Thanks to state legislation enacted in May 2014 authorizing a $10 million bond issue, the Connecticut Office of Arts and Historic Preservation has launched a new pilot grant program offering project support and capital investments to organizations with limited history of state funding. The overarching goal of the Good to Great program is to link…
The impact of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey was devastating, and the state’s arts industry was not spared. The 2012 storm destroyed nonprofit arts venues as well as the homes, businesses and studios of artists, leaving in its wake the dual challenge of rebuilding structures and recovering business and revenue loss. With an eye toward…
With financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the New England Foundation for the Arts, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) was able to enroll all 10 core participants of its 2015-16 Assets for Artists program from rural communities in Rhode Island. Halfway through the two-year program, the core artists…
Space to Create, Colorado is a state-driven effort to develop affordable housing and work space for artists and arts organizations. The brand new initiative—led by Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) in partnership with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, History Colorado, the Boettcher Foundation and the consulting firm Artspace—will develop mixed-use buildings that merge affordable live/work…
In a new public-private partnership, the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) is harnessing the technology and know-how of Etsy, the on-line global marketplace for creative entrepreneurship, to help Kentucky artists, craftspeople and other creators launch and grow their own small businesses. In conjunction with Etsy, the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, and Hazard Community and…
The Gulf States Presenters Network (GSPN) is a collaborative effort of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Mississippi Arts Commission to cultivate performance opportunities—and the creative economy—for presenting artists and arts organizations. The three state arts agencies each offer grants to presenters in their own state…
More than a decade after the rise of “Web 2.0,” the proliferation and falling cost of on-line and other digital technologies means that state arts agencies can do more now than ever to engage their constituents and support artists, arts organizations and arts audiences in their state. This month, State to State looks at three…
Every holiday season, the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea (KACB), its sibling agency within the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, partner to promote Kentucky art, craft, music, books, specialty foods, and more through the Give a Gift Made in Kentucky campaign. For its part, KAC features on its website…
Like many statewide cultural district programs, the Oklahoma Arts Council’s (OAC) Cultural District Initiative aims to help communities identify and leverage their creative assets for economic growth and community vibrancy. Unlike most other statewide cultural district programs, however, there is no legislatively set policy behind OAC’s effort. Without a legislative mandate, OAC was able to design the program…
Creative Economy 2014 State Legislation Roundup State policymakers are increasingly eager to harness the power of the creative economy for the benefit of their citizens. Cultural districts, in particular, are a popular policy measure with state lawmakers as they foster both commerce and quality of life in home districts. In addition, cultural districts are primed…
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