The CLEVELAND AREA ARTS COUNCIL was a nonprofit, nongovernmental agency formed in 1972 to serve as a catalyst for the Greater Cleveland arts community. Headquartered first in the ARCADE and later in PLAYHOUSE SQUARE, it was financed primarily through government and foundation grants and did not serve as a funding agency itself. Lester Glick and John Flower served as its presidents, and the executive director was Nina Gibans. Among its regular activities were advocacy of arts programs and the dissemination of arts information. Typical of its achievements were To Freedom, a publication of 8 poems in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial, and "City Canvasses," a series of 10 murals painted on blank walls of downtown buildings. It also sponsored a program through which 1,500 teachers received instruction at 4 area universities in techniques for teaching about the arts. Lack of governmental and major institutional support led to its demise in 1979.
Cleveland Area Arts Council Annual Report, 1977-1978.