Montana: Artrepreneur Program

The Montana Arts Council recently announced that it will receive $175,105 in new federal funds to promote job skills training for Montana Artists. This federal funding, provided from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Community Development Initiative, will expand the Arts Council’s Montana Artrepreneur Program (MAP). MAP is a training program specifically designed to help Native American and rural artists enhance their business planning practices, promote their products and broaden markets for their work. The program also helps small cohorts of artists to develop regional networks that provide peer support and foster future collaborations.

The Montana Arts Council is partnering with the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority to offer the program in four Ravalli County communities. The project will develop a cadre of trainers who will extend the MAP curriculum and resources to artists in other areas of the state. The new funds will augment Leveraging Investments in Creativity grant funding that supports a variety of traditional arts business development services offered by the Arts Council. For more information, contact Folk Art and Market Development Specialist Cindy Kittredge.