My.Arts.Blog
Making Waves: Madcap Puppet Theatre Inspires Westside Pride
Located in the heart of Westwood for 30 years, Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre creates original live puppet theatre entertainment and education for young audiences and families. Using stories and puppetry techniques drawn from cultures all over the world, Madcap Puppets aspires to positively impact young audiences during their formative years when creative and magical imaginations are developing. The nationally-acclaimed organization reaches into communities around the region and across the country with almost 700 performances each year in schools and community centers, sometimes performing with local orchestras.
Since becoming Artistic Director of Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre in 2006, John Lewandowski has made it his mission to expand the local audience for puppetry by collaborating with other arts organizations, bringing fans of classical music, theatre and puppetry all into the same space. Local examples include last season’s “pocket opera” with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the production of “The Dragon”, a play for adult audiences, with Know Theatre Tribe. These multi-organziational experiences connect artists and audiences across disciplines and neighborhoods, encouraging Westside fans of Madcap to visit venues in Downtown Cincinnati.
Throughout the year, Madcap Puppet Theatre opens its puppet studio to a variety of groups, including local Girl Scout, Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops for workshops and badge-earning activities in puppet-making and puppeteering. Yet, as the organization continued to expand and the small studio, office, and rehearsal space began to fill with puppets, Lewandowski had to consider whether Madcap would have to move from its long-time home.
That’s when a board member of the Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation said, “Oh, do I have a place for you!”
“We had been trying to purchase the old Cincinnati Bell Building on Harrison Avenue,” explains Sister Ann Rene McConn of WestCURC. “It was built in 1924 as a switching station, but the architect clearly had an artistic eye and made something beautiful as well as practical. The three story building is over 20,000 square feet, and each floor has expansive open space, perfect for multiple uses. There are unique artistic touches, like Rookwood tile, adorning the building interior.
After being used for some time as an annex to the local library branch, the building sat shuttered for a few years and was starting to fall into disrepair. WestCURC believed they could raise support to purchase the property, if they had an end user in mind that could spark more development in the neighborhood. “When we heard that they needed a new space, we started a campaign to encourage them to stay here,” says Sister Ann Rene. “Madcap is treasured by the neighborhood.”
Madcap Puppets with a local Girl Scout troop
Sister Ann says that when John Lewandowski saw the Bell Building, he fell in love with the gorgeous structure. “We are imagining a place that can provide performance and studio space for Madcap and include the only regional/mid west permanent exhibit of over 500 puppets, as well as a national center of Puppetry Arts” says John. “The local civic leadership understands that the arts bring people into the community who are invested in making neighborhoods great. That’s why we feel it is so important as an arts organization to develop strong ties with local community leaders.”
WestCURC has submitted an application to the City of Cincinnati’s highly-competitive Neighborhood Business District Improvement Fund for a grant to purchase the Bell Building. They hope to hear news in December. “It’s a different type of proposal, one that could immediately have an impact on the community. We believe that Madcap will be an important vehicle for redeveloping that particular corner of the neighborhood," said Sister Ann Rene.
"There’s no incentive to shop a new business district if you don’t have something worth coming to see.” Sister Ann Rene and the other members of WestCURC believe that Madcap’s new theatre would draw families and neighbors together to share in the home-grown success of this unique arts organization.
Making Waves: Community Combines, Creates Center!
In 2003, hundreds of people rallied together to create the Kennedy Heights Arts Center. Serving the Pleasant Ridge, Kennedy Heights, and Silverton neighborhoods, the center was established by the community to provide a public resource for the creation of art. It has since had a transformative effect on the entire neighborhood.
The Center is located in a Victorian wood-frame house, originally built in 1875 as a private residence for Lewis Kennedy, then the mayor of Kennedy Heights. It served as a funeral home for several decades, but by 2003, it had been vacant for almost 10 years and was seriously dilapidated.
When community members learned it was in danger of being razed to make way for a storage facility, they organized to save the building, going door-to-door to gather donations and volunteers. Early in the process, the idea emerged of turning the house into a community arts center—a place with gallery space, room for arts classes and performances, and gathering space for neighbors and friends.
