Join us for a free webinar series that brings together arts leaders from across the Midwest to share real-world insights on the strategies that help organizations like yours adapt, collaborate, and plan for the future.

In these panel sessions you’ll hear how to build strategic partnerships, create engaging social media video content, and plan for leadership transitions with confidence. Each conversation offers practical tools and fresh perspectives you can bring back to your own organization.

Can’t attend live? All sessions will be recorded and shared with registered attendees, then added to this page.

Strategic Partnerships and Mergers

Featuring

• 

  Tania Ibarra, CPA

  Cofounder + Managing Partner

  Tania Ibarra, CPA, is an expert in strategic financial management with a strong focus on driving organizational growth and financial sustainability. As Co-Founder of Step Up: Equity Matters, she leverages her financial expertise to help organizations optimize resources, streamline operations, and implement long-term strategies. Her work emphasizes aligning financial goals with overall business objectives, ensuring sustainable success while promoting equity and inclusivity. Tania is known for her ability to create tailored financial strategies that support both financial performance and social impact.

   

   
• 

  Anna January

  Chief Philanthropy Officer, Wisconsin Watch

  Anna January joined Wisconsin Watch in November 2023. As chief philanthropy officer, she oversees Wisconsin Watch’s institutional and major giving programs. She leads fundraising efforts to cultivate relationships with foundations, corporations and philanthropic organizations to generate sustainable funding to support the newsroom’s mission. She has previously worked in fundraising at PBS Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Division of the Arts, and Madison Children’s Museum. January has a background in philanthropy, arts fundraising, arts administration, grants, and community development.

   

Social Media Video Tactics for Arts Organizations

Featuring

• 

  Caitlin Crouchet

  Director of Communications, Minnesota Marine Art Museum

  Caitlin Crouchet is the Director of Communications at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and has experience in the arts, publishing, and marketing. She holds a BA from Gonzaga University and lives in Winona, Minnesota with her family.

   
• 

  Leah Zimmerman

  Marketing Manager + Instructor, Chicago School of Shoemaking + Leather Arts

  Leah Zimmerman is the Marketing Manager at the Chicago School of Shoemaking and Leatherwork. Since stepping into the role in early 2024 after years as an instructor, she has led 300% social media growth & a 1000% increase in first-time student sign-ups.
• 

  Sammy

  Creative Director, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

  Sammy is a storyteller using digital media to highlight Black history, culture, and community in ways that connect the past with the present.

Succession Planning for Sustainability

Featuring

• 

  Carl Atiya Swanson

  Founder, Cast Consulting

  Carl is a creative with an MBA, a third-culture kid, and a practical optimist. Carl has over 15 years of work in the nonprofit and arts & culture sector, including the National Independent Venue Foundation and Springboard for the Arts. Cast Consulting is his organizational facilitation and strategy practice, supporting organizations and communities with creative change.

   
• 

  Naomi Hattaway

  8th & Home | Leaving Well

  Naomi Hattaway helps organizations treat leadership transitions as acts of cultural maturity—not crises. My work bridges trust-building and systems change, grounded in the radical belief that how we end matters as much as how we begin.
  

   
• 

  Kemi Ilesanmi

  Founder + Principal, KGI Projects

  Arts strategist, institution builder, and diaspora weaver, Kemi Ilesanmi is Founder and Principal of KGI Projects which cultivates and supports stronger Black and Brown arts ecosystems in the United States and African diaspora.

The post Webinar Series: Strategic, Creative Growth for Arts Organizations appeared first on Arts Midwest.

How do we tend to our nervous systems while living through times that feel overwhelming, violent, unjust, or uncertain? And how can we reduce risk of experiencing long-term impacts of trauma while living through actively traumatic situations?

For artists and creative leaders, these questions aren’t abstract. Our work asks us to stay present, to feel deeply, respond honestly, and remain open to possibility, even when grief, fear, and rage are close at hand.

If you’re feeling like you need a boost in your internal capacity and want some help to get there, this workshop from Fynix Sun Park of Voice of Purpose is here for you.

Fynix will lead attendees through exercises that explore how to self-regulate when the world is on fire and co-regulate for our collective healing. Because we need all the tools, and all of us, right now.

Note: This session will include physical movement and internal reflection. We recommend finding a space where you feel comfortable to move and express freely. You may want to have a journal and water bottle nearby.

