Allied Organizations

Ohio Arts Council Update

Donna Collins, OAC Director

At the Ohio Arts Council, our commitment is simple: to uplift Ohio’s students, educators, artists, and communities through meaningful, high-quality arts and education opportunities. We are here to serve, support, and partner with you every step of the way. Take a moment to read this article and learn about resources available to you and your school.

The Ohio Arts Council Welcomes New Staff Member to the Arts Learning Team

Lashonda Love recently joined the Ohio Arts Council team as the arts learning grants coordinator, specifically in support of the agency’s TeachArtsOhio program. In addition to an extensive background in the arts as a musician and interdisciplinary artist, Love brings experience as an educator, curriculum reviewer, and arts administrator to the role. Get to know Lashonda by reading their recent interview!

Grant Opportunities for the 2026-2027 School Year

Applications for many of the Ohio Arts Council’s grants programs for organizations, educators, and individual artists are now open! It’s time to plan for the next school year!

Don't miss out on these OAC programs and external opportunities from our friends and partners! Our Guidelines are unchanged from last year and online, and our grants management system, ARTIE, is open for applications.

TeachArtsOhio:

The TeachArtsOhio (TAO) program brings schools together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences. Residencies can vary from short introductory exposures lasting as few as 10 days to in-depth immersive experiences spanning a full school year. Creative and experienced teaching artists, through TAO grant awards, offer learners the opportunity to participate in a unique creative process, bridge cultural differences, develop fresh ways of learning through the arts, and realize lasting benefits from collaboration with professional artists who are experienced in working with school-age children and youth.

Contact: Lashonda Love, Arts Learning Grants Coordinator lashonda.love@oac.ohio.gov Application Deadline: March 1, 2026

Big Yellow School Bus:

School field trips play an important role in arts education efforts, providing access to arts events otherwise inaccessible to many students. The Big Yellow School Bus program helps schools and other educational groups defray student transportation costs to professional arts and culturally diverse activities. These early arts experiences create new relationships between Ohio’s youth and the state’s creative sector, and support in-school arts learning activities that are critical to overall academic development. Funds for this program are still available for the 2025-2026 school year!

Contact: Chiquita Mullins Lee, Arts Learning Coordinator chiquita.mullinslee@oac.ohio.gov Application Deadline: Applications accepted year-round, at least eight weeks prior to the planned event.

The Ohio Teaching Artist Roster

As schools and education organizations consider applications for TeachArtsOhio grants or other arts learning-based projects, the Ohio Arts Council partners with OhioDance, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, and Art Possible Ohio to maintain the Ohio Teaching Artist Roster as a valuable resource.

This roster highlights artists who demonstrate artistic excellence; the ability to integrate academic content; effective classroom management and student engagement; and strong communication with education, arts, and cultural partners. Teaching artists on this roster are vetted by an application process and are required to participate in on-going professional development to grow their teaching artist knowledge and skills, enabling them to provide high quality arts education experiences to Ohioans of all ages and abilities.

For more information, contact Chiquita Mullins Lee, Arts Learning Coordinator at the Ohio Arts Council, at chiquita.mullinslee@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-4455.

We hope to hear from you! The OAC’s work is rooted in service. We are here to listen, guide, and connect you with the tools and programs that strengthen arts learning across all of Ohio’s communities. Please reach out—we’re honored to support your work.

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