If you've been touched by the arts in Mason, Meredith Raffel, most likely had a hand in helping you.  She's the Executive Director of the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance.  This year, the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance now has an official "home base" at the beautiful Snyder house in Cottell Park (thank you Deerfield Township).  You can read more about how the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance came about by seeing my latest article on  Associated Content. 

MasonMetu has selected Meredith Raffel for our April "Women to Watch" for her tireless commitment to bringing the arts to Mason, Deerfield Township and our surrounding communities.  Without Meredith, the annual Mason Arts Festival would not be on our calendars.  You can see all the wonderful programs and events they have to offer on www.masonarts.org.

Meredith, and her husband Tim have lived in Mason for sixteen years and they have been married for twenty-two years.  The have three children, Kyle (20), Erik (17) & Parker (17).  My daughter and I recently got to enjoy seeing The Ohio University Singing Men of Ohio (SMO) at Christ's Church in Mason and the MDAA was the organization responsible for getting them here for a unique, uplifting and fun choral ensemble concert.  The concert was free and Meredith's son, Kyle was one of the singers.  Of course, I am a bit biased with anything dealing with Ohio University since I'm an alumni and so is Meredith.  I'm so glad her son, Kyle, now attends the best school ever!  Go Bobcats! Meredith received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism in Broadcast News from Ohio University, but thankfully her career diverted her to a different path involving the arts.

I did a little Q & A with Meredith.........

KG: "What are you top 5 art venues in Cincinnati and if you had visitor coming from out of town, what would you tell them to do?"  (no specific order)

MR:
  1. The Cincinnati Art Museum. It’s free and it’s fabulous. I love it there and find myself there often. What a treasure this facility is to the people of Cincinnati and the entire region. I love to walk through the museum, enjoy the quiet, sit on a bench and enjoy the artwork.
  2. The Taft Art Museum. A treasure. And it’s free on Wednesdays (until May 5, after May 9 the free day is Sunday).
  3. Playhouse in the Park. I like the intimate setting of the Playhouse. It’s fun outing and I would encourage people to walk up the hills of Mount Adams and enjoy a coffee.
  4. Sawyer Point, Serpentine Wall and Yeatman’s Cove for some of Cincinnati’s wonderful public art displays.
  5. I am an architecture lover so I would tell my visitor to Walk…go to Findley Market, Over-the-Rhine, Fountain Square…just walk this city and observe the most lovely architecture.
  6. One of my favorite Cincinnati spots is Holy Cross Immaculata in Mt. Adams…it offers magnificent views and the church is lovely.

KG: "Do you have any unique interests/hobbies that your friends may not even know about?"
  • MR: "I’ve been secretly (well… not so secret now) writing a screenplay. There’s a sometimes book always being written, too. I’ve had a story whirling around in my head for a long time and it’s taken even longer to get it down on paper."
 
KG: In your spare time, Meredith can be found…
  • MR: "With a camera in hand taking photos. I feel most comfortable when I’m taking photographs. Photography is what keeps me balanced. OR…in the kitchen…cooking is great therapy and I love the creative process and a finished product."

Next time you're at one of our local arts events in Mason, Meredith is probably somewhere near by.  If you see her, please pass along your appreciation for all that she has done to enhance our art programming in our hometown.