Arts and Culture

MICHIGAN ARTS COUNCILS:

Local arts councils play an important role in advocating, encouraging and developing arts and cultural awareness. By facilitating, convening, and organizing the arts, advocating for arts education and interacting with local arts and cultural organizations, they are instrumental in raising public awareness and the quality of life in local communities.

Below is a list of local arts councils in Michigan.

• Arts and Cultural Alliance of Jackson County
• Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo
• Arts Council of Greater Lansing
• Arts Council of White Lake
• Calhoun County Council for the Arts
• Cheboygan Area Arts Council
• Clinton County Arts Council
• Copper Country Community Arts Council
• Cultural Alliance of Southeast Michigan
• Dearborn Community Arts Council
• Downriver Council for the Arts
• Grand Blanc Arts Council
• Greater Flint Arts Council
• Holland Area Arts Council
• Lowell Area Arts Council
• Ludington Area Arts Council
• Newyago County Council for the Arts
• Oakland County Office of Arts, Culture & Film
• Plymouth Community Arts Council
• Saginaw Arts and Enrichment Commission
• The Arts Alliance

MICHIGAN ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS:

• Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Adrian
• All of Us Express Children's Theatre, East Lansing
• Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor
• Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
• Anton Art Center, Mt. Clemons
• Arab-American National Museum, Dearborn
• Artrain, Ann Arbor
• ArtReach of Mid-Michigan, Mt. Pleasant
• Arts League of Michigan, Detroit
• Bach Festival Society, Kalamazoo
• Bijou Orchestra, Bay City
• Binder Park Zoo, Battle Creek
• Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham    
• Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham
• Brass Band of Battle Creek, Battle Creek
• Brazeal Dennard Choral, Detroit
• Broadway Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids
• Buckham Fine Arts Project, Flint
• Cadillac String Association, Cadillac
• Calumet Art Center, Calumet
• Calumet Theatre, Calumet
• Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers
• Central Michigan University - University Art Gallery, Mt. Pleasant
• Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Detroit
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
• Chelsea Center for the Arts, Chelsea
• City of Marquette - Fine Arts Department, Marquette
• College for Creative Studies, Detroit
• Community Circle Theatre, Grand Rapids
• Cranbrook Art Museum & Institute of Science, Blooomfield Hills
• Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey
• Croswell Opera House, Adrian
• Crystal Lake Art Center
•  Curtis Community Arts Council DBA Erickson Center for the Arts
• Dennos Museum, Traverse City
• Detroit Artists Market, Detroit
• Detroit Chamber Winds & String, Detroit
• Detroit Dance Collective, Royal Oak
• Detroit Historical Museum & Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Detroit
• Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
• Detroit International Jazz Festival, Detroit 
• Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit
• Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak
• Digitial Arts, Film & Television, Royal Oak
• Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Troy
• Flint Cultural Center Corporation, Flint
• Flint Institute of Arts, Flint
• Flint Institute of Music, Flint
• Fontana Chamber Arts, Kalamazoo
• Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids
• Glen Arbor Art Association
• Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Ballet, Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Children's Museum, Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Symphony, Grand Rapids
• Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, Grand Rapids
• Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Grand Rapids
• Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point
• Grosse Pointe Symphony Orchestra, Grosse Pointe 
• Heritage Works, Detroit
• Holland Chorale, Holland
• Holland Symphony Orchestra, Holland
• InsideOut, Inc. Literary Arts Project, Detroit
• Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen
• International Symphony Orchestra, Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron
• Ironwood Theatre, Ironwood
• Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Kalamazoo
• Jackson School of the Arts, Jackson
• Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Jackson
• Jazzistry, Ann Arbor
•  Jewish Ensemble Theatre, West Bloomfield 
• John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids
• Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo
• Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo
• Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo
• Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor
• Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph
• Kresge Art Museum, East Lansing
• Lansing Concert Band, Lansing
• Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Lansing
• Little Traverse Civic Theatre, Petoskey
• Living Arts, Detroit
• Lorenzo Cultural Center, Clinton Township
• Macomb Center for Performing Arts, Clinton Township
• Marquette Maritime Museum, Marquette
• Marquette Symphony Orchestra, Marquette
• Marygrove College, Detroit
• Mason Street Warehouse, Saugatuck
• Matrix Theatre Company, Detroit
• Michigan Ballet Theatre, Rochester
• Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing
• Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee
• Michigan Legacy Art Park
• Michigan Opera Theatre, Detroit
• Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Jackson 
• Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing
• Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor
• Michigan Theatre, Jackson
• Midland Center for the Arts, Midland
• MoreDances Contemporary Dance Company, Troy
• Mosaic Youth Theatre, Detroit
• Motor City Brass Band, Southfield    
• Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), Detroit
• Music Center of South Central Michigan, Battle Creek
• Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Detroit
• Muskegon Musuem of Art, Muskegon
• Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester
• Old Town Playhouse, Traverse City
• Opera Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids
• Opus 21, Kalamazoo
• Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Rochester
• Performance Network, Ann Arbor
• Pewabic Pottery, Detroit
• Planet An Theatre, Hamtramck
• Plowshare Theatre Company, Detroit
• Plymouth Canton Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth
• Port Huron Museum of Arts and History, Port Huron
• PuppetART/Detroit Puppet Theatre, Detroit
• Rackham Symphony Choir, Grosse Pointe
• Raven Hill Discovery Center, East Jackson
• Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw
• Saginaw Choral Society, Saginaw
• Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw
• Saginaw Valley State University - Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Saginaw
• Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck
• Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society, Saugatuck
• Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra, Riverview
• Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, St. Josephn
• Sphinx Organization, Detroit
• St. Cecilia Music Society, Grand Rapids
• Tecumseh Center for the Arts, Tecumseh
• The Ark, Ann Arbor
• The Henry Ford, Dearborn
• Tipping Point Theatre, Northville
• Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Traverse City
• University Musical Society, Ann Arbor
• University of Michigan Art Museum, Ann Arbor
• Upper Peninsula Chidlren's Museum, Marquette
• Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids
• Village Theater at Cherry Hill, Canton
• VSA Michigan, Detroit
• Warren Symphony Orchestra, Warren
• Wayne State University, Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, Detroit
• Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, Kalamazoo
• West Michigan Glass Society, Kalamazoo
• West Michigan Symphony, Muskegon
• Western Michigan University - Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo
• Wharton Center for Performing Arts, East Lansing
• Wild Swan Theatre, Ann Arbor
• William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, Escanaba
• Williamston Theatre, Williamston
• Y Arts Detroit, Detroit

