The Center provides grants to seven more Covington creatives

The Center for Great Neighborhoods just doled out $30,000 in its fourth round of Creative Community Grants. Seven Covington-based artists and creatives received up to $5,000 to bring forth their ideas.
 
Over the next year, The Center plans to do two more rounds of these grants, with each round addressing a different community identified issue or top.
 
In this round, all grants focused on health and wellness.
 
Bi-Okoto & Dance Theatre will be using their grant award to provide access to B-FIT with Bi-Okoto classes in City Heights. The classes are a fun and interactive way to introduce kids and teenagers to a healthy lifestyle through culturally-inspired dance fitness. Classes aim to increase cardio, strength, endurance and flexibility while enhancing self-esteem, character development, and nutrition tips.
 
Over the span of two days at the new Hellmann Creative Center, Luis Laya and James Payne will host a Cultural Culinary Experience. The event will be centered around building community through entertainment and educational cooking techniques that involve open flame and the use of custom fabricated grills, which were created by the two artists. The focus will be on culinary health and educating the community on different cultural styles of cooking, as well as cooking and eating as a community.
 
David Rice, a Northern Kentucky artist, sculptor and metalworker, will build the world’s first bicycle powered stereoscopic kaleidoscope, entitled Colliding Light. The sculpture will encourage physical activity by captivating people with the synergy of light, color, shape and motion. Rice will work with students in The Center’s summer BLOCK program to gather materials and construct the inner workings of the kaleidoscope.
 
In partnership with The Center and the Kenton County Extension Office, Annie Brown hosted Healthy Mind & Body Day Camp, a free day camp for elementary kids. The camp was held for three days at the end of the school year and before the start of summer programs run by Covington Independent Public Schools. Kids learned about nutrition, exercise, gardening and composting, and did yoga and made healthy popsicles.
 
Kids Cook Too, an after-school cooking class that makes eating healthy creative and fun, will teach students the skills, knowledge and experience they need to plan and cook their own nutritious meals and snacks. Project head Laura Murphy aims to help kids take their health into their own hands, and teach them how to find fresh produce and healthy food options in their neighborhood. Kids will create a map, which they can use to teach others and raise awareness about disparities in food access and availability.
 
Emily Wolff and Make Goebel Great are planning a Pool Party at Goebel Pool in Mainstrasse Village. The goal is to make the pool a more attractive destination that encourages residents to come and enjoy an afternoon with their family. The City of Covington will provide matching funds to make sure pool improvements include large shade structures, picnic tables with umbrellas, a freshly painted pool house, and an artistic installation, which will be designed by Make Goebel Great and will be created and installed by the community.
 
Caroline Creaghead, a local comedienne, will be starting a podcast called None of Your Business, which will focus on the frustrating and funny parts of living as a working artist. It won’t be an advice show, but will help start important discussions. The Creative Community Grant will fund six episodes, and each will feature a Covington-based artist.