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 23, 2024
Billy Weathers Receives 2024 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship
Billy Weathers, founder and CEO of the B.WELL Foundation, has been awarded the 2024 Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship.
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A Chicago Cafe That Brews Creativity
October 22, 2024
Amid a “loneliness epidemic,” Crema Shop has become a hub of creative community life on Chicago’s north side.
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Meet the Rural Road Warriors of Jazz
October 21, 2024
JAS Quintet is making a case for the ‘Great American Art Form’ across North and South Dakota.
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Sharing Traditional Games with Dakota Youth
October 17, 2024
What do games have to do with cultural revitalization? Everything! Jeremy Red Eagle and youth in Lake Traverse Reservation share how it’s all connected.
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
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 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.
Read MoreHow—and Why—to Facilitate a Story Circle
Story circles, a tool developed by rural grassroots theater makers and organizers, make it possible for people to share their experiences and discover–often to their surprise–how much they actually have in common. Here’s how it’s done.
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