PIQUA—Having recently approved over $14.7 million in grants to Ohio artists and organizations statewide, Piqua Arts Council will be benefitting from the Ohio Arts Council’s grant programs having received two grants for programming. With many programs to choose from, Piqua Arts Council will be a recipient of an ArtStart and ArtsNext grant.
Ohio Arts Council’s ArtStart program provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, including first-time OAC applicants, as well as new or established organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
The ArtsNext program provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. Awards support big ideas that push boundaries, engage participants in unexpected ways, pilot new solutions to challenging problems, improve program design with calculated risk-taking, or result in the creation of new work. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
Piqua Arts Council will use the money from the Ohio Arts Council for its Sept. 21, Piqua Arts and Ale Festival and their Professional Workshops for Artists. The Arts and Ale Festival is a celebration of the arts with Arts and Craft vendors, a plein air painting competition, live music, activities for kids, food trucks bringing a culinary flare and of course Ohio craft breweries.
“I really view this event as a celebration of the arts,” said Jordan Knepper, executive director of the Piqua Arts Council. “With the way the committee has combined so many different art forms into one really nice event is great to see. The culinary arts through the food trucks, craft beer breweries, kids arts and craft activities, along with performers, it’s just all so great to see.”
Knepper says that they are partnering with the Ohio Plein Air Society to put on a painting competition as part of the Arts and Ale Festival as well. They’ll have painters from all over Ohio and even some from Indiana participating in the competition. Artists arrive early in the day and check in and then they paint all day around the county and come back to the Arts and Ale Festival for judging around 4p.m.
In addition to the Arts and Ale Festival, Piqua Arts Council is receiving a grant to continue their Professional Workshops for Artist program. The program brings internationally celebrated artists to Piqua to teach four day workshops. The Arts Council offers two workshops a year, Oil painting in the fall and watercolor in the Spring. These workshops have been very popular with artists and have attracted new people to Piqua.
“Our fall workshop this year will feature award winning artist, Steven Walker from Georgia. Steven has taught for us before and he’s simply amazing. I know that anyone that took his workshop years ago will want to take this one as well. You simply can’t learn everything he has to teach in one four day workshop,” said Knepper.
Details are still be worked out for the workshop, artists will be mailed postcards when details are set. Artists wishing to be placed on the mailing list should contact Piqua Arts Council.
The Piqua Arts and Ale Festival is also sponsored by the Miami County Visitor and Convention Bureau and Premier Health – Upper Valley Medical Center with assistance from the city of Piqua.
