At the beginning of this year, Mass Cultural Council began a unique joint venture with Massachusetts Health Connector—the Massachusetts state health insurance marketplace—to promote healthier living through cultural engagement. Aimed at the hundreds of thousands of residents who are enrolled through Massachusetts Health Connector, this program provides free or reduced-price admission to more than 100…
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…
The Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission and the Kentucky Heritage Council worked together to produce Native Reflections, a traveling exhibit of artworks by Native American artists living in Kentucky. This juried show honors and celebrates indigenous cultures and confronts the common misconception that Native American culture is reflective only of past…
South Arts has launched the Emerging Leaders of Color program. Designed to nurture the next generation of diverse cultural leaders in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, this professional development initiative will help promising arts professionals to establish networks, build their skills, support their careers and advocate for the cultural…
The Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming State Library and Lifetime Arts have entered into a unique collaboration to advance creative aging. The new initiative will support the design and delivery of programs specifically designed to meet the needs of older adults. In-depth training programs, slated to commence in 2021, will be offered to teaching artists…
Teaching artists play a valuable role in bridging the gap between the arts and education, bringing their unique skillsets and experience to a wide variety of classrooms and communities. However, there is limited opportunity for teaching artists to engage in professional development and share their experiences with one another on a large scale. Recognizing this…
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…
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included $75 million in COVID-19 relief funds to be distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts. To achieve broad and inclusive access to federal funds, Congress requires 40% of the Arts Endowment’s grant budget to be allocated to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations—a…
In addition to supporting general public participation in the arts during COVID-19 shutdowns, state arts agencies are finding creative ways to address the specific needs of students and children. Colorado and Iowa offer two examples. Colorado Face Mask Design Challenge Face masks, while useful in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19, may be unsettling…
The COVID-19 pandemic will have wide-ranging ripple effects for the creative sector. Artists and arts organizations must not only adapt to immediate losses of income, they also must reposition themselves for an uncertain future. Many state arts agencies are organizing technical assistance and education programs designed to support sound planning as well as present-day triage.…
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