CreativeOhio

CreativeOhio and several of our members in northeast Ohio received a spotlight in the this morning. Amidst rapidly changing arts funding landscapes across the country, the article discusses the benefits and challenges to a unique local cigarette tax that has generated more than $270M for the arts in Cleveland since its inception in 2007. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/arts/cigarette-tax-cleveland-cuyahoga-county.html?unlocked_article_code=1.h1A.VMm_.ZejFs1e5TnkD&smid=url-share

Yesterday, CreativeOhio's Sarah Sisser spoke at the 2026 Great Lakes Arts Leaders Forum, hosted by the Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan.

It was a engaging conversation alongside arts leaders from across the Midwest, exploring evolving arts funding models, identifying the most urgent needs in arts advocacy, and highlighting the opportunities we can build on to strengthen our collective impact.

As neighboring states, there's always much we can learn from one another. The forum was a powerful reminder of the value of regional collaboration in moving advocacy efforts forward.

Thank you to the Arts Initiative for hosting and facilitating this discussion!

It's been a full day in Washington, DC at the offices preparing for a collective 55 meetings on the Hill tomorrow! CreativeOhio's Executive Director & CEO, Sarah Sisser, is at the Capitol to meet with members of Congress about current federal policy initiatives that could benefit Ohio artists and creatives - from tax policy to workforce development. Thank you to AFTA and staff for pouring their time and efforts into this group of advocates over the last couple of weeks. We're ready to hit the Hill, bright and early!