I love art. There, I said it. I am NOT an artist in the sculpting, painting, drawing way at all..it’s just not in me to be able to do it, no matter how I try. The hubby and boys are all avid artists and draw, paint, sculpt (in the case of my youngest) all of the time. And they are SO good at it! My hubby has a ton of amazing pictures he’s drawn through the years and even uses one of those new-fangled bamboo tablet-y things to create serious works of art. The boys are both amazing and use all sorts of pens, markers, and pencils to create really beautiful pictures (yes, Star Wars characters and Pokemon are beautiful) all of the time. I can draw stick figures. Badly. That doesn’t keep me from appreciating and attempting to create art, or finding different ways to create it. I can sew (when I find time) and I scrapbook (that’s art, yes?)
Hubby and I take the boys to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Museum Center, COSI and other outlets to find art and creativity and there are so many places we have yet to visit: Kennedy Heights Art Center, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Pendleton Arts Center, Taft Museum of Art, Contemporary Arts Center, and the list goes on. Many of these places I have visited as an adult, but not with my kids who would really appreciate the art and take away from the experience in so many different ways.
While I may not be able to create amazing works of art on my own, I do try to support local arts and artists in any way I can. Now I’ve found a way to support the programs that are closest to our hearts with the click of a mouse: ArtWorks and power2give. I was invited to be a part of the power2give launch party at the Contemporary Arts Center last week and cannot wait to be more involved in this amazing project. It was a fantastic night of community support and lots of great information on both ArtWorks and power2give. Read on for the scoop!
ArtWorks was founded in 1996 and is an award-winning non-profit organization that empowers and inspires the creative community in an effort to create innovative works that enrich the Greater Cincinnati area while providing job opportunities to youth and professional artists. ArtWorks has provided job opportunities for more than 2,500 youth artists and 500 professional artists and is very generously funded by many community sponsors such as the City of Cincinnati, ArtsWave, National Endowment for the Arts, and Ohio Arts Council just to name a few. All of these organizations and individuals realize how important the arts are to our community and especially our youth.
power2give was created by the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an online cultural marketplace designed to connect donors with projects they are passionate about. power2give is a crowdfunding website wherein you can contribute to the projects that speak most to you and your family and as a result make a difference in your community. Here’s a little about power2give from their press release:
The site allows cultural organizations to post and promote projects in need of funding and invites donors to contribute directly to the projects that are most intriguing to them. Launched in August 2011, power2give.org is operational in 15 communities around the U.S. with further nationwide expansion on the way. In aggregate, these communities have raised over $3,100,000 for arts and culture, funding more than 1,400 local projects.
ArtsWorks is the local host partner for power2give in Cincinnati. Recently The Johnson Foundation provided a 
challenge grant to ArtWorks in the amount of $50,000! In addition to the Johnson Foundation grant they also received a $50,000 anonymous donation to cover fees associated with launching and supporting the power2give.org platform in Cincinnati and surrounding areas. Together this will provide a fantastic opportunity for ArtWorks to continue to make a greater impact on our community!
According to recent research, you are more likely to donate your money to activities and projects that speak to you and when you know exactly how and where your dollars will be used. power2give was designed to provide greater transparency on how donations are leveraged to create impact and value in the local community, making it easier for you to make a difference where it matters most to you. power2give also makes it possible to reach more people through the use of social media and their growing partner list.
Essentially, all of this comes together to create a really amazing opportunity for Cincinnati and the surrounding communities to have a hand in building arts into our every day life and supporting programs and activities that matter to you and your family. The power2give site is easy to navigate and chances are you’ll find a program or activity that is close to your heart. Whether it’s beautifying Over the Rhine, enabling children to attend a LolliPops Orchestra performance given by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra or ‘Helping the Sun Come Out tomorrow’ by sponsoring a child to attend a performance of Annie given by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati you will definitely find a way to make a difference with power2give and ArtWorks. There’s a project to speak to each and every heart, simply go to power2give.org, choose Cincinnati as your market, and find a way to support your passion and the arts!
For more information on how you can make a difference in your community by sponsoring the arts please visit www.power2give.org. Special thanks to ArtWorks Cincinnati and the Contemporary Arts Center for hosting a fantastic launch to an amazing program for Cincinnati’s arts!
