An effective way state arts agencies can help increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the arts is by funding arts and culture groups that are run by or that have a mission to serve underrepresented populations. The Missouri Arts Council (MAC), for example, designed its Minority Arts Grants program in effort to strengthen its…
The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) recently announced the inaugural cohort of 36 artists for its creative-entrepreneurship accelerator program. On-Ramp is designed to help early career artists ramp up their entrepreneurial journey, move faster toward their business goals and navigate professional challenges on the way. Through a three-day intensive training course, participating artists learn business skills…
Communicating the value of public support for the arts can be challenging without a common language shared by elected officials, local arts leaders, individual artists, educators and other stakeholders. The Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), acknowledging this barrier while developing its Strategic Plan 2013-2018, resolved to tell a clearer story about the arts in…
In recognition of the value of artist residencies—as many artists point to time and space as the factors that foster their most fecund creativity—the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDA) biennially organizes and underwrites the Delaware Seashore Poets’ & Prose Writers’ Retreat. The retreat enables up to 22 Delaware writers to spend four days in…
The North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) recognizes that the intrinsic benefits of the arts—including empowerment through self-expression and interpersonal connections through creativity—can be especially important to military service members, veterans and their families, who face unique challenges stemming from frequent relocations, long deployments abroad and the loss of loved ones. With this in mind, NCAC…
Reentry through the Arts is a two-year pilot program the California Arts Council (CAC) developed to foster transformative arts experiences that facilitate rehabilitation and community building. The pilot—which is underwritten by a legislative line item—reflects CAC’s belief that arts participation can be an effective vehicle for rehabilitation, healing and skill building. It awards nonmatching grants…
Recognizing that Kentucky residents may be underserved for a variety of reasons—such as age, ethnicity, disability, geographic location or economic status—the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) designed flexibility into its Arts Access Assistance program so it could annually recalibrate and expand its support of citizens who have limited opportunities to experience the arts. Through the program,…
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) has launched the Curatorial Grant Program to help local curators develop and present compelling visual art exhibitions in service to residents of Washington, D.C. The program awards two curators with previous experience an opportunity to stage an innovative and educational exhibition in the agency’s 200 I…
Since the Arts and Foreign Language Education Grant Program was legislatively established in 2006, the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) and Illinois State Board of Education—which administer the program through a joint commitment to well-rounded education—have helped nearly 100 school districts around the state integrate arts and foreign language education into their core curricula. The…
The Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), with assistance from state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, recently launched an Artistic License Plate program to celebrate Alaskan identity and pride. The new plate was designed by an emerging artist selected through an inaugural statewide competition. Filmmaker and council member Pat Race designed the initiative’s website, and other…
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