State arts agencies develop strategic plans that articulate their missions and guide their work. Each plan is informed by public input gathered from stakeholders inside and outside of the arts sector, with special care taken to reach populations with limited access to the arts. This high degree of public engagement is a hallmark of state…
The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) have entered into a partnership to help the state honor the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The VA250 Commission was established by the Virginia General Assembly to commemorate Virginia’s role in the story of American independence and to lead…
As state legislative sessions move forward, policymakers will need to know how state arts funds are spent and what the return on their investment is. A number of state arts agencies have recently published impact reports that answer such questions. Browse the below to glean ideas for communicating about the importance of state arts agency…
The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) has engaged the Virginia Department of Health to pursue a new partnership that provides free and discounted tickets to arts organizations for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program cardholders across Virginia. The new Passport Program will provide discounted or free tickets to cultural venues and events for WIC…
From time to time, state arts agencies will revisit their funding categories, to recalibrate them to a changing environment. The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) recently completed such a grants review. Some goals of the process were to: clarify points of entry into the agency’s programs; respond to feedback from grantees, panelists, commission members…
Teaching artists play a valuable role in bridging the gap between the arts and education, bringing their unique skillsets and experience to a wide variety of classrooms and communities. However, there is limited opportunity for teaching artists to engage in professional development and share their experiences with one another on a large scale. Recognizing this…
County and municipal support for the arts are critical ingredients in public-sector support for the arts. To incentivize local investment, the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) offers Creative Communities Partnership Grants. This program challenges Virginia’s county, city and township governments to allocate local tax dollars to arts and cultural projects. VCA will match up…
Virginia has one of the nation’s largest military populations: 1 in 10 Virginians is a veteran, and the state is home to more than 100,000 active-duty military personnel. To address the unique needs of this population, the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) recently convened a Creative Forces Arts Summit to support wounded service members…
Several years ago the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) began hosting regular roundtable discussions among the state’s major arts organizations, with the goal of encouraging these groups to play a strong leadership role in promoting the arts statewide. In May 2007, this group agreed that the arts community needed a high visibility project to demonstrate the breadth and diversity…
The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) and the Virginia Tourism Corporation are partnering to offer a special grant program to help Virginia arts organizations with tourism promotions. Tourism and the Arts Grants are available to partnerships led by general operating support grantees of the Commission that collaborate with two other entities (such as local…