Ohio Arts Council

06/05/2026

What happens when a group of business owners band together to invest in and inspire their community? In Lima, Ohio, the answer is Legacy Arts, a nonprofit organization created to support art and entrepreneurship across the community of about 36,000 residents.

For this week's , we're shining our spotlight on the organization's Street Party. Last year marked the sixth edition of the free event, supported by an OAC ArtSTART grant.

Traditionally, Street Party was held on Main Street, but unanticipated construction in 2025 lead the organizers to move the event to Pangle Pavilion at the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater. This allowed Legacy Arts to reimagine the event and provide a new experience for visitors.

Every year, the event primarily centers dozens of local artists, makers, vendors, and musicians, and is supported by a team of dedicated volunteers. The 2025 Street Party was no different. An afternoon of music performances featured local bands alongside a guest duo from Chicago. There were also family-focused artmaking activities hosted by Legacy Arts and ArtSpace Lima.

Enjoy a selection of photos, courtesy of Legacy Arts

06/04/2026

Two Ohio nonprofit theatres have received Shakespeare in American Communities grants, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Combined, they will receive $52,500 of more than $1 million in funding across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each will use the funding to support paid apprenticeships for early career administrators and technicians.

Read the full announcement at artsmidwest.org/about/updates/announcing-the-2026-shakespeare-in-american-communities-grantees/.

05/30/2026

As work continues in the foundry, the figures of the Ohio Women’s Monument move closer to completion. Each bronze section is individually cast, refined, and assembled before becoming part of the final installation at the Ohio Statehouse. Even the smallest details, from facial expressions to hand placement, are carefully preserved through every stage of the process.

The monument represents generations of Ohio women whose impact helped shape communities, rights, education, and opportunities across the state. With each piece brought together, that history becomes more permanent and more visible for future generations.

05/29/2026

Soon, students at Kalida High School (Putnam County) will be able to explore the world of rock & roll through a new class. The change in the school's curriculum has its roots in a recent TeachArtsOhio-supported residency, the focus of this week's .

The residency started with the idea of expanding student access to music education beyond the traditional experiences found in concert and marching bands. It also continued to build on the previous year's residency focused on establishing stronger foundations in percussion and rhythm studies across various grade levels through private and group lessons, focused time in K-6 music classrooms, expansion of the elementary percussion ensemble, and the integration of percussion in choral ensembles.

Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, students worked with Shane Roney—a percussionist, educator, and sought-after performer—to learn about the foundations of making music as a rock band. This included performance techniques like rhythms, improv, and how to work together as an ensemble. Students also had opportunities to perform in the community, including an end of the year concert which featured the three rock bands that formed during the residency.

Find out more about the final concert and hear about the impact of the residency at https://www.hometownstations.com/news/kalida-high-school-students-rock-the-stage-at-unique-end-of-year-concert/article_bb8c9581-e2b7-4da1-a409-05d14ef63319.html

Images courtesy of Kalida Local Schools and WLIO-Lima/Your News Now

05/27/2026

Music Matters Ohio is a statewide initiative dedicated to expanding access to music education in our schools. Ohioans are invited to help make a difference in the lives of children across the Buckeye State by donating their gently used and new instruments on Saturday, May 30, 2026.

For a list of donation sites and to learn about other ways to support this initiative, please visit https://musicmattersohio.omea-ohio.org/.

Music Maters Ohio is a partnership between the Ohio Arts Council, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, Ohio Foundation for Music Education, and Ohio Music Education Association.

05/26/2026

For this month’s , we are highlighting A World A’Fair, a long-standing international festival that now takes place every spring in Xenia (Greene County). The festival began as the Dayton International Festival, and in 2026 the organizers celebrated their 50th event.

International groups participate as members of DIFI (Dayton International Festival, Inc.), and have booths throughout the festival grounds to share food and other cultural traditions. Two stages also run all weekend long with performances from dance and musical groups. This year’s festival featured participants representing Mexico, France, Korea, The Philippines, Ireland, China, Germany, India, Japan, Hungary, Lebanon, and many other cultures/nations. Samoa was represented as a member group for the first time in 2026. Groups typically hail from the Dayton and Xenia areas, but come from as far away as Cincinnati and Lima.

Festival organizer Wendy Middleton said that one of her favorite pieces of feedback about the festival is how A World A’Fair has become a tradition in its own right among families. People who were brought to the festival as children are now bringing their own kids to experience this educational, fun, and unique community event. A World A’Fair allows community members to celebrate with their neighbors with roots from around the world, without leaving their corner of Ohio.

05/22/2026

: From lively peer sessions and outstanding performances, to engaging presenters and insightful workshop sessions, Arts Impact Ohio 2026 was one for the books! Relive some of your favorite moments.

05/19/2026

One week ago today, we kicked off Arts Impact Ohio 2026! Enjoy a selection of the many highlights from the three-day conference. Make sure to tag or share photos with your friends and colleagues.

Photos by Phil Armstrong and Andrew Paa

05/19/2026

05/15/2026

Arts Impact Ohio 2026 has officially come to a close, but the memories, connections, and insights will stay with us long into the future! A big thank you to all the attendees, presenters, event partners, and the City of Cincinnati for an outstanding conference. Stay tuned for more images next week!

📸 credits: Phil Armstrong and Andrew Paa