Arts for Underserved Populations

The WAC builds 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 advocates for and provides full access to the arts through individualized assistance to grantees, staff and board members in their efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504) requirements.

Underserved populations 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.

Artists Across Wyoming Grant Program

Many Underserved communities can bring arts in through the ease of the Artists Across Wyoming grant program, which utilizes the talents of our Wyoming Arts Council Roster Artists.

Arts Projects Grant Program

Th new Arts Project grant program also offers funding for projects that bring arts to communities that lack access to the arts.