Our 2022 Annual Report is now available - we invite you to discover more about how the arts and artists are impacting communities across the Mid Atlantic region and beyond.

Looking forward, we are excited about the growth in our Folk and Traditional Arts, International, and Accessibility programs and are looking forward to the next round of Mid Atlantic Tours after a break to catch up with postponed engagements due to the pandemic. 2022 also marked the inaugural year of Mid Atlantic support for the National Leaders of Color Fellows and we look forward to learning more about our first cohort as they complete their work.

A big thank you to our may partner and supporters and to the truly remarkable artists, organizations, and communities that make our work such a joy.

Image: Report cover - DC Wheel Productions, AKA Dance Place (DC) presented Coyaba Dance Theater (DC) with support from the 2022 Special Presenter Initiatives program. Credit: Unifyed Visions.

Mid Atlantic Tours - Booking Deadline March 23, 2023

Mid Atlantic Tours brings the best of the performing arts to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters select from a curated roster of artists that changes annually but maintains a programmatic commitment to a diversity of performance genres, regional artist representation, and engaging with communities underserved by the arts. 

USArtists International - Deadline March 29, 2023

USArtists International supports in-person and virtual performances by American artists at engagements at international festivals and global presenting arts marketplaces outside of the United States. The program funds individuals and ensembles across all performing arts practices and disciplines with grants of up to $18,000 towards eligible travel expenses.

Jazz Road Creative Residencies - Applications Due April 8, 2023

Jazz Road Creative Residencies grants range from $5,000 to $40,000, to remove financial barriers that keep artists from investing deeply in their creative practice, attending to their artistic and professional growth, and experimenting across a wide range of artistic and community engagement possibilities throughout the US. Through these grants, jazz artists can propose, build, and develop their own creative residency to further explore their work. Jazz Road Creative Residencies are administered by South Arts.

Iber Exchange - Offer Letters Due to Agents by April 25, 2023

Bring artists from Brazil, Mexico, and Spain to your community with the help of a grant from Iber Exchange. Grants support up to 50% of the negotiated artist fee to non-profit presenters in the mid-Atlantic that book a roster artist for a public performance and community engagement activity between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, VA), in partnership with local artists and culture workers, has announced a new initiative supporting opportunities for folk and traditional artists and cultural organizations in the greater Bristol region (select counties in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee) with grant funding from Mid Atlantic Arts' Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) program.

The CALT Folk Arts and Culture Community Anchors Initiative provides targeted resources and support to select community anchors of folk arts and culture in the region with the goal of dramatically impacting the sustainability of traditional practice and cultural knowledge. Participant communities were identified in consultation with State Folklife Program partners and other constituents. Bristol, VA was identified in 2021 as the Virginia CALT anchor site. A Community Folk Art and Culture Team is leading project planning and creation and implementation of a Community Folk Arts and Culture Plan that details strategies and activities to increase the sustainability of folk arts and culture in the greater Bristol community.

Regional artists working in traditional or folk arts and culture can apply for a Tradition Bearers Fellowship. This fellowship includes a $4,000 award and a variety of opt-in professional development opportunities. Fellows will have access to support services such as website development and professional headshots, and will be connected to local resources. Applications are being accepted here through April 14, 2023. 

The Team is also inviting 3–5 area nonprofits to apply for a Cultural Caretakers Grant. This one-time, by invitation only, $5,000 grant opportunity is designed for small-scale, limited capacity, and largely volunteer-run organizations that have difficulty accessing typical sources of public and private funding. 

For more information on eligibility and to apply, please visit: https://birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/museum/special-projects/greater-bristol-folk-arts-and-culture/

Images: (l-r) Images: Appalachian African American Cultural Center; CALT meeting in Bristol; Helen White and Kay Justice Apprenticeship. All Images Credit: Pat Jarrett/The Virginia Folklife Program.

The 2023 Disability Justice Virtual Resource series is part of an ongoing partnership between Americans for the Arts (AFTA) and Mid Atlantic Arts to provide resources to support individuals and organizations in the mid-Atlantic region engaging in the essential work of accessibility and disability justice in their communities.

The pre-recorded videos and live conversations focus on intersectionality, accountability, and budgeting through a disability justice lens. View the pre-recorded videos on your own time, and feel free to share them with your networks! Then, if you want to keep the conversation going, join us for a candid live conversation on each topic. Live conversations will not be recorded, and there are registration caps-- so sign up today! ASL interpretation and live captioning will be provided for live conversations.

The first conversation is right around the corner...

Intersectionality & Disability Justice

First, listen to Joselia Hughes and Kayla Hamilton discuss deeply, in a pre-recorded 30-minute video, how disability justice is uniquely positioned to break down systematic oppressions.

Then, join Joselia and Kayla for a live conversation on March 17, 2023 at 2 PM ET! 

