Arts Midwest

Arts Midwest, a non-profit regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, serves audiences, arts organizations and artists throughout the nine states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Through strategic alliances, key programs also reach Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas. The organization’s history spans more than 25 years.

Arts Midwest’s mission is to connect people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries.

Annually, cultural programs initiated by Arts Midwest reach close to a million people, enhancing the quality of life in hundreds of cities, towns and rural areas. Arts Midwest brings touring performing artists, educational outreach activities, conferences and visual arts exhibitions to performing arts centers, arts councils, colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, community centers, museums and art centers. Arts Midwest’s high-quality cultural activities, in a spectrum of artistic genres, reach school children, university students, families and adults of all ages.

In addition to managing Shakespeare in American Communities, current programs include:

• Arts Lab, designed to strengthen smaller arts organizations in Minnesota, and arts learning Xchange, designed to strengthen arts participation amongst Minneapolis/St. Paul arts organizations.
• Performing Arts Fund, which supports regional performing arts touring.
• Midwest Arts Conference, an annual performing arts convening devoted to promoting and presenting live touring performing arts.
• Arts Midwest World Fest, which presents international musical ensembles in intensive week-long residencies in smaller Midwest communities to foster an understanding of and appreciation for global uniqueness and differences.
• Exhibitions developed and toured in collaboration with regional museums and art centers examining the Midwest’s distinct cultural visions and styles.
• Management of NEA Jazz Masters on Tour, and The Big Read, other National Endowment for the Arts national initiatives.
• National and international collaborations, including bi-national projects with Japan and Mexico intended to generate cultural exchange and international collaboration.

Arts Midwest is governed by a volunteer board of directors composed of 15 business, arts and community leaders. Arts Midwest also works with advisors who help shape its programs and services to fit the needs of the hundreds of artists, organizations and communities it serves. Arts Midwest has a staff of 19 full-time employees and works with approximately 60 volunteers annually.