ASSEMBLY FOR THE ARTS TO SUPPORT DOZENS OF CREATIVES WITH $500,000 GRANT FROM CUYAHOGA ARTS & CULTURE

CLEVELAND, March 7, 2024 — Assembly for the Arts has announced the details of its 2024 artist support programs, funded by a $500,000 grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The programs will provide unrestricted funds and project grants to between 66 and 78 artists. Awardees will benefit from professional development, institutional connections, access to dedicated workspace, performance and exhibition opportunities and more. 

Assembly will disseminate the awards directly and via partnerships with Cleveland Public Theatre, Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, Karamu House, and SPACES. Cleveland Public Theatre, Karamu House and SPACES will use additional outside funds to expand their programs. 

Assembly and the partners designed the 2024 programs in response to the creative community, which advocated for: 

  • Prioritizing unrestricted funds and increasing the award amounts for individual artists 
  • Simplifying and streamlining grant application processes to reduce administrative burdens 
  • Encouraging applicants from historically underrepresented or marginalized artists 
  • Creating a central virtual space to find grant opportunities, deadlines, and resources 

Jeremy V. Johnson, president and CEO of Assembly for the Arts, said the 2024 Support for Artist program reflects feedback from artist surveys and listening sessions. “We took to heart the concerns of creatives. We made the application process easier, expanded unrestricted funds, and broadened the reach to more disciplines,” he said. ”We are ensuring our outreach efforts include increasing awareness of these opportunities to artists of all creative disciplines.” 

The 2024 programs are as follows: 

For full details about these programs, please visit https://assemblycle.org/artistfunding/ 

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Assembly for the Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a focus on advocacy, cultural policy, racial equity initiatives, research, marketing that elevates the region, and services for nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses. It is governed by a volunteer board with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Assembly by design operates in close partnership with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, a government agency, and Assembly for Action, a 501(c)4 political action nonprofit to serve the entire creative sector. Assembly is supported through major funding from: The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Arts Council, Huntington, KeyBank, The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation, and Fred & Laura Ruth Bidwell. www.assemblycle.org

MEDIA CONTACT:

Malissa Bodmann
malissa@compellingcommunicationsllc.com
216-536-7517


Cuyahoga Arts & Culture still eyeing November cigarette tax renewal

Source: ideastream

Date: February 15, 2024

Abstract:

A renewal and expansion of Cuyahoga County's cigarette tax for the arts could appear on this November's ballot - but its size and scope are still being determined. During its meeting Thursday, the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture board discussed the levy campaign with Jeff Rusnak, CEO of political strategy firm R Strategy Group. Last fall, he recommended placing the cigarette tax on this fall's ballot. Without any action, it would expire in 2027.

CAC receives its funding from the 30-cent-per-pack cigarette tax, and revenues have fallen by half since the tax’s inception in 2007. Board members have sparred at previous meetings over how and when to ask voters to renew and expand the tax. Rusnak recommended that CAC's role should be educational, with community outreach on how the arts can have a positive impact on education and mental health.


Opinion: Greater Cleveland must plan for sustainable public arts funding future: Jennifer Coleman

Source: Cleveland.com

Date: December 27, 2023

Abstract:

Cuyahoga County’s public funding for the arts has recently been featured in the local news cycle. Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), the agency responsible for disbursing funds collected from the countywide cigarette tax, is managing a 50% drop in revenues since the tax began to be collected in 2007. Local news articles have highlighted — among other things:

1) Issues surrounding CAC’s funding of individual artists.

2) Highly contentious CAC board meetings, and

3) Questions on the feasibility of a countywide levy campaign to increase the 30-cent-a-pack cigarette tax amid infighting among leaders in the arts community.

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Want to join Cuyahoga Arts & Culture board? County is seeking applications

Source: ideastream

Date: January 8, 2024

Abstract:

Cuyahoga County is accepting applications for the board of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. While recent meetings have been increasingly tense, the agency is still responsible for distributing public funding for the arts – more than $246 million since 2007.

The terms of two trustees, Charna Sherman and Karolyn Isenhart, will end March 31. As of Monday afternoon, Isenhart said she was planning to re-apply for another term. Sherman said she is not reapplying.

Read Full Article

Mayor explains call for proposed Cleveland Heights Arts Commission

Source: Cleveland.com

Date: October 31, 2023

Abstract:

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Coming off a well-received public hearing explaining the merits, City Council will revisit a proposal for creating an Arts Commission later in November.

