There are fertile connections between culture and nature, which interagency partnerships in two states are cultivating to inspire both artists and visitors to state parks. Endorsed by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission, Arts in the Parks is a joint effort of the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to celebrate shared…
By revising the guidelines of its general operating support program, the Montana Arts Council (MAC) is leveraging the value of its grant making to foster legislative support for the arts in Montana and to maximize the accessibility of creative activities and experiences for all Montanans. For the FY2016-2019 cycle of its Public Value Partnerships (PVP)…
A recent $100,000 Community Creativity Cohort grant from the Bush Foundation is enabling the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) to expand its creative aging work. Through its Art for Life program, NDCA supports arts activities—such as combining traditional dance and a mobile painting device—in eldercare facilities in effort to improve the emotional and…
Thanks to the Utah legislature, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums has a new mechanism and source of funding to foster arts development throughout the state. Recently enacted legislation creates the Arts and Culture Business Alliance, which will support the construction or improvement of arts facilities, encourage the professional development of artists, and increase…
Recognizing that arts accessibility is a dynamic goal—a direction more than a destination—the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) created its UP program to help arts and cultural organizations develop the insight, innovation, capacity and drive to evolve their spaces and programming to be inclusive of all audiences. UP, which stands for “universal programming” among other things,…
One of the ways the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) fosters accessibility is through its sponsorship and advisory leadership of the Cultural Access Network Project (CANP). With the support of NJSCA and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, its cosponsor, CANP offers trainings, roundtable discussions and other technical assistance services—as well as a…
In November, the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) kicked off an effort to convene arts institutions, arts organizations and teaching artists committed to making facilities, programming and educational offerings accessible to all people, including those with disabilities. MAC’s vision is to establish local accessibility networks throughout Missouri, and its November meeting, which gathered groups based in…
The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) began its Arts & Autism Initiative in 2012 after a constituent asked about arts activities in Ohio geared toward young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since then, OAC and VSA Ohio, the state organization on arts and disability, have partnered to better support this underserved community. By establishing an…
Through a new series of Arts and Inclusion (A&I) Conversations, the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) is working with another state agency, the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, to increase participation and inclusion in the arts for all Tennesseans. The conversations, coordinated and facilitated by the Council on Developmental Disabilities, bring together representatives of local disability…
With more than 3.6 million residents living beyond its cities and their suburbs, Texas has the largest rural population in the nation. The Rural Initiatives program is how the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) answers the challenge of serving so many rural residents. Through the program, TCA helps rural communities lacking arts groups to…
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