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 mask design by Mack, age 9, from Centennial, Colorado Face…
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.…
The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts (VICA) and the Virgin Islands Enterprise Zone Commission, an entity of the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), have collaborated to sponsor a Made in the USVI Pop-Up Store. The initiative provides business development opportunities for artists, engenders creative collaborations and encourages residents and visitors to “buy…
The California Arts Council (CAC) recently announced a new Innovations + Intersections pilot program. This unique grant program offers funding for arts organizations to fuse technology or wellness into arts projects addressing society’s most urgent challenges. The initiative aims to use the arts to find groundbreaking and imaginative solutions for complex issues such as homelessness,…
County and municipal support for the arts are critical ingredients in public-sector support for the arts. To incentivize local investment, the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) offers Creative Communities Partnership Grants. This program challenges Virginia’s county, city and township governments to allocate local tax dollars to arts and cultural projects. VCA will match up…
“Creative Placemaking: Joining the State’s Eight Regions” is a new initiative of the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA). This multiyear effort will use public art as a vehicle for rural community development. Entropical Paradise – Enchanted Highway, North Dakota. Photo by Gary Greff North Dakota is comprised of eight…
The New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Office for the Aging recently partnered to launch a new Creative Aging Initiative. The program takes an innovative, evidence based approach to healthy aging, underscoring New York as the first state in the nation recognized by AARP as part of its Age-Friendly…
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