Cincinnati has endless opportunities to participate in art making, while learning new techniques and skills! Some great aspects about Community Art and Education Programs in the area are that you can find something to join in on for all ages and at any level of experience! Most programs are even free to take part in!
The Art Academy of Cincinnati has an incredible Community Education Department that offers a variety of different classes, workshops, and demos for anyone interested in pursuing art! For the past year and a half, I’ve been teaching as an Artist and Writer Instructor in their Community Outreach Program and I couldn’t be happier working there! I asked fellow Community Education Instructor, Amanda Hudson what she enjoyed most about working for the Art Academy and this is what she shared, “I love that the AAC understands that I’m an artist first. The CommEd team knows my strengths and skill sets and they leave space for me to nurture them into my role as a teaching artist. My classes won’t be insightful or rewarding without that ingredient. They trust me to make a creative space for my students and let my work be the lesson plan. That alone is invaluable to me.” You can find out what Amanda is working on with the Art Academy and in her personal studio by checking out her Instagram at: amandahudsonart, Facebook: Amanda Hudson Art, or her website: https://www.amandahudsonart.com/#/.
I couldn’t agree more with Amanda and I share the same sentiments. What I also love about working in the Community Education Department at the Art Academy of Cincinnati is that we are constantly collaborating with other artists, teachers, and students on new and intriguing projects. We offer a wide range of programs for young artists and adults that provide enriched experiences of self-expression and shared creative processes. Most of all I love the students that I get to work with and that our funding provides them with the supplies they need in order to create! Head over to their website to check out what’s available and register for your next creative endeavor!
https://www.artacademy.edu/com-ed/com-ed.php/
And follow the fun on their Instagram, @aaccommunityeducation
Two Nonprofits in Cincinnati that dedicate themselves to Community Art and Education is Visionaries and Voices and ArtWorks. Visionaries and Voices is a wonderful non-profit organization that provides exhibition opportunities, studio space, supplies, and support to artists with disabilities. Anyone can go to their artist talks, shows, and workshops! I’ve personally always had a delightful time at any event I’ve been to of theirs! For more information visit their website,
https://visionariesandvoices.com/.
ArtWorks is nonprofit that invests in the community to help people and places through creative practices like their Youth Apprentice Program.
Find a project to participate in on their website, at https://www.artworkscincinnati.org/ .
Every museum in Cincinnati provides some sort of Community Art and Education Program all year round! The Cincinnati Art Museum has a lot of amazing things to get involved in that include, workshops, artist talks, lectures, and special events like “Art After Dark”. Along with team building programs, yoga classes, art making experiences, and many more that are consistently changing!
https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/events-programs/community-outreach/
The Contemporary Arts Center has countless family programs, public events, tours, artist talks, teen programs, school programs and special events such as creative learning festivals! Their website has a great collection of things to choose from and they offer many virtual options! https://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/programs
There are plenty of Wine and Paint Wine classes in Cincinnati but the one that stands out the most for us is James Reynolds, “Not Your Average Paint and Sip Class”. This experience is so much more than a Wine and Paint event, it’s an opportunity to learn fundamental elements and techniques that will help you with future projects. His studio is located in the Pendleton Art Center in OTR which is another awesome place to engage in art! For more information check out his site at,
No matter what your looking for you’re sure to discover that Cincinnati has just about anything you can think of when it comes to Community Art and Education and there’s events happening nearly every day! Start your journey into exploring and learning more about art opportunities in Cincinnati and how to get involved!
Written By: Christen Collins
