CINCINNATI — Art is a journey. When it comes to the creative process, Gabi Roach will tell you it’s a marathon—not a sprint, and sometimes the finish line can be years away.

That goes for the effort to establish the Northside’s premier outdoor entertainment venue, Roach said. The eclectic neighborhood promotes a vibrant music, arts and food scene, and while there are independent event venues, there is no dedicated arts center.

Roach serves as arts and programming coordinator at PAR-Projects, a nonprofit arts collective based in the Northside. The organization has been on a mission to improve access to the arts since its founding in 2010.

In 2014, PAR-Projects launched a multi-phase plan to expand its footprint when it acquired a nearly 1-acre site on Hoffner Street. The site consisted of an old wood drying facility, which has now been transformed into the region’s first installation-based art gallery.

Roach said her team spent years in the first phase, working with private investors and the community to finance the renovations. The 15,000-square-foot space now also includes eight micro-businesses, two visiting artist studios, a performance stage and a wood factory.

Roach said the organization prides itself on being fair. Artists rent the studios for less than the cost of a storage unit. Visiting artists’ studios are secured for one year at a time at no cost. Selected artists even receive an unrestricted $1,000.

“We reached out to the community and did things like surveys and went to community board meetings. We talked to neighbors and friends and asked them what kind of resources we should develop for this space, and there was a resounding consensus that we should have some kind. of entertainment space, a kind of green space in the Northside (Those) are always missing in urban environments,” Roach said.

This is where the second phase comes in.

PAR-projects is now looking to develop land on the other half of the Hoffner Street property and revitalize the courtyard space.

Roach said the nonprofit has raised more than $1 million since 2014 to fund the entire project, with $600,000 raised in the last four years alone. While a portion was invested in the existing studio space, the remainder was earmarked for the outdoor entertainment venue.

It took six variances and a conditional use approval, but toward the end of 2021, the city gave the green light to the organization.

Plans include an outdoor performance stage, an outdoor cinema, toilets, parking and a lawn for family events. The expansion would also create about four additional studio spaces for artists.

“Community building, community development. Creating an arts center in the Northside,” Roach said. “How can we create a space where our neighbors can activate these amenities and how can we create a space where we can let creativity thrive?”

To ensure its commitment to equitable access, Roach said elements of the entertainment venue will be free. Visitors should not have to pay to watch a movie.

The goal is to begin construction in early 2025. The state of Ohio recently awarded the nonprofit a $250,000 capital grant to help with the effort. But that can only be used if PAR-Projects provides $60,000 in matching funds.

The organization recently launched an online campaign to help achieve this goal. It will remain open until early next year.

“I’m excited for people to come through the gates and see it completed,” Roach said. “And I think it’s going to be so satisfying, the day we open the doors, for everyone who’s seen the project — I mean, it’s been in the works — you know we proposed this and got community feedback in 2014, so we’re for 10 years And the other thing is that the things that are profitable – it’s easy to get loans, it’s easy to get a buy-in, but things that are in the arts and things that can’t necessarily. be capitalized on – it’s a slow build… so when that day comes, it’s going to be an incredible day.”