Arkansas Art Council

About Arts on Tour

The Arkansas Arts on Tour roster provides a list of many of our state's finest solo and ensemble performers, individual visual artists, and prepared art exhibitions available for touring within Arkansas. Many of these roster artists will also provide workshops, master classes, and open rehearsals.

An independent panel chooses new roster artists each year through an audition/interview process. Selection is based on the quality of the artists' work and on a demonstrated ability to tour in Arkansas.

The Arts on Tour program (AOT) is designed by the Arkansas Arts Council to grant fee support to eligible presenters showcasing artists listed in the Arts on Tour roster. That means the performance or exhibition in question must be the focus of the engagement, not a secondary part of some other purpose. Such activities as providing background music for a reception, an award presentation, or a dinner featuring a special speaker are not eligible for reimbursement. Arts on Tour will also not reimburse expenses to hire roster performers as guest artists within another organization’s program or concert.


New Application Features for 2008-2009

  • The Presenter Application form includes a section for presenters to describe how they plan to feature the AOT artist/ensemble they are requesting a reimbursement for.
  • The Application package no longer requires a copy of the presenter’s nonprofit certification. The Presenter Application Form has a place to indicate the organization’s tax ID number (EIN).
  • Since the Arts on Tour reimbursement includes federal money, we also now require that all AOT applicants provide their nine- digit DUNS Number (data universal numbering system) on the Presenter Application Form. The executive director, business manager, board treasurer, or accountant is likely to know and be able to provide your organization’s DUNS number if you already have one. Any organization (schools etc.) already receiving federal funds will have one. Additional information on obtaining one can be found on the NEA website at http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/DUNS.html
  • To obtain a reimbursement after the contracted event, the presenter will need to send the Arts Council proof of payment of the contract amount in addition to the appropriate invoice. This proof could be a copy of both sides of the cancelled check paid to the AOT artist at the conclusion of the event, or a copy of the check payment listed on a computerized bank statement. The presenter is responsible for paying all stipulated contract costs before it can receive a reimbursement for expenses from the Arkansas Arts Council.


Arts on Tour Fee Support

AOT grants will reimburse 40 percent of the total artist fees listed in the Arts on Tour roster. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis until the year’s money is allocated. Each applicant is limited to a total of $2,000 in reimbursements per year. If the engagement is scheduled between July 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008, the Arkansas Arts Council will begin accepting requests for reimbursement on April 1, 2008. If the engagement is scheduled between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2009, the Arts Council will begin accepting reimbursement requests on October 1, 2008.

AOT roster fees are listed as separate figures for artist fees and technical costs, which include travel and lodging expenses. The total combined contract fee is the amount eligible for reimbursement. The roster fees are the maximum amounts allowable for Arts Council reimbursement. Presenters may negotiate a lower fee with the artist than the amount listed in the roster, but if a lower fee is agreed upon, the maximum reimbursement granted to the presenter will be 40 percent of the negotiated fee, up to $2,000.

Engagements scheduled during May—Arkansas Heritage Month—may be eligible for a reimbursement of 60 percent of the contract fees, up to $2,000, if the program has a clear connection to the 2009 Heritage Month theme "Native Species—Only in Arkansas". Presenters requesting an additional amount of reimbursement must include an explanation with their application stating why the event fits the Heritage Month theme.

Download a FY 2008 Presenter Contract Application - PDF | Word

Download a FY 2009 Presenter Contract Application - PDF | Word

Eligibility

In order to apply for Arkansas Arts on Tour fee support, applicant organizations must:

  • be a nonprofit Arkansas-based organization if its gross receipts are less than $5,000, or an organization certified as exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code (this includes public schools, institutions of higher learning, churches, and government units.)
  • plan to showcase the AOT artist/ensemble as the reason for the event and allow the performance, workshop, or exhibition to be open to the general public through unrestricted paid or free admission
  • agree to credit the Arkansas Arts Council in programs, season brochures, advertisements, and press releases with the following credit line:


This program is supported by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please submit samples of any publications as proof of proper crediting.

Application Restrictions

  • All reimbursed events must take place between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009. Each request must be received in the Arkansas Arts Council office before the event occurs. This is not a postmarked deadline.
  • Requests will not be accepted after June 1, 2009.
  • Facsimiles or copies of applications without original signatures, or incorrect or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  • Applicant organizations must submit a separate signed request for each contracted event. The contract fee per engagement can be no more than the total amount listed in the AOT roster. The total 2008-2009 Arts on Tour funding each presenter may receive is limited to $2,000.


Application Process

Each submitted reimbursement request must include the following items:

  • a signed Presenter Application Form with the Arkansas Arts Council. The submitted Application Form must have an original signature from the applicant organization. The applicant should keep a copy of this AOT application.
  • a copy of a co-signed contract with an Arkansas Arts on Tour roster artist/ensemble for an event scheduled in the period of July 2008-June 2009. This submitted copy must include all contract addenda and tech riders.


If the application is for a 60 percent reimbursement for an event during Heritage Month, the application must also include:

  • a brief description of the event explaining its connection to the 2009 Heritage Month theme. Be specific in the explanation.


Reimbursement Request and Payment

Requests are funded on a first-come, first-served basis, and the number of reimbursements awarded is limited to the amount of funding available. Upon receipt of the application package, the Arkansas Arts council will process the form, determine its status based on the availability of funds, and notify the applicant organization that funds have been allocated for the event.

If an application is approved, the applicant organization will be sent an invoice and an evaluation form prior to the event date. In order for the presenter to be paid a reimbursement, the Arts Council must receive a returned request package after the approved event occurs. In addition to the Arts Council invoice, the request package must include proof of contract payment. This proof could be a copy of both sides of the cancelled check paid to the artist/group, or a copy of the check payment listed on a computerized bank statement. The presenter is responsible for paying all stipulated contract costs before it can receive a reimbursement for expenses from the Arkansas Arts Council. Requests received more than 30 days after the event, or with missing requested pieces, may not be paid.

Each submitted reimbursement request must include the following items:

  • the signed Arkansas Arts Council invoice
  • proof of payment of the AOT artist/group contract
  • the completed evaluation form


Mail application package to:

Arts on Tour Program
Arkansas Arts Council
1500 Tower Bldg.
323 Center Street
Little Rock, AR 72201

For more information on the Arts on Tour Program contact Jess Anthony at (501) 324-9768, or email jess@arkansasheritage.org.