Greater Cincinnati is home to a diverse array of arts organizations, large and small, that bring a unique value, allowing our region to punch above its weight class. We regularly earn high rankings in lists of places to visit, with our arts leading the headlines.

But where our arts shine brightest is not in the number of organizations nor patrons. It's the coordination, connections and collaboration that keep each part of our arts ecosystem strong.

Coordination is baked into the local arts sector at every level. You can see it in how our theaters focus their efforts and offerings. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, celebrating its 60th anniversary, is a twice Tony Award-winning regional theater that emphasizes its unique theater setting and shows that they position as "artistically bold" and "wildly entertaining." Cincinnati Shakespeare Company covers Shakespeare and other classic theater productions. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati keeps social consciousness in its forefront while releasing regional and world premieres. Know Theatre of Cincinnati concentrates on new, edgy and experimental works with an intention to eliminate financial barriers and widen its audience. The list goes on, with Cincinnati Landmark Productions, The Carnegie and a host of community theaters.

Theater coordination is not just complementary but synergistic as well. This year, The Carnegie will feature a new work written by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati's D. Lynn Meyers, presented in collaboration with Northern Kentucky University's School of the Arts Theatre + Dance Program. Last year, when "Hamilton" hit town through Broadway in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presented "In the Heights," the first Broadway production by Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

BLINK^®, illuminated by ArtsWave, was created through a host of creative collaborations. The creation of festival happened through collaboration between five organizations: AGAR, Brave Berlin, ArtWorks, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. The event's kickoff, the Future City Spectacular Parade, resulted from a collaboration spearheaded by Artworks that brought together 3,200 individuals from 85 participating groups across the region. That included 19 performance groups, 18 lantern-making groups, 17 floats or kinetic sculptures, 17 costume groups, 7 puppet groups and 7 regional marching bands.

Milestone events have offered opportunities for collaboration, too. For the kickoff of their 125th season, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra created a festival, CSO Look Around. The festival drew 8,000 to Washington Park through performances by Pones, Bi-Okoto, Cincinnati Men's Choir, Millennium Robots and MUSE, Cincinnati's Women's Choir.

Ongoing events such as the Art After Dark event series hosted by Cincinnati Art Museum include collaborations with a wide swath of partner arts organizations each month. In addition, the Cincinnati Art Museum works with the Taft Museum of Art and Contemporary Arts Center to present Memories in the Museum, an ongoing program for those with memory loss, dementia or Alzheimer's and their caregivers.

One of the most powerful aspects of Greater Cincinnati's arts scene is their ability to consistently work well together. That's why, as part of the kickoff of the 2020 ArtsWave Campaign to fund the region's arts, 60 arts destinations all around the region were lit with luminaria, shining a literal and collective light on the importance of the arts to the region.

The ArtsWave Campaign runs January 30 to April 30. Give today or find out how your business can run a workplace giving campaign.