The GSVA Story

Annie Cacciato & Kerry Dixon | Co-Founders/Co-PresidentsGSVA was founded by two friends, Kerry and Annie, with passionate hearts and a magnificent purpose - to move creativity from the fringes of education to the center where it deserves to be.

As new mothers with career experience in the arts, we believed that shoving art and creative development to the corners of education would likely be the greatest educational misstep of our time.  We were not going to sit on the sidelines, so we chose to defy the odds, create a non-profit dedicated to creativity and begin to change the role that creativity plays in K-12 education.

From our kitchen tables in Granville, Ohio, we embraced our passion, sense of purpose and set out to turn our lofty idea of GSVA into a reality in 2006. With no money, a colossal mission and a belief in the possibilities of change, we built our collaborative teams and got to work.  Now, five years later, we think back to the early, tough days when we relied on our experience as young mothers and would say, “It is okay, keep going, we can sleep next year.”

Watch our intro video.Our Mission

To provide extraordinary creative thinking education and to foster creative courage in all people.

Today At GSVA 

Design of School Culture, Advisory and Curriculum Frameworks

• Designed “Innovation High” for KnowledgeWorks-EdWorks-Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Participated in the 2 year design of Reynoldsburg City Schools eSTEM Academy

5 year Partnership with The Ohio State University, College of Education & Human Ecology, Masters Program, Project Aspire

• Professional Development, Arts-Integration Curriculum Design with Columbus City School high school teachers

K-12 Curriculum Design, Professional Development Training in Ohio Schools

• Cincinnati Public Schools, Columbus City Schools, Newark City Schools, Youngstown/Liberty Charter Schools, Lancaster City Schools, Granville Exempted Village Schools
• GSVA Fine Arts Curriculum Programs designed for licensing to quality private and charter schools or after-school creative education organizations.

After School Creative Education (Preschool – Adult)

• GSVA Young Explorers (4-6 years old)
• GSVA Journey Program (1^st - 12^th graders)

GSVA Journey, The Art of the Self-Portrait
GSVA Journey, DreamWorlds
GSVA Journey360°

• GSVA Media Studio:  Photography & Filmmaking (5^th - 12^th graders)

Free Public Events

• GSVA Artist Talk Series - one evening a month during the winter
• The GSVA Club - open studio concept for teenagers, one Friday a month
• Eddie Wolfe Gallery at GSVA -  Open Saturdays 12-4pm
• Family Time & Art of Giving workshops - charitable donation only