Georgia Council on the Arts (GCA), like many state arts agencies, supports the creation and enjoyment of poetry—and acknowledges the talent and achievement of those who commit their verse to the page—through a state poet laureate program. In addition, GCA works to nourish the next generation of Georgia’s poets, encouraging high school students and their…
In 2013, the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) partnered with the Alabama Department of Education to launch the Alabama Arts Education Leadership Team. This task force works to ensure fully funded, high-quality arts education for every Alabama student that not only enlightens and inspires but also fosters the faculties necessary for college and…
MuralsDC is a partnership of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) that aims, through creative engagement with at-risk youth populations, to abate illegal graffiti and to revitalize communities in Washington, D.C. Through the program, DCCAH awards grants of $3,000 to $13,500 for the design,…
South Dakota is one of the most rural states in the country, ranking 46th in population density. This creates particular challenges for the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) in supporting arts education and arts experiences. Its new Educator Grant program is an innovative mechanism to overcome rural-state obstacles by seeding opportunities for creativity in both…
CREATE CA, a statewide arts education coalition, recently published a summary report of its work to improve California’s public schools through arts education. A Blueprint for Creative Schools distills CREATE CA’s findings and lays the foundation of a 21st-century model of education based on the pedagogical value of the arts and creativity. When CREATE CA…
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…
Because the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) knows that STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education enhanced by the integration of the arts is key to nurturing both sides of the brain and to preparing whole students for the 21st century, it supports STEAM education through financial assistance as well as professional development…
For many state arts agencies, underwriting artist residencies in K-12 schools has long been an effective way to support statewide arts education. The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) builds on that model through its STARS Residencies program (Students and Teachers Working with ARtists, Scientists, and Scholars). Awarding grants of $500 – $5,000, the program enables schools—public,…
Innovative ideas may come easily to artists, educators and arts organizations, but funding opportunities to realize them can be more elusive. In West Virginia, this dilemma spawned a unique collaboration to create the Full STEAM Ahead grant program. Through it, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts (WVCA), the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the…
Through its Summer Youth Employment in the Arts Program (SYEA), the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) symbiotically realizes its goals to increase and enrich arts education opportunities, to support cultural organizations, and to demonstrate how the arts benefit communities and local economies. IACA grants up to $6,000 to eligible Illinois nonprofit arts organizations to underwrite…
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