Native Competitors

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, AAM has been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward. AAM’s Alliance of 35,000 museums and museum professionals seeks to better our communities, and our world, through collaborative human-centered experiences, education, and connection to histories, cultures, the natural world, and one another. Stay in touch: ✉️ aam-us.org/subscribe

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.

Amplifying Midwestern Creativity Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, we work to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Since our founding, we have awarded more than 6,000 grants totaling nearly $60 million. Each year, we serve more than 700,000 individuals across more than 300 communities in the Midwest and beyond. We nourish the creative roots of the Midwest, confident that our region will continue to sow the seeds that inspire the world. Arts Midwest’s work is shaped by our guiding values: equity, integrity, and learning. We believe that creativity lives in everyone. Therefore, we do everything we can to help people show up fully, speak their truth, and grow together. We embrace the full spectrum of humanity. We approach each other with trust and humility. We have brave conversations and learn from new perspectives. Living these values helps us build connections that make our beloved places bolder, more welcoming, and seen for the beacons of brilliance that they are. We’re here to build unprecedented opportunity in the Midwest by advancing creativity. To support the artists and organizations that define and redefine this place. To share ideas that make Midwesterners more visible and connected. To raise up the stories that challenge assumptions. And to build flourishing communities that are powered by opportunity, authenticity, and a deep sense of belonging. That’s our Midwest: a place of extraordinary possibility.