The idea caught fire as more and more people joined the cause. The City of Cincinnati offered a $50,000 grant to acquisition the property, provided that supporters could match the amount. In the end, more than 40 families pooled their resources to put up the $50,000 collateral on a loan—an incredible personal investment that was repaid to them in full.
For the first four years of the Arts Center's existence, volunteers did everything. Hundreds of people put their own sweat equity into the renovations. Volunteers painted inside and out, sanded floors, fixed doors and windows, and more.
Until 2008, the center was run entirely by volunteers, including many local artists who developed gallery shows and classes for neighborhood children and adults. As these programs grew in popularity, the Center hired its first full-time Executive Director.
Community members continue to assist with a variety of functions; from bookkeeping to catering to staffing the Center on Saturdays. When an energy audit revealed how much the center was spending on water, a local engineer designed and built a rain water collection system using donated supplies. Now, rain water from the center’s sizable roof is collected in giant storage tubs donated from the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and used to water the gardens and grounds throughout the summer.
Lee DeRhodes, the Center’s volunteer gardener, lives in the neighborhood just a few blocks away. “He is here every day tending the garden,” says Ellen Muse-Lindeman, the center's Executive Director. “It’s truly a labor of love for him, but the whole
neighborhood shares in the beauty of it.” The garden has won awards and recognition from the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, Kennedy Heights Community Council, and Home Trends magazine.
Ellen says the extraordinary turnaround of this one facility and its success as a place for art shows, classes, and performances, has had a “catalytic effect” on the surrounding neighborhood. Richard Cooke, a founding board member of Kennedy Height Arts Center, purchased an old gas station near the center that had become run-down and frequented by criminals. Now in the rehabilitated space, Green Corner Studios and Marketplace combines artist gallery and studio space with community gardens and a weekly local farmers’ market. Last spring, the center announced a new partnership with the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Kennedy Heights Montessori School to renovate a 32,000 sq.-ft. Kroger building into a cultural center. The new space will house part of the museum’s collection, artist studios, classrooms, and an event center.
“I think the Kennedy Height Arts Center has played a vital role in this ongoing neighborhood development,” muses Ellen. “We proved that this is a viable area for arts and business, with lots of grassroots support for projects that improve the neighborhood and the lives of everyone here.”
iSpyArt 2.0: ArtsWave’s Popular App updates with More Sharing Features
CINCINNATI (September 30, 2011) – ArtsWave announced the release of an updated version of its innovative iSpyArt App, with new features for viewing the virtual gallery and sharing with Facebook and Twitter. iSpyArt gives people all over the world the chance to share the art they find in unusual and surprising places—as well as the more likely venues.
Alan Brown, one of the nation’s foremost experts on arts engagement, cited iSpyArt as a cutting-edge response to the growing public desire for personal art-making and rapidly increasing use of digital platforms for arts engagement. “iSpyArt is an incredibly creative way to reach active cultural participants. These community residents place tremendous importance on the value of the arts, and they are are very involved in civic activities,” said Brown.
iSpyArt is already a hit with smart phone users. Appolicious - a national site featuring new and creative apps - highlighted the initial streamlined release, as did numerous other online app reviewers. CityBeat named iSpyArt Best Arts App, saying that it’s a “fun way... to engage the public in the arts” and the app is one of 10 featured case studies in a forthcoming paper on active arts participation commissioned by The James Irvine Foundation.
Every month, ArtsWave commissions a new show with a theme for sharing the art all around us - art that connects our community and makes neighborhoods exciting. To celebrate the launch, ArtsWave has announced a new virtual installation and is calling for submissions that represent pARTy Art!
All photos are placed in the ArtsWave virtual gallery, which can be viewed from the app or on the ArtsWave website - www.theartswave.org/ispyart. Hundreds of photos from all over the world are already “hanging” in the online showcase.
To celebrate the new features, beginning October 4, Tuesdays at noon on the city’s downtown public square will now be the iSpyArt Lunch Break when the giant Video Board will show selected photos from the iSpyArt galleries.
