ABC Press Release!

Check out the press release for "The ABCs of Public Art" book below.

"ABC's of Public Art" alphabet book promotes literacy and art appreciation

For Immediate Release

For more information,

image or interview requests:

The Arts Commission
1838 Parkwood #120
Toledo, OH 43604
419-254-2787 x15
info@acgt.org

The Arts Commission is proud to announce the launch of The ABC’s of Public Art alphabet book.

The ABC’s of Public Art is an alphabet book that features the City of Toledo’s rich public art collection. This beautifully produced publication has been created as a service of the educational component of the City of Toledo’s One Percent for Art Program and is available for free to interested parents, teachers and/or mentors of young children. Anyone who is interested in receiving a copy should contact The Arts Commission for more information. Supplies are limited so requests will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis. The publication will be freely distributed through a number of literacy and outreach programs including Reach out and Read, Read for Literacy, Toledo Museum of Art Family Center and Early Intervention MRDD.

In addition, illustrator Merrill Rainey has made a PDF of the book available for free download via his website at www.littlerainey.com/books.html. Students and families are encouraged to visit the site and view the book online, or print off and enjoy.

“Projects such as The ABC’s of Public Art are a great, free, and fun way for children and families to learn about our city’s remarkable collection of public artwork. A resource like this is a unique way to teach our community’s children their ABCs and to promote literacy while engaging in one of our greatest local aesthetic resources. I am proud of this project and the staff and committee members who have worked hard to make it possible,” said The Arts Commission’s Executive Director, Marc Folk.

The ABC’s of Public Art follows Artimus the Owl through a public art tour of Northwest Ohio. Artimus takes photographs of the works and learns new words along the way, working quite literally from A to Z.

This publication was funded by the City of Toledo’s One Percent for Art Program, which is administered by The Arts Commission.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

About the Art in Public Places program:

Toledo, Ohio has an impressive collection of public art, with large-scale sculptures, murals, and functional structures by more than 40 noted local, national, and international artists. Many of these pieces were acquired through the pioneering 1977 ordinance that set aside one percent of Toledo's Capital Improvement Budget for the purchase, conservation, and public education of art.

The program is administered by The Arts Commission through its Art in Public Places Program, which acquires, conserves and restores the collection. This administration also includes the education of the community related to the understanding and enjoyment of public art.

Toledo was the first city in Ohio to adopt a One Percent for Art program. The 1977 ordinance served as a model for Ohio's Percent for Art program, administered by the Ohio Arts Council, which began in 1990, and has served as inspiration for other regional programs since.

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The Arts Commission is the longest standing arts commission in the state of Ohio that develops and promotes the arts in the community, serving Northwest Ohio since 1959. 
www.theartscommission.org. 419-254-ARTS