Making Waves Blog

ArtsWave announces $10.4 million in grants and initiatives to create a vibrant regional economy and bring people together through the arts. These investments are made possible by the thousands of people and organizations who contributed to ArtsWave’s recent community campaign chaired by Tom Williams. ArtsWave continues to be the largest united arts fund in the country, both in contributions and in number of donors.

The arts have been in the news a lot over the past two weeks. In response to these stories, I’ve heard more than a few times that these results are impressive for “a city our size.” As much as I understand the sentiment and our region's population size, I think we are selling ourselves short with this qualifier. Within the space of twelve days, Cincinnati has done something that other cities, large or small or in between, can only envy. We’ve shown our unique capacity for collaborative action around things that we value—namely, a thriving, innovative, and inclusive arts scene.

ArtsWave announced the successful completion of the 2015 Annual Community Campaign, with gifts totaling in excess of $12,212,657 in support of arts organizations across the region.

Tom Williams, Chair of the 2015 ArtsWave Community Campaign, shares how the arts put Cincinnati on the map and transform our community.

The heart and soul of a community, what truly distinguishes one city from the next, is its software – namely, education, innovation, and arts and culture, broadly defined. This is the soul that puts Cincinnati on the map. This is what makes us a truly unique mid-sized city.