About Us

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation develops partnerships and programs that reinforce artists’ capacity to create and present work, advance access to and participation in the arts, and promote a more sustainable arts ecology.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation believes that art is essential, that it has the power to transform individuals and communities, and in so doing helps define our society. Excellence, integrity, service, inclusion, and engagement are fundamental tenets of its commitment to the arts.

We envision a vital arts and cultural sector enriched by the movement of a vibrant and diverse environment of artists and arts organizations engaging audiences across geographic, artistic and institutional boundaries regionally, nationally, and internationally.

The Foundation serves the states and territories of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. Additionally, the Foundation engages in national and international work focused on performing arts touring, jazz, and independent filmmakers.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation was established in 1979 to promote and support multi-state arts programming. Over the years, MAAF has built a core of program initiatives designed to address specific issues of regional, national and international arts support. We do this by:

• Expanding access to the arts
• Exploring new forms of cretive expression and presentation
• Providing leadership in the development of new models and partnerships
• Expansion of markets for artists and their work
• Providing resources to enable organizations to expand audiences
• Exploring new ways for artists and organizations to enhance operational and creative practises
• Representing best practises in management and governance
  

Our programming focuses on performing arts touring, jazz, the traditional arts, international engagement, filmmaking and touring, and artist fellowships.

The mid-Atlantic is a region that is particularly rich in the arts. One-half of the acknowledged “major museums” in the U.S. are located in the region. Twenty-four percent of the artists in the U.S. labor force work in the mid-Atlantic region.

The wealth of arts resources in the mid-Atlantic helps to differentiate this region from other areas of the country. While the challenges facing the arts community are significant, the opportunities are abundant. Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation will continue to recognize the great wealth of resources in the region and work to strengthen those resources and make them available to the widest possible audience.