An Artfelt Thanks
If you’ve ever strolled through Over-the-Rhine and caught a mural that stopped you in your tracks…
If your kid’s first gasp at a ballet felt like a moment that changed their world…
If you’ve danced under the light of a hundred drones over the Ohio River…
Then you’ve felt it: the pulse of a city fueled by the arts.
At the center of that heartbeat? ArtsWave.
In a year that tested nearly every nonprofit in America, ArtsWave’s 2025 Campaign raised a staggering $12.3 million—a feat of community generosity, leadership, and belief in the power of creativity. That’s not just a number. It’s an investment in what makes Cincinnati feel alive.
What ArtsWave Does—And Why It Matters
For nearly a century, ArtsWave has been Cincinnati’s creative bedrock, pumping lifeblood into more than 150 arts organizations, projects, and individual artists. From major cultural anchors like the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to grassroots street art and community festivals, ArtsWave is the invisible force making the visible vibrate.
Each dollar raised helps put on thousands of performances, produce large-scale public art installations, support arts education, and bring music, theater, and dance into every corner of the region.
But this campaign wasn’t just about maintaining tradition. It was about boldly expanding access—and the results were extraordinary.
The Next Generation Just Took Center Stage
One of the campaign’s brightest triumphs was the explosive growth of “More Arts More Kids,” an initiative that tripled its reach from the year prior to engage 15,000 students.
That’s 15,000 young minds exposed to the wonder of live performance and fine art—many of them for the first time. These weren’t just field trips. These were transformational experiences hosted by some of Cincinnati’s most revered institutions:
Cincinnati Ballet
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concerts
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
Cincinnati Arts Association
Cincinnati Art Museum
Students came from all walks of life: from Cincinnati Public Schools, Catholic Inner-city Schools Education (CISE), and even Ludlow Independent Schools across the river in Kentucky. When we talk about investing in the future, this is it. Not test scores, not technology—imagination, empathy, and access to joy.
Arts as Civic Infrastructure
Too often, the arts are painted as a luxury. A bonus. A “nice to have” if the budget allows. But in Cincinnati, the narrative is different.
Here, the arts are essential civic infrastructure.
They are economic drivers, neighborhood revitalizers, emotional healers, and educational tools. They make this city competitive. They attract talent. They bring people together in parks, galleries, sidewalks, and stages.
And all of that happens not by accident, but because thousands of donors believe in it.
This year’s campaign was chaired by Mel Gravely, Executive Chair of Triversity, who, along with his Campaign Cabinet of business leaders, guided the region to its $12.3M achievement. The torch now passes to James Zimmerman, partner-in-charge at the Taft Cincinnati office and a long-time ArtsWave board member. The continuity of leadership ensures the momentum—and impact—will only grow.
A National Spotlight on the Queen City
As if the campaign’s success weren’t enough, Cincinnati is about to become the national capital of creativity. From June 12–14, the city will host the Americans for the Arts Convention, drawing cultural leaders from across the country to learn from what Cincinnati does best: integrating the arts into daily life.
To kick it off, ArtsWave is inviting everyone to the free Party at The Banks—a downtown explosion of creativity featuring:
The return of BLINK-style light installations
A dazzling drone show over the Ohio River
Local food trucks
A music and fashion mainstage hosted by Drew Lachey
And a surprise pop-up set by a multi-platinum recording artist
This isn’t just a party. It’s a civic statement: This is who we are. And this is what we’re capable of when we invest in the arts.
The Takeaway: This Is the City We Want
ArtsWave’s campaign success is about more than dollars raised. It’s about defining the kind of Cincinnati we want to live in.
One where creativity is seen not as a luxury, but as a necessity.
One where kids from all ZIP codes experience beauty.
One where public space belongs to all of us, not just some of us.
One where civic life is vibrant, shared, and evolving.
If that’s a Cincinnati you believe in, you’re not alone. Thousands already gave. Thousands already acted. And you still can.
Visit artswave.org/give to be part of the movement.
Celebrate with us at artswave.org/partyatthebanks
Let’s keep this city bold. Beautiful. And brilliantly creative.