The Franklin County Commissioners last week voted to approved $4.25 million in funding for the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), including $250,000 to support the Public Art Master Plan project which will produce a public art plan for Central Ohio in order to ensure that there is more art on display for all of our residents.
“Public art is an important part of any community’s identity,” said Board of Commissioners President John O’Grady. “It beautifies public spaces and tells visitors a little bit about what your city is all about, and it also brings the arts to people who might not otherwise have much beauty in their lives.”
The rest of this year’s funding will be used to provide grant funding to non-profit arts organizations and individual artists, and to advance the culture of our region through collaboration with artists and arts organizations that educate and engage all audiences in our community.
“Franklin County supports the arts in a number of ways, including by celebrating up-and-coming artists in Central Ohio high schools, and I think that this significant level of funding shows how seriously we take that commitment,” said Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce. “So much of our funding and focus is development and services, but we also know that art and culture are necessary for a successful community and for successful families.”
Franklin County and the commissioners have supported GCAC for many years, including to provide access to the arts for people of all cultural backgrounds, economic status, sexual orientation, age, and physical ability, and to support Franklin County artists as well as arts and culture organizations.
“The Columbus Arts Festival has always been one of my favorite summer events,” said Commissioner Erica C. Crawley. “In order to support the creative economy, we have to lift up our local artists and arts organizations by investing in them and I am pleased to do so again this year. We congratulate the team at the Greater Columbus Arts Council on all that they have accomplished and look forward to partnering with them for many years to come.”
This year is the 50
th anniversary of the founding of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, which produces the free Columbus Arts Festival each summer and provides grants, residencies, fellowships, workshops, and a host of other resources for organizations and artists in Central Ohio.
“We are grateful to the county and commissioners for their continued investment in our cultural infrastructure,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, President and CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “The organizations and artists who benefit from these dollars are making Central Ohio the vibrant and diverse community it has become—a place where creatives want to live, businesses want to invest, and tourists want to visit.”
To learn more about public art in Central Ohio, the Columbus Arts Festival, or about artist grants, visit
GCAC.org.