Healing & Internal Resourcing in Times of Unrest

Featuring

• 

  Fynix Sun Park

  Founder and Executive Director of Voice of Purpose

  Fynix Sun Park is the Founder and Executive Director of Voice of Purpose. A catalyst and systems-thinker, she believes that the changes that we make toward the future, must include integrating the sacred into our lives and work—and with healing ourselves.
  Read More

  A leader in community arts since 2005, Fynix supports artists, organizations, and educators to embody transformation. Her current work stewards international collaborations across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, advancing capacity building and strategic change in the arts.

  Her formal education is in Integrated Healing, bridging Western psychotherapy, Eastern energy medicine, and somatic healing, she also holds a degree in International Development.

  Rooted in her ancestral lineage of Corea and her community arts beginnings in Jane-Finch, Toronto, Fynix’s true calling is to be a catalyst of transformation, embody a new imprint, and build models for co-liberation.

The post Webinar: Healing & Internal Resourcing in Times of Unrest appeared first on Arts Midwest.

This free webinar series brings together artists and creatives from across the Midwest to share practical, real-world guidance on the skills that support creative work beyond the studio.

Across these sessions, you’ll gain actionable tools to showcase your work, pursue funding, and grow your visibility across platforms.

Can’t attend live? All sessions will be recorded and shared with registered attendees, then added to this page.

Artist Websites: Approaches & Tips for Success

Featuring

• 

  Anniessa Antar

  software engineer + culture worker + educator

  Anniessa is an educator, software engineer, and artist. Her work centers sensory, playful collaboration to make liberation irresistible.

   
  Read More

   

Writing for Impact: Artist Grants that Speak to Reviewers

Featuring

• 

  Anitra Budd

  Copywriter and Editor

  Anitra Budd has 25+ years of experience in publishing, arts administration, and copywriting. She has reviewed grants for Erie Arts and Culture, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the NEA, among others.

   
  Read More

   

Artist Documentation: 2D, 3D, Video

Featuring

• 

  Mariah Moneda

  Artist

  Mariah Moneda (b.1997) is an interdisciplinary artist and instructor. She received her BFA from Arizona State University, an MFA from University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is in pursuit of her second MFA at the School of Human Ecology.

   
  Read More

   
• 

  Christopher Selleck

  Artist + Photographer + Educator

  Christopher Selleck was born in Augusta, GA. He received his BFA in Photography from the University of MN-Twin Cities in 2013 and his MFA in Visual Studies and Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design in 2016. Selleck currently divides his time between an active studio practice and teaching photography at the Minneapolis College.
  

   
  Read More

   
• 

  Seth Dahlseid

  Multimedia Artist & Technical Director

  Seth is a Minneapolis-based Art Documentation Specialist and Technical Director with over a decade of experience in video documentation and photography of contemporary art. Currently serving as Systems Administrator at MacPhail Center for Music, Seth brings extensive technical expertise to his work documenting 2D and 3D artworks and consulting with artists on multimedia installations from ideation through install. His clients include the Walker Art Center, Soap Factory, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, The M, MCAD, MCBA, The Orange Advisory, and Three Rivers Park District. Seth holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota, where he studied photography and moving image.
  Read More

   

Stop the Scroll: Video Tactics for Artists on Social Media

Featuring

• 

  Jennifer Meeker

  Ceramic Artist

  Tree-hugging Indiana based artist creates one of a kind stoneware creations inspired by nature. She uses her own carving, layering, and glazing techniques that are then fired in an oxidation firing to achieve a realistic look.
• 

  Ramona Muse Lambert

  Artist

  Ramona Muse Lambert loves illustration, painting, video, music and textiles. She sells wholesale art, loves assembling creative events, collaborating with folks that make things and raising her three sons with her lovely (more organized) husband.
• 

  Akwi Nji

  Artist and Brand Strategist

  Akwi Nji is an interdisciplinary artist and communications strategist whose work spans visual art, poetry, performance, and creative and brand storytelling for clients across the United States.

The post Webinar Series: Building Your Creative Career appeared first on Arts Midwest.

In 2023, we began to activate that plan by partnering with the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies to conduct research and staff education on the federally recognized American Indian tribes and reservations with whom Arts Midwest shares geography. That initial research was completed in summer 2024.  

What followed was a series of conversations and reflections that acknowledged the value of beginning with that research and education, but also revealed a clear next step: relationship-building.  

In mid-2024, Arts Midwest thoughtfully began community engagement efforts to listen and learn directly from Native artists, culture bearers, and communities. Arts Midwest staff consulted with three Native leaders in the field, Cheryl Kary with Sacred Pipe Resource Center, Stacey LaCompte with North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance, and Eileen Briggs with the Bush Foundation to gather feedback and guidance on next steps.  

