Connecticut: Arts Workforce Initiative
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) recently launched an Arts Workforce Initiative to support career development for emerging professionals. The initiative is designed to expand professional opportunities in the creative industries. Individuals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. COA selected 12 individuals specializing in arts administration, curation, media arts, performing arts, visual […]
Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee: Reaching the Most-Underserved Communities
A perennial goal of state arts agencies is to improve their engagement with and support of underserved communities. Geographic isolation, economic distress and other factors can be roadblocks for some constituents, especially those in rural areas. Recognizing the long-term impacts of such impediments, some state arts agencies have developed programs that focus especially on reaching […]
Alaska: Resolution Protecting Native Artists from State Ivory Bans
The Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) recently adopted a resolution advocating that all domestic ivory bans exclude the legal use of domestic ivory by Alaska Native artists. The resolution is a response to new laws in California and New Jersey and pending legislation in several other states that, as ASCA chairman Ben Brown […]
Wyoming: Art in Unlikely Places
Through a long-standing partnership with the University of Wyoming’s Fine Arts Outreach program, the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) helps bring the performing arts to untraditional venues across a large, rural state—and to people who may not otherwise have access to creative experiences. WAC’s financial, advisory and promotional support of the Art in Unlikely Places project […]
Utah: Art in Your Home
Utah Arts & Museums (UAM), like many state arts agencies, supports visual artists by organizing and hosting juried art exhibitions. Art in Your Home is an adjunct program UAM created in 2014 when it faced the dilemma of deciding what to do with a collection of unclaimed artwork it had amassed over the years. UAM […]
North Dakota: Creative Aging Program Leveraged with Foundation Support
A recent $100,000 Community Creativity Cohort grant from the Bush Foundation is enabling the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) to expand its creative aging work. Through its Art for Life program, NDCA supports arts activities—such as combining traditional dance and a mobile painting device—in eldercare facilities in effort to improve the emotional and […]
Missouri: Ghost Light Project
In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Missouri Arts Council (MAC) this summer launched a new effort to fund and facilitate accessible and affordable arts performances in communities in need of cultural support. The Ghost Light Project aims to bring the arts to the 20 (out of 163) state legislative districts that currently do not […]
Oklahoma: Arts and Military Initiative
The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) kicked off its new Arts and the Military Initiative in February when it deployed a survey to assess the existing connections between the state’s arts and military communities as well as to determine what it can do to multiply and strengthen them. According to the survey results, there is a […]
New Jersey: Cultural Alliance for Response
The impact of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey was devastating, and the state’s arts industry was not spared. The 2012 storm destroyed nonprofit arts venues as well as the homes, businesses and studios of artists, leaving in its wake the dual challenge of rebuilding structures and recovering business and revenue loss. With an eye toward […]
Michigan: Equipment & Supplies Grant for Schools
Last year, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) conducted a gap analysis of arts education in the state and concluded that what arts teachers most need are basic supplies for their classroom. In response, MCACA launched its Art Equipment and Supplies Grant. Through this program, which is administered by MCACA’s partner, the […]