In a move to foster and celebrate the creativity of youth, the Arkansas Arts Council has launched the Arts Across Arkansas initiative. This annual program nurtures artistic expression and creativity, develops local talent through mentoring with teaching artists, and fosters community engagement in arts learning.

The project aims to encourage and expand high school students’ creativity by providing them with opportunities to showcase their original works in various artistic mediums. Teachers can nominate students, who then submit preliminary works in music composition, dance choreography, literary arts, visual arts, photography and film. A panel of judges, consisting of teaching artists from the Arkansas Arts Council, selects 5-10 finalists per medium. The finalists receive mentorship from the Arts Council’s Arts in Education roster artists, guiding them through the creative process. The students may refine their works before submitting the final product for the state finals event, where a cash prize is awarded to the top three submissions of each medium. The mentorship process aims to enhance problem-solving abilities and creative exploration while maintaining each student’s unique creative approach. The program concludes with a state finals event on March 30, 2024, where the cash prizes will be awarded. The event will showcase the chosen works in diverse categories. Last year, in the pilot season, 121 students were nominated from 41 different schools in the state. For more information, contact Arkansas Arts Council Arts in Education Program Manager Matt Boyce.