What is the Jackson Arts Council?

The Jackson Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered in 1967. Although we rely on support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the City of Jackson to grow the arts in our region of Tennessee, we are an independent nonprofit organization that primarily relies on individual donations from community members and businesses. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

What does the Jackson Arts Council do?

The Jackson Arts Council serves as an umbrella organization of support for arts groups, artists, and cultural institutions. In short - we’re here to make sure that the arts are healthy and thriving in our community by raising money to give to the arts and connecting our arts leaders and artists to resources they need. Our primary area of support is grant funding. We fund anywhere between 15 - 25 arts programs/arts projects a year that are necessary to the growth of arts in our community. Throughout the years, we have distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to the arts in our region. We also provide communications services, professional development opportunities, arts education programming, and arts advocacy on the local, state, and national levels for our region. Learn more about our programs on our website under the “Programs” tab.

Who decides how grant funds are distributed?

The Jackson Arts Council recruits qualified community members of various backgrounds and arts disciplines to serve on a grant panel for each grant opportunity we offer. Grant panelists are given specific instructions for reviewing and scoring grants, including a conflict of interest statement that excludes grant panelists from scoring applications in which they have a conflict. Grants are distributed competitively based on average scores given by panelists. If you are interested in being a grant panelist to help us distribute funds to the arts, please email us and let us know! To learn more, visit the “Grants” tab on our website.

What communities does the Jackson Arts Council serve?

The Jackson Arts Council primarily serves Madison County. However, we are the designated arts agency for the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Build Communities grants, serving Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, and McNairy Counties.

What is the “Arts Coalition”?

The Arts Coalition formed many years ago as a way for arts leaders to gather to share resources, network, and attend professional development events to grow their area of arts. Today, the Jackson Arts Coalition has evolved to be a much larger, more inclusive network of arts groups, arts leaders, artists, and musicians around Madison County that share a social media platform to collaborate, network, and receive updated information from the Jackson Arts Council about funding opportunities and resources available to support them. Jackson Arts Coalition followers are encouraged to sign up for our email list to stay in the loop about arts events and resources.

Does the Arts Council need volunteers? Can I be a volunteer?

Yes! We often need community volunteers to assist in grant panel reviews and arts events. If you are interested in volunteering to grow the arts in our community, please email and let us know!

How does the Arts Council support arts education?

The Jackson Arts Council strongly values arts in K-12 education, believing that it is fundamental to a well-rounded education. We provide free art supplies to Jackson Madison County School System for all ages of students through the Jackson Art Box program, which is intended to help support student creativity and expression in safe spaces. We also partner with local organizations to facilitate student art activities outside of the classroom, including student art shows and student mural paintings. Grant dollars distributed through us often go to fund projects that directly benefit K-12 students both in and out of the classroom, providing arts education access to thousands of students per year.

Where can I find the arts in Jackson?

• Check out the “Arts Directory” tab of our website.

• Sign up for our newsletter to receive a monthly calendar of Arts and Culture events happening in Jackson.

• Follow the Jackson Arts Council for local arts and culture updates and events on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Where is the Jackson Arts Council?

The Jackson Arts Council is on the bottom floor of the Ned in Jackson. The Jackson Arts Council built the Ned in 1997. Although the Ned is now run by the City of Jackson, the City graciously allows the Arts Council to function out of the building in order to continue our necessary work.

What is the Jackson Arts Council’s involvement in the development of Jackson’s Arts District?

The Jackson Arts Council’s staff are members of the Public Arts Commission through the City of Jackson. The Public Arts Commission helps promote, select, acquire, and maintain public art in the City of Jackson, TN, and this group of arts leaders collaboratively created the Arts District that was approved by the City Council in 2022 under the direction of Mayor Scott Conger. Although the Jackson Arts Council’s primary focus is on the development and growth of all of the arts, we are active members of this group and support their efforts in the development of public art installations.