Artists 360
Serving artists in Northwest Arkansas
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, has concluded 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.
Artists 360 was an active program of Mid-America Arts Alliance from 2018 to 2025. It elevated 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.
We encourage artists seeking support and funding of their work to subscribe to the Mid-America Arts Alliance newsletter for latest updates and grant opportunities.
The guidelines below are for reference only.

Artists 360 Fall Retreat 2023. Photo by Iron Lotus Creative / Stephen Ironside
- 2018 Artists 360 Cohort
- Artists 360 Fall Retreat 2023. Photo by Iron Lotus Creative / Stephen Ironside
- Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase. Photo by Stephen Ironside
- 2019 Artists 360 Cohort
- Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase. Photo by Stephen Ironside
- Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase. Photo by Stephen Ironside
About the program
Artists 360 (2018–2025), a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, amplified and supported the creative brilliance of Northwest Arkansas artists through grant funding and professional development. From its inception in 2018, Artists 360 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
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.
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Artists 360 Celebrates Alumni During the Full Circle Showcase in Northwest Arkansas
Find Out MoreProgram Concludes with a Legacy of $1.3M Investment in 157 Artists that Continues to Shape the Region 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…
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John Rankine Receives 2024 Artists 360 Creative Impact Award
Find Out MoreJohn Rankine – Artists 360 Creative Impact Award Recipient 2024 This year, the Artists 360 Creative Impact Award recognizes John Rankine of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for his achievements in the arts. The Creative Impact Award provides one exceptional artist based in Northwest…
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$300,000 Awarded to 31 Northwest Arkansas Artists for Artists 360
Find Out MoreM-AAA’s seventh cohort of Artists 360 provides practice-based funding and support Thirty-one Northwest Arkansas artists were selected for Artists 360’s seventh cohort and awarded $300,000 in grants. This includes the selection of John Rankine, multimedia artist, curator, and community arts…
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Artists 360 to Award $300,000 in Grants – Apply by June 10
Find Out MoreArtists 360 to Award $300,000 in Grants to Northwest Arkansas Artists Applications for the seventh cohort of Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), are open with more funding, peer networking, and professional development, thanks to increased funding…
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Trust Artists: The Shift to Practice-Based Grants
Find Out MorePhotography: M-AAA Catalyze grantee Jennifer Perren. The landscape of funding for artists is changing. And this is good news. A paradigm shift is underway, possibly in credit to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the philanthropic sector, practice-based grants, also called trust-based…
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Talented Arkansas Artists Showcase Work on April 21
Find Out MoreTen Artists 360 alumni will share their work at the third annual Full Circle Showcase. The public is encouraged to attend the free event, which includes musical performances and presentations by 10 talented Artists 360 alumni. There is no reservation…
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Walton Family Foundation Invests $300,000 with Continuation of Artists 360
Find Out MoreArtists in Northwest Arkansas will receive more funding, peer networking, and professional development through Artists 360, thanks to renewed funding from the Walton Family Foundation. Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA), ignites the careers of artists of…
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On View at M-AAA: Danielle Hatch Installation
Find Out MoreA new installation by Arkansas-based artist Danielle Hatch is on view now at the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Culture Lab. Although, the gallery building is not currently open to the public, visitors may enjoy the full installation on display both inside and…
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Artists 360 Alumni Join Forces for Arkansas Exhibition
Find Out MoreArtists are not just creators; they are entrepreneurs, change makers, and community builders. When they come together to share stories, ask questions, and learn from their peers, they not only create a supportive network of resources and collaborators, they make…
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$1 Million Invested in Northwest Arkansas Artists Since 2018
Find Out MoreM-AAA selects 25 artists for its sixth cohort of Artists 360 grant and professional development program The Walton Family Foundation provided $230,000 in funds for Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Artists 360 grant awards this year, up from $214,000 in 2022. The additional…
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Lakisha Bradley Receives $25,000 Artists 360 Creative Impact Award
Find Out MoreArkansas-based Lakisha Bradley—artist, entrepreneur, leader, mentor, and therapeutic art practitioner—has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the new Creative Impact Award from Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). The Creative Impact Award recognizes an exceptional artist…
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Artists 360 Will Feature 11 Northwest Arkansas Artists
Find Out MoreThe free event at Crystal Bridges will include performances and artist presentations The second annual Full Circle Showcase is a free, public event highlighting the talented artists of the Artists 360 program and taking place at Crystal Bridges Museum of…
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Twenty-Six Northwest Arkansas Artists Selected for Artists 360
Find Out MoreFayetteville’s Kholoud Sawaf Selected for $25,000 Creative Impact Award Twenty-six artists were selected for Artists 360’s fifth cohort and awarded $214,000 in grants. This includes the selection of Kholoud Sawaf for the $25,000 Creative Impact Award as well as five…
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Kholoud Sawaf Receives 2022 Artists 360 Creative Impact Award
Find Out More“As storytellers, we are the voice of many silenced people, we are the interpreters of lost songs and forgotten lullabies, and that puts us in a place of huge responsibility and huge privilege,” says Kholoud Sawaf, the 2022 recipient of…
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Inaugural Full Circle Showcase June 12, 2022
Find Out MoreArtists 360 Full Circle Showcase event will feature fourteen Northwest Arkansas artists. The inaugural Full Circle Showcase is a free, public event highlighting the talented artists of the Artists 360 program and taking place at Crystal Bridges Museum of American…
Header Photography: Artists 360 participants at the Fall 2023 convening. Photography by Stephen Ironside.