The big story in last year's State of the Arts issue was the demise of the Regional Cultural Alliance, the five-year effort to establish an organized arts and cultural plan for Cincinnati (see RCA R.I.P. issue of Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2001). Fortunately, the RCA has lived on in the form of a fund available to anyone willing to carry on its mission of local arts advocacy.
The Regional Cultural Alliance Fund was started in June 2001 with approximately $34,000 left over from money raised to support the RCA. Grants have been available to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations for the express purposes of arts advocacy and marketing; determination of grants is made by arts philathropists David Herriman and Otto Budig Jr., who served in leadership positions throughout the RCA process.
The fund is managed by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which reported that the fund balance was $44,876 on Dec. 31, 2001. Since then, two significant grants have been awarded.
The first was to help produce and publicize Enjoy the Arts' promotional Web site, www.cincinnatiarts.com, which features calendars of arts events and news from local arts organizations.
The second grant, awarded several weeks ago, was to this fall's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo retrospective, a joint project of Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Herriman says the grant will help fund the hiring of a publicist to promote the unique arts project to the national and international press.
Founded by Cincinnatian Julius Fleischmann and others, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo toured the United States from 1938 to 1962, introducing the hinterlands to ballet for the first time. The troupe performed to enthusiastic crowds in Cincinnati, where support for the art form led to Cincinnati Ballet's founding in the late 1950s.
In October, the Cincinnati Art Museum will present original design drawings for 19 historic productions in The Golden Age of Costume and Set Design for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, 1938-1944. Cincinnati Ballet will present A Tribute to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, excerpts from three historic ballets, Oct. 18-19 at the Aronoff Center. (See Fall Arts Preview for more information.)
Also, from September through November, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's main downtown branch will display programs and other archival material from Ballet Russe performances here.
Herriman says the joint project will offer "a very big opportunity" to showcase Cincinnati as the arts capital of the Midwest.
"The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was a significant step in the development of the arts in the United States," he says, "and we hope to remind people of Cincinnati's role in it. This story will focus national and international attention on Cincinnati."
That attention, he hopes, can be parlayed into additional appreciation of local arts and culture when the Cincinnati Art Museum's new galleries, the new Contemporary Arts Center and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center open over the next two years.
According to Herriman, "some money" remains in the Regional Cultural Alliance Fund; because of recent stock market woes, he says he's not sure of the exact balance.
If you're interested in applying for a grant -- or want to make a donation to the fund -- contact the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, 200 W. Fourth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 or call 513-241-2880.
Printer-friendly version