They didn’t take action at Monday’s (Oct. 30) regular meeting due to an already full agenda.

This comes after various arts organizations voiced concerns over the legislation introduced back on Aug. 7 and referred to council’s Administrative Services Committee for further review — ultimately showing no plans for the city to supplant or compete with existing programming.

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Two New Members Added to GCRTA Board of Trustees

Source: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

Date: October 17, 2023

Abstract:

Cleveland, OH – The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) welcomed Deidre McPherson and Stephen Love as new members to their Board of Trustees during today’s Board meeting inside GCRTA’s Main Office Building at 1240 W. 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113.

Trustee McPherson was sworn into service on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, and Trustee Love was sworn into service before the start of today’s Board Meeting, by Anna Hlavacs, GCRTA Senior Counsel Contracts, Real Estate and Administrative Law in preparation for their first official call to service on October 17, 2023. Their appointments were made by Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, with Trustee McPherson serving an unexpired term ending in March 2024, and Trustee Love serving a term ending in March 2026.

“GCRTA welcomes the appointments of Deidre McPherson and Stephen Love to our Board of Trustees. We agree that their professional expertise and dedication to arts and culture, and the environment will be beneficial as we continue to enhance public transportation’s impact on the social economics of our community,” said GCRTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer India L. Birdsong Terry.

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Karamu House building exterior

Arts and culture generate more than $500 million for Cuyahoga County economy, new study shows

Source: Signal Cleveland

Date: October 12, 2023

Abstract:

Cuyahoga County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated more than $533 million in economic activity in 2022, according to a comprehensive study released Thursday.

This was the first time Cuyahoga was included as part of a national economic impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. Every five years, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on building “recognition and support” for the arts looks at the economic impact arts and culture have on communities throughout the United States.

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Study touts $500M arts impact in Cuyahoga County last year

Source: Ideastream Public Media | By Kabir Bhatia
Date: October 12, 2023 at 3:00 PM EDT

Abstract:

A study by Americans for the Arts finds that Cuyahoga County arts nonprofits and their patrons contributed $533 million to the economy in 2022.

The survey results were released Thursday, showing polling from 34 percent of the county’s arts and culture organizations. The study has been conducted six times since 1994, but this is the first time Cuyahoga County has been included among the 373 regions reviewed. Arts advocacy group Assembly for the Arts coordinated the effort locally. Assembly CEO Jeremy Johnson said it shows a sector that’s been resilient after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Groundbreaking Study Reveals Economic and Social Impact of $533-Million Nonprofit Arts and Culture Sector in Cuyahoga County

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Study Centers Equity in Economic Research and Highlights Vital Role of Arts and Culture in Building More Livable Communities

CLEVELAND, Oct. 12, 2023 — Assembly for the Arts today announced that Cuyahoga County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $533,156,171 in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. That economic activity — $389.8 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and an additional $143.3 million in event-related spending by their audiences — supported 8,637 jobs and generated $104.2 million in local, state, and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.

Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. In Cuyahoga County, more than 1,000 audience members participated in the survey and 172 nonprofit organizations supplied financial and audience information – about 35% of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the county. The study also surveyed audiences of color for the first time ever.

“The results of this study affirm what many of us in the arts community already knew: the nonprofit arts and culture sector is an important economic contributor in Cuyahoga County. More than that, a vibrant arts and culture community keeps residents engaged in their communities and brings people from outside the area to experience the world-class cultural experiences we are so fortunate to have here,” said Jeremy V. Johnson, president and CEO of Assembly for the Arts, which coordinated the study in Cuyahoga County.  “We can confidently say the nonprofit arts and culture sector’s economic impact is much greater than this survey reports considering just 35% of Cuyahoga County arts nonprofits participated in this voluntary survey.”

Nationally and locally, the extensive research reveals proportional economic and community impacts among attendees at BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) organizations to the overall national average.

Chinenye Nkemere, chair of Assembly for the Arts’ Board of Trustees, said it's important that this study now includes communities of color in the data collection. “Cuyahoga County has a rich history of supporting BIPOC and ALAANA culture through the arts. It’s vital that national surveys like AEP6 collect data to a broad spectrum of audience members. These performances are critical to celebrating and highlighting the creative expertise of communities of color — and moreover, that audiences and organizations of color are essential economic contributors of our local economy,” Nkemere said.

