A Vision for the Arts in Food-and-Agricultural Grantmaking

Tuesday, October 23, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized and moderated by Sunil Iyengar, research and analysis director, National Endowment for the Arts.

Presented by Cheryl Schiele, Folk & Traditional Arts specialist, National Endowment for the Arts; Christa Drew, principal, DAISA Enterprises; and Seline Szkupinski Quiroga, director, School of Transborder Studies, Arizona State University.

Food and the arts often go together—yet, why have funders not explored the shared value of supporting programs that strategically fuse both cultural phenomena? The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (National Institute of Food & Agriculture) are collaborating on methods to amplify the role of arts, design, and cultural heritage in federal funding opportunities for rural/agricultural communities, while more effectively connecting artists and arts organizations to those opportunities. Outcomes from this endeavor could entail greater participation by artists in public health messaging (e.g., to combat the opioid crisis); the inclusion of arts curricula in agricultural training; heightened sensitivity toward cultural heritage as a factor in healthy eating; and integration of design and creative placemaking in food ecosystems. Federal agency reps will explain their rationale and aims for this partnership, and how cultural asset mapping can be used to strengthen local connections between the sectors. A NEA research grantee will present results from a study exemplifying how the arts’ impacts on nutritious eating habits can be captured through empirical means. The panel will offer and solicit ideas for how arts funders might work successfully with such organizations and artists.