We know from our research that people love the arts. All kinds of people. Pretty much everyone—provided we talk about it in a way they recognize.I was reminded of this over the weekend when the news came of Simon Leis passing. There are a lot of creative touchpoints to his story.If you aren’t from my hometown of Cincinnati, or a student of the arts wars in the 1990s, you may … [Read more...] about Sheriff Simon Leis Liked Art
In the midst of a lot of other news in his first 8 days in office….funding for child care for all, reactions to tragedy, responding to threats from the federal government, and more, new New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made ‘arts for all’ a priority. On Friday, he joined with the producers of the Under the Radar theater festival to announce a free ticket giveaway of … [Read more...] about
https://www.artsjournal.com/brightride/2026/01/10/not-an-arts-impact-statement-but-really-great/
Dear Mayor Mamdani
Dear Mayor Mamdani, We love your love of arts for all, and we swooned when we read that your favorite museum is the art we all see and share together in the NYC subway: the “...beautiful murals and pieces of art across our subway system. And the fulfillment of art as being something for the public to engage with, no matter how much money is in their pocket.” As Mayor, you … [Read more...] about Dear Mayor Mamdani
How to Talk About a Terminated NEA Grant
After the first notifications from the National Endowment of the Arts to organizations, Topos Partnership created this communications tool for your public communication about a recently rescinded or terminated NEA grant. You can use this guide to create a statement about the intended community impact of a lost grant. Of course, you can and should mention this loss in the … [Read more...] about How to Talk About a Terminated NEA Grant
The Power of Strangers at Art
On a Sunday in May, a friend and I planned to try for rush tickets to see Hugh Jackman at the Minetta Lane Theater in New York City. She woke up with bad sciatica and cancelled on me. But I went ahead to get in the rush line. I arrived at 11:15 for the noon box office opening and the line was already long. The man in front of me told us he’d come the day before (for the … [Read more...] about The Power of Strangers at Art
Now What? Celebrate Relevance.
Is local non-profit theater over? In crisis? In decline? About to pivot? On the verge of a massive shift? Funding is down down down. Ticket sales too. Was the pandemic the cause? Or did it hasten changes already in the works pre-pandemic? What are the remedies? My feed is full of dire threats and serious recommendations. I’ve been collecting these and am sharing some … [Read more...] about Now What? Celebrate Relevance.
Artists Leading
George Floyd ArtBlack Lives MatterGathered May 31—June 11 in Over-the-Rhine and DT Cincinnati Named all the artists I know -- if you know any, put it in the comments so I can add them! … [Read more...] about Artists Leading
Audience and Actors Sharing The Thin Place
Emily Cass McDonnell knows The Thin Place works because of magic. She stars as Hilda in the Playwrights Horizons debut of Lucas Hnath’s play which opens this week, but she’s been with the production since the first readings. Last spring, The Thin Place had its premiere at the 43rd Humana Festival of New Plays at Actors Theater in Louisville. That’s when McDonnell … [Read more...] about Audience and Actors Sharing The Thin Place
How Do We Know It’s Creative Placemaking?
Creating a strong, resilient, and sustainable field of practice requires broad agreement and a common understanding of the reasons for doing the work. After a year of testing and gathering input from people new to creative placemaking and others with deep experience in the field, we are releasing a discussion guide designed for creative placemaking initiative partners to … [Read more...] about How Do We Know It’s Creative Placemaking?
Violin vs. Phone
Anne-Sophie Mutter was playing the gorgeous slow movement of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra when she.... suddenly lowered her instrument and stopped playing. The conductor turned and stopped—and then the orchestra stopped. And ASM started speaking to a woman who was sitting in the front row: "Either you put your phone away or I … [Read more...] about Violin vs. Phone