Category: Uncategorized

Send a Kid to Camp!

This summer, more than 300 diverse youth will express their creativity through making art, dance, theatre, and music at Kennedy Heights Arts Center. In 28 different camps, they will paint murals, write poetry, create their own businesses, make scary movies, dig fossils, and became the next big fashion designers.

Campers not only build skills, they build community. Racially and economically diverse kids get to know one another and develop friendships. Older students mentor younger ones and become leaders. Young people explore the world around them – and find their place in it.

And thanks to the support of generous donors like you, these amazing experiences are made available to everyone regardless of ability to pay.      At Kennedy Heights Arts Center, no one is turned away. Last year, 65 low-income students received scholarships to attend summer arts camp at KHAC – amounting to over $9,400 in aid.

Help a deserving child have a great summer by supporting KHAC’s Scholarship Fund. This year’s goal is to raise $10,000 by June 2.

Your gift of:
$35 – Sends a kid to camp for one day
$75 – Sends a kid to camp for half a week
$150 – Sends a kid to camp for one week
$600 – Sends a kid to camp for a month
$1,500 – Supports a child for the whole summer!

Contributions of any size are welcome – and make a big difference in the life of a child.

Donate Now

Teen Voices

What matters to teens? What issues do they face?

A group of six local youth, ages 12-16, used their creativity and the medium of film to create short videos that speak to teens. The group collaborated to create Public Service Announcements on teen issues including peer pressure, bullying, stress and depression.

With the help of Robert Wilson of Your Productions, the teens wrote, filmed and produced the original videos. The PSAs will play on Cincinnati community access television. 

All are invited to a film premiere on Friday, February 24 at 7pm in KHAC’s Lindner Annex (corner of Kennedy & Montgomery). Come see the final products and support our young artists!  

This project was supported by a grant from The Charles H. Dater Foundation.

Planting Seeds in December

The weather outside might be frightful, but I’m thinking about planting seeds.

Twelve years ago, the view along Montgomery Road in Kennedy Heights was a sea of vacant buildings. One of the first racially integrated neighborhoods in Cincinnati, Kennedy Heights is a lively, welcoming place. But for too long this dynamic light hid under the bushel of blight and neglect. That is, until neighbors came together to transform their neighborhood.

Into that barren landscape, residents planted seeds of hope and inspiration which sprouted Kennedy Heights Arts Center. A former funeral home became a community arts center. A vacant grocery store became a vibrant cultural campus. Neighboring properties were developed into artist studios. Now as you travel Montgomery Road, you see people gathering, children learning and expressing themselves, neighbors connecting: a community full of life.

What is the secret ingredient of our success? ART.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center employs the unique power of arts and culture to bring people together and cultivate community.

But no beautiful garden stays that way by itself; it requires nurturing and cultivation. Your contribution is needed to help us flourish.

Help us grow communities rich with hope and creativity. In a world too often divided, building community is more important than ever. 

Cultivate community in Cincinnati with your tax-deductible donation today. Your investment in Kennedy Heights Arts Center makes a big difference—to a child discovering new-found talents, to a teen building confidence, to neighbors coming together—and ensures that 100 percent of our programs are accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

Donate today

The seed you plant today will produce the harvest of tomorrow.

Spreading Seeds of Happiness

These gardeners have a gift to share with the city.

On September 9, Kennedy Heights Arts Center was invited by ArtsWave to help celebrate the grand opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector downtown. KHAC Arts Education Coordinator Mallory Feltz, artist Karen Saunders and three students rode the streetcar in fabulous costumes, passing out seed packets to all the riders.

The packets, adorned by work of local artists, promise to grow happiness, sprout hope, and cultivate community when shared.

         
Art by (left to right): June Pfaff Daley, Milissa Michel, Cedric Michael Cox

In a world that seems too often divided, its good to remember what connects us.

Arts experiences spark dialogue and bring together diverse residents. Cultural and creative exchange produces deep and lasting social change. Sharing our stories breaks down walls, builds bonds, and makes our community stronger.

These are the seeds that help our community-and world-flourish.

The Sounds of Creativity

There is a constant din outside my office. Excited voices, running feet, slamming doors.

Yep, its summertime at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.

This summer, more than 250 diverse young people will expand their creativity through art-making, dancing, acting, making music and more. They will paint murals, act like clowns, make animated films, and become the next big fashion designers. They will play games and make new friends.

Despite the noise, the mess, the interruptions by kids seeking a band-aid, I love summer at the Arts Center.  The place is brimming with energy and imagination.

Last week, kids created their own restaurants from the ground up. These young entrepreneurs wrote business plans, designed logos, constructed cardboard buildings, created menus and (pretend) food, and more. When I purchased my “latte” from the Bros Coffee Shop, I noticed these boys had thought of everything, right down to the credit card chip reader!

Campers not only build skills, they build community. Racially and economically diverse kids get to know one another and develop friendships. Older kids mentor younger ones and become leaders. Young people get to express their uniqueness and most of all, have fun.

And when camp season ends on August 15, the silence will feel like a ghost town around here.