After working with that advisory group, Arts Midwest moved forward with conducting a series of Listening Sessions, or focus groups, to gather community feedback on funding barriers/challenges, funding models that resonate with Native communities, and what are some program areas they’d like to see Arts Midwest support. 

The Listening Sessions have been carefully designed to interact with each specific region and ensure there is diverse representation of tribes and artistic medium. The sessions are also intentionally inclusive of reservation residents, rural residents, urban Natives, and Native-led nonprofits. This series will continue through 2025.  

In early 2026, Arts Midwest will develop a report detailing what we’ve heard so far, and how those findings will guide what we do next. 

Arts Midwest offers a heartfelt thank you to the advisory group and the individuals who accepted the invitation to participate in the Listening Sessions. We are eager to share more updates about what we’re learning and doing in 2026. 

Living Commitment to Native Nations

From staff learning to program design, we’re deepening relationships with Native Nations and celebrating Indigenous creativity across the Midwest.

Learn More

Bear Clan Dancer

West Bend, WI

GIG Fund

Photo Credit: Museum of Wisconsin Art

The post Arts Midwest’s Living Commitment to Native Nations: 2025 Update appeared first on Arts Midwest.

Arts Midwest’s latest free, three-part webinar series brings together experts in change and risk management to help you stay nimble and prepared.

You’ll learn how to pivot with the unexpected, assess your risk tolerance, and protect your work for the long haul through digital archiving, keeping your goals on track even in turbulent times.

All sessions will be recorded and emailed out to registered attendees following each webinar, and added to this page.

Managing in the Midst of Change: Creative Approaches for Arts Orgs

Featuring

• 

  Aliya Niazi Pitts

  Founder + President, Broad Lake Partners

  Aliya Niazi Pitts collaborates with nonprofits to navigate change with clarity and heart. Known for her inclusive approach, she blends strategy and relationships to help leaders unlock greater funding, focus, and impact.

   
  Read More

   
• 

  Erin Lavelle

  Artistic Director, Art Shanty Projects

  Erin Lavelle is an artist, producer and curator. She was the longtime Producer of the beloved dusk-till-dawn Northern Spark festival and currently serves as Artistic Director of Art Shanty Projects, an annual public art program held on a frozen Minneapolis lake.
  Read More

   
• 

  Kelvin Alfaro, MBA

  Organizational Consultant and Coach

  Kelvin F. Alfaro is an Indigenous strategist and systems coach who integrates systems thinking with trauma-informed and equity-centered practices to help teams listen, repair trust, and co-create new directions. He serves in the Office of Strategic Consulting at UW-Madison.
  Read More

   

Surviving the Storm: Risk Management for Nonprofits

Featuring

• 

  John MacIntosh

  Managing Partner, SeaChange Capital Partners

  John joined SeaChange in 2008 to put transactional skills and finance experience to use for good. Since then, SeaChange has worked with more than 1,500 nonprofits as they navigate complex financial challenges. He feels privileged to work with inspiring nonprofit leaders every day.
  Read More

   

The Cloud Ate My Homework: Building an Archive for Digital Materials

Featuring

• 

  Sam Meister

  Founder and Consultant, Future Access For All

  Sam Meister is an archivist and educator based in Skokie, Illinois who has been working in and with libraries, archives, museums, galleries, artists, and nonprofit organizations for over 15 years.
  Read More

   

The post Webinar Series: You’ve Got This! How Arts Orgs Can Navigate Risk and Change appeared first on Arts Midwest.

In our free, four-part webinar series, Arts Midwest brings together experts in arts emergency readiness to help you strengthen your preparedness.

You’ll learn how to respond effectively and recover more easily so your creative work can keep moving forward, no matter what comes your way.

All sessions will be recorded and emailed out to registered attendees following each webinar, and added to this page.

Disaster Response for Arts Organizations

Featuring

• 

  Donia Conn

  Associate Professor, Simmons University

  Donia Conn is an associate professor at the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science and an independent preventive conservator for small and mid-sized cultural institutions, with over 30 years of experience.
  Read More

   

Risk Assessment for Arts Organizations: An All-Hazards Approach

Featuring

• 

  Tom Clareson

  Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness

  Tom Clareson is Project Director for Performing Arts Readiness, helping arts organizations protect assets, sustain operations, and prepare for emergencies, and for the Bay Area Arts Readiness Network, providing San Francisco-area disaster networking services.
  Read More

   

Emergency Preparedness and Business Insurance for Artists

Featuring

• 

  Cameron Baxter Lewis

  Director of Grants, Programs, and Training, CERF+

  With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit, volunteer, and disaster management, Cameron Baxter Lewis currently serves as the Director of Grants, Programs, and Training at the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+), where he oversees emergency response and readiness initiatives.

