Artist Support and Career Development

Glass artist holding her work

Topics:

Arts & Culture Resources

The Iowa Arts Council is dedicated to supporting individual artists and creatives and empowering them to build thriving creative lives and careers in Iowa. 

We recognize that artists need different types of support at different points in their career. 

The Iowa Arts Council offers both practice-based and project-based support to enable Iowa artists to achieve their artistic goals, create artworks and experiences that benefit Iowans, and grow their creative businesses in Iowa.

Practice-Based Support

Testimonial

“The Artist Career Development retreat gave me clear next steps of where to go with my business, expanded my network, and sparked ideas for new projects.”  
 
- Iowa Artist Career Accelerator Program participant, 2025

people gathered and mingling in a room

Project-Based Support

Note: Professional development activities - including artist residencies, classes, and workshops - may be a component of Art Project Grant requests, provided they are integral to carrying out a publicly accessible project that benefits Iowans.

Testimonial

“Having this opportunity to make a film in my hometown will go down as one of the most transformative, rewarding, and exciting experiences in my life. I can't say thank you enough to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for trusting my team to create our dream.”    

- Antoinette Lavalle, filmmaker and 2023 Greenlight Grant recipient.

Two women working with a camera to film

Business Resources for Artists

Being an artist means being an entrepreneur. This list of resources includes tools an artist can use to ensure they have the business know-how to support the business side of their artistic career.

Grantseeking for Artists

Support Iowa Arts

Become a Volunteer Panelist

Are you interested in helping support Iowa arts? We want to hear from you. Citizen advice from unique artistic and cultural viewpoints is central to government support of the arts. 

Get Involved