Central Ohio artists and arts organizations are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their achievements. Here are some of the latest headlines:

Madcap Receives National Endowment for the Arts Funding in Recognition of Artistic Excellence

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded funding to Madcap Puppet Theatre, a GCAC Artist-in-Schools organization, in the category of Access to Artistic Excellence in support of the 2007–2008 Hats Off season.

For 13 years, Madcap has premiered its productions at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the J.B. Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky through the Hats Off series. Families throughout the Ohio Valley see the new productions before they begin touring to schools and libraries throughout the country.

For more on Madcap, visit the organization’s Artists-in-Schools profile.

Wexner Center Exhibition Named Top 10 by Artforum

The Wexner Center for the Arts’ winter 2007 exhibition Sadie Benning: Suspended Animation - featuring portrait paintings and her dual-projection video piece Play Pause - was named one of the top 10 exhibitions of the year by Artforum magazine. In her writeup in the December issue, Lynne Cooke called Play Pause “the smart and sassy centerpiece of Benning’s first museum show, organized by Jennifer Lange,” (associate curator of media arts at the Wexner Center), noting that Benning “creates a singular visual form for a journey into a subculture.” Also making Cooke’s top 10 list was the Wexner Center’s Zoe Leonard: Analogue, which premiered at the Wexner Center last spring before being seen at Documenta this summer in Germany.

GCAC Staffer Ruby Classen Elected to Americans for the Arts Leadership Position

GCAC’s Grants & Services Coordinator Ruby Classen has been elected to the Americans for the Arts’ Emerging Leader Council.

The Emerging Leader Council is an elected advisory body to Americans for the Arts and assists in developing programs and resources to promote the growth, development, and sustenance of emerging arts professionals nationwide. ELC members are provided with singular professional development opportunities to engage in the field on the national level; build new and dynamic relationships with colleagues; learn firsthand about new programs, resources, and tools from Americans for the Arts; design and implement programs for their peers; and be recognized on the Americans for the Arts Web site.

As GCAC's Grants & Services Coordinator, Classen provides support to the Grants & Services Department, which includes the Operating and Project Support Grants Programs and the Individual Artists Fellowship Program. A strong supporter of the central Ohio arts community, Classen's career history includes teaching dance and serving as President of the Little Theater Off Broadway and representative to the Ohio Community Theater Association and Theater Roundtable. She is certified in Corporate Community Involvement from Boston College.

Do you have a headline you’d like to share? Send it to Emily Swartzlander at eswartzlander@gcac.org.