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…
Nebraska has a long history of circulating posters encouraging social action. During times of crisis, conflict and change, posters have been an inexpensive and accessible medium for public messaging around topics like rationing, volunteerism and solidarity. Recognizing that 2020 has been a year of challenge and change, the Nebraska Arts Council, in collaboration with History…
The Tennessee Arts Commission launched a new funding opportunity for nonprofit organizations and local governments to help mitigate the devastating impact of the pandemic on Tennessee’s civic life and creative economy. The COVID-19 Arts Resilience Grant provides nonmatching funds ranging up to $5,000 for projects occurring from December 5, 2020, to June 15, 2021. The…
Several state arts agencies across the country have conducted surveys to study the impact of COVID-19 on arts organizations and artists, however the Audience Outlook survey led by the Maine Arts Commission is notable because of its unique emphasis on audience needs and perceptions. The Maine Arts Commission recently released results of the survey, which…
In an exciting new opportunity for small creative businesses across Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) has organized the Creative Business Loan Fund. This Creative Business Loan is the direct result of a unique public-private partnership between the state, Bridgeway Capital and Community First Fund. It makes $2.2 million available to support the…
Arts and culture play a vital role in crisis recovery and collective well-being. There is currently a high level of interest in learning how to reopen the arts sector after the programming reductions forced by COVID-19. However, resuming arts activities and reopening cultural venues require addressing a kaleidoscope of ever-changing circumstances. Reopening practices necessitate taking…
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act included $150 billion in federal funding assistance for states and localities. These dollars (separate from funds distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts) are available to help state and county governments address unanticipated costs of COVID-19. States may elect to use some of the funds…
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 COVID-19 pandemic has presented arts organizations with unprecedented financial challenges. Their primary sources of income—program earnings and contributions—are likely strained or delayed, and their ability to fundraise has been limited. ArtsWA, the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission recently partnered to present a webinar, Creative Borrowing for Your COVID-19 Comeback, that discussed how nonprofit organizations can…
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