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Making an Impact
Mid-America Arts Alliance seeks to empower, support, and amplify community through art. Learn more about what makes us stand out: the artists blazing new paths, the organizations serving unreached audiences, and the arts communities blooming in places large and small.
For fifty years, Mid-America Arts Alliance has been working to support and boost the arts and creativity across our region from major metropolitan cities to the smallest of rural communities. The arts inspire, heal, educate, and thrive in mid America. Here, we share stories of impact, inspiration, talent, and the voices of those who create and support the arts in our region and across the United States.
View our news section to read about our stories and impact.
In This Section
Latest News
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Advocacy in Action: Protect Federal Funding for the Arts
Find Out MoreUpdated May 14, 2025 Federal support for arts and culture is changing quickly, and we need a strong, united response. Many organizations are actively engaged in advocacy, working to shape policy and secure funding to preserve and support the arts,…
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Studio Visit with St. Louis Songwriter Ryan Marquez
Find Out MoreJust east of St. Louis, across the Mississippi River, there is a peaceful room filled with curved wooden walls ready to receive harmonies and vibrations. It’s here, at Lonnie’s Farm Recording Studio, that we find Ryan Marquez sitting at the…
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Joint Statement on the National Endowment for the Arts: Important Actions and Resources
Find Out MoreDear valued member of our community, On Friday, many active and pending grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) were abruptly terminated. This comes alongside the president’s proposal to eliminate the NEA entirely in the FY26 federal budget.…
Impact Highlights
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The Healing Beauty of Photographer Derek Slagle’s Science of Conservation
Find Out MoreShooting on large format film, similar to Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, Derek Slagle can often be found trudging through forests and countrysides on feral hog hunts, with beekeepers, conservationists, farmers, and scientists. His work gives the public an entry…
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Citizen Artist vanessa german Reflects on Brown v. Board of Education on Its 70th Anniversary
Find Out MoreWhere should a Kansas third grader attend school? That question went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and it changed the nation. Now, citizen artist vanessa german and the Topeka, Kansas, community commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown…
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Meet Chico Sierra: M-AAA’s Featured Artist for the Holiday Season
Find Out MoreAs we celebrate the holidays, the New Year, and culture and creativity in our region, we at M-AAA are delighted to introduce our featured artist, Chico Salvador Sierra, a remarkable multidisciplinary artist hailing from El Paso, Texas, and just one…
Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster, songwriter and singer based in Arkansas, performs at the M-AAA Block Party. Photo by Mandy Steinback