Arts councils are nonprofit organizations dedicated to promoting the arts by raising money for public art projects, awarding grants to artists, and organizing art and education events. If you’ve decided to make your artwork a crucial part of your income, you should check out your local arts council. These organizations can be great resources for working artists in search of funding for projects, students interested in artmaking, artists looking for professional development through classes and workshops, and anyone interested in participating in local arts events.

In addition to listing exhibitions and grant opportunities, arts councils typically offer free seminars and other events to help artists learn about the business-side of art. These organizations also provide support to the performing arts and offer resources musicians and actors as well. If you are looking to become more involved in your local art scene, you might want to check out this list of arts councils located near our stores:

Maryland

The Maryland State Arts Council website is a great resource—it includes links to the arts councils in every Maryland county: http://www.msac.org/meet-your-county-arts-council

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland is especially important to us. We have three stores located in Montgomery county, and we partnered with AHCMC to raise money for artists during the “Round Up for the Arts” campaign in 2015 and 2014. http://creativemoco.com

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore is a city full of artistic activity; well-known for the visual arts. The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts are two resources for the arts community in Baltimore.

The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance - http://www.baltimoreculture.org

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts - http://www.promotionandarts.org/arts-council

Philadelphia, PA

Did you know that we opened a store in the University City area of Philadelphia in 2014?  We are big fans of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and their mission to support the creation of murals and other public art in the city: http://www.muralarts.org

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is another resources for PA residents http://www.arts.pa.gov. We also know that several of our Philadelphia customers actually live across the bridge in New Jersey, so here’s a resource for the Garden State: http://nj.gov/state.  

Washington, DC

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities can be found by visiting http://dcarts.dc.gov.

Northern Virginia

Customers who visit our store located in Fairfax, Virginia may be interested in checking out the Arts Council of Fairfax County: https://artsfairfax.org

Richmond, VA

Richmond is also known for its thriving arts scene. The Richmond Area Arts Council was established in the late 1980s and continues to support art and art education in the greater Richmond area: https://artsinrichmond.org

Nashville, TN

Nashville is known for its music scene, but don’t forget about the visual arts too! The metro Nashville Arts Comission, a.k.a Metro Arts, can be found online at http://www.nashville.gov/Arts-Commission. You can check out their grants programs at http://www.nashville.gov/Arts-Commission/Grants.aspx.

Cincinnati, OH

With three store in Cincinnati, Ohio, Plaza Art fans should check out the local Art Works, and also the Ohio Arts Council. Art Works is a Cincinnati-based organization with a strong focus on public art and youth involvement:  http://www.artworkscincinnati.org

The OAC is based in Columbus, Ohio and can be found online at http://www.oac.ohio.gov.