The new version of iSpyArt offers more sharing opportunities too. Visitors can now use Facebook and Twitter directly from the app gallery, as well as online via the ArtsWave website.
iSpyArt’s easy and intuitive interface makes uploading photos simple. Once a citizen artist submits a masterpiece via the ArtsWave App or the web-based uploader, it will be available in the gallery for viewing online within a short time at: http://www.TheArtsWave.org/ispyart.
iSpyArt is in the App Store today. Find it here or by searching for ArtsWave. Everyone can also upload photos directly via the internet: http://www.TheArtsWave.org/ispyart/web. An Android app will follow shortly.
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About ArtsWave:
ArtsWave helps create the kind of thriving arts environment that makes the Cincinnati region a better place to live, work, play, and stay. We support and collaborate with arts organizations large and small throughout the area. Music, dance, theatre, galleries, museums, art centers, festivals, and more create communitywide benefits for everyone here. The arts create benefits like attractive, lively neighborhoods and a population that comes together to share ideas and experiences.
iSpyArt’s easy and intuitive interface makes uploading photos simple. Once a citizen artist submits a masterpiece via the ArtsWave App or the web-based uploader, it will be available in the gallery for viewing online within a short time at: http://www.TheArtsWave.org/ispyart.
iSpyArt is in the App Store today. Find it here or by searching for ArtsWave. Everyone can also upload photos directly via the internet: http://www.TheArtsWave.org/ispyart/web. An Android app will follow shortly.
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About ArtsWave:
ArtsWave helps create the kind of thriving arts environment that makes the Cincinnati region a better place to live, work, play, and stay. We support and collaborate with arts organizations large and small throughout the area. Music, dance, theatre, galleries, museums, art centers, festivals, and more create communitywide benefits for everyone here. The arts create benefits like attractive, lively neighborhoods and a population that comes together to share ideas and experiences.
Making Waves: Playhouse and Arts Centers Bring Neighbors Out to Play
Mark Lutwak, Director of Education at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, recently sat down with ArtsWave staff to talk about the Playhouse’s “Off the Hill” program.
Conceived in 2009, Off the Hill brings Playhouse productions to local community arts centers for public performances, bringing neighbors together to enjoy a show for the whole family. Piggybacking on the Playhouse’s school touring program, the education department tours three plays each year: one for younger children (ages 5-8) and their families, such as this year’s original River Rat and Cat or adaptations of children’s classics such as Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse ; one for older children (ages 8-12), such as this year’s What’s Buggin’ Greg, a transformational comedy loosely inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis; and one for teenagers, including radical adaptations of classics such as Cyrano, and original plays dealing with provocative themes, such as this year’s WAR. Shows are cast primarily from the Playhouse’s acting intern company of young professional artists.
In the 2010-2011 season, Off the Hill partnered with 18 community arts centers to bring three professional plays into 19 neighborhoods, including Anderson, Oxford, Clifton, Mariemont, Sharonville, West Chester, Kennedy Heights, Covington, and more. Over 4,500 adults and children enjoyed the performances and activities at the arts centers—many of whom do not regularly attend Playhouse. “Off the Hill” is supported in part by ArtsWave Presents, a program that connects arts organizations and regional audiences.
“What we’ve discovered is that there’s no one way to do this,” says Mark. “Each arts center is different. They have different resources, histories, and different relationships to their communities.” As a result, each performance becomes a unique community engagement event.
Playhouse has discovered that one of the keys to success is expanding the event beyond just a performance of a play. Mark works with each arts center’s staff and volunteers to find ways to involve other groups directly in the event—“cross-pollinating” the community with people from different backgrounds and interests and giving them all a stake in the success of the event.
“We’ve had Greek dancers, fencing schools, martial arts demonstrations, you name it,” says Mark with a smile. “They bring their own audiences from the community and create a festive atmosphere.”
Food is an important component, too, and a great chance for local restaurants and bakeries to show off their skills and attract new business. For a performance of Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse at The Grove Banquet Hall in Springfield Township, a neighborhood family-owned business, Meals-To-Go, served purple iced cupcakes and offered two amazing door prizes—special cakes designed like Lily’s purple purse and her red boot—to promote their new cake line.
