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PORTSMOUTH MURALS BRING NEW LIFE TO SMALL TOWN
Early Shawnee Village (detail), from the Portsmouth floodwall murals
The Portsmouth floodwall was built after a devastating flood in 1937 to protect the people of Portsmouth from the waters of the Ohio River. Today the wall is helping the city in a different way – the Floodwall Mural Project is breathing new life into the community.
After visiting the murals of Steubenville, Ohio on a motorcoach tour in 1992, Dr. Louis Chaboudy and his wife Ava decided that the Portsmouth floodwall would be the perfect canvas for murals depicting several centuries of Portsmouth area history. The Chaboudys and a group of dedicated individuals felt that floodwall murals would not only beautify a blighted area, but would stimulate the economy of the struggling Appalachian town. They were interested in how history and art would work together to boost economic development.
The group formed Portsmouth Murals Inc. (PMI), a volunteer nonprofit organization, and got to work on making their dream a reality. PMI worked with individuals, corporations, foundations and state agencies, including the Ohio Arts Council, to gain financial support for the project.
World-renowned muralist Robert Dafford was hired to transform the wall into an outdoor art gallery. The 52 murals covering 2,200 feet of the floodwall were completed in the summer of 2002. In early October, 2002, PMI brought together (con't page 4)
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CINCINNATI ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED GRANTS
The Arts & Business Council has announced that Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival and Enjoy the Arts/START were among 18 organizations nationwide to be awarded grants from the American Express Company through the National Arts Marketing Program (NAMP). The grants will be used to implement marketing programs created during an intensive marketing training institute held earlier this year. During the training, leaders of 36 arts organizations in 12 U.S. cities were taught to create marketing plans designed to build new audiences and increase revenue. The National Arts Marketing Program is part of a $3 million, six-year initiative funded by the American Express Company, which is the corporate sponsor of the project.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (CSF) is an evolving ensemble of professional artists performing dynamic contemporary-style Shakespeare, classics and new works. In the wake of racial (con't page 3)
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