Yesterday marked the last of a series of entries I prepared at the end of March to cover the move to my new job in southern Ohio. After Memorial Day, I will be returning to my regular Monday – Wednesday publishing schedule. Though for many of you, it will seem like a new schedule given that even if I finished an entry at 7 pm Hawaii time, it was already midnight or 1 am the next day on the U.S. East Coast.
Like many of my new colleagues and neighbors, you may ask why the hell I would want to move from Hawaii to rural Ohio. There are some economic and personal reasons, but the local and state arts environment had significant influence on my decision to move.
Even though Cincinnati is a 2 hour drive away, the existence of organizations like ArtsWave and the support for the arts expressed and shown by Mayor Mark Mallory was very influential.
In the last couple years I have written about cooperative efforts of arts organizations in Columbus and mentioned the intriguing seating arrangements and audience relations practices of the Great Lakes Theater and other arts organizations in Cleveland.
The same state of interesting arts relationships permeates even the small town in which I now work. A very dedicated local community board has partnered with the university to present a performing arts season every year. They do a fairly significant portion of the fundraising for the series. I attended a board meeting the week before my official start date and was astonished by the sponsorship report that was given, in large part due to the graciousness and wisdom shown by one of the major sponsors.
Certainly, there are plenty of opportunities to advance the program for me to sink my teeth into and I look forward to it with relish. (Though apparently chili is the condiment of choice for hot dogs around here.)
I also look forward to plugging into the greater arts community throughout the state.
Rejoice Ohio, the state just got a little better now that I am here!