At a glance, the goal of public art seems simple: to beautify public spaces. Yet the benefits of public art extend well beyond beautification, including facilitating community cohesion and placemaking, strengthening local economies, and creating opportunities for cross-sector collaborations. State arts agencies play an integral role in the promotion of public art through special initiatives,…
Communities across the nation are planning special America 250 events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. As part of this national effort, state arts agencies are launching creative initiatives that celebrate American history and democracy through the arts. Here we feature programs from Florida and Ohio. Florida The Florida Department…
Like the rest of the United States, the population of older adults in Indiana is increasing significantly. In the next 10 years, one in five Indiana residents will be age 65 or older, and the fastest growing segment of the population is those age 85 or older. To address the needs of these shifting demographics,…
Widely used for historic preservation and film, state tax credits offer a unique policy mechanism for advancing the creative economy and incentivizing industry investments. Colorado offers a recent example for the arts sector. In June 2025, Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) announced $10 million in Community Revitalization Tax Credits for 10 projects across the state. Each…
The most recent data indicates that the economic value (in inflation-adjusted dollars) added by arts and culture industries has more than doubled over the past 25 years. Moreover, over the past five years, all states experienced increases in the value added from the creative economy. Supporting artists and creatives, who form the bedrock of a…
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Semiquincentennial activities across the country will commemorate that anniversary, celebrating our nation’s cultural heritage and using the arts to tell America’s stories. Governors and state legislatures have established America 250 commissions, and numerous state and jurisdictional arts agencies serve on those planning…
State arts agencies play a pivotal role in providing support and opportunities for individual artists, using a variety of strategies to do so. Often, state arts agencies support individual artists directly through grants that encourage the development of new works or advance artists’ careers. Investments in individual artist grants have significantly increased over the past…
Recognizing the role of the arts and artists in building and strengthening creative places and economic development, the Iowa Arts Council (IAC) is running a multiyear pilot program, the Creative Places Accelerator. Participating cross-sector teams from small to midsize Iowa communities will develop arts based projects to serve as catalysts for livability, economic development and…
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors the Congressional Art Competition, a high school visual art competition celebrating artistic talent in U.S. congressional districts. More than 650,000 high school students have participated in the competition since it began in the early 1980s. Artworks must be original two-dimensional pieces that can include paintings, drawings, collages, prints, photographs or mixed-media…
A growing body of research demonstrates that the benefits of arts participation as we age are substantial. Research shows, for example, that older adults who engage in the arts experience improved health outcomes, strengthened social bonds and enhanced emotional well-being. State arts agencies contribute to these benefits through facilitating creative aging programming, which supports a…
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