What Does the Wyoming Arts Council Do?

About the Wyoming Arts Council

Each year, the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) awards nearly 150 grants and fellowships, serving every county and reaching more than one million people across the state. This includes approximately 1.1 million adults, 200,000 youth, and 10,000 artists who benefit from arts funding in their communities. From local murals and school arts programs to community theater productions, WAC-supported projects help make Wyoming a vibrant place to live, work, and create.

The Arts Council is funded by a combination of State of Wyoming General Funds, National Endowment for the Arts federal funds, endowments, private donations, and revenue generated through sponsorships and registration for events like the annual Governor’s Arts Awards.

History and Governance

Established in 1967 during the administration of Governor Stanley Hathaway, the Wyoming Arts Council was created under state statute to support and promote the arts statewide. In 1989, a government reorganization placed the Council within the Department of Commerce. It was later moved to the Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources, where it operates today within the Division of Cultural Resources.

For more than two decades, the WAC was headquartered in the historic Kendrick Building in downtown Cheyenne. In 2015, it relocated to the Barrett Building, home to the Wyoming State Museum.

The Wyoming Arts Council’s operations and governance are defined by state statutes 9-2-901 through 9-2-904, and program-specific guidelines such as 16-6-801 through 16-6-805 for Works of Art in Public Buildings.

Accessibility Statement

The Wyoming Arts Council believes that experiencing the arts should be accessible for all, including people with mental and/or physical disabilities, older adults, military/veterans, people living in institutions and those who lack access to the arts due to geographic isolation, cultural difference and economic hardship