The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant income losses for independent artists and creative workers, especially those reliant on gigs and contractual jobs. This trend is concerning not only because of the hardship it caused for these workers and their families, but also because the creative economy relies on the robust production and engagement of artists across…
In March 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) received $135 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 to support jobs in the arts sector, keep the doors open to arts organizations nationwide, and assist the field in its response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty percent…
Multiple state arts agencies (SAAs) are offering virtual arts exhibitions to increase visibility for artists and expand public access to their works. While some SAAs have conducted virtual exhibitions in the past, this approach took on new significance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical access to exhibition venues was restricted. SAAs are finding virtual exhibitions…
Musician Damian Rodriguez features in this mini-documentary film as part of the Mexican Music Project with Idaho Commission on the Arts. Video courtesy Idaho Commission on the Arts The Idaho Commission on the Arts (ICA) is dedicated to creating meaningful, authentic relationships with traditional arts communities across Idaho. As part of this drive, the…
For many years, the Wyoming Arts Council has awarded annual fellowships that recognize visual, literary and performing artists. That portfolio is now expanding to include the Native Art Fellowship. This program, new in 2021, is designed to raise the visibility and support the artistry of Native artists in Wyoming. This effort was inspired in part…
The Iowa Arts Council (IAC) launched the Iowa Keeps Creating: Digital Stage initiative to support and promote local artists by showcasing their works through IAC’s digital platforms. The program is inspired by the exceptional challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic and a reinvigorated civil rights movement in the past year. It underscores the fact…
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) is committed to uplifting maker spaces as both communal creative spaces and assets for the creative economy. As part of the New Hampshire Makerspace Network, NHSCA facilitates monthly meetings with 14 maker spaces across the state to encourage resource sharing, cooperative marketing, and new partnerships that…
Using a combination of state and federal funds, the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) developed the Connecticut Artists Respond Grants program to harness the creative energies of artists and teaching artists to develop new pathways to online arts participation for Connecticut residents during COVID-19. The program was designed to support artists and to provide…
Residencies for Recovery, a new program of the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC), uses artist-led practices to promote community recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, to prepare for future disasters and to build resiliency through the arts. The program is based on the premise that artists are creative problem solvers, able to build community bonds and…
The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts (VICA) and the Virgin Islands Enterprise Zone Commission, an entity of the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), have collaborated to sponsor a Made in the USVI Pop-Up Store. The initiative provides business development opportunities for artists, engenders creative collaborations and encourages residents and visitors to “buy…
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