About

THE HISTORY OF VISIONARIES AND VOICES
Visionaries and Voices had its beginning about 10 years ago when two case managers for county boards of Developmental Disabilities Services came into contact with self-taught artists through their jobs. Slowly but surely, the artists formed a loosely organized arts collective, exhibited their works around Cincinnati, and became friends.

By 2003, Visionaries and Voices had incorporated as a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization and opened its doors at the Essex Place Studios. Artists with disabilities were invited into the studio to make, market, and celebrate their work.




Since 2006, V&V has provided services through both the State and County Boards of DDS to artists with disabilities. By the beginning of 2007, there were more artists than space at Essex and, through the generosity of FrameUSA and its CEO Dan Regenold, the opportunity arose to open a satellite studio in the Tri-County area. Using a corner of the FrameUSA warehouse on Northland Blvd., V&V started welcoming artists from Butler and Warren County to the new studio space.

In the spring of 2008 a monumental move was made from Essex Studios to a large venue on Spring Grove Ave. in Northside. With enough space for a Gallery and administrative offices, this space is now the headquarters of V&V. In October 2008 the Grand Opening and Dedication of the Northside Gallery was attended by more than 200 donors, supporters, artists and family.

Along the way, V&V has collaborated with many other human services and arts programs to enhance and celebrate the creative spirit, including:


Art Academy of Cincinnati
SOS Art
Art Beyond Boundaries
Arts Education Directors of Greater Cincinnati
ArtWorks Mural Project
A.R.T. Gallery
Base Gallery
Children's Hospital
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center
Cincinnati Museum Center
Dramakinetics
Empowered People Reaching Out
Fernside Center
Findlay Market
Fitton Center for Creative Arts
Folk Fest
Greater Cincinnati Down Syndrome Association
Landor Design Associates
Leaders in Action
Lindner Center of Hope
Marjorie Book Continuing Education Society
Media Bridges
Melodic Connections
Middletown Center
Miami University
Middletown Campus
Open Door Gallery
Over the Rhine Chamber of Commerce
PAC Gallery
Prairie Gallery
Princeton High School's Special Education Department
Pyramid Hill
Red Tree Gallery
Redwood Center
Rose Center for the Arts
St. Leo Catholic Church
Stepping Stones
Tower Place
Town & Country Fine Arts Center
Art & Soul
United Cerebral Palsy Center of Greater Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati Galleries at Sycamore
VSA Ohio

V&V now supports more than 130 artists in the two studios, presents major exhibits in the V&V Northside Gallery and Corner Gallery, conducts Outreach services for artists unable to attend the studios, provides job coaching for artists employed outside the studios and is working with 22 of the most promising artists to build professional portfolios and link them to galleries all over the United States.