Making Waves Blog

Holiday cheer often means holiday travel, and for me, this year is no exception. Although time is tight and the to-do list long, part of my planning is also about what cultural events and arts-related places and spaces we’ll be hitting while I’m there. I’m not alone in checking out local arts when I travel, and - as they make great memories for themselves - arts travelers also make significant economic contributions to the communities they visit.

Cincinnati has a great deal to be thankful for when it comes to our vibrant and innovative arts scene!

Arts are at the heart of holiday traditions in Cincinnati. The people behind some of the most beloved events of the season shared stories that demonstrate how arts can deepen roots in our community. Keep track of these and all the arts events of the holidays with our CincyArtsGuide.

Jamie Bennett, executive director of ArtPlace America and a popular TEDtalk presenter, offered inspiring words about how the arts can enliven neighborhoods and deepen roots in a community at National Philanthropy Day.

All around us are powerful examples of the role the arts play in bridging cultural divides and building understanding and empathy. Two powerful arts events this week, as we celebrate Veterans Day, illustrate the diversity of the American experience. Art, music, poetry, and drama are all in the service of sending us powerful reminders of what’s important and what’s at stake.

Director of Park Operations Shaun Higgins took a few moments away from readying Pyramid Hill for the annual Holiday Lights on the Hill to chat with us about this unique area destination.

Jill Meyer, CEO and President of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, spoke at the most recent ArtsWave ArtsBreak. Community leaders came to the gathering to learn more about how arts can help to put Cincinnati on the map, attracting young professionals and top talent to the local economy, and deepen community roots, keeping those talented employees here once they arrive.

The Ambassador Ensemble Documentary & Performance Film will make its debut November 21, 2015 at the first Warsaw Ave Film Festival. Eddy Kwon, director of MYCincinnati (the youth orchestra program under which the Ambassador Ensemble performs,) took a few minutes from his busy schedule to chat with us about the documentary and exciting upcoming collaborations for the Ambassador Ensemble.

Veteran journalist Hillary Copsey has been appointed Director of Communications and Marketing at ArtsWave.

The Pumpkin Project was a great reminder to me of the importance of planning. And as we once again slide head-first into the holiday season, I am excited that ArtsWave has a new service that can help all of us get a better handle on our busy schedules and enjoy planning to have fun.

The Aronoff Center for the Arts' 20th Anniversary is the perfect time to reflect on the region's growth and how the arts make downtown Cincinnati a destination. Here's four ways the Aronoff Center has made an impact on our region.

The Warsaw Federal Incline Theater brings new audiences to East Price Hill. We talked to Cincinnati Landmark Productions' Rodger Pille about the theater's sold-out first summer and what's coming up for this exciting new space.

Arts organizations are not creating art in a vacuum. Throughout our history, the arts have been an integral part of the community, helping to bridge differences, and sometimes, provoking dialogue and debate. Twenty-five years ago, that debate brought national attention to the region.

If you listen closely, you can hear witches cackling, ghouls moaning, and werewolves howling. This can only mean one thing: Halloween is drawing near. Arts organizations throughout Cincinnati have many different ways to thrill you this Halloween season, and ArtsWave has all the details.

Raphaela Platow, the Alice & Harris Weston Director at the Contemporary Arts Center, caught us up on the latest happenings at the CAC this fall and beyond.

One of my favorite memories in the arts is also one of my favorite professional memories, the chance to cover the first-ever master class by legendary modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham in Russia for the Moscow Times.

Brian Isaac Phillips, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Producing Artistic Director, briefly stepped away from directing rehearsals to fill us in on what we can expect this fall during the company's 23rd season.

ArtsWave, the greater Cincinnati region’s leading local arts agency, launched a new service to the community today with its online arts calendar, Cincy Arts Guide. Designed to increase all kinds of community participation in the arts, Cincy Arts Guide provides detailed listings on performances, exhibitions, classes, fundraisers and other arts events from arts organizations across the region.

Designed to advance ArtsWave’s vision of a more vibrant regional economy and more connected community for all, the Blueprint identifies five community goals that leverage the power of the arts. The Blueprint will provide a focus for ArtsWave’s community investments and strategic initiatives for the next ten years.

In many schools across our region just like across the country, there is no choice, just a struggle to keep arts as part of the curriculum, or included in extracurricular programs. There are competing demands for funding, for time in the day, or a scarcity of other resources. And it’s abundantly clear that kids and youth in underserved or low-income communities suffer the most from program cuts, even though research shows consistently that they benefit most from arts engagement in school. Next week is National Arts Education Week, and it’s a great time to call attention to why this matters.