Featured News | January 24, 2022
The Wyoming Arts Council received a $75,000 grant from the CDC Foundation to create innovative work that will harness the power of the arts to engage audiences and participants of all ages in overcoming COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy.
The CDC Foundation awarded grants to a total of 30 arts and culture organizations across the country that will use the arts to educate communities and build vaccine confidence.
Through support from the CDC Foundation, the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) is initiating a call for Wyoming-based artists and artist collectives who are interested in creating original work focused on encouraging vaccine uptake.
“We are excited to provide paid art-making opportunities for Wyoming artists, as well as to recognize the ways in which art is directly connected to overall health and wellness for both individuals and communities,” said Michael Lange, Executive Director of the Wyoming Arts Council. “The Wyoming Arts Council established a Health and Wellness Through the Arts Program in 2016, and we are pleased with how well this project aligns with our service to the state.”
Artists of all mediums (including, but not limited to: visual arts, music, theatre, dance, literary arts, folk and traditional arts) are encouraged to apply. Four selected artists or artist collectives will receive $10,000 each to create a selection of work. WAC will work with a local marketing firm to create a statewide marketing campaign featuring the work. Projects from artists that explore their lived-experience with COVID-19, including illness, family member illness, loss of family members or community members, experience receiving the vaccine and more, will be prioritized. The goal of the created work should be to encourage others to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Created artwork must be non-partisan in nature.
“We are excited to bring the arts and science together in a really powerful way with these partnerships,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “Through their chosen art forms, these organizations will be able to create accessible and inspiring work that communicates essential health information about the safety and importance of vaccination in protecting communities from COVID-19 and influenza.”
Funding for this effort is made possible through a sub-award from the CDC Foundation and is part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) financial assistance award totaling $75,000 with 100 percent funding from CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.
Applications from artists are due by Feb. 22, 2022. Full information and the application form can be found on Submittable.
For more information, please contact Michael Lange at the Wyoming Arts Council at michael.lange@wyo.gov or 307-275-4476.
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.
