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Amplifying Midwestern Creativity

Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond.

Five dancers on stage with four lifting up one.

Joyful, loud, and Midwest proud

Read about creative ideas, people, and projects happening in our region and beyond.

Grant Opportunities and Programs

We support efforts that connect people, ideas, and solutions through creativity. Learn more about our grantmaking initiatives and our community programming.

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A student waves a paint brush
Photo Credit: LunART

Takeaways From the Most Comprehensive Survey of Minneapolis’s Music Scene to Date

In early December 2024, the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs department released the findings from a music census – including key takeaways about the needs of the city’s music ecosystem. It is the most extensive music survey of Minneapolis to date.

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A person performs on the side of a road at dusk, with a keyboard in front of them and singing into a microphone.
Photo Credit: Pierre Ware
Minneapolis artist Kashimana performs at a Rock Royalty event for community healing at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis.

A Reflection on 2024

In 2024, Arts Midwest launched new programs while continuing to support our long-standing initiatives. All told, we offered 12 grant opportunities, awards, and programs that supported creative individuals and communities across the Midwest.

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A band engages a group of children in a elementary school gym, arms outstretched
Photo Credit: Alana Horton
A Moving Sound captivates audiences by blending Taiwanese opera and folk music with contemporary sounds. They visited several elementary schools during their week in Fairmont, Minnesota as part of Arts Midwest’s World Fest.

An Introduction into Program Evaluation

Evaluation can be more than a compliance exercise for funding, it can be an embedded approach, allowing organizations to be intentional about what they want to know and how it can strengthen their programming.

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Two individuals facing a wall map that is dotted with markers and pictures.
Photo Credit: Ruby Que
Latham Zearfoss & Juarez Hawkins examining a map activation at Chicago Art Department’s Just Below The Surface exhibition.