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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February 12, 2025
Catch World Fest Artists in Your Community This Spring
By Katie Ortman
Farah Siraj, LADAMA, and A Moving Sound will return to the Midwest in Spring 2025 for one last World Fest tour.
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This Giant Kite Festival Turns Winter Blues into the Coolest Hues
February 11, 2025
Iowa’s Color the Wind Kite Festival, the biggest of its kind in the Midwest, is in its second decade of flying massive kites in the middle of winter.
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Three Midwestern ‘Emerging Chefs’ in Top Culinary Awards List
February 10, 2025
If selected, they would be one of four Midwesterners to receive this early career recognition since the category’s inception in 2000.
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Blush, Blend, and Break Barriers One Makeup Course at a Time
February 5, 2025
Staff at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance created a free online course inclusive of all ages, hair textures, and skin tones.
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.

Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color
Walking Together is a national program that offers grants of $15,000–$50,000 to support folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color.
Learn More and Apply
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 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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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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