Athens businessman and restaurateur Ed Fisher displays and sells Passion Works art in his restaurants, Purple Chop Stix and Starving Wolf Cafe. The latter is located in the fledgling Eclipse Village. The land and buildings that comprise the village, were purchased from owners of the defunct Eclipse Mine five years ago by local entrepreneurs and artists. The venture is a true experiment in the arts as a vehicle for economic development.

In addition to Fisher's restaurant, the tiny woodframe miners1 homes house The Bone Gallery and Frame Shop, the medical office of Dr. John Coppinger, a Buckeye Forest Council office, On The Path Wholistic Healing Center and the Eclipse Textile and Fabric Collective. The Company Store once served the needs of the mining town of 1,200 residents who worked in the Eclipse Mine. Fisher says The Company Store eventually will house gallery, studio and production space, a stage for performances, banquet seating and a juice bar.

Incorporated in 1989 as a nonprofit educational agency, the Foothills School, in neighboring Nelsonville, was established by craftsman David Baird, educators and civic leaders who saw the need for a supportive environment for regional artisans. In addition to teaching design and fabrication, the school equips students with general and craft-specific business skills and is committed to preserving endangered regional crafts. The artists, craftspeople and community members in southeastern Ohio agree that a cohesive arts community has the potential to create a healthy economic base in Appalachia.

The Ohio Arts Council helps support the organizations mentioned in this article with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

From an article by Susan Green in Ohio Today

Two of Ohio's finest young musicians recently won the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's Young Musician Competition - Senior Division: Carol Jantsch, tuba; and Ben Jensen, double bass. Jantsch, 17, of Worthington has been playing the tuba since 1998. In the summer of 2000 she won first place in the student tuba division of the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Competition. She performed John Williams' Tuba Concerto with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at the Palace Theatre on June 26, 2002. Jenson, 17, of Columbus began playing the bass at the age of ten and made his first appearance as a concerto soloist at age 13 with the Springfield Symphony. He won first prize in the International Society of Bassists - Age 14 and under Solo Competition - in 2001. Jenson performed Tubin's Bass Concerto with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra on June 25 at the Palace Theatre.

NEW REPORT (CON'T)
The studies in the report found that learning in the arts increases attendance, educational aspirations, motivation, active engagement, disciplined and sustained attention, persistence and risk-taking.

"I urge education leaders throughout the country to read this compendium and pay close attention to its findings," said  G. Thomas Houlihan, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

"In the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress named the arts as one of the core subjects that all schools should teach. The studies in Critical Links show the wisdom of that decision and the benefit of arts learning for every child."

Critical Links is available on the AEP Web site, www.aep-arts.org. To order printed copies, contact CCSSO Publications at 202/336-7016.