*Please only register for the live conversation if you plan to attend as there is a 25-person cap on registration

The remaining two webinars will take place later this spring:

• Accountability & Disability Justice | April 14, 2023 at 2 PM ET
• Budgeting & Disability Justice | May 19, 2023 at 2 PM ET

Learn more and register at the link: https://www.midatlanticarts.org/grants-programs/accessibility-training/#professional-development-webinars

Congratulations to the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows! The National Heritage Fellowships are recipients of our nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts and are presented annually in recognition of the diverse cultural traditions that comprise our nation and the individuals whose dedication and artistry contribute to their preservation and growth.

The 2023 NEA National Heritage Fellows are:

• R.L. Boyce, Hill Country Blues Musician from Como, Mississippi
• Ed Eugene Carriere (Suquamish), Suquamish Basketmaker from Indianola, Washington
• Michael A. Cummings, African American Quilter from New York, New York
• Joe DeLeon “Little Joe” Hernández, Tejano Music Performer from Temple, Texas
• Roen Hufford, Kapa Maker from Waimea, Hawaiʻi
• Elizabeth James-Perry (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah), Wampum & Fiber Artist from Dartmouth, Massachusetts
• Luis Tapia, Sculptor, Hispano Woodcarving Tradition from Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Wu Man, Pipa Player from Carlsbad, California
• Nick Spitzer, Folklife Presenter, Educator, and Radio Producer from New Orleans, Louisiana

Learn more about the artists and their work at https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage.

Photo Collage: (left-right, top- bottom) R.L. Boyce, Credit: Rustin Gudim; Ed Eugene Carriere, Credit: Dale Croes; Michael A. Cummings, Credit: Courtesy of Michael A. Cummings; Joe DeLeon “Little Joe” Hernández, Credit: Mark Del Castillo; Roen Hufford, Credit: Lynn Martin Graton; Elizabeth James-Perry, Credit: Courtesy of Elizabeth James-Perry; Wu Man, Credit: David Bazemore; Nick Spitzer, Credit: Rusty Costanza, Courtesy of Tulane University; and Luis Tapia, Credit: Jack Parsons, Courtesy Luis Tapia.

Welcome to our new Grants Manager, Jamie Melius. Jamie has experience as a grants management associate and coordinator for several nonprofits and funders including Margaret A Cargill Philanthropies and Urgent Action Fund. She has a Master of Arts from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Away from work, Jamie enjoys slow travel, outdoor life, and all things fiber arts.

You can reach Jamie at jmelius@midatlanticarts.org. Welcome, Jamie - we are excited to be working with you!

Opportunity Quick Links

• Artadia invites applications from New York City artists for the Artadia Awards, which provide unrestricted financial support of $15,000, access to the Artadia Network to receive structured opportunities for valuable new connections and resource sharing, and a dedicated webpage on Artadia’s online Artist Registry. Applicants must be contemporary visual artists making artwork for presentation in a contemporary art context: museums, galleries, arts nonprofits, the public art realm, etc. Deadline: April 1, 2023.

• Franklin Furnace invites applications for its 2023-24 Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art to advance this mission. Through the program, grants ranging between $2,000 and $10,000 will be awarded to early-career artists to assist in producing new significant performance artworks. Artists from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply, though selected artists must present their work in New York City. Artists may apply once per year as an individual and once per year as part of a collaboration. Deadline: April 1, 2023.

• The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) invites applications for the Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant, awarded annually to under-recognized American painters over the age of 45 who demonstrate financial need. Awards include a cash grant, ranging between $5,000 and $36,000, and an exhibition at PAAM. For this grant, painting is considered by applying various media (oil, acrylic, gouache, ink, tempera, watercolor, egg tempera, casein, enamel) on paper, canvas, fabric, or wood, and includes fresco. Deadline: April 3, 2023. 

• Mudflat Studio invites applications for its year-long Artist Residency Program. This highly competitive program provides a free private studio space with access to Mudflat’s facility, a monthly materials stipend, a monthly housing stipend, and opportunities to teach and sell work. Residency requirements include: a one-year commitment: September 1 through August 31 annually. Deadline: April 16, 2023.

• Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation invites applications for The Mandel Cultural Leadership Program is a new fellowship for artists and producers who aim to reimagine Jewish life and galvanize action on a range of social issues through their creative work. The two-year fellowship includes an educational program, support from an adviser, and a $40k stipend to advance a project. Eligible candidates include artists across disciplines and a range of cultural producers, including but not limited to journalists, curators, chefs, comedians, video game world builders, cultural organizers and culture bearers. Deadline: April 17, 2023.

Image: Michelle Cann performing with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra during the Classics II — "Defying Stars" concert in November 2022 supported by the Special Presenter Initiatives program. Credit: Sam Wilson.