Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, amplifies and supports the creative brilliance of Northwest Arkansas artists through grant funding and professional development. From its inception in 2018, Artists 360 has awarded $1 million to 157 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.
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, will conclude with its final Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase celebration on April 27, 2025.
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The Artists 360 program is designed to ignite the careers of individual artists through money, strategic management, and mentoring.
Money
Artists receive practice-based monetary awards to advance their artistic careers. These practice-based grants allow the individual artists to select how best to use the funding in support of their self-determined goals for success. Funds may be used for any purpose that supports the continued development of their creative practice, including but not limited to equipment, travel, studio space, child care, professional services, research, supplies, and contingency savings.
Strategic Management
Artists participate in professional development programming to develop, refine, and implement strategic plans for their practices. Artists are asked to independently complete approximately two hours of strategic planning exercises prior to the fall Artists 360 Retreat. Utilizing a dynamic small peer group process, artists will engage in learning, application, and receive peer-based support in small groups of five Artists 360 Fellows led by an experienced Artist Peer Facilitator. Small group peer support will continue post-retreat with two 90-minute virtual small group sessions held in the following year. Alumni from all Artists 360 cohorts are invited to attend the spring Alumni Retreat and Full Circle Showcase for further learning and cross-cohort network development.
Mentoring
Artists will select from more than one hundred experienced M-AAA Peer Artist Facilitators for One-On-One mentoring sessions where they can explore specific practice-related questions and receive support. Artists will have two 50-minute one-on-one sessions in the year following the fall Artists 360 retreat.
Five annual practice-based grants of $2,500 are awarded to individual undergraduate degree-seeking artists enrolled in Northwest Arkansas higher education institutions during the 2024-25 academic year.
Five annual practice-based grants of $5,000 and professional development support are awarded to individual graduate degree-seeking artists enrolled in Northwest Arkansas higher education institutions during the 2024-25 academic year. Graduate Student Artist 360 Fellows participate in the fall Artists 360 professional development retreat and continue to receive support through One-On-One coaching sessions with peer facilitators, meetings with a designated small peer group and facilitator, and cross-cohort networking at an annual spring alumni retreat.
Fifteen annual practice-based grants of $10,000 are awarded to individual practicing Northwest Arkansas artists. Practicing Artist 360 Fellows participate in the fall Artists 360 professional development retreat and continue to receive support through One-On-One coaching sessions with peer facilitators, meetings with a designated small peer group and facilitator, and cross-cohort networking at the annual spring alumni retreat.
Five annual practice-based grants of $17,500 are awarded to individual artists with creative practices focused on collaboration and community engagement. Awardees in this category must have a demonstrated history of providing opportunities to other artists, helping to create an active community of peer support in the Northwest Arkansas region. Community Activator Artist 360 Fellows participate in the fall Artists 360 professional development retreat and continue to receive support through One-On-One coaching sessions with peer facilitators, meetings with a designated small peer group and facilitator, and cross-cohort networking at the annual spring alumni retreat.
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. The Creative Impact Awardee shares their experiences and activates the Northwest Arkansas artist community through participation in Artists 360 retreats, 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.