Harmony Project

It takes a community to make a night like Concert for Humanity possible.

Thank you to the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Columbus City Council, the City of Columbus - City Hall, Franklin County Board of Commissioners, and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther for your support of this year's Concert for Humanity.

Your investment in the arts helps create opportunities for connection, belonging, and community throughout Central Ohio. We are grateful for your partnership and support of Harmony Project's mission. bit.ly/3rhdSdz

Inside the walls of the Ohio Reformatory for Women, something extraordinary happens each year.

More than 3,000 people gather for one of the most unique arts festivals in the country.

The Sunflower Arts & Music Festival brings incarcerated men and women together with community leaders, elected officials, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction leadership, Harmony supporters, artists, and local bands for a day of music, storytelling, and visual arts.

But Sunflower is about more than performances.

It creates opportunities for people to be seen, rebuild confidence, and reconnect with purpose, voice, and community. Inside a prison environment, those moments matter deeply.

The Sunflower Arts & Music Festival has become a nationally recognized model for what arts programming inside prisons can accomplish—not only for incarcerated individuals, but for the communities they will one day return to.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (Ohio Reformatory for Women, Madison Correctional Institution, and Pickaway Correctional Institution), and Donatos Pizza and Music Columbus

As Harmony prepares for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on tomorrow, hear from our founder and creative director, David Brown:

I’ve spent years witnessing what happens when people are given the chance to reconnect with their humanity through the arts. That’s what the Sunflower Arts & Music Festival represents.

What began as a connection between incarcerated women in Ohio and children at the Sunflower Children’s Hospice in South Africa has grown into an annual festival where incarcerated men and women from across Ohio come together to share music, poetry, visual art, dance, and personal storytelling.

Sunflower is not really about performance. It’s about humanity.

Over the years, I’ve watched Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs help people rebuild confidence, trust, accountability, and community in places where those things can be hard to find.

Please consider making a gift to support Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs and help this transformational work continue. bit.ly/3PC19AK

As Harmony prepares for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on June 2, we’re sharing stories that reflect the transformative power of this work.

This is Rochelle’s story:

I spent decades working inside Ohio’s prison system, and during that time, I saw countless programs come and go. But when I first stepped into a Harmony Project rehearsal at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, I knew this was something different.

I watched women begin to lower their defenses. I watched trust grow. I watched people who had spent years defined by their worst decisions reconnect with parts of themselves they thought were gone.

Years later, when I became Warden at Pickaway Correctional Institution, one of the first things I did was bring Harmony to the men incarcerated there. And once again, I witnessed that same transformation.

Today, I’m part of Harmony’s leadership team, continuing work I have believed in from the very beginning.

Because this is far more than a music program. It’s a pathway to healing, accountability, and second chances.

Please consider making a gift to support Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs and help ensure this work continues for the people who need it most. bit.ly/3PC19AK

As we prepare for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on June 2, we’re sharing stories that reflect the transformative power of Harmony’s work.

Here is Paul’s story:

I spent nearly three decades incarcerated. In that time, I experienced profound loss and, like so many, began to lose hope.

Then, Harmony arrived at the Pickaway Correctional Institution.

What started as a Prison Arts program became something far more personal for me: a source of connection, belonging, and belief in a different future. I watched the program change not only my own life, but the lives of the men around me.

After my release in December 2025, Harmony hired me full-time. Today, I help manage the theatre space at Harmony Center while building a future rooted in purpose.

I believe everyone deserves the chance to reconnect with their humanity, and there are still so many people inside waiting for that opportunity.

Support our Prison Arts Program and help make that possible: bit.ly/3PC19AK

What a beautiful way to wrap up the season.

This week, our Ability Arts community gathered at Whetstone Park for our annual end-of-season picnic, bringing together more than 150 participants, volunteers, staff, and partners for an afternoon of good food, connection, and celebration.

A special thank you to our partners who helped make the day possible, including Goodwill Columbus, whose support helped provide the picnic, along with National Church Residences, ViaQuest, Open Door Columbus, and ARC Voyagers.

Programs like Ability Arts are built on connection, and this was such a joyful reminder of what community can look like. bit.ly/42xvPnh

As we prepare for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on June 2, we’re sharing stories that reflect the life-changing impact of this work.

Here is Margie’s story:

I first learned about Harmony Project while I was incarcerated. Though I didn’t participate in the program at the time, I saw the impact it had on women around me. After returning home, I found my way to Harmony as a volunteer and later joined the Harmony Community Chorus.

Since then, I have witnessed women walk in carrying shame, trauma, addiction, and hopelessness, and begin to rebuild their lives through connection, support, and purpose.

Now, I encourage every woman I meet to get involved in Harmony.

Because sometimes, all it takes is someone willing to say: "We still believe in you.”

I hope you will join me today in supporting this transformational work by clicking the link below.

bit.ly/3PC19AK

One day at Kings Island became so much more for our Harmony students.

Because of the generosity of our community, Harmony Student Arts experienced something that was about so much more than a trip. It was a chance to build connections, create joyful memories, and simply be kids together.

At Harmony, we believe every young person deserves opportunities that expand horizons and create belonging. One day can become more than one memory. One experience can become more than one lesson. One moment of joy can become more than one reason to believe in what’s possible.

Thank you to the incredible supporters who made this experience possible for our students.

It takes more than one performance, more than one partner, and more than one shared belief in what’s possible to create a night like Concert for Humanity.

We’re incredibly grateful to our presenting sponsors, Wolfe Family Foundation and Robert J. Weiler Family Fund, along with our partner, Music Columbus, for helping bring Thursday night to life.

Because of your support, Concert for Humanity was a celebration of connection, community, and the power of the arts to bring people together.

Thank you for investing in Harmony Project and the work that continues far beyond one night. 💙

We’re still thinking about Thursday night. 💙

To everyone who joined us at Columbus Commons, sang along, supported the mission, and helped make the night what it was: thank you.

Concert for Humanity is about more than one night. More than one performance. More than one moment of connection.

It’s a reflection of the work Harmony Project does every day to use the arts to bring people together, create opportunity, and strengthen our community.

If Thursday night reminded you why that work matters, we’d be grateful for your support: https://bit.ly/3PC19AK

Music Columbus, Columbus Commons, Above Sound and Lighting, Brian Kozicki Events, @‌bradley_in_space (IG), Wolfe Family Foundation, Robert J. Weiler Family Fund