Kim Flamm, Springfield Township’s Projects, Events and Communications Coordinator, said audiences loved the extra treats. “This was a win-win for our local business. It added “a little extra something” to our performance, and Meals-To-Go received two birthday cake orders at the event! Especially during these tough economic times, we like to showcase our local businesses and promote shopping local whenever possible. It was wonderful to know that Playhouse in the Park supports the same mission.”
As Off the Hill begins its third season, Mark is enthusiastic about the future of the program. “Every play presents new opportunities. Each has a different inherent appeal and marketing strategy. The approach must be fresh each time. Beyond that we need patience, because we are trying to build something new.”
Making Waves: Covington Makes the Carnegie a Center for Community
In the heart of Covington, The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center is a multidisciplinary arts venue for all ages, providing theatre events, educational programs and art exhibitions to the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. Currently the largest arts venue in Northern Kentucky, this former Carnegie Library originally constructed in 1904, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside that classic facade, artists and community members come together for unique events like The Art of Food, an annual exhibition of art created from and inspired by food; or Suits That Rock, a rock concert featuring CEOs of local companies channeling their inner rock stars. The Art of Food at the Carnegie - picture by Mikki Schaffner
Outside its walls, The Carnegie’s influence radiates from its historic facility to the entire neighborhood. More than a decade ago, the City of Covington recognized that The Carnegie provided a central hub for the community that could anchor a growing arts and culture district. Since 2000, the community has invested over $9 million in the blocks surrounding The Carnegie—from the revamping of The Carnegie’s historic Otto M. Budig Theatre, to the new urban housing project being built adjacent to The Carnegie, to the new Covington Latin School across the street, and “Cathedral Square.”
Executive Director Katie Brass notes that The Carnegie’s leadership in transforming this area of Covington helped drive the community’s renovation of the Carnegie’s front plaza, creating a more open and inviting street presence. The recently renovated 465-seat Otto M. Budig Theatre, backstage and office annex, an outdoor sculpture garden, and the Eva G. Farris Education Center and the new front plaza and marquee complete the Carnegie Campus.
RJ Caldwell, General Manager of The Avenue Lounge on Madison Avenue, says “I was there when they cut the ribbon on the new front plaza, and I was surprised to see all these supporters, not just the people who had contributed to the project, but people from the community who were there to celebrate at 10 am on a Wednesday.” He notes that the improvements to the historic building have made the area safer, well-lit, and more attractive to visitors. “The Carnegie has had a very positive effect on Covington. Like many cities, Covington has struggled in this economy. To stand out, our arts help position this as a vibrant and diverse community, and the Carnegie is a vital part of that.”
Suits that Rock at the Carnegie - picture by the Carnegie
The Carnegie works with its neighbors to encourage visitors to spend the whole evening in Covington. The bank branch across the street allows Carnegie patrons to use its parking lot in the evenings. Restaurants partner by offering dining discounts before and after events. Local businesses feature posters for upcoming plays prominently in their windows.
“We started cross-promotions with the Carnegie originally because of our owner’s personal interest in the arts,” says RJ, “But we soon recognized that our organizations share an important clientele in Covington’s tight-knit professional community.” Working together at gallery openings, wine tastings, and other events, the two organizations discovered natural synergies that built both their businesses.
Exciting gallery and theatre events lead more people to discover what The Carnegie and Covington has to offer. Katie reports that just this past year The Carnegie's theatre increased attendance by 45%. Over the past 4 years, The Carnegie's education programs have doubled and they will double again next year. Overall attendance has increased from 31,460 in 08-09 to 46,386 in 10-11.
As the neighborhood continues to grow and flourish, The Carnegie looks for new ways to connect to other businesses, non-profits, and community groups, including Cincy World Cinema, and ThunderSky, an organization dedicated to giving adults and children with disabilities access to art experiences. A place for neighbors to come together and an attraction that draws visitors to discover Covington, the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center creates community through the arts.
