ACRE Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts


Update / 1.15.20

ACRE to Receive $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Chicago, IL, January 15, 2020—ACRE (Artists' Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) has been approved for a $10,000 Art Works grant to support the summer 2020 Residency Program. ACRE’s Residency Program provides a growing community of artists with access to materials, equipment, expertise, conscientiously produced food, and future opportunities to exhibit and share work. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.

“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like ACRE's Residency Program.”

"As we begin our 10th year of operation, we celebrate the many accomplishments ACRE has made and look toward the future with a goal of sustaining our core Residency and Exhibitions programs," said ACRE Acting Executive Director Kate Bowen. "Thanks to the support of the NEA, we can continue to make a lasting impact on the arts in Chicago and our nationwide network."

Each summer ACRE welcomes approximately 80 emerging, often underrepresented, artists of all disciplines to attend one of three 14-day residency sessions. The residency takes place on rustic farmland in the Driftless region of Southwest Wisconsin. Artists live and work in a communal setting that includes expansive work spaces, mess hall kitchen, performance stage, wood shop, art and tech facility, and sound, fiber, screenprinting, and ceramics studios. Residents are encouraged to their balance time between producing work, contemplating their practice, and engaging with the community. A number of visiting artists are invited to conduct studio visits and present lectures, discussions, workshops and other non-traditional programming.

For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.