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.

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

: 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

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.