Key figures from Cuyahoga County’s AEP6 study include:

  • Cuyahoga County’s arts and culture industry generates $143.3 million in event-related spending by its audiences.
  • 19.9% of arts and culture attendees were from outside the county in which the activity took place. Their spending is vital income for local merchants.
  • 88.4% of respondents agreed that the activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community.”
  • 86.2% said they would “feel a sense of loss if that activity or venue was no longer available.”

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne applauded Cuyahoga County’s participation in the survey. “Our arts and culture scene is a big part of what makes Cuyahoga County a vibrant place to live and to visit. This survey demonstrates how important it is to residents that we have world-class institutions, smaller arts groups and everything in between. There’s no doubt that when we support the arts, we are investing in Cuyahoga County’s economic and community well-being,” Ronayne said.

Rhonda K. Brown, Senior Strategist Arts, Culture & Creative Economy for the City of Cleveland, said she is excited about the findings. “The results of this survey affirm that when we talk about how to stimulate economic development in Cleveland, arts and culture must be at the table because of the sheer impact they have on our local economy. It’s equally important to acknowledge the role arts and culture play in fostering community pride all around the city of Cleveland,” Brown said.

Nationally, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study reveals that America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry—one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.

“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents,” said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”

The Participating Arts and Culture Attendees

1,011 people completed the AEP6 audience-intercept survey while attending a performance, event, or exhibit — or otherwise visiting a cultural event or facility —in Cuyahoga County during the period from May 2022 through June 2023. Assembly for the Arts extends its thanks to the following local partner organizations that promoted and allowed Assembly for the Arts to conduct the audience intercept surveying at their events/venues:

Beck Center for the Arts; CAN Journal; Cleveland Institute of Art; Cleveland Institute of Music; Cleveland Museum of Art; Cleveland Play House; Cleveland Public Theatre; Dance Cleveland; Dancing Wheels; Djapo Cultural Arts Institute; Dobama Theatre; Future Ink Graphics (FIG); Great Lakes African American Writer’s Conference; Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF); Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center; Kaiser Gallery; Karamu House; Les Delices; Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa); Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA); Musical Theatre Project; Near West Theatre; Oh Sew Powerful; RidAll Green Partnership; The Cleveland International Film Festival; The Cleveland Orchestra; The International Women’s Air and Space Museum; The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; ThirdSpace Action Lab; Twelve Literary Arts; Western Reserve Historical Society.

The Participating Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations

This study could not have been completed without the cooperation and participation of the 172 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Cuyahoga County, listed below, that provided the financial and attendance information necessary for the analysis.

A-C

Academy for Dramatic Arts; America Asian Pacific Islander Organization; America Scores Cleveland; Apollos Fire the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra; Art House; Art Therapy Studio; Artful Ohio; Artists Archives of the Western Reserve; Arts Impact; Assembly for the Arts; Association of African American Cultural Gardens; Association of Concert Bands; Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music; Bay Village Community Band; Bay Village Historical Society; Bayarts; Beck Center for the Arts; Blue Water Chamber Orchestra; Borderlight Festival; Brite Winter Cleveland; Broadway School of Music & the Arts; Brook Park Library Friends; Cain Park (City of Cleveland Heights); Cassidy Theatre; Cavani String Quartet; Center for Arts-Inspired Learning; Chagrin Arts; Chagrin Documentary Film Festival; Chagrin Valley Little Theatre; Chamberfest Cleveland; Children’s Museum of Cleveland; Choral Arts Society of Cleveland; Cis Music Boosters; City Ballet of Cleveland; Citymusic Cleveland; Cleveland Architecture Foundation; Cleveland Art Association; Cleveland Arts Prize; Cleveland Ballet; Cleveland Botanical Garden; Cleveland Cello Society; Cleveland Chamber Choir; Cleveland Chamber Music Society; Cleveland Classical Guitar Society; Cleveland Comedy Festival; Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation; Cleveland Dance Project Company; Cleveland Institute of Art; Cleveland Institute of Music; Cleveland International Film Festival ; Cleveland Jazz Orchestra; Cleveland Museum Of Art; Cleveland Museum of Natural History; The Cleveland Orchestra; Cleveland Opera; Cleveland Photographic Workshop; Cleveland Play House; Cleveland Pops Orchestra; Cleveland Print Room; Cleveland Public Theatre; Cleveland Restoration Society; Cleveland Rocks Past Present and Future; Cleveland School of Dance; Cleveland School of the Arts; Cleveland State University Art Gallery; Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project; Collective Arts Network; Convergence-Continuum; Cuyahoga Community College Jazzfest

