Serving artists in Northwest Arkansas

Artists 360 highlights 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. During the first four years of the program, grants totaling $556,000 were made to eighty-six artists living and working in Northwest Arkansas. Now in its fifth year, Artists 360 will be awarding $214,000 to artists applying in the current cycle.

Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, is made possible through philanthropic support from Steuart Walton and Tom Walton through the Walton Family Foundation.

Artists 360 Offers the Following Grants and Programs

Student Artist Grants

Six annual grants of $1,500 and professional development support are awarded to individual degree-seeking artists enrolled in Northwest Arkansas higher education institutions.  Grantees receive practice-based funding and participate in peer-based learning experiences to develop entrepreneurial skills, while developing a network of leading regional artists.

Practicing Artist Grants

Fourteen annual project grants of $7,500 and professional development support are awarded to Northwest Arkansas artists.  Grantees receive financial support for touring, works in progress, creative research and professional advancement, or social practice projects and participate in peer-based learning experiences to develop entrepreneurial skills, while developing a network of leading regional artists.

Community Activator Grants

Five annual grants of $15,000 are awarded to fund projects led by Northwest Arkansas artists with a sustained practice who are engaged in collaborative projects that create groundbreaking work that generates dialogue and community engagement.  Grantees receive financial support for their community-based projects and participate in peer-based learning experiences to develop entrepreneurial skills, while developing a network of leading regional artists.

Creative Impact Grant

One annual award of $25,000 is given to an artist recognized both within and outside Northwest Arkansas. The Creative Impact Award celebrates an exceptional artist that contributes to and nurtures the region’s cultural ecosystem.  Awardee shares their experiences and activates the Northwest Arkansas artist community through participation in grantee convenings, conversations with the Artists 360 peer network, and at the annual Full Circle Showcase.

In elevating this network of local artists, Artists 360 brings value to the greater Northwest Arkansas region overall, creating a place where artists can thrive.

Pictured: Artists 360 participants at the Fall 2022 convening. Photography by Suzane Gruning, Lema Street Photography.