Our Work
History
The Rockford Area Arts Council was established in 1969 as a four-county umbrella arts organization. The Arts Council provides Winnebago, Boone, Ogle, and DeKalb Counties with organizational resources, collective advocacy efforts, and critical arts and cultural resources for our communities, with a special focus on our disadvantaged and underserved populations. The Arts Council exists to support, promote, and develop access to the arts for everyone. We achieve this goal by funding artists and arts organizations that oversee programs to under-served communities; supporting arts education and programming; developing collaborative relationships with the City of Rockford, the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Transform Rockford, R1 Regional Planning Council, Winnebago/Boone/Ogle/DeKalb Counties, and regional school districts; overseeing events that showcase local talent; and advocating for the arts at the local, state, and federal level.
Arts Council Mission
The Rockford Area Arts Council supports, promotes, and develops access to the arts for everyone.
Purpose
The Arts Council is the collective voice of individual artists and regional arts organizations; We believe in the transformative power of the arts and its ability to set the tone for a region’s creative and cultural infrastructure.
Partners
Federal Granting Partners: National Endowment for the Arts
State Granting Partners: Illinois Arts Council Agency, Arts Alliance Illinois
Regional Granting Partners:
- Community Foundation of Northern Illinois
- ComEd
- Mill Foundation
- Kiwanis of Rockford
- Alpine Kiwanis
Regional Municipal Partners:
- City of Rockford
- Winnebago County
Arts and Culture Partner Organizations (live links):
Music Academy of Rockford, Rockford Dance Company, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Friends of the Coronado, Artists’ Ensemble, Pec Play House, Nielsen Chorale, RACVB, District 205’s Fine Arts, Rockford Writer’s Guild, Rockford Art Guild, Womanspace, West Side Show Room, Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, Starlight Theatre, 317 Art Collective, Underground Art Gallery, Usual Suspects, New Genres, Phantom Regiment, Domingos en el Parque