Recognizing the cultural and economic impact the arts community makes in the Silver State, Gov. Steve Sisolak has proclaimed October to be Arts and Humanities Month in Nevada.
Arts and humanities generate $8.7 billion in total economic activity annually and supports more than 40,900 Nevada workers, according to data from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency that works to make the arts accessible to all Nevadans.
“The arts and humanities are essential in defining who we are and play a critical role in Nevada,” Nevada Arts Council Executive Director Tony Manfredi said. “They encourage creativity, spur innovation, drive economic health, express traditions, share experiences, increase understanding and enhance skills that are needed in all sectors of society and work. The Nevada Arts Council is proud to celebrate October with Nevada Humanities and all Nevadans.”
Nevada joins other states in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month in October, coordinated by Americans for the Arts, a national organization supporting the arts. This monthlong celebration grew out of National Arts Week, which was started in 1985 by the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.
“National Arts and Humanities Month gives us a chance to celebrate the values that the arts impart in our lives,” Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, said. “It is more important than ever that everyone take part to recognize the creative and cultural value of the arts and humanities in our communities.”
The Nevada Arts Council offers multiple programs to encourage and support artists in our state, including Nevada Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation competition for high school students; the Nevada Touring Initiative Travel Exhibition Program, which brings visual arts exhibits to Nevada communities; and the Nevada Basin to Range Exchange, fostering relationships between the state’s rural and urban communities.
The Nevada Arts Council also offers a grants program to support the efforts of nonprofit arts and community organizations, public institutions and individual artists. For more on Nevada Arts Council programs, visit nvartscouncil.org.
The Nevada Arts Council is part of the Nevada Division of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Its mission is to enrich the cultural life of the state through leadership that preserves, supports, strengthens and makes accessible excellence in the arts for all Nevadans.