The Scribe - Page 9

How Ohio Got Its Arts Council In 1965, the same year President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) into existence, Ohio established its own state-level agency. State Representative Stanley Aronoff, a young Cincinnati Republican in his first term in the Ohio House, sponsored the legislation creating the Ohio Arts Council. The timing was not coincidental. Johnson’s signing of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act in September 1965 gave Aronoff political cover to push his bill through the Ohio General Assembly. He worked alongside Irma and Fred Lazarus III, whose family had built Columbus-based Federated Department Stores into the largest department store company in the United States. Irma Lazarus became a founding board member and later chairwoman of the OAC. The combination of Lazarus family connections and Aronoff’s legislative skill made the agency possible. The Percent for Art Program Twenty-five years later, Aronoff returned to arts legislation. His Percent for Art law took effect in 1990, requiring that all new and renovated public buildings costing more than $4 million dedicate one percent of spending to acquiring, commissioning, or installing works of art. The concept originated in Philadelphia in 1959, but Aronoff made sure Ohio’s version had teeth. The program has since placed public art in state university buildings, government offices, and facilities across Ohio. Grant Programs Possibly the most well-known function of the OAC is its distribution of funding through several grant categories. Operating Support provides multi-year general funding to established arts organizations, while Project Support covers specific programs or events. The agency also funds arts education initiatives in schools and community settings. Individual artists can apply for fellowships and creation grants in disciplines including visual arts, music, literature, and choreography. Local arts agencies receive pass-through funding to redistribute within their counties and regions. Leadership Over the Decades Wayne Lawson served as the fourth executive director from 1978 to 2006, nearly 30 years. Under his direction, the OAC became one of the nation’s foremost state arts agencies. He opened up the grantmaking process through public panels, moved applications online early, and built relationships with elected officials that turned arts funding into a nonpartisan issue. Chile honored him with their Medal of the Arts Award in 2009 for his work on international cultural exchanges. Lawson passed away in June 2024. Donna Collins currently serves as executive director. Sixty Years Later Today, the OAC has directly funded arts programming in all 88 Ohio counties for the past ten consecutive fiscal years. The agency operates the Riffe Gallery in downtown Columbus, named for longtime House Speaker Vern Riffe, and awards grants ranging from small project support to multi-year operating funding. In FY2026, the state appropriated a record-high $53.5 million over two years. Aronoff died in January 2024 at age 91. Two arts centers bear his name in Cincinnati. The agency he helped create entered its 60th year months later. OHIO CULTURE Above: President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the NEA into existence Below: OAC’s main office building (33rd Floor), Rhodes State Office Tower