History & Mission

1. ArtsinStark is a 48-year-0ld non-profit that uses the arts to create smarter kids, new jobs, and healthier communities.  Our annual budget is $3 million.
2. What we don’t earn, we raise each spring through the Annual Arts Campaign. In May 2018 we raised $1.66 million.  We are the only united arts fund drive in America to ever make goal for 13 years in a row.
3. Our overhead is among the lowest: 91 cents of every dollar goes right into programs.
4. We own and operate the Cultural Center for the Arts.  In preparation for its 50^th birthday in 2020, we have made $6 million worth of improvements, and are rebranding the neighborhood as “North Market.”  The Center is home to the Canton Museum of Art, Players Guild Theatre, Canton Ballet, and Voices of Canton.  And Enrichment offers free music classes in our Arts Education Center. 
5. We make smarter kids (and people).  Our SmArts Program (presented by Huntington Bank) uses the arts to supercharge learning.  We’ve run 250 SmArts projects for approximately 30,000 kids in every one of the 17 public school districts in Stark County and all the Catholic Middle and Elementary Schools.  
6. We reinvent downtowns.  20/20 Vision is a downtown revitalization plan through the arts.  We’ve supported Alliance, Canton, Louisville, Minerva, North Canton, Hartville, Massillon, Canal Fulton, and more. In Canton we created the Arts District with 30 new shops, eateries, galleries, and clubs.  We’ve produced over 130 monthly First Fridays for 220,000 people.  We’ve installed 100 pieces of public art across the county.
7. We promote tourism.  In 2009, the Canton Museum of Art and ArtsinStark hosted the Japanese blockbuster KIMONO for 100,000 people that generated $6 million of economic impact.  We’re creating The ELEVEN public art series celebrating the 11 greatest moments in professional football history.  In June, 2018, we opened the “Canton Music Block” as a tourist destination for live music lovers.       
8. We make geniuses.  The NE Ohio Genius Project (presented by KeyBank) is an annual 9-week creativity challenge where 350 Middle School students compete on 100 plus teams from 6 counties: Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit, and Tuscarawas. And each year we add more schools and more counties.
9. We create healthier communities.  The projects we support through our Grants Program reach 200,000 people a year.  Over the last 12 years we’ve awarded $13 million in grants to the 7 largest arts groups: Canton Ballet, Canton Museum of Art, Canton Symphony, Massillon Museum, Palace Theatre, Players Guild and Voices of Canton — and another $1.7 million in grants to 700 small non-profits, artists, and schools in every single community in Stark County.
10. ArtsinStark is the recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts.