Central Ohio artists and arts organizations are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their achievements. Here are some of the latest headlines:

Around Columbus
Local Artists to Be Recognized by South Side Settlement House and Huntington Bank

Artists, educators and administrators Jackie Calderone, Dennison W. Griffith and Bettye Stull will receive the prestigious 2009 Arts Freedom Award, given by the South Side Settlement House and Huntington Bank, for their for their work and contributions to the central Ohio community.

Calderone, Griffith and Stull will be honored at 6 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 21 at the Columbus Museum of Art, where a piece of each artists' work will be auctioned. All proceeds will benefit the South Side Settlement House and its programs.

The South Side Settlement House, located at 310 Innis Ave. in Columbus, is a nonprofit organization committed to creating a community of culture and concern rooted in economic and social justice. It is one of the oldest settlement houses in Columbus and was founded in 1899 to help people deal with problems of poverty, and help them achieve their aspirations for a better future. For info about the event or tickets, contact South Side Settlement House, (614) 444-9868.

FLOORSPACE: Clintonville's Incubator for the Arts

Columbus has a new space available for community artists to work and teach. FLOORSPACE, located in the heart of Clintonville on Indianola Avenue, offers two studios at affordable rates to local artists of all varieties, including dancers, musicians, actors and visual artists.

Heading up this venture are Sarah Hixon, a local choreographer and the artistic director of Hixon Dance, and Jacob Reed, a local composer and drummer in the RPM Jazz Trio. As artists working in Columbus, they know first-hand how difficult it can be to find affordable space in which to rehearse. Studios are available during daytime and evening hours.

"The idea is to provide the arts community with both an affordable and usable work space," the artists said.

Artists-in-Schools Artists Lyn Ford and Kevin Cordi Featured in New Book

Lyn Ford and Kevin Cordi, participants in GCAC's Artists-in-Schools program, are featured in a new book, Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom. Ford and Cordi are also contributors to The August House Book of Scary Stories, developed to encourage educators and other adults to use storytelling with youth as an educational tool in classrooms and in other settings.

Additionally, Ford is a participant this year in the renowned, 15th annual Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival in Ireland.

Save the Date: Upper Arlington's Labor Day Arts Festival

The Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival, produced by the City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Division, will take place on Mon., Sept. 7 in Northam Park. This premier, one-day arts festival will showcase the exceptional works of nearly 200 local, regional and national artists. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.

New Venue for Alternative Craft Fair, 2009 Craftin' Outlaws

The fifth annual alternative craft fair, Craftin' Outlaws, will take place Sat., Oct.17 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at its new venue, the Lodge Bar, located in the Arena District.

Craftin' Outlaws is an artsy celebration of the burgeoning do-it-yourself crafting scene, which was conceptualized and organized by local craftster Liz Rozino in 2005. Last year's Craftin' Outlaws showcased 60 different vendors plus food, games, and arts and crafts demonstrations and drew thousands of shoppers.

Around the Country
Rocco Landesman Named Chairman of National Endowment for the Arts

Rocco Landesman was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7, 2009 as the tenth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Landesman follows Dana Gioia, who left the chairmanship in January.

Landesman's ensuing career has been a hybrid of commercial, philanthropic and artistic engagements. In 1977, he left Yale to start a private investment fund which he ran until his appointment in 1987 as president of Jujamcyn, a company that owns and operates five Broadway theaters; the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, and Walter Kerr theaters.

Before and after joining Jujamcyn, Mr. Landesman produced Broadway shows, the most notable of which are Big River, Angels in America and The Producers. In 2005, he purchased Jujamcyn and managed it until President Obama announced his intention to nominate him to the NEA chairmanship.

Upon his confirmation, Landesman said, "...I believe this is an auspicious time for the NEA and the country. Art is essential to the civic, economic, and cultural vitality of our nation. It reflects who we are and what we stand for—freedom of expression, imagination and vision. I am eager to work with our many partners to bring quality arts programs to neighborhoods and communities across the country."

Pew Fellowships in the Arts Announces 2009 Recipients

Twelve artists from across the country, selected from a pool of nearly 400 applicants, received $60,000 as part of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts awards for 2009—the largest such grant in the country for which individual artists can apply.

Awards went to artists working in fiction and creative nonfiction, media arts and works on paper. The 2009 Pew Fellows are: Marc Brodzik, media arts; Anthony Campuzano, works on paper; Sarah Gamble, works on paper; Daniel Heyman, works on paper; Ken Kalfus, fiction and creative nonfiction; Jennifer Levonian, media arts; Robert Matthews, works on paper; Frances McElroy, media arts; Ben Peterson, works on paper; Marco Roth, fiction and creative nonfiction; Ryan Trecartin, media arts; Nami Yamamoto, works on paper.

For application information for the 2010 Pew Fellowships, click here.

Scholarships Available for Students of the Arts and Economics

For the second year, Americans for the Arts is co-sponsoring the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Foundation College Scholarship Award to encourage the integration of the arts into economic education.

Two $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to college level students or students entering college who come from an economic disadvantaged household, have attended a public school, can demonstrate a long term participation in the study of, creation in and/or performance in dance, music, theatre, literary or visual/media arts, excelled academically, and have formally declared the intent to study and apply economics in their pursuit of higher education and professional career.

Applications are due at close of business on Mon., Sep. 14, emailed or faxed to: Marete Wester, M.S., Director of Arts Policy, Americans for the Arts, One East 53rd St, 2nd. Floor, New York NY 10022.

Do you have a headline you'd like to share? Send it to Emily Swartzlander at eswartzlander@gcac.org.