The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), like most state arts agencies, has long supported individual artists through an artist registry that enables curators, collectors and other arts enthusiasts to discover their work. As the Internet became artists’ primary means for self-promotion and the advent of e-commerce websites like Etsy made it easier for artists to…
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) has launched the Curatorial Grant Program to help local curators develop and present compelling visual art exhibitions in service to residents of Washington, D.C. The program awards two curators with previous experience an opportunity to stage an innovative and educational exhibition in the agency’s 200 I…
With three consecutive years of funding from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, AZ ArtWorker, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA) and Arizona State University (ASU), has created dozens of opportunities for artists in remote and historically underserved communities to connect with and learn from their local, national and international peers. Based…
Recognizing that space, time and community are key ingredients for developing a creative career, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC) has launched the Tallgrass Artist Residency. A partnership between KCAIC, the Center for Living Education at Matfield Green and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University, the residency enables artists…
The Film Lounge is a media arts program that promotes Iowan filmmakers and their contributions to the state’s cultural and economic vitality. The program is a three-way partnership between the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Public Television and Produce Iowa, the state’s film industry office. The Film Lounge showcases short-form documentary, narrative, animated and experimental films.…
Recognizing the scarcity of investment capital available for motivated artists and creative ventures, the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and CommunityWorks, a local community development group that strengthens the financial infrastructure of underserved areas, have launched a program to capitalize cultural entrepreneurship. Through the $1.5 million ArtsGrowSC program, SCAC and CommunityWorks are offering a savings incentive program, Artist Ventures…
Through its Artists Open Studios Tour (AOST) program, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts(RISCA) helps local artists gain public exposure, develop their audience and sell their work. AOST grants provide $500 to municipalities that facilitate or otherwise support tours of artists’ studios, which foster cultural vibrancy and, as a result, are an effective strategy for creative…
The Colorado Music Strategy is a new $200,000 public-private partnership between Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) and the Bohemian Foundation that aims to generate opportunities for live music, thereby increasing revenue for musicians and presenting organizations, enriching the state’s culture, and raising its profile as a destination for the arts. The new program includes an annual music…
Since the 2010 launch of the Maine-New Brunswick Cultural Initiative, the Maine Arts Commission (MAC) has worked to foster its goals of increasing cross-border business, cultural tourism and cultural exchange. Notably, MAC has supported the initiative’s Cultural Exchange Task Force, which consists of arts professionals from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border and has undertaken…
The Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) has launched a new initiative leveraging the social and physical infrastructure of farmers markets to help develop rural arts entrepreneurship. KAC’s new program, underwritten by a $51,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Agency, will connect participating artists with established produce vendors at two farmers markets…
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