Arts Midwest Grants: Strengthening the Arts Across America's Heartland

Arts Midwest is one of the six regional arts organisations in the United States, supporting artists and arts organisations across a nine-state region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Founded in 1985 and based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest has been a consistent advocate for the arts in the Midwest region, providing grants, touring programs, and professional development resources that strengthen the arts ecosystem across one of the most geographically and culturally diverse regions in the country.

The organisation's regional focus is one of its most important characteristics, reflecting the understanding that the arts needs of the Midwest region are specific and different from those of other regions, and that supporting the arts in the Midwest requires a deep understanding of the specific cultural, geographic, and economic context of the region. Arts Midwest's programs are designed to address the specific challenges and opportunities of the Midwest arts ecosystem, from the major urban arts centres of Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit through the smaller cities and rural communities that make up much of the region.

The World Fest Program

The World Fest program is one of Arts Midwest's most distinctive and celebrated programs, supporting the presentation of international performing arts in communities across the Midwest. The program provides grants to presenting organisations that bring international artists to Midwest communities, supporting the kind of cultural exchange that enriches the arts ecosystem of the region and provides Midwest audiences with access to the best performing arts from around the world.

The World Fest program reflects Arts Midwest's understanding that the arts in the Midwest benefit from connection to the broader global arts community, and that supporting the presentation of international work in Midwest communities is one of the most effective ways to enrich the regional arts ecosystem. The program has brought hundreds of international artists to Midwest communities over the years, providing audiences with access to work that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.

The Touring and Presenting Programs

The touring and presenting programs support the movement of arts work across the Midwest region, providing grants to presenting organisations that bring artists from other parts of the region to their communities. These programs reflect Arts Midwest's understanding that one of the most effective ways to strengthen the regional arts ecosystem is to support the circulation of work within the region, allowing artists and audiences in different parts of the Midwest to connect with each other.

The touring programs cover a range of art forms including visual art, performing arts, and other disciplines, with grants available to presenting organisations that are bringing work to their communities for the first time or that are expanding their presenting programs to include new artists or art forms.

The Professional Development Resources

Professional development resources are another important aspect of Arts Midwest's programs, providing artists and arts administrators in the Midwest region with access to the knowledge and skills they need to develop their practices and organisations. The professional development resources include workshops, seminars, and other learning opportunities that address the specific challenges of working in the arts in the Midwest region.

The professional development resources are particularly valuable for artists and arts administrators in smaller communities who may not have access to the professional development opportunities that are available in major urban centres. Arts Midwest's commitment to providing professional development resources across the full geographic range of the Midwest region reflects its understanding that the arts ecosystem of the region is strengthened when artists and arts administrators in all parts of the region have access to the knowledge and skills they need.

The Midwest Arts Conference

The Midwest Arts Conference is one of the most important arts industry events in the region, bringing together artists, presenters, funders, and other arts professionals from across the Midwest for networking, professional development, and the presentation of performing arts work. The conference provides a significant opportunity for artists to connect with presenters who might be interested in bringing their work to Midwest communities, and for presenters to discover new artists and work that they might want to present.

The conference is held annually in a different Midwest city, reflecting Arts Midwest's commitment to serving the full geographic range of the region rather than concentrating its activities in a single location. The rotating location also provides an opportunity for the conference to engage with the specific arts communities of different Midwest cities.

The National Endowment for the Arts Partnership

Arts Midwest administers several programs on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, including the NEA's Big Read program in the Midwest region. This partnership reflects Arts Midwest's role as a trusted intermediary between the federal arts funding system and the arts communities of the Midwest region, and it provides Arts Midwest with additional resources to support the arts in the region.

The NEA partnership also reflects the national recognition of Arts Midwest's effectiveness as a regional arts organisation, and it provides the organisation with the credibility and resources to pursue its mission of strengthening the arts ecosystem of the Midwest region.

The Visual Arts Programs

The visual arts programs at Arts Midwest support visual artists and visual arts organisations across the Midwest region, with grants and other resources that address the specific challenges of visual arts practice in the region. The visual arts programs reflect Arts Midwest's understanding that visual art is a central part of the arts ecosystem of the Midwest region and that supporting visual artists is an important part of its broader mission.

The visual arts programs cover a range of activities including the creation of new work, the exhibition and touring of existing work, and professional development for visual artists. The programs are designed to address the specific challenges of visual arts practice in the Midwest region, including the geographic distances between major arts centres and the specific economic challenges of sustaining a visual arts practice in a region with a relatively small number of major commercial galleries.

The Bottom Line

Arts Midwest is one of the most important regional arts organisations in the United States, supporting artists and arts organisations across a nine-state Midwest region through grants, touring programs, and professional development resources. For artists and arts organisations in the Midwest region who want to access regional arts funding and to connect with the broader Midwest arts community, Arts Midwest is one of the most important and accessible resources available.