Rebounding from Disaster for Artists

Featuring

• 

  Cameron Baxter Lewis

  With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit, volunteer, and disaster management, Cameron Baxter Lewis currently serves as the Director of Grants, Programs, and Training at the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+), where he oversees emergency response and readiness initiatives.
  Read More

   

The post Webinar Series: Emergency Preparedness for Artists + Arts Organizations appeared first on Arts Midwest.

On January 22, 2025, President Trump issued executive orders rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and accessibility initiatives. Then, in February, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the government from terminating any equity-related grants or contracts.

The Trump Administration’s DEI executive orders and subsequent federal court injunction blocking their implementation has created a complex and quickly evolving situation for  employers and recipients of federal grants.

In response, Arts Midwest and attorneys from McDermott Will & Emery LLP held a free webinar on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Webinar Recording

Featuring

• 

  Brian J. Tiemann

  Partner | Chicago

  Brian J. Tiemann counsels public and private companies on a broad range of employee benefit matters, including matters related to pension plans, 401(k) plans and executive and incentive compensation.

  Read More

  He advises plan fiduciaries with respect to their fiduciary duties, investment policies and alternative investments. He also advises multinational clients on global employee benefits matters, particularly with respect to global incentive compensation plans. Brian has extensive experience negotiating investment management agreements and service provider agreements.
• 

  Rachel B. Cowen

  Partner | Chicago

  Rachel B. Cowen focuses her practice in various employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases in federal and state courts.
  Read More

  Rachel’s experience includes prosecuting and defending employee mobility and trade secret litigation on an emergency injunctive basis. She also counsels employers facing union organizing activity and picketing, and has successfully tried numerous cases before the National Labor Relations Board. She also handles collective bargaining and labor arbitrations. Additionally, Rachel represents financial services companies and professional engineering firms in unfair competition cases.

  Rachel serves as the global co-head of McDermott’s Employment Practice Group.
• 

  Tara L. Ward

  Partner | Washington, DC

  Tara L. Ward represents a wide variety of companies that do business with the federal government, ranging from small and emerging tech companies looking to break into or expand their stake in the federal marketplace, to well-established defense, professional services and information technology contractors and subcontractors.
  Read More

  Tara’s diverse practice covers the full range of government contracting issues, including litigation and counseling related to bid protests, contract claims and disputes and teaming agreement and other strategic alliance issues. Tara regularly helps clients navigate some of the most nuanced areas of government contract law, including other transaction agreements, small business regulations and supply chain issues.

The post Webinar: Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders on DEI appeared first on Arts Midwest.

As a panelist, you’ll play a vital role in reviewing applications and informing funding decisions—ensuring that grants support meaningful artistic and cultural projects.  

Why Become a Panelist? 

Serving as a panelist offers unique opportunities to: 

• Gain grant writing insight: If you’re curious about applying for grants, reviewing applications can give you valuable insight into what makes a strong proposal. 
• Direct funding decisions: Have a voice in determining which projects receive financial support and make an impact in your community and beyond. 
• Be inspired: Witness creative ideas from organizations and artists that might spark your own creativity. 
• Earn extra income: Many panelist opportunities provide stipends or compensation for your time and expertise. 

What You Need to Know Before Applying 

Eligibility and requirements for panelists vary by state and program, so it’s essential to review guidelines carefully. Here are some things to know: 

• Eligibility: Some panels are open only to residents of specific states or regions. Others may seek individuals with particular expertise, such as experience in theater, youth programming, or visual arts.  
• Technology: Panelists often need a computer or tablet with internet access to review application materials, participate in virtual meetings, and visit project-related websites. 
• Time Commitment: Participation time can vary depending on the program and the volume of applications, so check the specifics for the panel you’re interested in. 

Where to Start 

Becoming a panelist is easier than you might think! Below, you’ll find a list of opportunities across the Midwest and beyond.  

Becoming a panelist is a rewarding way to engage with the arts community and make a lasting impact on the cultural landscape. Whether you’re interested in serving at the state, regional, or national level, there’s an option for you. 

