OAC Listening Tour

The Ohio Arts Council hit the road in the fall of 2008 and 2009, and again in early winter 2010, to find out what Ohioans value about the arts, creativity and their communities. The goal of the tour was to discover what the arts, creativity and imagination mean to elected officials, arts professionals and citizens in large and small communities across the state.

“The Ohio Arts Council wants to hear from Ohio’s citizens in order to improve the way we serve Ohio,” said OAC Executive Director Julie Henahan. “The Listening Tour provides an outlet for Ohioans to tell us how they think the arts and creativity can be a bigger part of their community.”

The Statewide Findings from the first half of the Listening Tour last fall helped illuminate the impressive accomplishments, driving aspirations and daily struggles of communities around the state.  The meetings also provided an opportunity for Ohioans to share the vital role they believe the arts, creativity and imagination play in their community as they pursue a wide range of economic development strategies to retain and attract existing and new business, especially knowledge-based industries.

To view breakdowns of findings by city, please visit the Listening Tour City Pages.

A small group of staff from the OAC conducted three meetings in each town to discuss the arts, creativity and aspirations for the residents’ communities. During the morning meeting, OAC staff members met with elected officials and business and community leaders; the afternoon meeting was held with members artists, arts administrators, other members of the arts community and educators; and the evening town hall brought people from all backgrounds together to discuss the arts and creativity and the role they play in community.

Information gathered from this tour has provided the agency with a better understanding of a broad range of Ohioans’ needs, including communities that have traditionally been underserved by OAC’s public funding, and has assisted the agency in developing the 2011-2013 Strategic Plan.

For a list of questions for the morning meeting click here.
For a list of questions for the afternoon meeting click here.
For a list of questions for the evening meeting click here.

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