ARTShops is a collaborative effort of the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and The CIRI Foundation—with support from the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation—to catalyze Alaska Native artists’ creative leadership and community development throughout rural Alaska. Every year since the pilot program launched in 2016, a jury-selected cohort of four artists participates in…
One of the ways the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) has realized the vision of its 2015-2020 strategic plan to foster vibrant, thriving and healthy communities is to partner with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine in support of its Florida Arts & Wellbeing Indicators initiative. DCA funded the three-year effort to develop…
One way state arts agencies can foster the capacity of arts leaders and arts organizations is by harnessing the power of cohort learning. This approach—based on the active and interactive dynamics of group learning—fosters community, creativity and leadership skills as a pedagogical strategy. In this way, cohort learning facilitates ongoing supportive relationships that both reinforce…
An interagency collaboration in the Ocean State supports a multifaceted approach to media arts education that foregrounds experiential learning, public presentation and dialogue with creative industry professionals. GiveMe5, sponsored by the Rhode Island Film and Television Office in conjunction with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), is open to students in grades…
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…
In January and February, the Maine Arts Commission braves the elements on its 2018 Arts Iditarod, a two-month technical assistance tour that targets the state’s most rural regions. Events in Kennebunk, Houlton, Lewiston and Ellsworth convene the creative community, offer training sessions and spark dialogue among residents and policymakers interested in rural arts development. The…
With three consecutive years of funding from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, AZ ArtWorker, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA) and Arizona State University (ASU), has created dozens of opportunities for artists in remote and historically underserved communities to connect with and learn from their local, national and international peers. Based…
A partnership of the Idaho Commission for the Arts (ICA) and the Idaho State Department of Education, the Arts Powered Schools Summer Institute convenes K-8 teachers, school administrators and members of ICA’s directory of teaching artists for a week-long exploration of connections between arts learning and other core curricula. Engaging a community of colleagues, participants…
In an era of changing audiences, tight budgets, increased competition and exponential technology growth, cultural institutions must seek new ways to keep their offerings fresh and engaging. To tackle this challenge, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is collaborating with the Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) on a Creativity Incubator initiative. The…
As part of a broad effort to catalyze community vitality through the arts, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) has launched an on-line resource providing practical information and project inspiration for artists, community leaders and other stakeholders working on creative placemaking. IAC’s Creative Placemaking Toolkit features a number of resources organized around partnership building, effective communication…