The Rockford Area Arts Council supports, promotes, and develops the arts for everyone in our Northern Illinois region.

The Arts Council is guided by the vision of a community in which everyone enjoys and participates in the arts - and a community in which successful artist and arts organizations contribute to the vitality of the economy and quality of life.

The Rockford Area Arts Council...

Offers arts programs, services, and events to residents and visitors.

Awards grants to artists, arts organizations, and schools.

Provides arts information to the community from its office in the historic Shumway Market Building in downtown Rockford.

Acts as an umbrella organization and a catalyst for community development; examples are our preliminary work leading to the development of Riverfront Museum Park and the new Coronado Theatre.

The Rockford Area Arts Council...

Presents twenty multi-disciplinary education, outreach, and promotional arts programs.

Helps many thousands of children learn in new and better ways through its Artists in Schools programs.

Attracts thousands of visitors and residents with events such as ArtScene, Spring ArtScene, Family Arts Festival at Riverfront Museum Park, and the Mayor's Arts Awards.

Awards over $80,000 annually in direct grants to artists and arts groups.

The Rockford Area Arts Council believes that everyone deserves access to the arts and that everyone -- from children and families to people in the workforce to senior citizens -- can and will benefit from involvement with the arts. The arts are for everyone!

We welcome visitors to our office, where we have lots of information on what's going on in the arts in Rockford. We have brochures from many of the area's cultural organizations, as well as the following Rockford Area Arts Council publications:

Artists In Schools Grant Program, lists information about arts opportunities for schools