Join your colleagues from all of the states and jurisdictions for professional development sessions designed around the current needs of state arts agencies. During the NASAA 2026 Learning Series, participants explore subjects relevant to the daily work they undertake serving their constituents, and delve deeper into timely topics and research. Sessions offer state arts agencies a valuable opportunity to learn with and from one another, sharing an abundance of ideas to inform, inspire and energize our work.
All staff and council/board members from state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations are encouraged to participate. To make this program accessible to all members, NASAA has waived registration fees for this series.
IMAGE: Painting by Steve Johnson, Creative Commons
Forging Rural Arts and Culture Disaster Resilience
August 19, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern
How can state arts agencies help cultural communities prepare for and recover from disasters? Hear from the Vermont Arts and Culture Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN), a statewide partnership connecting artists, cultural organizations, archivists, emergency managers and other partners, as presenters share lessons from Vermont’s major floods in 2023 and 2024. Learn how VACDaRN has strengthened disaster preparedness, response and recovery and built connections between the cultural sector and government emergency management. Participants gain ideas for adapting this collaborative model in their own states and regions.
VIDEO
Image: Silos, by artist Sarah Rutherford, in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Photo by Ellen Hill
Redefining and Reimagining Professional Development
July 29, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern
What does professional development look like in today’s arts ecosystem—and what should it look like in the future? Join colleagues from state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations for an interactive session exploring how artists, organizations and funders are rethinking professional development in response to changing needs and opportunities.
Participants share innovative examples from their communities, discuss creative strategies for supporting professional development through agency programming, and imagine new possibilities for collaboration across states and regions. Together, we examine how professional development can extend beyond traditional models and identify opportunities to better serve artists and organizations in a rapidly evolving field.
Tools for Advancing Creative Aging
May 13, 2026
3:00 – 4:15 p.m. Eastern
This NASAA 2026 Learning Series session is supported by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy through the Creative Aging, Creative Futures initiative.
This webinar celebrates the launch of NASAA’s Vital and Vibrant Creative Aging Toolkit, a new resource designed to help state and jurisdictional arts agencies champion and implement creative aging in their communities. Former NASAA Arts Learning Projects Director Susan Oetgen walks participants through the toolkit’s components and helps state arts agencies dig deeper into how they can put the toolkit to work. Lifetime Arts Executive Director Heather Ikemire presents on her organization’s new policy brief, Creative Aging in the Healthy Aging Ecosystem: Advancing Brain Health, Social Connectedness, and Livable Communities.
Accessible Art and Placemaking: A Special Cross-Peer Group Meeting
March 19, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Pacific
NASAA’s Community Development Coordinators Peer Group invites all state and jurisdictional arts agency peer group members to a special cross-peer group gathering featuring a presentation by STEPS Public Art on its Accessible Art and Placemaking Toolkit. Participants explore practical strategies for integrating accessibility into public art and placemaking projects.
PRESENTATION: STEPS Public Art Accessible Art and Placemaking Toolkit
Engaging with America250
February 17, 2026
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
As the nation celebrates America’s 250th anniversary, state arts agencies are playing a vital role in shaping how this moment is marked—through programs and projects that reflect local history, community voices and long-term impact.
Join us for an upcoming learning series session that will spotlight how state arts agencies are engaging with America250 initiatives, from early planning and partnerships to projects designed to pay dividends well beyond 2026.