The post How To Become an Arts Grant Panelist in the Midwest  appeared first on Arts Midwest.

In Fall 2024, Farah Siraj, LADAMA, and A Moving Sound will tour across the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Ensembles will spend one week in each community to share their music and culture through school workshops, masterclasses, and concerts.  

Join in the fun at a public concert celebration at the end of the week!  

Farah Siraj

Named Jordan’s Musical Ambassadress, Farah Siraj balances a career that spans the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, having performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the United Nations, Nobel Prize Hall, World Economic Forum, and Lincoln Center. As a humanitarian, Farah focuses on raising awareness about the consequences of war and violence, and advocates for women’s rights, refugee rights and animal rights.

Learn more about Farah Siraj

Photo Credit: Yasmina Barbero

LADAMA

LADAMA is an ensemble of female musicians from across the Americas who write and arrange original music influenced by music from their respective countries, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela, to create a unique sound with universal appeal. As well as performing as a touring band, LADAMA strives to engage youth in their respective communities in the process of music-making, composition and audio production through collaboration and performance workshops celebrating cultural exchange as a source for creativity. With rhythm and percussion driving their original compositions sung in Spanish, Portuguese and English they combine disparate, traditional roots music with pop.

Learn more about LADAMA

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

A Moving Sound

Fusing traditional influences with a global sensibility, award winning ensemble A Moving Sound (Sheng Don聲動) from Taiwan, built a worldwide following through their joyous mix of original music and dance. Featuring the distinctive timbres of the erhu (Taiwanese fiddle) and zhong ruan (lute), and the transcendent vocals of Mia Hsieh, A Moving Sound has devised a unique and compelling style that is all their own – a Taiwanese whirlwind that veers between the meditative and the exuberant with irrepressible spirit.

Learn more about A Moving Sound

Magdalena Frackowiak

Farah Siraj

LADAMA

A Moving Sound

A program of Arts Midwest, the 2024–2025 World Fest artist tours are generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Arts Midwest is also generously supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, Wisconsin Arts Board, 3M, and individual donors and partners. 

The post Catch World Fest Artists In Your Community This Fall appeared first on Arts Midwest.

In 2019, Arts Midwest established the David Fraher Fund for Innovation in honor of former President & CEO David Fraher. This Fund recognizes and celebrates David’s legacy of curiosity by creating a space for Arts Midwest to pursue a question that was at the forefront of his career: What if we tried something different?

Rooted in the belief that artists and organizations thrive when they are given the space to think big and test new ways of working with their communities, the David Fraher Fund for Innovation was created to offer a source of courage funding to seed new projects and new ideas. It invites our field to reimagine how we work together to ensure the Midwest continues to be a place where arts and culture thrive. And it creates space to take risks, learn from them, and pivot along the way.

Photo Credit: Alana Horton

As a result of CAIRNS’s research, we have greatly expanded our knowledge of the tribal reservations, treaties, and governance structures in the Midwest. We’ve learned that while we have 42 Native Nations in our region, there are 48 sovereign land bases with various structures. We’ve also learned more about the Indian Arts and Craft Act, and the nuances behind terminology such as “tribal citizen” vs. “reservation residents,” and “in” vs. “on” reservation land.

“Concluding our Native Nations Research Project with CAIRNS in June has given Arts Midwest much to consider as we move forward with our Living Commitment to Native Nations,” said Arts Midwest Program Manager Holly Doll. “The data and work that CAIRNS has done can lend itself to our grantmaking analysis that’s underway with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; help us rethink and improve the language we use when talking about reservations within our grants and programs; and in the future, potentially lead to the creation of more direct offerings to reservation residents.”

“As our contributions to the Native Nations Research Project are winding up, CAIRNS is so thankful to the Innovation Fund for supporting a project like none other,” said Dr. Craig Howe, executive director of CAIRNS and Arts Midwest board member. “While conducting extensive research, we have not run across any other project that compiles the breadth of data this one does, nor one that conceptually and programmatically focuses on tribal land bases and their residents. CAIRNS is thankful for this opportunity to collaborate on this initiative, and it is exciting to now turn the project over to Arts Midwest.”

This research was only the beginning of our efforts to advance our Living Commitment to Native Communities. We will use CAIRNS’s findings to help us strengthen our understanding, build relationships, and explore opportunities to support the Native Nations within our region. We look forward to sharing additional updates with our community as we continue this important work.

The post David Fraher Fund for Innovation supports Native Nations research in 2024  appeared first on Arts Midwest.