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…
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…
The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) has taken its commitment to strengthening the state’s creative economy, places and communities to the next level with the recent launch of its Creative Mississippi Institute (CMI). Building off MAC’s 2011 Mississippi’s Creative Economy study, the new CMI is an on-line and broadcast-radio clearinghouse of technical assistance for creative economic…
New York’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) program, which began in 2011, is a “community-based, bottom up” effort to create jobs and grow the economy. Through the program, the state government provides funding in 10 regions through 26 programs run by various state agencies, including the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Last…
This summer, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development (OCD), the parent agency of the Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA), is building the capacity of Louisiana community leaders to undertake place-based cultural, community and economic development projects. Through OCD’s Creative Communities Initiative, leaders from 10 communities are working with coaches trained by The National Consortium…
The Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum is a new initiative of the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) that integrates the history, culture and art of Mississippi blues music into the state’s classrooms. The curriculum has 18 lessons, three each for six subject areas—music, meaning, cotton, transportation, civil rights and media. While the curriculum was developed for 4th-grade…
The Indiana Arts Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Ohio Arts Council are organizing a two-day colloquium in April for constituents from their tri-state area. Embracing Community Change through the Arts will focus on strategies for building diversity in arts organizations, with a special focus on engaging increasing numbers of…
The Oregon Arts Commission has published a new monograph, Arts Build Communities. The publication chronicles outcomes of 24 recent community projects that used the arts to address various civic issues, ranging from cleaning up ocean and beach debris to improving health care in rural hospitals and promoting regional tourism in the Columbia Gorge. Each project…
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