Iowa: Arts Build Communities
Arts Build Communities is a year-long pilot program the Iowa Arts Council (IAC) is launching in July to support arts projects that uniquely address civic challenges and community issues. The catalyst of the pilot—which IAC is conducting in collaboration with the Iowa State University College of Design and the University of Iowa’s Office of Outreach […]
Vermont: Animating Infrastructure Grant
The Vermont Arts Council (VAC) has a new program to fund public art projects that foster civic pride and community cohesion by reflecting the vision, values and creative spirit of Vermont citizens. The Animating Infrastructure program awards nonmatching grants of $1,000-$15,000 for collaborative projects through which artists partner with communities to integrate artwork into existing […]
Georgia: Poet Laureate’s Prize for High School Students
Georgia Council on the Arts (GCA), like many state arts agencies, supports the creation and enjoyment of poetry—and acknowledges the talent and achievement of those who commit their verse to the page—through a state poet laureate program. In addition, GCA works to nourish the next generation of Georgia’s poets, encouraging high school students and their […]
Alabama: Arts Education Junior Leadership Team
In 2013, the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) partnered with the Alabama Department of Education to launch the Alabama Arts Education Leadership Team. This task force works to ensure fully funded, high-quality arts education for every Alabama student that not only enlightens and inspires but also fosters the faculties necessary for college and […]
Tennessee: New Agency Brand
The Tennessee Arts Commission has launched a new agency brand reflecting what it learned from constituents through its most recent strategic planning process. While developing its 2015 – 2019 plan, Cultivating the Arts in Tennessee, the Commission heard from artists, arts organizations and other stakeholders that it is paramount both to demonstrate the public value […]
Florida: Poet Laureate Program Renewed and Formalized
Soon there will be a new Florida poet laureate, the first under the auspices of the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and only the fourth since 1929. The honorary post—which had been a lifetime appointment by the governor, independent of any state agency and not statutorily defined—was formalized as a four-year position by the […]
Utah: Arts and Culture Business Alliance
Thanks to the Utah legislature, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums has a new mechanism and source of funding to foster arts development throughout the state. Recently enacted legislation creates the Arts and Culture Business Alliance, which will support the construction or improvement of arts facilities, encourage the professional development of artists, and increase […]
D.C.: MuralsDC
MuralsDC is a partnership of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) that aims, through creative engagement with at-risk youth populations, to abate illegal graffiti and to revitalize communities in Washington, D.C. Through the program, DCCAH awards grants of $3,000 to $13,500 for the design, […]
Massachusetts: Universal Programming
Recognizing that arts accessibility is a dynamic goal—a direction more than a destination—the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) created its UP program to help arts and cultural organizations develop the insight, innovation, capacity and drive to evolve their spaces and programming to be inclusive of all audiences. UP, which stands for “universal programming” among other things, […]
South Dakota: Educator Grants
South Dakota is one of the most rural states in the country, ranking 46th in population density. This creates particular challenges for the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) in supporting arts education and arts experiences. Its new Educator Grant program is an innovative mechanism to overcome rural-state obstacles by seeding opportunities for creativity in both […]