STATEWIDE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS:

A statewide service organization is defined as an organization with membership or constituency that spans the state; that offers services to artists, arts organizations or in the field of arts education; that promote the arts through advocacy efforts; and/or provides arts information services to the public. 

Below are links to organizations that are resources for the arts industry in our state:

• ArtServe Michigan - leading advocacy for the arts, culture and arts education and the transformative power of the creative industries in Michigan.
• Michigan Art Education Association - promotes quality visual arts education through leadership, service and professional development.
• Michigan Film Office - created in 1979 to assist and attract incoming production companies and to promote the growth of our indigenous industry.
• Michigan Historic Preservation Network - founded in 1981 to recognize and preserve Michigan's rich cultural and architectural heritage.
• Michigan Historical Society - founded in 1828 to connect Michigan's past to students, educators, historical organizations and the public through educational programs, conferences, publications and more.
• Michigan Humanities Council - connects people and communities by fostering and supporting quality cultural programs.
• Michigan Museums Associations - shares expertise and resources to promote standards and pratices that make the Michigan museum community thrive.
• Michigan Youth Arts Association - develops, recognizes and advocates excellence in arts education for all.
• State Historic Preservation Office - provides technical assistance to local communities in their efforts to identify, evaluate, designate and protect Michigan's historic resources.
• VSA Michigan - strives to create an inclusive society where people with disabilities participate in, learn through, excel in and enjoy the arts.

REGIONAL ARTS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS:

• ArtsMidwest - promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people's lives.
• Mid-America Arts Alliance - supports and stimulates cultural activity in communities throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation - provides leadership and support for artists and arts organizations in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
• New England Foundation for the Arts - provides leadership and resources that benefit artists, the public, arts funders and policymakers throughout New England and beyond.
• South Arts - creates partnerships and collaborations; assists in the professional development of artists, arts organizations and arts professionals; presents, promotes and produces southern arts and cultural programming; and advocates for arts and arts education.
• Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) - dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts.

