Arts Midwest

National Initiatives: Arts Midwest partners with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and our five sister U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) to support the national arts sector. We manage two programs on behalf of the NEA: Shakespeare in American Communities and the NEA Big Read. Through these programs, we issue grants to organizations to connect young people with the work of William Shakespeare and conduct community reading programs - bringing high-quality arts activities to communities across the nation. We also work closely with the other five USRAOs to design and implement programs that collectively reach organizations across the United States.

Celebrating Midwestern Creativity: Arts Midwest seeks to amplify Midwestern creativity. To that end, we honor, celebrate, and reward innovative artists and leaders in our region through a series of award programs. These awards recognize folk arts practitioners and culture bearers, disabled visual artists, and entrepreneurial arts administrators. We are also home to a storytelling initiative that amplifies Midwestern creativity. We commission and publish stories that go beyond traditional arts coverage and celebrate creativity in all its forms.