2025 Small Arts Organization Awards Winners
Given annually to regional small and mid-sized arts organizations, the Small Arts Organization Awards are designed to increase arts experiences for everyone – regardless of age, ability, income, or location – throughout the community.
The program provides up to $5,000 to an organization, which can be used in the creation of new programs, the expansion of current programs, or help with production or presentation expenses.
The 2025 awards were presented to Cincinnati From Scratch, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Loveland Stage Company, Queen City Performing Arts, Sunset Players, The Village Players of Fort Thomas, and Visionaries & Voices.
“We are lucky to have such a rich and diverse arts community,” says Jayne Utter, managing director of Summerfair Cincinnati. “While we celebrate visual artists at the annual fair, through the Small Arts Organization Awards we are able to recognize the many talented musical and performing arts groups that inspire and delight us all year round.”
More about the organizations:
Cincinnati From Scratch creates engaging, meaningful experiences surrounding contemporary music. The program is a long-term creative music education endeavor executed in conjunction with the students of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI) and the Cincinnati Symphony’s Youth Orchestra and Nouveau programs.
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati is noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its dedication to bring socially conscious and thought-provoking contemporary theatre to the region, Ensemble Theatre is nestled in the heart of Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and maintains a steadfast belief in the transformative power of the arts to create vibrant, sustainable communities.
Loveland Stage Company is an award-winning theater with opportunities for community engagement such as musicals, plays, summer youth programs, free holiday shows and dance classes, all to have a positive impact.
Queen City Performing Arts is center for the arts dedicated to teaching, training, and equipping people in the gifts of the arts. They offer private instrument/vocal lessons in a wide range of instruments, including piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, flute, bass, strings and much more. We also offer group classes in music, drama, mommy/tots music, paint nights… just to name a few!
Sunset Players was founded in 1979 as the resident theater group for the Dunham Recreation Complex's theater, housed in the historic Dunham Arts Building. Since that time, the Sunset Players have mounted over 120 award winning productions. Truly a local community organization, and 100% volunteer, the Sunset Player help preserve and restore the place of the West Side in Greater Cincinnati's rich creative and performing arts offerings.
The Village Players of Fort Thomas is a vibrant community theatre, continually producing plays and musicals for almost 60 years.Productions range across a spectrum of periods and styles, presented in Fort Thomas. They stage innovative and of-the-moment works alongside beloved classic pieces while serving as an incubator for new talent, ideas, and writing.
Visionaries & Voices is a non-profit organization that provides creative, professional, and educational opportunities to more than 125 visual artists with disabilities.
Artists working at V+V actively contribute to the greater arts community through creative, educational, and strategic partnerships with local and regional artists, schools, and business leaders. Collectively, we are growing a more inclusive arts community in Greater Cincinnati.