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.
Joyful, loud, and Midwest proud
-
January 16, 2025
Midwest Made: New Local Music to Add to Your Playlist
By Amy Felegy
We asked y’all for local band recommendations, plus a few favorites from staff here at Arts Midwest. Listen up!
-
Takeaways From the Most Comprehensive Survey of Minneapolis’s Music Scene to Date
January 16, 2025
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.
-
Now Accepting Applications: Walking Together
January 15, 2025
A new national program that offers grants of $15,000–$50,000 to support folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color.
-
Chicago’s Hidden History of Puppetry
January 15, 2025
In 1912, in Chicago’s industrial hub by Lake Michigan, marionette mermaids performed Shakespeare’s works. 100 years later, puppets are still being made and performing there.
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.
NEA Big Read Grants
This community-wide reading program offers matching grants of up to $20,000 for programming that uses the theme of “Our Nature” as inspiration.
Learn More and Apply
Shakespeare in American Communities Grants
Shakespeare in American Communities provides grants of up to $30,000 that connect young people across the country to Shakespeare’s plays. Grants support performances and workshops in schools and in the justice system, and apprenticeships for early-career theater professionals.
Learn More and Apply
Announcing the 2024 Midwest Culture Bearers Awardees
Nine culture bearers from across the region have received $5,000 each through the new award celebrating artisans and folk arts practitioners whose work is rooted in cultural preservation and sharing knowledge with the next generation.
Read More
Is Anybody Out There? Tips for Reaching Rural Audiences
Rural areas offer both unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to reaching people. Discover how Detroit Lakes, Minnesota became home to the world’s largest exhibition of Thomas Dambo’s trolls by engaging local audiences.
Read More