NATIONAL ARTS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS:

• American Alliance for Theatre & Education - works to ensure that every young person experiences quality theatre arts in their lives provided by proficient, talented artists and educators. 
• American Association of Museums - develops standards and best pratices, gathers and shares knowledge, provides advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community.
• American Composers Forum - provide new opportunities for composers and their music to flourish, and engage communities in the creation, performance and enjoyment of new music. 
• American Craft Council - promotes the understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft.
• American Watercolor Society - promotes the art of watercolor painting in America.
• Americans for the Arts - serves, advances, and leads the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain and support the arts in America.
• ArtJob - maintain a comprehensive list of jobs, internships, fellowships and other employment opportunities in all areas of the arts.
• ArtsEdge - the Kennedy Center's free digital resource for teaching and learning in, through and about the arts.
• Association of Performing Arts Presenters - national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting the performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it.
• Chorus America - the advocacy, research and leadership development organization that advances the choral field. 
• Creative Capital - provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in all disciplines.
• Dance/USA - enhances the infrastructure for dance creation, education and performance.
• League of American Orchestras - leads, supports and champions America's orchetras and the vitality of the music they perform.
• National Alliance for Musical Theatre - service organization dedicated to nurturing the creation, development, producation and presentation of new and classical musicals.
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies - membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
• National Association of Latino Arts and Culture - dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development and cultuivation of the Latino arts field.
• National Dance Association - advocates for dance education as a creative, healthy lifestyle that benefits people of all ages and abilities.
• National Endowmnet for the Arts - supports artistic excellence, creativity and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities.  The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies and the philanthropic sector.
• National Endowment for the Humanities - dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities.
• National Peformance Network - supports artists in the creation and touring of contemporary performing and visual arts. 
• National Sculpture Society - promotes the knowledge of excellence in sculpture inspired by the natural world.
• New Dance Alliance - actively promotes emerging forms of innovative dance, music, video and interdisciplinary performance.
• New Music USA - works to increase opportunities for composers, performers and audiences by fostering the creation, dissemination and enjoyment of new American music, both nationally and internationally.
• Opera America - dedicated to supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.
• Pastel Society of America - encourages artistic advancement through prestigious awards distributed during its annual exhibitions.
• Performing Arts Alliance - advocates for national policies that recognize, enhance and foster contributions the performing arts make to America.
• Regional Dance America - advances and fosters the growth and education of dancers, choreographers, directors and dance companies in America.
• Theatre Communications Group - strengthens, nurtures and promotes the professional not-for-profit American Theatre.
•  VSA - provides arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities of all ages.

GENERAL RESOURCES:

• ADA.gov - provides information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act including design standards and revised regulations.
• Artsmanager.org - This site provides an opportunity to converse, network and problem solve with other community arts professionals from around the globe as well as tip sheets, case studies, articles and web links designed to provide practical advice for the busy arts manager.
• BoardSource - supports, trains and educates nonprofit board leaders by providing an extensive range of tools and resources to increase their effectiveness and magnify the impact of their mission.
• Duct Tape Marketing - provides simple, effective and affordable marketing solutions to small businesses. The website contains a Resources section with links to several informative articles and best practices regarding social media.
• Fieldstone Alliance - provides user-friendly publications that help nonprofit, community, funders, government, and business leaders improve their communities.
•  Foundation Center - through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level.
• Free Management Library - provides free, easy-to-access, online articles to develop yourself, other individuals, groups and organizations (whether the organization is for-profit or nonprofit).
• Guidestar - gathers and publicizes information about nonprofit organizations to advance transparency, enable users to make better decisions and encourage charitable giving.
• Interal Revenue Service:  Charities & Nonprofits - a link to tax information from the IRS regarding charities and other nonprofits.
• Kellogg Foundation - the Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.  The Knowledge Center on the Foundation's website contains many downloads including the Evaluation Handbook.
• Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) - enhances Michigan's economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies.
• Michigan Nonprofit Association - a leader, a model, an advocate and a support system for nonprofit organizations throughout Michigan.  The Resource Center on MNA's website contains many up-to-date sources on effective management including Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence.
• National Arts Marketing Project - provides information, tools and practical ideas to design high-quality, cost-effective marketing programs and strengthen arts organizations.
•  PR Newswire - provides news and information distribution services for professional communicators. The Knowledge Center on the PR Newswire website offers public relations advice and strategies, how-to articles, thought leadership pieces and other information to help you make your public relations, investor relations, marketing and multimedia broadcast campaigns more effective.
• Wolf Brown - a team of diversely-skilled professionals who bring creative thinking and thoughtful solutions to some of the nonprofit sector's most pressing and complex challenges.  The Insights section of Wolf Brown's website contains newsletters, PDFs of working papers and ideas on topics of interest in the nonprofit sector.

