Arts Midwest offers opportunities for organizations, artists

South Dakota organizations can take advantage of the South Dakota Arts Council’s partnership with Arts Midwest to bring high-caliber touring arts groups to their communities with grant support from the regional organization.

We’ve learned that many organizations aren’t aware of this partnership opportunity, and with the Arts Midwest Touring Fund application deadline coming up April 24, 2019, we encourage interested organizations to review the eligibility requirements and guidelines and take advantage of this program. Arts Midwest Touring Fund engages people in meaningful experiences with the fine arts of dance, music, theater or musical theater, and other performing arts forms.

Orlando Chamber Soloists perform at the Boys and Girls Club of Lead, South Dakota.

Photo by Michael Hill, courtesy of Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills.

When we share creative experiences, we build powerful connections with our community and the world around us.

Arts Midwest Touring Fund grants are made directly to organizations in Arts Midwest’s nine-state service area. Funded engagements must feature a public performance and community activity and reach an audience with limited access to the performing arts with the goal of fostering exchange between professional touring artists and Midwest communities.

Guidelines are now available to support professional performing artists and ensembles touring between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, in the Midwest region.

Additional funds for Indigenous artists

This year, Arts Midwest is partnering with Western Arts Alliance (WAA) on their Advancing Indigenous Performance Program that promotes the touring and engagement of Indigenous artists from the United States or its Territories (inclusive of Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Native American and other Indigenous artists from the Territories).

An application that meets the engagement requirements and features an Indigenous artist may be eligible for a matching grant from WAA dependent upon available funds. For example, an artist’s contracted fee of $20,000 may receive up to $4,000 from the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and up to an additional $4,000 from Western Arts Alliance. Selected applicants may need to complete additional reporting requirements for WAA and participating artists may be asked to complete a survey.

Further information about applicant eligibility, engagement requirements, and complete program guidelines can be found at www.ArtsMidwest.org under the Arts Midwest Touring Fund link.

Engagement Requirements

Applicants must meet four requirements to be considered for potential support. Application review will be based on artistic excellence and artistic merit.

1. Present a professional performing artist/ ensemble of artistic excellence and merit in the fine arts of dance, music, theater or musical theater and other performing art forms.

2. Program a public performance.

3. Include a community activity.

4. Reach an audience with limited access to the arts.

If demand in a state is higher than the availability of funds, priority will be given to applications that present a performing artist/ensemble from the Midwest who resides in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin and outside of the state of where the applicant is located and/or applications which deepen participation with a community residency that includes five or more community activities, plus the public performance and occurs within two or more days.

Awards are dependent upon available funds and demand within a state and will generally be up to 20% of the artist’s contract fee. Applications that qualify as a community residency may be eligible for up to 25% of the artist’s contract fee. The maximum award is generally $4,000 with a minimum award of $500. Community residencies may be eligible for up to 25% of the artist/ ensemble’s fee in support.