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This Land of Arts | National Endowment for the Arts
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They are our 'boots on the ground,' so to speak, and tailor their programs and grant opportunities to the particular needs and populations of their jurisdictions." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts" /> <link rel="image_src" href="https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/nea_arts/Amer%20Art%20No%201%202020%20cover.jpg" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="National Endowment for the Arts" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts" /> <meta property="og:title" content="This Land of Arts" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Among our most important and consistent partnerships are those we have with the state art agencies (SAAs) and regional arts organizations (RAOs). Every year, the Arts Endowment awards 40 percent of our grantmaking budget to these agencies, which represent either an individual state or a particular region of the country. 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class="l-content"> <div class="l-sidebar-wide"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="l-sidebar-wide__header"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <ol class="breadcrumb__list"> <li class="breadcrumb__item"> <a class="breadcrumb__link" href="/">Home</a> </li> <li class="breadcrumb__item"> <a class="breadcrumb__link" href="/stories">Stories</a> </li> <li class="breadcrumb__item"> <a class="breadcrumb__link" href="/stories/magazine">American Artscape Magazine</a> </li> </ol> </nav> <div class="page-title"> <h1 class="page-title__title has-meta">This Land of Arts</h1> <div class="page-title__meta">American Artscape | 2020 No. 1</div> </div> </div> <div class="l-sidebar-wide__sidebar"> <div class="l-sidebar-wide__aside"> <figure class="captioned-image has-no-margin-top"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/nea_arts/Amer%20Art%20No%201%202020%20cover.jpg?itok=bAs7h9ma" width="600" height="600" alt="Woman in costume squatting on stage with people sitting behind her. " /> <figcaption class="captioned-image__caption"><p>A 2019 performance of <em>The Taming of The Shrew</em> by the Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, produced as part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a National Endowment for the Arts initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest. Photo by Roger Mastroianni, courtesy of Great Lakes Theater</p> </figcaption> </figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/American-Artscape-Number1-2020.pdf" class="button button--download" download>Download Issue</a> <a href="/stories/magazine" class="arrow-link">All Issues</a> </div> <div class="l-sidebar-wide__main"> <section class="l-section"> <h2 class="l-section__title">About this Issue</h2> <div class="l-section__content"> <p>Welcome to the new National Endowment for the Arts magazine! We have taken on a new name, <em>American Artscape</em>, that better captures the national scope of the agency’s grants, programs, and investments in making the arts available for all Americans. We aim to give every American in the nation—regardless of geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability—the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. As part of our commitment to reach all areas of the country, Arts Endowment staff visited all 50 states and several territories in 2019 for site visits, grant workshops, conferences, convenings, and events.</p> <p>To better leverage our resources and ensure we’re making as powerful an impact as possible, we frequently invest in partnerships and collaborations. These can range from fellow federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, to nonprofit organizations like the American Theatre Wing and Poetry Foundation.</p> <p>But among our most important and consistent partnerships are those we have with the state art agencies (SAAs) and regional arts organizations (RAOs). Every year, the Arts Endowment awards 40 percent of our grantmaking budget to these agencies, which represent either an individual state or a particular region of the country. They are our “boots on the ground,” so to speak, and tailor their programs and grant opportunities to the particular needs and populations of their jurisdictions.</p> <p>What this means is that the National Endowment for the Arts, on behalf of the people of the United States, offers arts opportunities at the national, regional, state, and local levels, creating a rich and diverse ecosystem where the arts—and the people who enjoy them—can thrive. What better way to inaugurate our new magazine title than with an issue showing the American artscape at every level of public funding. In the following pages, I’ll share the national view I have as head of the Arts Endowment, RAO executive directors discuss the important work they do in their regions, and the leader of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies shows how the SAAs are great examples of why the arts are a wonderful public sector investment.</p> <p>Altogether, this collaborative system has helped shape a nation where every American—in every state, in every region, across the entire nation—can celebrate and benefit from the arts.</p> <p>Mary Anne Carter<br> Chairman</p> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> <div class="l-sidebar-wide__footer"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="card-grid has-border-top"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="card-grid__header"> <div class="card-grid__header-left"> <h2 class="card-grid__title">Included in this Issue</h2> </div> </div> <div class="card-grid__grid"> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/big-picture" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/Mary-Anne-Carter-Courtesy-of-National-Endowment-for-the-Arts_1.jpg?h=1748037e&itok=XZqqspy0" width="600" height="600" alt="Portrait of blonde-haired woman (chairman of NEA Mary Anne Carter)" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>The Big Picture</span> </div> <div class="card__text">A Look at the National Endowment for the Arts</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/connecting-artists-opportunity-and-each-other" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/NEFA1-CathyEdwards.jpg?h=fd1614c3&itok=2QY7rGJD" width="600" height="600" alt="A headshot of a woman with dark brown hair" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>Connecting Artists—To Opportunity and To Each Other</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Cathy Edwards / New England Foundation for the Arts</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/journey-through-arts" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/MAAF1-Theresa.jpg?h=9a75292f&itok=iKAxTfeY" width="600" height="600" alt="Headshot of a blonde, middle aged woman" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>A Journey through the Arts</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Theresa Colvin / Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/making-difference-through-arts" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/SouthArts1-SusieSurkamer_0.jpg?h=aef28dfd&itok=7cOs7m-6" width="600" height="600" alt="Head shot of a woman smiling" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>Making a Difference through the Arts</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Susie Surkamer / South Arts</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/amplifying-arts" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/MAAA1-Todd_0.jpg?h=90c88247&itok=kkgfnUQ_" width="600" height="600" alt="Headshot of a man smiling with glasses and gray hair" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>Amplifying the Arts</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Todd Stein / Mid-America Arts Alliance</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/building-community-and-inspiring-creativity" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/ArtsMidwest4-Torrie_0.jpg?h=2fc13688&itok=PBe3C3z-" width="600" height="600" alt="A man smiles while sitting in a chair and holding a phone" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>Building Community and Inspiring Creativity</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Torrie Allen / Arts Midwest</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/arts-technology" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/Gaines-headshot19_0.jpeg?h=391c7329&itok=qkeZjlye" width="600" height="600" alt="Black and white headshot of a young man " /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>The Arts of Technology</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Christian Gaines / Western States Arts Federation</div> </div> </a> <a href="/stories/magazine/2020/1/land-arts/achieving-more-together" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/NASAA2-Mariana_0.jpg?h=e8c13879&itok=fSt-7SQ1" width="600" height="600" alt="A woman stands between two men amidst cultural objects from the Northern Mariana Islands" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__title"> <span>Achieving More Together</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Pam 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