COLUMBUS, May 17, 2016 – An innovative program that combines Star Wars and Shakespeare, a performance that will showcase the musical richness of Ohio composers and performers and a concert series designed for a sensory-friendly audience are among the plans for eight arts organizations receiving a total of $250,000 in grants from the PNC Foundation through PNC Arts Alive.
For a seventh straight year, PNC will contribute $250,000 to large and small arts groups in its Columbus region. The grants cover a wide range of disciplines, audiences and participatory experiences. [See below for the complete list of grant recipients.]
Since its introduction, PNC Arts Alive has provided a total of $2.5 million to support 28 organizations to increase access to the arts and culture in the Central Ohio.
“We have challenged the arts organizations in Central Ohio to get creative and, once again, they exceeded our expectations,” said Michael Gonsiorowski, PNC regional president for Columbus. “The arts community across central Ohio is very active with a wide selection of theater, dance and concerts. Through the PNC Arts Alive initiative, we can contribute to the region’s outstanding cultural arts and support new and imaginative arts programs that help enrich our community and strengthen our local economy.”
Family Fun, Free Events
Programs supported through PNC Arts Alive include CATCO’s production that will blend highlights from Star Wars tales and use bits and pieces from famous Shakespeare plays.
The Central Ohio Symphony will turn fourth-graders into composers in a concert that will showcase a history of Ohio’s composers and performers.
Matinee performances tailored for a sensory-friendly audience are among the plans for the New Albany Symphony. The concerts will be open to everyone, with the series primarily designed for families with young children, those on the autism spectrum and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
PNC Arts Alive is a multi-year grant initiative of the PNC Foundation that challenges visual and performing arts organizations to put forth their best, most original thinking in expanding audience participation and engagement. To date, this award-winning program has provided approximately $13 million in grants to enterprising cultural organizations in three regions served by PNC. For more information, visit www.pncartsalive.com.
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
PNC ARTS ALIVE – 2016 GRANT RECIPIENTS
BalletMet Columbus
A non-traditional venue and multiple, interactive experiences to engage audiences in far more than a one-time theater performance. Experiences include live-streaming of studio rehearsals, Columbus Commons open rehearsal/happy hour and interactive technology experiences in the Ohio Theatre lobby during the “Romeo and Juliet” performance.
Carpe Diem String Quartet
A concert program that will introduce audiences to the first musical work ever composed for string quartet and Native American Flute, in collaboration with Native American musician and storyteller Leon Joseph Littlebird. Incorporating Native American storytelling, dance (choreographed and performed by members of the Columbus Dance Theatre), and multimedia elements, the concert program will narrate the history of the first people from a personal Native perspective.
CATCO
An innovative program combining Star Wars and Shakespeare for young audiences. This blended drama highlights the universality of the Star Wars tales using bits and pieces from famous Shakespeare plays, all in blank verse. This program will celebrate the Shakespeare and Star Wars legacies with workshops for children and free performances that welcome the whole community.
Columbus Museum of Art
The highly successful PNC Free Sundays program offers free admission that increases museum accessibility for diverse audiences. In 2015, CMA welcomed more than 81,000 visitors on free Sundays – a figure that accounts for more than 40 percent of the organization’s annual attendance. Opening the Margaret M. Walter Wing in October 2015 has provided a larger, livelier, more experiential space highlighting the collections while creating new opportunities for inspiration, exploration and shared memories among all visitors. Enhanced programming will include social media elements whereby visitors can share an ongoing narrative highlighting their museum experiences.
Central Ohio Symphony
A concert that will showcase the musical richness of Ohio composers and performers. The project will include audience participation in the concert and fourth graders becoming composers in a companion education project.
New Albany Symphony
Four unique one-hour matinee performances tailored for a sensory-friendly audience. The concerts will be open to everyone. However, the series is designed for families with young children, those on the autism spectrum and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia.
Pizzuti Collection
To expand the successful Pacesetters After Hours program to include the Social Classroom which offers a curated look at the exhibition with bi-weekly posts, and members learn and interact as a Facebook group prior to attending the After Hours event. The aim is to increase technologies that will amplify the conversation and increase access.
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
A multimedia concert experience designed to educate audiences, promote accessibility and break down the barriers of enjoying classical music. These unique concerts break down musical concepts to promote better understanding of the orchestra while dissecting the story behind the piece being performed. The first half of the concert will introduce the piece through digital projection, live musical excerpts from the orchestra and interviews with the performers on stage, completely deconstructing the composition. In the second half, the piece is performed in its entirety, with audiences now having new insight into the work.
CONTACT:
Craig Friedman
(614) 463-6647
craig.friedman@pnc.com
@Craig_PNC
