The mission of Mid Atlantic Arts is to promote and support multi-disciplinary arts in the Mid-Atlantic region. They aim to increase access to and appreciation for the arts through support of programs that nurture and affirm the cultural identity of the diverse people, places, and traditions of the region. While this is a generalized mission statement, Mid Atlantic Arts focuses on fostering the arts and culture ecosystem by enabling artists and organizations to explore new innovations, engage communities, and enhance their contributions to the regional and national cultural landscapes.
The Central Appalachia Living Traditions: Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences grants, provided by Mid Atlantic Arts, support public-oriented projects and events in ARC-designated Appalachian counties of Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. The objective is to bring communities together through folk and traditional arts practice and cultural knowledge. Funded projects aim to promote widespread public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of living traditions, or to enhance and share artistic skill and cultural knowledge within communities. The grant encourages the development of new projects or the expansion/diversification of existing ones, focusing on diversifying the types of folk arts and cultural activities in these communities. Projects might include hands-on learning experiences, workshops, public art projects, exhibitions, performance projects or series, and more, with a priority for projects engaging multi-generational participants or those in under-resourced or marginalized communities.