Our Mission

To cultivate and support the arts landscape for our community.

Our Vision

Let’s paint a picture - what does a thriving culture for Tuscarawas County look like? It is a community that embraces all aspects of a positive quality of life - for its people to live, work, and play.

It is an environment that supports and elevates the social and economic well-being of a community through local arts and emphasizes the community’s artistic, cultural, and creative values. It is cultivating a part of our creative humanity that revolves around inclusivity, diversity, and pride of place.

Our focus is:

  • To understand and respond to the needs of the arts, culture, and creative community

  • To build relationships and drive economic development with community partners and local businesses

  • To collaborate and implement strategies and necessary work for arts programming

  • To fund and support arts, culture, and creativity across Tuscarawas County.

We are empowering, advocating, and educating. We are TAP.

The History

In 2014, Tuscarawas County leaders gathered to discuss the arts throughout the county. Their shared vision for the county included a vibrant and growing arts culture. The County Commissioners commissioned a feasibility study to determine the need for a new, countywide, non-profit organization, focused on supporting and growing the arts. The study included a local artist inventory and artist survey. The survey asked the artists what they needed; their answers guided and influenced the actions of the resulting new arts organization.

The Tuscarawas Arts Partnership (TAP) formed a Board of Directors in early 2015, incubating as a non-profit under the umbrella of the Tuscarawas Valley Heritage, Inc. whose mission supports the advancement of the cultural heritage. From there, TAP has grown with careful action by its Board of Directors and in fiscal partnership with the TVH as the non-profit.

In 2018, TAP hired its first Executive Director to lead the organization’s growth, and became a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2019. Over the years, TAP has made efforts to grow as an organization and serve the arts, culture, and creative community in Tuscarawas County at its best capacity. Today, TAP continues its mission as an arts council to cultivate and support the arts landscape in Tuscarawas County.

Looking Towards the Future: TAP’s 5-Year Strategic Plan

As Tuscarawas County's arts council, we aim to look at the big picture and work in tandem with local partners to support, encourage and give the arts, culture, and creative community a space to thrive. Our work revolves around how Tuscarawas Arts Partnership can best serve the community in the current moment while looking to the future for growth and investment.

Through its assessment and outlook for the future, TAP put together a 5-Year Strategic Plan to outline its goals and efforts to grow as an organization while continuing to build its abilities to serve the community. Download the 5-Year Strategic Plan below, and become a pARTner for the arts to help TAP reach its goals!

Released June 15, 2022