Read a summary of privacy rights for California residents which outlines the types of information we collect, and how and why we use that information.
Central Ohio
PNC Arts Alive
A multi-million dollar initiative through the PNC Foundation designed to support the visual and performing arts.
PNC Arts Alive programming demonstrates that there is an artistic outlet for everyone, regardless of age, economic background, skill level and taste. Pop-up performances, mobile arts vans and the use of unusual venues are among the many initiatives supported through PNC Arts Alive and we're excited to continue to help invigorate local arts organizations in Columbus and Central Ohio, while bringing new and exciting programs to our communities.
Application Information
Did You Know?
In Central Ohio, PNC Arts Alive funding has supported a number of highly regarded and award-winning productions and exhibitions. Grantees have received awards for Arts Alive programming in recognition of leadership for artistic excellence, production value and other attributes from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and other leading arts advocacy and funding organizations.
Since 2010, PNC has contributed to arts groups large and small in the Columbus region. The grants cover a wide range of disciplines, audiences and participatory experiences.
Recent Grant Recipients
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is a Broadway show written by OSU graduate Jocelyn Bioh. Jaja’s tells the story of 6 women who work in a hair braiding shop in Harlem, and bond together over their shared immigrant status. The show debuted on Broadway in 2023, winning 6 Tony awards and CATCO will be producing the first central Ohio string of shows. There will be 12 performances spanning between March 5 – 22nd 2026.
Columbus Children's Theatre
The Neighborhood Access to The Arts Initiative is expanding their initiative to bring free, high-quality, interactive theatre experiences directly to underserved neighborhoods in Columbus. This mobile program will bring pop up performances and workshops to schools and other sensory friendly, free, community spaces, thus removing barriers such as cost, transportation, and cultural disconnect.
Children and caregivers will engage in storytelling, movement, music, and theatrical design activities that encourage participation from all ages and abilities. Neighborhood Access initiative is designed to advance literacy, deepen reading comprehension, and build academic engagement.
Cartoon Crossroads
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus is a free, four day festival in it’s 11th year that aims to bring together all comic lovers through panels of creators, workshops, and outside programming. While Cartoon Crossroads currently provides workshops taught by guest artists that focus on story building through visual literacy, art, and writing skills needed to build a story, Cartoon Crossroads is expanding their reach beyond the festival and into classrooms, libraries, and community centers. After a series of in-class events and workshops, CXC would provide transportation so these audiences could attend the festival for free.
Opera Association of Central Ohio
In collaboration with the Wexner center for the arts, opera Columbus is bringing The Old Man and the Sea to Mershon Auditorium on OSUs campus on October 10th & 12th. As the first ever collaboration between The Opera and The Wex, Ohio State University students will obtain an innovative and one-of-a-kind experience. Led by an all-women creative team, students become an integral part of the process, contributing on and off stage. They will get the opportunity to engage directly with a living composer, receive mentorship from a conductor, and attend producer-led sessions on how to self-produce as an artist, all of which help to shape the next generation of artists in a unique way.
Opera Association of Central Ohio
Worthington Chamber Orchestra
Upon these shores is the culminating concert in the Worthington chamber orchestras yearlong series, whose theme is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. The show will explore themes of immigration and the American dream, using music to tell the story of Ohio’s cultural heritage through pieces written by women and people of color, and a work by a formerly unhoused composer. The Worthington Chamber Orchestra will hold a free, pre-concert community conversation a week prior to the concert featuring local artists and representatives from the Worthington Resource Pantry, inviting audience members to engage in conversation surrounding the themes of the show while fostering community support. Alongside the concert, an art show featuring Tariq Tarey’s photography of immigrants will be available during the event, adding a more visual layer to the content, broadening cultural representation and creating a more diverse program.