"One of our core values is that we believe the freedom of cultural and creative expression is fundamental to humanity." — Todd Stein, President and CEO, Mid-America Arts Alliance

Middle America has too often existed as the middle child of American arts discourse, forgotten in broader discussions surrounding culture, the arts, and access. Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) has worked since its founding in 1972 to combat this narrative. The first regional arts organization, it has been providing arts access in the region through the support of artists, cultural institutions, and communities for almost 50 years. On average, M-AAA serves over one million children and adults across its region and the nation each year through arts programming, grantmaking, and professional development. The agency’s work strives to provide access to culture and the arts in historically underserved, largely rural areas throughout middle America, funding exhibits, performances, and arts training all across the six states M-AAA represents (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas). For the National Endowment for the Arts American Artscape magazine, Todd Stein, president and chief executive officer of Mid-America Arts Alliance, spoke with us about the work of M-AAA, and how it supports access to arts and culture all across the Mid-America region. Read the story. Learn more about the importance of arts and culture to the U.S. economy in the latest report from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Find it here.