Stay up-to-date on the latest news in the artist residency field.

Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) News provides information about happenings at our organization and throughout the artist residency field. This includes announcements about upcoming ACA events, Advocacy Alerts that spotlight policy issues, funding opportunities for artists and arts organizations, and press releases.

In addition to this News page, ACA regularly sends newsletters that feature important news and happenings that are relevant to artists, artist residency staff and other arts administrators.

ADVOCACY ALERT | Accessing Relief + Next Wave of Legislation

March 10, 2021

Expanded relief funding is currently available to arts organizations through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) and NEA COVID-19 Relief.

NEXT UP | #ResidenciesConnect Staff Role Networking Session

February 12, 2021

ACA hosts a virtual session in order to provide space to meet your peers in small group breakouts organized by role and areas of focus.

National Endowment for the Arts Awards $27 Million for Arts Projects Nationwide

February 10, 2021

Organizations in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, will receive federal funding for arts projects from the National Endowment for the Arts in this round of fiscal year 2020 funding. Overall, 1,073 grants totaling $27 million were awarded for programs 14 artistic disciplines in communities throughout the United States.

ADVOCACY ALERT | What is in the New Relief Bill?

January 7, 2021

At the close of the year, U.S. Congress passed $900 billion in Covid economic relief, which includes targeted support for the arts sector - $15 million allocated to support live entertainment, and an additional $280 million in PPP forgivable loans.

National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2021 Guidelines

December 9, 2020

Guidelines and application materials for Grants for Arts Projects funding are now available on the National Endowment for the Arts’ website. Grant applications previously submitted to the Art Works category will now be submitted to the Grants for Arts Projects category. The National Endowment for the Arts supports projects in any part of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

FIELD NOTES | We begin with truth-telling

December 4, 2020

“Many rooms are filled with hurting people, yes, but hurting people whose hurt has been disproportionate to each other. Acknowledging that won’t break us, it might even make us.” —Pádraig Ó Tuama

#RESIDENCIESCONNECT | A Conversation About Repair

November 9, 2020

This #ResidenciesConnect session launches a series of conversations in response to the central question: What does repair mean in the arts? We would love to have you “in the room” for this dynamic panel — our final #ResidenciesConnect session of 2020!

ADVOCACY ALERT | Artist Communities + Civic Engagement

October 22, 2020

“Civic engagement is moving an agenda that improves the quality of life in our communities, using our practice to impact change that results in a more equitable and just society for people and the planet.” —Elizabeth Jabar

AAC Awarded $720,000 from the McKnight Foundation

October 14, 2020

AAC consortium programs are long-term regranting partnerships with funders that provide direct support to artists to attend residencies and for residency programs to host artists. These programs often offer pathways for artists that have been historically underrepresented in the residency field. The McKnight Foundation has awarded us $720,00 to design and implement a new consortium program focused on building equitable capacity.

NEXT UP | Artist Communities + Civic Engagement

October 9, 2020

Residencies Connect Civic Engagement Image

AAC is hosting a #ResidenciesConnect conversation focused around civic engagement, highlighting questions like: What role should artist communities play in getting out the vote and supporting civic engagement? How can we leverage our networks and resources to back artists and organizers effecting change?