#America250MS #America250.Photo: America 250 Mississippi commissioners celebrate a kickoff event. Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Arts Commission and America 250 Mississippi.

State arts agencies are actively involved in honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. @MSarts is working with cultural organizations and state agencies to celebrate its unique heritage.

The House Interior Appropriations Committee's 2026 budget proposal for the National Endowment for the Arts recommends a 35% cut. Reach out to representatives to share how public funding for the arts is a high-return investment that benefits every American

Read our July issue to learn about America 250 plans in Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey; sources of state arts agency funding and how their grants serve communities; the ways member input feeds NASAA actions; and more!

Cover image: A community vision quilt created by students at Garfield Elementary School in collaboration with professional teaching artist Kate Gorman, funded by the @OhioArtsCouncil. Photo by Chelsea Dipman.

Last week, NASAA President and CEO Pam Breaux (left, 2nd from l) spoke to the @UtahArtsMuseums board and Executive Director Vicki Bourns (left, center) about our services for state arts agencies and how we are positioning our work in the current context.

Photo: Community steel drum workshop; photo courtesy of Musical Instrument Museum.

Creative aging programming supports healthier living and an improved quality of life for older adults. AZ Creative Aging, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, offers training and embeds best practices in the creative aging community:

NASAA President and CEO Pam Breaux addressed attendees at @Americans4Arts AFTACON 2025 this month in Cincinnati. The over 1,100 attendees included many state arts agency executive directors and state arts advocates from around the nation.

Fragments of Freedom, by Magnus Weber, is the 2025 South Dakota winner in the Congressional Art Competition. Image courtesy of the artist and South Dakota Arts Council.

In South Dakota's at-large congressional district, @SouthDakotaArts administers the Congressional Art Competition—an opportunity for high school students to exhibit their work in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Learn more:

The Grove in downtown Clinton’s Pocket Park at 125 Fourth Avenue South; artist Gabriella Torres, Clinton, Iowa. Photo by Camryn Simmons.

Arts and artists strengthen local economies in Iowa Arts Council's Creative Places Accelerator program. Artists join cross-sector teams to develop community projects that use local assets to cultivate an authentic sense of place. Find out more

This month: Gratitude for all our public servants; state arts agency programs of note in Arizona, Iowa and South Dakota; the powerful return on investment delivered by the NEA in partnership with states; and news from and for the field:

Photo by Joe del Tufo, Moonloop Photography, courtesy of Delaware Division of the Arts.

Research shows that veterans participating in arts programs experience improved emotional and physical health. State arts agency programs like @ArtsDelaware's CreatiVeterans help enhance well-being through meaningful engagement in the arts.

NASAA congratulates the Illinois Arts Council on 60 years of supporting arts and culture, helping to build a vibrant, engaged community that enriches lives and communities across the state! #IllinoisArtsCouncil #IAC60 #IAC60Strong #IAC60andBeyond

State arts agencies put public input at the heart of their plans. See how different states—Georgia Council for the Arts, @montanaarts, @VTArtsCouncil and Virginia Commission for the Arts—craft plans that respond to community needs:

Get the facts on how public investment in the arts helps communities across America to thrive:

NASAA CEO: Stand up for the arts in America! Also in our May issue: new tools to advocate for public investment in the arts, updated state profiles on arts and culture's impacts, a state arts agency program for veterans, and more.