for Art directory, is now available. To order your free copy, call 614/466-2613. The Percent for Art Program is an example of how the arts help build communities—economically, educationally and culturally.
CRAFTS INDUSTRY HELPS BOOST U.S. ECONOMY
The making and selling of fine crafts—pottery, hand-blown glass, metalwork, wood and jewelry—in the U.S. contributes $13.8 billion to the economy according to a study by the Craft Organization Directors Association.
The study found that the median income for crafts households, in which half or all of the income is derived from the sale of crafts, is higher than the national median reported by the U.S. Census Bureau for 1999. The median income for craft households is $50,000 while the national median is $40,800. The study also found that the majority of the revenue (60%) from the craft industry is generated within the craftspersonıs home state.
These statistics demonstrate the importance of the crafts industry to state departments of tourism and economic development. While the statistics are significant, they represent only a fraction of the economic impact of the crafts industry. The survey does not account for materials and equipment suppliers, craft education centers and university programs, museums, craft shows or publications. "This $13.8 billion impact is strictly from the sales of crafts," said Noelle Backer, editor of The Crafts Report. "Considering this, imagine what the actual size of the industry may be." A summary of the results is online at www.craftsreport.com.
INTERNATIONAL
PROGRAM
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Chile. Other projects with Argentina include an exhibition and residency by Hermenegildo Sabat, an internationally renowned illustrator, at the Columbus College of Art & Design this September.
Exchanges with Chile began last fall with residencies by six Ohio artists and arts educators. In late March 2001 Ohio hosted five Chilean arts educators for a 10-day series of site visits to schools around Ohio. The teachers also gathered resources to help them improve arts education programs in Chile.
The Ohio Arts Council's International Program is designed to foster long-term involvement in international cultural exchange. The International Program provides grants to assist nonprofit educational, cultural and arts organizations, as well as individual artists, performers, educators, arts managers and administrators to develop exemplary international arts projects and innovative partnerships that increase Ohioans' access to international arts activities. For more information about the Ohio Arts Council's International Program call 614/466-2613.
