Arts Access in Wyoming

The Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) envisions a Wyoming where the arts are integrated into the economy, education and everyday life of its citizens.\

The WAC will continue to build programs that make Wyoming a state where underserved communities and diverse populations have the same access to arts programming as those in larger urban areas; and to advocate for and provide full access to the arts through assistance to grantees and staff in their efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504) requirements.

In an underserved community the people lack access to arts programs due to geographic isolation and/or limited access to quality arts resources and programs due to economic conditions, disability, age or other reason, such as:

• Rural areas or those isolated from large population centers
• Reservation communities
• Special education students or at-risk youth in a school or community setting
• Educational institutions with no arts curriculum or budget
• Special needs populations such as older adults and persons with disabilities or of low income
• Confined settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, correctional institutions, and youth facilities
• Ethnic populations, including immigrants and other for whom English is a second language

Access to and inclusion in the arts are encouraged and supported by the WAC through outreach, hands-on technical assistance, and funding to underserved communities in the areas of local cultural development, developing arts organizations, rural initiatives, arts programs that offer positive alternatives to youth at risk, and other programs for artists and arts groups in areas that are underserved in the arts.

For more information, contact Marirose Morris, Arts Access Specialist and 504/ADA Coordinator, (307) 777-7723.