Greater Cincinnati Arts & Education Center (GCAEC) is the non-profit organization created in 1996 to raise the private sector funds to create this exciting project.  GCAEC is very fortunate to have dedicated leadership and the support of many individuals who are deeply passionate about this undertaking.  Erich Kunzel, Founder and Honorary Chair, and Tom Klinedinst, Board Chair, are leading a community campaign to complete the fundraising necessary to create this world-class facility and economic development project.

Our mission…
The mission of the Greater Cincinnati Arts and Education Center (GCAEC) is to create and support, in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, a new K-12 School for the Creative and Performing Arts near Music Hall.

GCAEC will do this in collaboration with the important constituents—parents, educators, business, arts organizations, the City, and the local and broader community—to establish the appropriate design and standards for excellence, and to provide the necessary funding for construction.

Upon completion of the new school, GCAEC will provide stewardship and ongoing financial support to the new SCPA, honoring GCAEC donors’ high standards for world-class excellence in artistic and academic achievement. 

Our vision…
The vision of GCAEC’s success is characterized by:

1. A state-of-the-art facility…including a commercial-style theater, ample rehearsal space, professional-grade dance studios, naturally lit art studios, music practice rooms, galleries and other facilities necessary for a fully equipped arts school…all contained within landmark architecture.
   
   
2. Artistic and academic excellence… The convergence of this school’s location near Music Hall, its state-of-the-art facilities, the SCPA/Schiel histories of achievement, and supplemental funding will result in ongoing artistic and academic achievement.
   
   
3. Partnerships & collaborations…the synergy only possible when students in this school work with professional artists and arts organizations.
   
   
4. Successful funding…an integrated fundraising program that supplements CPS-provided operating revenues with annual private contributions and permanent funding mechanisms that support the school’s high standards for excellence.
   
   
5. Neighborhood enhancements & community involvement…a neighborhood that will benefit in appearance, in spirit and through community learning center programs, with these benefits also accruing for Music Hall and its patrons.
   
   
6. National recognition…as the only K-12 public arts school in the United States, and a model of artistic/academic excellence, the new SCPA will draw national and international attention to Cincinnati.

Our guiding principles…
In all its operations and activities GCAEC will be guided by the following principles as it pursues its mission and vision:

1. Excellence in everything GCAEC represents.
2. Effective teamwork and partnerships utilized to achieve the greatest good.
3. Commitment to the mission, vision and implementation strategies.
4. Commitment to a task-oriented operating model, combining responsibility and accountability to achieve results.
5. Standards that recognize the diversity and needs of each student.
6. Donors honored for their vision and generosity.