D-F

DANCEcleveland; Dancing Wheels Company & School; Djapo Cultural Arts Institute; Dobama Theatre; Donauschwabens German American Cultural Center; Downtown Cleveland Alliance; Dunham Tavern Museum; Encore Chamber Music Institute; Ensemble Theater; Foluke Cultural Arts Center; Foundry Project Arts Incubator; Friends of the Beachwood Library; Friends of the Berea Library; Friends of the Chagrin Falls Library; Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra; Friends of The Mayfield Library; Friends of The Olmsted Falls Library; Friends of the Solon Library; Friends of the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library; Friends of the Southeast (Bedford) Library; Friends of the Strongsville Library; Front Exhibition Company; Future Ink Graphics (FIG)

G-I

Graffiti Heart Corporation; Great Lakes African American Writers Conference; Great Lakes Science Center; Great Lakes Theater Festival; Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival; Groundworks Dancetheater; Heights Arts Collaborative; Historical Society of Old Brooklyn; Ideastream; Ingenuity Cleveland; Inlet Dance Theatre; Institutional Community Development Corporation; Intermuseum Conservation Association

J-L

Jewish Federation of Cleveland; Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center; Karamu House; Kings & Queens of Art; Kulture Kids; Lake Erie Ink: A Writing Space For Youth; Lake Erie Nature & Science Center; Land Studio; Latinus Theater Company; Les Delices; LGBT Legacy Project; Literary Cleveland; Local 4 Music Fund

M-O

Maelstrom Collaborative Arts; Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage; Mandel Jewish Community Center Arts and Culture Program; Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory & Educational Foundation; Morrisondance; Murphy Irish Arts Center; Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; Musical Upcoming Stars in the Classics; Naach Di Cleveland; Nature Center at Shaker Lakes; Near West Theatre; North Coast Men's Chorus; Northern Ohio Children's Performing Music Foundation; Oh Sew Powerful; Open Doors

P-R

Parma Symphony Orchestra; Piano International Association of Northern Ohio; Playhouse Square Foundation; Praxis Integrated Fiber Workshop; Quire Cleveland; Radio on the Lake Theatre; Rainey Institute; Refresh Collective; Renovare Music; Restore Cleveland Hope; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; Rocky River Chamber Music Society; Roots of American Music

S-U

Sculpture Center; Shaker Heights Interest Group; Shaker Historical Society; Solon Community Band; Spaces; Talespinner Childrens Theatre; The Brecksville Theatre; The Children's Museum Of Cleveland; The City Club of Cleveland; The Cleveland Orchestra; The Cleveland Winds (The Cleveland Wind Symphony); The Contemporary Youth Orchestra; The Italian American Museum of Cleveland; The Music Settlement; The Musical Theater Project; Ukrainian Museum-Archives; United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland (Arts Programming); University Circle (UCI) Arts & Culture Program

V-Z

Valley Art Center; Verb Ballets; Wagner Museum of Art; Wake Up and Lives Actors Studio; Waterloo Arts; Western Reserve Chorale; Western Reserve Historical Society; Westlake Historical Society; Zygote Press

The full report, a map of the 373 study regions, and a two-page economic impact summary for each, can be found at AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org. Cuyahoga County’s report can be downloaded at assemblycle.org/aep6.

For more information,  follow @Americans4Arts

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Assembly for the Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a focus on advocacy, cultural policy, racial equity initiatives, research, marketing that elevates the region, and services for nonprofits, artists, and creative businesses. It is governed by a volunteer board with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Assembly by design operates in close partnership with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, a government agency, and Assembly for Action, a 501(c)4 political action nonprofit to serve the entire creative sector. Assembly is supported through major funding from: The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Arts Council, Huntington, KeyBank, The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation, and Fred & Laura Beth Bidwell. www.assemblycle.org

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. It was supported by The Ruth Lilly Endowment Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts' 297 study partners contributed both time and financial support to the study. For a full list of the communities who participated in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, visit AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Malissa Bodmann
malissa@compellingcommunicationsllc.com
216-536-7517


Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Report

Cuyahoga County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $533,156,171 in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. That economic activity — $389.8 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and an additional $143.3 million in event-related spending by their audiences supported 8,637 jobs and generated $104.2 million in local, state, and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.

Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. The study demonstrates locally as well as nationally, arts and culture are a critical economic driver of vibrant communities. In Cuyahoga County, more than 1,100 audience members participated in the survey and 172 nonprofit organizations supplied financial and audience information – about 38% of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the county. The study also surveyed audiences of color for the first time ever.