professional membership
2005 Featured Members
Americans for the Arts members are truly diverse – from large arts organizations to small ones; from funders to presenters; from urban centers to rural outposts. Despite their differences, they share the common goal of advancing and promoting the arts in their communities. Featured Member Projects highlights some of the many interesting and innovative means our members are using to strengthen their communities through the arts.Are you an Americans for the Arts member who would like to see your organization and project featured on this page? If so, share your story with us.
Project HEAL (Helping Employ Artists Locally) was created by the Acadiana Arts Council to assist artists and musicians impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita through employment opportunities in local communities. Read more »
The Greater Memphis Arts Council recently announced the start of a another new year for their Arts Access program—an important part of their commitment to making the arts more accessible to more people in the community they serve. Read more »
New England Foundation for the Arts
Endeavoring to strengthen the creative industry by more efficiently linking artists in New England with the presenting organizations that hire them to provide cultural programming in their communities, the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), in partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the state arts agencies of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont will launch MatchBook.org this fall. Read more »
Seeking to reach new audiences, 4Culture began the King County Performance Network in 1997, as an initiative to connect contemporary dance artists with communities throughout the greater King County region. Eight of Seattle's most innovative choreographers and companies toured 15 suburban and rural communities, reaching new audiences with challenging and provocative new work. Since then, the Performance Network has received national recognition as a role model for connecting urban artists with suburban audiences, including an award from the National Association of Counties. The Performance Network continues to reinvent itself in response to the field, and has expanded to include contemporary dance, music, and theater in more communities every year. Read more »
Inspired by the success of their Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program, the Maine Arts Commission recently launched a small pilot program designed to encourage communities to develop innovative ways to sustain traditional arts. Sustaining Traditional Arts in the Community will provide communities with grants of up to $2,000 to support programs, activities, or events that strengthen and help ensure the survival of valuable traditional arts in the community. Read more »
In partnership with The Krause Children’s Treatment Center, Katy ARTreach is bringing the therapeutic arts and art-related activities to boys and girls who are suffering from behavioral and emotional problems, often as the result of abuse and neglect. Katy ARTreach is supporting the Center’s Expanding Horizons Program by bringing in visual art, drama, music, and dance and providing a range of creative activities the children would not otherwise experience. Read more »
Since 1976, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, a professional company of dance artists, has been creating, performing, teaching, and engaging people in making art. With the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Online Toolbox, they have made their groundbreaking approaches to community-based art and unique body of knowledge widely available and accessible to the field.
Read more »With rural populations declining, demand from local markets eroding, and tobacco-dependent communities facing an uncertain future, the North Carolina Arts Council is spearheading an innovative project aimed at stimulating statewide sustainable tourism and showcasing their state’s rural riches. The HomegrownHandmade project aspires to bring the reward of tourism to North Carolina’s vibrant rural communities.
Read more »
Arts Corps works with kids from low-income families to foster a sense of personal possibility and ownership in their world through engagement with the arts. Their mission is to provide greater community access to diverse learning opportunities, specifically to those that use art as a tool to nurture critical thinking, individual power, and creativity. Read more »
Since 1994, the Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) has promoted a positive image of the arts through its grassroots arts advocacy project, the Say Yes to the Arts campaign. The Say Yes message has been promoted statewide and nationally through banners; promotional items; and the sale of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. Read more »
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
In its efforts to increase positive awareness, participation, and support of cultural organizations among community leaders, audiences, and the general public, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance created the Campaign for Culture™ in 2000. A key component of the Campaign is the Philadelphia Cultural List Cooperative (PCLC), which aims to better the marketing capacity of Alliance members.
Read more »Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
Seeking to augment a declining budget, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs created an innovative fundraiser that exceeded the department’s goals. The Great Chicago Fire Sale, the first charitable eBay auction sponsored by a municipality, raised more than $242,000 for arts and cultural programs in the city. Read more »