RESEARCH & REPORTS:

• 2012 Creative Industries Reports, Americans for the Arts
  
  Using data from Dun & Bradstreet—widely acknowledged as the most comprehensive and trusted source for business information in the United States—Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports offer a research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation's economy. While most economic impact studies of the arts have focused on the nonprofit sector (such as our own Arts and Economic Prosperity studies), Creative Industries is the first national study that encompasses both the nonprofit and for-profit arts industries.
• Artists and Arts Workers in the United States, National Endowment for the Arts (2010)
  
  The availability of American Community Survey (ACS) data for 2005-2009 allows researchers to produce reliable national estimates of the number, variety, and distribution of artists in the United States. This Research Note extends the NEA’s previous analysis of ACS data for 2003-2005. That report, Artists in the Workforce: 2000-2005, identified key similarities and differences between artists and other U.S. workers.
• Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10, US Department of Education (2012)
  
  This report presents selected findings from a congressionally mandated study on arts education in public K–12 schools. The data were collected through seven Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) surveys during the 2009-10 school year. This report provides national data about arts education for public elementary and secondary schools, elementary classroom teachers, and music and visual arts specialists. Comparisons with data from the 1999–2000 FRSS arts education study are included where applicable. 
• Beyond Attendance: A Multi-Modal Understanding of Arts Participation, National Endowment for the Arts (2011)
  
  Report authors Jennifer Novak-Leonard and Alan Brown of WolfBrown explore patterns of arts engagement across three modes: arts creation or performance, arts engagement through media, and attendance at arts activities. The report highlights the overlap in participation across modes, and examines factors that drive participation within and between modes.

• Building Creative Capital, Wolf Brown (2009)

  Organizations, communities, or metropolitan regions ask WolfBrown to help them measure the impact of what they do. Drawing on new understandings of creativity, as well as a number of WolfBrown projects, Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf and Dr. Steven Holochwost suggest that a focus on building creative capital is a powerful way to think about planning for, executing, and measuring the impact of the arts and culture. By way of example, they examine how this framework has informed and energized one of the most active sectors of WolfBrown’s work: arts and cultural education.

• Creative State Michigan, ArtServe Michigan (2012)
  
  A new resource for information on how the arts, culture, arts education and creative industries contribute to Michigan and its economy. ArtServe Michigan is collecting data, case studies and stories in all media to illustrate the important role of the creative economy in Michigan’s reinvention.
• Live from Your Neighborhood: A National Study of Outdoor Arts Festivals, Vol 1: Summary Report, National Endowment for the Arts (2010)
  
  This report combines key results from two investigative efforts—an online, national survey of outdoor arts festivals and seven case studies—to examine the range and variety of arts festivals in the U.S., the artists they employ, the communities they serve, and the roles they play in our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The survey collected, for the first time, comprehensive data on a large cross-section of U.S. arts festivals, including information about audiences, arts programming, budgets, and operating structure.
• Program Performance Evaluation Survey, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (2012)
  
  Email invitations were sent to a list of 477 arts and cultural organizations to participate in a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs' service to the field.
  
  Click here to read the full survey report.
  Click here to read an executive summary of the survey report.