1) We’re thankful for the abundant (and affordable) arts opportunities we can find in Cincinnati. Families, young professionals and individuals all have different needs and wants, and Cincinnati’s arts organizations are listening.
-The Welcome Experiment: Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s free performance evening, initiating first-timers to the live theater experience 
-Ignite: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s young professional and student discount program
-Attitude: Cincinnati Ballet’s young professional engagement program
-Sunday Student Nights: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s student-priced evening
-Peanut Butter and Jam: Linton Music’s children’s program
-Lollipops: Cincinnati Pops’ kids concert programming

2) We’re thankful that Cincinnati’s arts (and other) organizations continue to invest in their neighborhoods. By investing in their neighborhoods with long-term homes, local arts organizations contribute to continued cultural vitality and economic growth. 
-Landmark Productions:This theater organization opened Warsaw Federal Incline Theater in May 2015 in East Price Hill. The theater is part of the continuing trend in Price Hill of development and revitalization, contributing to what project manager Rodger Pille calls the “energy in the air in the Incline District.” 
-Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, the May Festival and Cincinnati Ballet: The four resident companies of Music Hall reinforced their commitment to the historic building and the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood that so many of them call home when the timeline was announced earlier this fall for renovations to the outdated venue. Projected to begin in 2016, the renovations should be completed by fall 2017. 
-Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: The resident ensemble theater company just announced plans for a new theater in the heart of Over-the-Rhine, with accommodations for more patrons. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company put itself and Cincinnati on the national map when it completed all 38 plays in the Shakespeare canon last season, a feat only managed by four other companies in the United States. 

3) We’re thankful for arts organizations that take risks in programming and keep us on the cutting edge of artistic integrity. Big and small alike, Cincinnati’s arts organizations endeavor to provide innovative programming that put Cincinnati on the national map. Efforts include:
-Contemporary Arts Center’s honorarium After the Moment: The tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe and a remembrance of his controversial exhibition The Perfect Moment, which resulted in a historic legal ruling, putting the national spotlight on the CAC .
-ArtWorks’ Ink Your Love, CincyInk and the Cincinnati Tattoo Project: Cincinnatians were encouraged to share their love of Cincinnati via the written word, a poem was compiled and every word was doled out to willing participants in the form of a permanent tattoo. Citywide murals also commemorated the poem entitled Seven Hills and A Queen To Name Them, each designed by a different Cincinnati artist and focusing on a different stanza or line. 
-Serials:The Know Theatre’s twist on the typically-empty summer season for theater was styled after the episodic viewing habits of television: 15 minute episodes of new plays, every two weeks, for a total of 5 installments.

4) We’re thankful for the collaboration of our arts organizations that yield the mashups everyone loves. Just as pumpkin pie and turkey are synonymous with Thanksgiving, so, too, are the varied and interesting pairings of our arts organizations. Consider:
-LUMENOCITY: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra production this year featured  the CSO and the Cincinnati Pops, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, the May Festival and a cover of hometown hero band Walk The Moon’s latest chart-topping single. 
-The (free) 30th Annual Macy’s Arts Sampler: ArtsWave’s own cross-genre, full-to-the-brim performance weekend features more than 50 local arts organizations in more than 20 venues, culminating in a huge one-day showcase at Music Hall. Macy’s Arts Sampler Weekend is the best way we know how to show off Cincinnati’s wide and varied arts offerings. 

5) We’re thankful for the support of so many Cincinnatians. From big-name philanthropists and companies that provide major funding to the more than 42,000 individuals who contributed to our 2015 campaign, our arts organizations continue to thrive because of the generous support of Cincinnatians.
Thank YOU, and happy Thanksgiving!