April 2013
WACO SELECTED FOR TEXAS MURAL PROJECT
We are pleased to announce that Waco has been selected for the Texas Community Mural Project. Work will begin in May and is scheduled to conclude in June. Austin artist Catherine Hart has been selected as mural apprentice. Click here to learn more.

March 2013
OKLAHOMA TO HOST ARTIST INC PROGRAM
The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition has been selected to host the program at its City Arts Center in Oklahoma City, OK. Beginning in October 2013 and limited to 25 participants, artists will gather once a week for eight weeks to learn business skills specific to their art practice and apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Artist INC is open to any artist of any discipline, from emerging to established. Recruiting for program participants will begin in April 2013. Click here to learn more.

February 2013
M-AAA SELECTS NEW COO
Todd Stein has joined the staff of Kansas City-based Mid-America arts Alliance as Chief Operating Officer. Click here to read the press release.

January 2013
CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTENT: ARTISTIC INNOVATIONS
In an effort to encourage creativity and generate greater visibility for regional artists and nonprofit arts-based organizations of all disciplines, we are pleased to announce the new Artistic Innovations grant program. Artistic Innovations projects will encourage the spirit of experimentation and exploration, engaging artists in the creation of new works for audiences across the M-AAA region. This unique grant program underwrites the direct expenses related to the art making process and premiere of new endeavors; grant awards of up to $15,000 are available. Click here to learn more.

December 2012
ARKANSAS TO HOST ARTIST INC PROGRAM
The Argenta Arts Foundation has been selected to host the program at its Art Connection space in the historic Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, AR. Beginning in September 2013 and limited to 25 participants, artists will gather once a week for eight weeks to learn business skills specific to their art practice and apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Artist INC is open to any artist of any discipline, from emerging to established. Recruiting for program participants will begin in March 2013. Click here to learn more.

REGIONAL TOURING PROGRAM (RTP) GRANTS AVAILABLE
M-AAA's Regional Touring Program (RTP) provides financial support for nonprofit organizations who hire performing artists listed on the M-AAA Artists' Registry or any of the touring artist rosters of our partner state arts agencies. The program is designed to support performing artists in their efforts to engage regional audiences, and to deepen the impact of arts programming for underserved audiences. RTP grants underwrite up to 50% of the artist or ensemble's fees for activities occurring between April 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013. The application deadline is March 1, 2013. Click here to learn more.

November 2012
CELEBRATING OUR FIRST FORTY YEARS
On November 8, 2012, past and current members of the Board of Directors, staff, and friends of M-AAA gathered to celebrate our first 40 years at a dinner held at Studio 2131 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event featured a "family" art auction, with pieces from artists who have been supported by M-AAA, representing all states in our region and a variety of media. Attendees also enjoyed a documentary video produced by M-AAA graphic design coordinator, April Befort. Click here to view the video.

M-AAA SELECTED FOR PERFORMARTS SERIES
M-AAA is one of six organizations selected to participate in the 2012-2013 cycle of the performARTS series. Underwritten by Speas Memorial Trusts; Bank of America, Trustee, and the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts; Commerce Bank, Trustee, the series will be a part of the next six issues of KC Studio magazine (a publication of Townsend Communications) and will feature installments about some of Kansas City’s best artistic organizations. The six performARTSfeatured arts organizations were selected out of hundreds of arts organizations across the Kansas City metropolitan community. Click here to learn more.

October 2012
FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
We are now offering Professional Development Support Grants to artists and arts-based professionals in our region (Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas). Grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis until all funding has been allocated. The average award for this grant program is $500, but awards vary. Limit one application per individual artist and/or arts-based organization per fiscal year. Click here to learn more.

September 2012
M-AAA IS ON THE MOVE
Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), now celebrating its 40th year, is making one giant leap into the future this fall: renovation and expansion of our Kansas City headquarters. M-AAA has been located in the heart of the historic Crossroads Arts district since 2005, when the board authorized the purchase of an historic brick building at 2018 Baltimore Avenue. The building has had many tenants, including Atlas Beverage Company (a Pendergast-affiliated business), medical research companies, and it also served as a warehouse for the Kansas City Jones Store & Company. Its next transformation will provide updated and renovated office space for M-AAA staff, convening and event space, and the new and fully-accessible Culture Lab™. The Culture Lab™ will serve as the staging area for diverse public projects and programming representing the arts and humanities, as well as professional development opportunities for arts professionals. The renovation was designed by Sabatini Architects of Lawrence, KS. The project is the culmination of a multi-year, successful capital campaign; click here for a list of our generous funders.

Renovations to the headquarters began this month, and are scheduled to be completed in April 2013. In the meantime, M-AAA staff have relocated to temporary office space located at 1616 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108. Phone and fax numbers remain the same. We are grateful to a generous benefactor, the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, for providing our temporary home which was formerly the offices of the Kansas Lyric Opera and the Kansas City Ballet.

We look forward to continuing our work of providing more art for more people, and to the launch of the Culture Lab™ in Spring 2013. For more information and artist renderings of the completed space, please click here.

ARTIST INC IS COMING TO THE M-AAA REGION
In partnership with the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City (ArtsKC), Charlotte Street Foundation, the UMKC Innovation Center, and Mid-America's partner state arts agencies, we are offering a unique professional development opportunity for a regional artist community: Artist INC. Artist INC is a cutting edge training program that addresses the specific business needs and challenges of artists of all disciplines for a nominal fee. Limited to 25 participants, artists gather once a week for eight weeks to learn business skills specific to their art practice and apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Click here to learn more about Artist INC.

August 2012