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
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October 31, 2024
Meet the World Capital for All Things Halloween
By Amy Felegy
In Anoka, Minnesota, Halloween is more than a day—it’s a month-long celebration over 100 years in the making.
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Meet Dazmonique Carr, a Farmer Strengthening Detroit’s Local Food System
October 30, 2024
With Deeply Rooted Produce, Dazmonique Carr cultivates crops and a community of local food growers and consumers.
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Now Accepting Applications: 2025-26 Shakespeare in American Communities
October 29, 2024
Grants of up to $30,000 to support theater programming across the nation – including a brand-new Apprenticeships program.
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Billy Weathers Receives 2024 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship
October 23, 2024
Billy Weathers, founder and CEO of the B.WELL Foundation, has been awarded the 2024 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship.
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 ApplyShakespeare 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 ApplyAnnouncing 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 MoreIs 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.
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