Iowa
Facts and Figures
In the past five years, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed $9,922,035 in federal funding, either directly or through state and regional partners, in Iowa.
In the most recent information (2021) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, Iowa...
- Added 2.1 percent or $4.5 billion to the state economy from arts and cultural production
- Employed 39,391 workers in the arts and cultural industries, with workers earning wages and benefits totaling more than $2.5 billion
More than 45 percent of Iowa’s adults attended live music, theater, or dance performances, while more than 17 percent attended art exhibits, according to the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.
In addition to offering direct grants, the NEA supports national initiatives benefiting people across the country:
An average of more than 587 students from 58 high schools in Iowa participated in Poetry Out Loud annually.
Blue Star Museums program provided free admission to thousands of active military personnel and their families at 76 participating museums in Iowa.
The NEA Big Read program generated 46 community events focused on reading outstanding American literature and involving more than 2,565 adults and students in Iowa.
Iowa Fact Sheet
On this page, find information on the arts and culture for Iowa, and how the National Endowment for the Arts has supported the arts in communities throughout the state. Below are highlights of just some of Arts Endowment grantees and artists working in Iowa.
To find a list of grants awarded by the agency to Iowa, go to our Recent Grant Search.
State Highlights
The Artful Life Questionnaire: Jen Rouse
Moving Images in Rural Iowa: A Look at the Documentary "Saving Brinton"
The Art of Place: Artists in Residence at National Parks

Dwight Lamb

Dorothy Trumpold

Jill Osier
United States of Arts: Iowa
State & Regional Contacts
Iowa Arts Council
600 East Locust
State Capitol Complex
Des Moines, IA 50319
515/281-8741
Arts Midwest (Regional Arts Organization)
2908 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55408-1954
612/341-0755
TT/Voice: 612/341-0901
general@artsmidwest.org