To make art more accessible and showcase the creative talents of state artists, state arts agencies may seek new ways of sharing their state art collections, including conducting state art collection tours. These initiatives provide educational opportunities and enhance public engagement with the state arts collection, especially in rural and underserved communities. The Georgia Council…
Arts and cultural spaces help foster a sense of place and identity for both locals and visitors. To tap into this unique ability of the arts, the Indiana Arts Commission in partnership with Visit Indiana launched the Indiana Arts and Culture Passport. In addition to encouraging visitors to discover Indiana’s vibrant creative spaces, this project…
State arts agencies (SAAs) are continuing to respond to the changing dynamics of the pandemic, which severely disrupted audience attendance patterns for live and in-person arts events. To address this issue, some SAAs are undertaking promotional campaigns to encourage the public to visit cultural venues and participate in the arts. Iowa, North Carolina and New…
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…
Cultural participation is a crucial ingredient for maintaining social cohesion, bolstering community resiliency and finding hope during times of crisis. To help artists and arts organizations facilitate arts engagement despite widespread COVID-19 lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, many state arts agencies are promoting virtual arts events that allow individuals and families to experience the arts online.…
The State of North Carolina, through the North Carolina Arts Council and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, is running a year-long campaign, Come Hear NC, in response to Gov. Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper proclaiming 2019 as The Year of Music. The state is celebrating the composers, musicians, studios, venues, instrument…
According to the results of a pilot social impact study that the Utah Division of Arts & Museums (UA&M) is conducting, museum visitation is correlated with statistically significant increases in health and well-being, intercultural competence, strengthened relationships, and continued education and engagement. UA&M undertook this project with Thanksgiving Point—a nonprofit farm, garden and museum complex…
The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), through its Dille Fund for Visual Art Acquisition, encourages the growth of publically accessible art collections to better enable Mississippians from across the state to engage with and enjoy the visual arts. Based on a 1993 bequest from a constituent honoring the memory of his parents, the Dille Fund underwrites…
Recognizing that Kentucky residents may be underserved for a variety of reasons—such as age, ethnicity, disability, geographic location or economic status—the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) designed flexibility into its Arts Access Assistance program so it could annually recalibrate and expand its support of citizens who have limited opportunities to experience the arts. Through the program,…
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…