William R. Joseph and William P. Blair, Advocates for the Arts

2006 Martha Joseph Special PRIZE for Distinguished Service to the Arts

Known affectionately as "the Bills," Bill Joseph and Bill Blair have worked ardently for 30 years to win for Ohio's arts and culture a enduring place in the hearts and minds of legislators. It's hard to imagine how the Ohio Arts Council could have become one of the finest state bodies of its kind without the championing of its cause by Joseph and Blair, whose efforts have allowed the council to funnel millions of  dollars of support to the arts community.

As a result of their founding of the statewide advocacy organization Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA) in 1976, and tireless lobbying of the Ohio Legislature, the Bills have also secured millions of dollars in state capital improvement grants for northeastern Ohio cultural institutions. 

"They are passionate believers in the power of art in all of its forms to improve our lives and our communities," explained Jerry Wareham, president and CEO of Ideastream, Cleveland's public television and radio station.

Name almost any nonprofit organization in the region and Bill Joseph is either serving on its board, is a past president, a former trustee, or a trusted and valued advisor. Bill Blair's résumé reads like a template for public service. Blair was the founding president of the Ohio Foundation of the Arts, another statewide arts service corporation. He is also past chairman of the American Arts Alliance in Washington, D.C., and the founding chairman of the Alliance of Arts Advocates, the nation's first arts political action committee.

A resident of Shaker Heights, Joseph has worked as a partner in the Cleveland law firm of Weston, Hurd, Fallon, Paisley & Howley since 1989. He received his B.A. in 1968 and his J.D. in 1972 from Columbia University. He specializes in nonprofit corporate and tax law and advocacy on behalf of cultural, educational, and social service organizations and health care providers.

Blair, a resident of Canton and Columbus, earned a B.A. in history and government, an M.A. in public administration, and a J.D. from the College of Law at The Ohio State University. When he served as executive counsel to the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, he drafted and helped pass many bills benefiting Ohio's natural resources and environment, including the legislation enabling the creation of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Without the generous, ongoing work of "the Bills," northeastern Ohio's arts and cultural landscape would resemble more of a desert than the oasis it is. Indeed, their influence has been felt nationwide, as OCA has served as a model for the country and a catalyst for the creation of other statewide arts advocacy organizations.

—Amy Sparks