Art is a language that cuts across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers. The arts nourish our souls and are essential to the quality of our lives. Calling ourselves The City of  Art and Innovation speaks to our collective commitment and serves as a constant reminder that promoting the arts in our community requires a strong and continuing public-private partnership.  The Arts Council believes the arts, in fact, are for everyone, beginning with our children and continuing throughout lifetimes’.

Six Reasons to Get Involved with The Arts Council

1. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, founded in 1949, was the FIRST Arts Council in the country, serving as the model for more than 4,000 others to follow across the nation.
2. The Arts Council works to ensure that our community’s quality of life is nurtured and enhanced through a broad array of cultural and artistic activities, which are the qualities that attract the best professionals and keep them in our community.
3. Arts Council Grants fund artists and arts organizations who take programs into local K-12 classroom and work with students to enhance the standard course of study. Arts Council Funded Partner and Arts-In-Education programs reach all 42 elementary schools in the WS/FC School System an average of 4 times per year.
4. Nonprofit arts in Forsyth County have a tremendous impact on our local economy as a $103 million industry. Total tax revenues of arts related nonprofit organizations in Forsyth County are more than $32 million.
5. There are approximately 14,800 creative industry jobs in the Triad, firmly establishing Forsyth and Guilford countries as the creative employment centers of the region.
6. The Arts Council granted $1.95 million in 2010-11, supporting 37 organizations and 21 individuals with grants and program funding. The Arts Council also supports the operation and maintenance of The Arts Council Theatre at Hanes Community Center and the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts.