Updates from the PAR-Projects blog...

Pictured above is where we're taking things. It's a dream. Better yet, it's the visualization of a dream fueled by past successes, a strong support system, and unconventional thoughts on how to bring people together to celebrate the arts.

As ArtsWave & The Greater Cincinnati Regional Chamber noted in their recent Economic Impact of Arts & Culture report (pages 14 & 16) , PAR-Projects — our BIPOC-led arts & education organization — has been working to build an inclusive and welcoming space to highlight and promote the work of local and regional creatives for a number of years. Specifically called out was the fact that our small team has raised and invested over $850,000 in this effort since acquiring our "HQ" building and outdoor space in 2015. And most notably, these dollars were used specifically for capital investments, outside of day-to-day expenses for operations and events.

This past July, Jonathan Sears — Executive Director of Cincinnati-based PAR-Projects — found himself traveling halfway across the country to Kansas City to meet with a diverse collection of artists. The reason? He was tapped to help plan a regional conference that's convening hundreds of arts-leaders to help strengthen the connectivity of artist-run initiatives located throughout The Midwest. Aptly named MdW  (pronounced "Midway") , this group of artists, like him, lead creative spaces across The Midwest. And while a segment of the coalition toured PAR-Projects back in April (2024), this was officially his first in-person meeting with the MdW arts coalition. So how did all of this come about? As Jonathan notes, in April of 2024, when a large group of artists showed up for a tour,  an odd level of comfort & conversation was achieved while exploring the 15,000 square foot expansion space of the PAR-Project Campus. At the

Hey There!

  If you Blinked too hard you may have missed it. With the help of organizations like ArtsWave, Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, both civic and cultural leaders are creating powerhouse experiences. Our town's symphony is thriving. Our major museums are producing nationally recognized exhibitions. Even our ballet and playhouses are making headlines. Cincinnati is doing BIG things! Then there's us. Over at PAR-Projects, we don't make much noise. Why not?...  Well... until now, we were still waiting our turn in line. There's a whole lot of fast action clutter out there. But in the same breath, there's a lot of fizzling out as well. Because of the latter, our goals have simply been to keep our head down, keep working, and be the best we can be. The cool thing is we've never changed our mission and we've always held ourselves to the highest of standards — press or no press. We too have BIG things to accomplish...

Elena Masrour was born on May 5, 1990 in Tehran, Iran. She received her BFA in Fabric & Textile Design from Tehran University of Art in 2013 and received her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Kansas State University in 2022. She currently lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio where she is a visiting faculty-in-residence at the Cleveland Institute of Art.   Masrour was interested in art from a young age, especially as a legacy artist. She recalls being ten years old and attempting to copy a self-portrait her grandfather completed, to her grandfather’s great amusement. In high school, she was afforded the opportunity to take several elective drawing classes and soon realized that artist was to be her path in life. At Tehran University of Art, Masrour initially studied fashion design. However, she encountered great difficulties in the field, finding few real opportunities for creative enterprise due to the strict dress code enforced by the Irian government. She recalls a experienc...