The Illinois Arts Council is a government agency of the state of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 formed to encourage development of the arts throughout Illinois. Founded in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly

Illinois General Assembly

The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...

, the Illinois Arts Council provides financial and technical assistance to artists, arts organizations, and community organizations with arts programming.

The Illinois Arts Council

The Illinois Arts Council is governed by up to 21 members appointed by the Governor of Illinois

Governor of Illinois

The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....

 who serve four-year terms. They meet three times a year. Assisted by volunteer advisory panels, they distribute grants and oversee arts programs and services.

Many arts organizations in Illinois rely on funding from the IAC each year. Governor Rod Blagojevich

Rod Blagojevich

Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...

 drastically cut the budget in 2007 in what many saw as a political move against his chief rival, Michael Madigan

Michael Madigan

Michael J. Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois...

, whose wife is the head of the IAC.

Programs

• Artist Fellowships
• Arts-in-Education Residency
• Arts-in-Education ArtsResource Grants for Schools and School Districts
• Arts-in-Literacy Grants
• Arts Service Organization Grants
• Artstour Grants
• Community Arts Access (Regranting)
• Ethnic and Folk Arts Master/Apprenticeships
• Governor's International Arts Exchange
• Literary Awards
• Partners in Excellence
• Program Grants
• Project QuickStart for Schools and School Districts
• Short Term Artists Residency
• Special Assistance Grants
• Youth Employment in the Arts

Services

• Application Workshops
• Artists' Registry, a mailing list to link Illinois artists with professional opportunities
• Artslinks, sites through Illinois with coordinators and Illinois Arts Council publications
• Awareness Meetings
• Directory of Illinois Performing Arts Presenters
• Directory of Local Arts Agencies
• Governor's Awards for the Arts
• HeARTland
  Heartland
  - Education :* Heartland Baptist Bible College, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma* Heartland Community College, in Illinois* Heartland Elementary School, public school, Kansas- Film :* Heartland , a 1979 film starring Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell...
  
  , a resources publication
• Illinois Art Fair Directory, an annual publication
• Technical Assistance

Illinois Arts Council Members

In 2006, Illinois Arts Council members included:

• Shirley R. Madigan, Chairman
• Andy Van Meter, Secretary
• Rhoda A. Pierce, Vice Chairman