Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Partnership

Erie Arts & Culture is an official partner of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). The state council has designated Erie Arts & Culture as the official arts agency for Northwestern Pennsylvania. 

Our service region includes the counties of:

  • Erie
  • Crawford
  • Warren
  • Mercer
  • Venango

Erie Arts & Culture administers three programs on behalf of the PCA.

The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) grantmaking program
The Arts in Education (AIE) teaching artist residency program
  • As a partner, we leverage funds provided by the Commonwealth to support in-depth arts learning experiences for youth and adults in our service region.

    Click here for more information
The Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program
  • As a partner, we investigate, document, present, sustain, and promote the folk and traditional art found in our service region in order to celebrate our region's diverse heritage. 

    Click here for more information
pro network pca

About the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA):

The mission of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. The state council promotes equitable access for all Pennsylvanians to participate fully in a creative life and in the diverse forms of arts and culture found throughout the Commonwealth.

Goals of the PCA:

1.) Strengthen Pennsylvania communities through the arts.

  • Provide support for arts programming that engages Pennsylvanians throughout the commonwealth in experiencing the arts and exercising their creativity.
  • Invest in community-based arts projects that serve as catalysts to livability, economic development, and community connectedness.  
  • Work with public and private sector partners to build cross-sector collaborations to advance shared goals.
  • Preserve and promote Pennsylvania's diverse cultures and cultural heritage.

2.) Connect and increase Pennsylvanians' access to lifelong learning through the arts. 

  • Support arts in education to cultivate future innovators and build essential skills that promote success in school and career readiness.
  • Advance quality of life for Pennsylvanians of all ages through arts learning and creative endeavors.

3.) Champion public awareness and appreciation of the arts in Pennsylvania communities.

  • Inform and engage the public about the value and impact of the arts.
  • Encourage Pennsylvania's artists, arts organizations, and creative industries' capacity for marketing and sustainability.
  • Recognize and celebrate the arts and Pennsylvania's artists and arts organizations as contributing to the commonwealth's prosperity. 

History of the PCA:

On October 26, 1966, Governor William D. Scranton signed enabling legislation establishing the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Through the provisions of Act No. 538, the Council is charged with "the encouragement and development of the various arts" in the Commonwealth. Funding for the PCA comes from the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual state appropriation by the General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency.

The Council's grants programs began in 1968 with a modest program of support for community arts festivals. Currently, the PCA accomplishes its mission through a combination of grants to the arts; partnerships and initiatives; technical assistance to partners and applicants; and by serving as a resource for arts-related information for public officials, other agencies of state government, and the general public. The PCA undertakes partnerships and initiatives to leverage opportunities, to seek solutions to challenges affecting the arts in the Commonwealth, and to initiate programs that will serve a broad spectrum of artists, arts organizations and arts participants throughout the state.

The PCA's current grants budget is $9,590,000. 

Governance of the PCA:

The PCA is governed by a Council of 19 members - 15 private citizens and four members of the General Assembly. The Council sets the mission and goals of the agency, evaluates the progress toward these goals, formulates policy, and makes final decisions on the use of funds.

The PCA’s staff administers the Council’s funding programs, partnerships, initiatives, and provides assistance to the Commonwealth’s arts organizations, arts programs, individual artists and the general public.

 
To learn more about the PCA, please visit their website below:

PCA website

Erie Arts & Culture

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