Cincy Magazine named ArtWorks as the Best Non-Profit in the areas of Education and the Best Art Center for 2022. This is the second year the non-profit has achieved such an honor. Last year, ArtWorks placed top honors in the Arts and Crafts Instruction category.
“This is a tremendous honor for ArtWorks in recognition of the work we do in the community,” said Colleen Houston, CEO and Artistic Director for ArtWorks. “We’re so proud of the creative collaboration that takes place across all of our Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods that bring our mission to life.”
The non-profit attributes its winning success in the Best Art Center category to the opening of ArtWorks V2 Gallery which is unlike any other gallery in Cincinnati. Inspired by ArtWorks’ amazing apprentice program, the young artists of this program learn the tools and techniques of lead artists and create their own individual works of art for their first gallery exhibit in an intentional group show, as well as build their confidence through writing their own artist statement, pricing, and selling their work and giving an artist talk.
For the Education category, ArtWorks is the largest employer of visual artists in the region, employing teaching artists to mentor youth apprentices to create community-based public art. Area youth learn about their community’s history, appreciation for diversity, various art techniques as well as career readiness skills: goal orientation, growth orientation, collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Youth Apprentices build tremendous confidence and civic pride by working side by side through partnerships with local business leaders and residents.
“It is a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when traveling from one neighborhood to another and to see a mural, sculpture, or colorful piece of art that so many community members helped to create. ArtWorks projects build a stronger community by bringing people, artists, and neighborhoods together for a common purpose through art and collaboration,” Houston said.
Learn more about the many projects in the area by visiting artworkscincinnati.org
Who We Are
Since 1996, ArtWorks has collaborated with community organizations and residents, businesses, governments, foundations, and nonprofits to build creative works of art that built the Greater Cincinnati region’s global reputation as an arts destination. ArtWorks has employed and trained over 3,500 professional artists and 4,000 youth, ages 14 – 24. We invest in our creative economy by creating jobs that support local talent, pairing professional artists to inspire and mentor diverse teams of youth, helping them build 21st-century career-readiness skills. Over the past 26 years, this collaborative approach has created a citywide gallery with more than 14,000 public and private art projects, including more than 250 permanent outdoor murals.
