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Artists 360

Serving artists in Northwest Arkansas

Applications are now closed.

Artists 360 elevates the talented artists of Northwest Arkansas by providing grant funding and professional development opportunities to individual artists of all disciplines in the Arkansas counties of Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Sebastian, and Washington. By elevating local artists, Artists 360 brings value to the greater Northwest Arkansas region overall, creating a place where creativity and the arts can thrive.

After seven transformative years and an investment of $2.4 million in program support, including $1.3 million in direct artist awards, Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, will conclude with its final Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase celebration on April 27, 2025. 

“While the program is sunsetting, the impact continues to grow year after year because the artist collaborations continue to grow,” says Diane Scott, director of M-AAA’s artist services. “Artists 360 created an enduring network of artists that will continue to inspire and elevate the arts community. It’s been incredible seeing these artists’ achievements and an honor witnessing their work resonate throughout the country.” 

Read the full announcement here.

We encourage artists seeking support and funding of their work to subscribe to our newsletter for latest updates and grant opportunities. 

 The guidelines below are for reference only.

 

 

Woman sits at a conference table with multicolored paper in her hand and looks up smiling.

Artists 360 Fall Retreat 2023. Photo by Iron Lotus Creative / Stephen Ironside

People standing in a circle and one woman holding a microphone.

2023 Artists 360 Cohort. Photo by Iron Lotus Creative / Stephen Ironside

Who Artists 360 is for

Artists 360 invests in individual artists and creatives, including:

  • Artists of all disciplines—poets, filmmakers, painters, photographers, performers, illustrators, sculptors, musicians, etc.
  • Creatives who live in one of the following Arkansas counties: Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Sebastian, or Washington. 

What Artists 360 provides

The Artists 360 program is designed to ignite the careers of individual artists through money, strategic management, and mentoring.

 

Grants for Artists in Northwest Arkansas

Artists 360 will make monetary awards in five categories to 31 Northwest Arkansas artists. 

Pieces of paper with inspirational notes.

Artists 360 Fall Retreat 2023. Photo by Iron Lotus Creative / Stephen Ironside

This year’s grant categories and amounts include:

  • Five $2,500 Undergraduate Student grants
  • Five $5,000 Graduate Student grants
  • Fifteen $10,000 Practicing Artist grants
  • Five $17,500 Community Activator grants
  • One $25,000 Creative Impact Award

In each category, Artists 360 fellows choose how to best use the funding in support of their creative practices. 

 

Professional Development and Mentoring

In addition to these practice-based grants, Artists 360 offers:

  • Learning opportunities aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills and building enduring creative practices
  • Deep and lasting connections to a peer network of leading regional artists in Northwest Arkansas
  • Ongoing support through one-on-one coaching sessions through the following year 

Program alumni also convene for an alumni retreat and the public Full Circle Showcase, which fosters community engagement and showcases artists’ creative endeavors to the broader Northwest Arkansas community.

Timeline

Free information sessions will be conducted at various locations in Northwest Arkansas as well as virtually from April 18 through May 9. These sessions, as well as open office hours from April 29 through June 10, can help guide interested applicants through the application process. Learn more and register at artists360.art/apply.

 

April 22, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
Grants applications open for Artists 360 Undergraduate Student Artist, Graduate Student Artist, Practicing Artist, and Community Activator

April 22, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
Nominations open for Artists 360 Creative Impact Award. Nominations are welcome from community members. Artists are also invited to self-nominate. 

May 24, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
Nominations close for Artists 360 Creative Impact Award. Nominees will be invited to apply between May 29, 2024, and June 24, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

May 29, 2024
Finalists are notified and invited to apply for Artists 360 Creative Impact Award.

June 10, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
Grants applications close for Artists 360 Undergraduate Student Artist, Graduate Student Artist, Practicing Artist, and Community Activator

June 24, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (By Invitation)
Application closes for Artists 360 Creative Impact Award.

September 1, 2024
All applicants will be notified of their status or award. 

 

About the program

Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, amplifies and supports the creative brilliance of Northwest Arkansas artists through grant funding and professional development. From its inception in 2018, Artists 360 has awarded $1 million to 138 artists living and working in Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Sebastian, and Washington counties through the generous philanthropic support of Tom and Steuart Walton through the Walton Family Foundation.

Art & About: Northwest Arkansas with Artists 360 Alumni
Artists 360 alumni describe Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley as filled with artistic creativity and collaboration.

About our funders

The Walton Family Foundation is at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org.

Header Photography: Artists 360 participants at the Fall 2023 convening. Photography by Stephen Ironside.

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