ACRE Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts


Update / 1.14.22

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

Chicago, IL, January 14, 2021 — ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions) has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the summer 2021 Residency Program. ACRE’s Residency Program welcomes approximately 75 emerging, often underrepresented, artists of all disciplines to attend one of three 14-day residency sessions each summer. ACRE’s project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category. 

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from ACRE that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “ACRE in Chicago is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

"​​The people and programs of ACRE weave a web of support that fosters solidarity between artists whose work brightens and challenges contemporary paradigms," said ACRE Executive Director Kate Bowen. “Thanks to the support of the NEA, ACRE will deepen support for our dedicated community of artists and open our collaborative project to an expanded community.”

ACRE's Residency Program takes place on 1,000 acres of rustic farmland in the Driftless region of Southwest Wisconsin. Artists live and work in a communal setting that includes expansive workspaces, mess hall kitchen, performance stage, woodshop, art and tech facility, sound, fiber, screenprinting, ceramics, and metalwork studios. Residents are encouraged to balance time between producing work, contemplating their practice, and engaging with the community. ACRE encourages a communal atmosphere of sharing and idea exchange. The environment helps emerging artists to realize their peers are an incredible resource instead of viewing fellow artists as competition. For many of our residents, ACRE is their first residency experience and a place to create lasting bonds with other residents, visiting artists and curators, and staff. 

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

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